Nathan Morris, staff writer
posted on April 20, 2006

For the past five years, 700 acres of farm land has been set aside in Manchester, Tenn., to hold an art and music festival that attracts more than 80,000 people.
The Bonnaroo Music Festival started in 2002 with various jam bands, a few independent bands and a whole lot of campers for more than three days worth of music.
The festival, that occurs every July, has been called the modern day Woodstock, a hippy fest and this year has been considered a melting pot of musical talent.
In 2002, the lineup featured sounds with jam band roots, having Widespread Panic headline and guitarist for Phish Trey Anastasio follow.
In 2003, the Grateful Dead reunited to form The Dead and made their debut show the last night at Bonnaroo.
Widespread Panic headlined the second night and Neil Young and Crazy Horse the first night.
The 2003 lineup really sparked the fire that has become Bonnaroo 2006 because it introduced so many independent artists that are not really related to the jam band scene.
Sonic Youth, My Morning Jacket, Gavin DeGraw, Ben Kweller, The Roots and the Flaming Lips are the first indie artists to really break the wall down for Bonnaroo’s reputation.
In 2004, Dave Matthews and Friends, Bob Dylan, The Dead, String Cheese Incident, Trey Anastasio and David Byrne were the main artists.
However, in 2004 alternative rock band Primus, Granddaddy, Kings of Leon, Ween and Wilco had their first experience of Bonnaroo.
In the previous years, the weather allowed concert goers fair weather and temperatures reaching more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
In 2004, the rains came and made Bonnaroo more like a mud puddle than an open field.
The Dead had their set pushed back a few hours, My Morning Jacket kept playing while the rain was drenching them and their equipment and there was a huge mosh pit in almost 3 feet of mud during the Primus set that lasted well into the morning hours.
The rain did not discourage the fans. Instead of hiding from the rain, thousands made mud slides, had mud fights and splashed in any puddle in sight, even if it was 15 feet from a portable toilet.
In 2005, Widespread Panic headlined both Saturday and Sunday night, Trey Anastasio played a late night show and Dave Matthews headlined Friday night.
To mix it up a little bit rock band, Mars Volta played almost all Friday night. Ray LaMontagne and Jurassic 5 played their hearts out for thousands of fans.
This year, Bonnaroo managers stepped up to have a lineup more diverse than any lineup thus far.
“The best band in the world” (Q Magazine) Radiohead are going to be headlining the festival along with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Phil Lesh and Friends, and Beck considered by many to be a musical genius.
But, what is more groundbreaking is the actual lineup aside from the headliners.
This year on June 16, 17 and 18, over 50 artists have confirmed their spot in the history-making festival.
Oysterhead will be having their first show since 2001 at Bonnaroo.
Veterans My Morning Jacket will return.
Common, Ben Folds, Cypress Hill, the Streets, Bright Eyes, Matisyahu and Death Cab for Cutie will all pack their bags and take part in a truly diverse event.
Jim James, lead singer and guitarst of the alternative country band My Morning Jacket said, “We’re really excited because we’re playing at midnight Friday night and its going to be a blast and we are just looking forward to seeing a lot of good music.”
“I’m really looking forward to Bright Eyes and Radiohead and Tom Petty,” said James.
“We’ve had nothing but fun in the past and I don’t know, I just feel like kind of the fun thing about Bonnaroo is that you never really know what to expect,” he added.
Nick Harmer, bassist for Death Cab for Cutie said, “I’ve actually never been to a Bonnaroo festival before, so I’ve never experienced it from an audience perspective.”
Death Cab for Cutie is one of the many indie bands playing at Bonnaroo “There are a lot of other bands on the bill that are similar to us, so I think we’re going to do all right. We’re really excited,” said Harmer.
The crowd reaction will be interesting and it will certainly be one of the most talked about festivals of the year.
For more information on Bonnaroo, tickets, artist lineup and information on the past shows visit the official Bonnaroo website, www.bonnaroo.com.