2008 Bonnaroo Music Festival

The Bonnaroo Music Festival is an annual festival held in a makeshift camping city near Manchester, Tennessee. Always a huge event, the 2008 festival was more exciting than ever. With a lineup that included Pearl Jam, Metallica, Jack Johnson, Kanye West and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, just to name a few, tickets didn’t last long. If you want to be there next year, don’t wait, sign up for our Ticket Alert now and be one of the first to get your 2009 Bonnaroo tickets!

The festival began in 2002 with about 50 artists boasting modern music from the blues, hip-hop, bluegrass, and indefinable genres. Innovators present at the first Bonnaroo included Les Claypool, Galactic Soulive, and Keller Williams. The festival lasted for three days with almost continuous music.

Tickets were hard to come by and crowds were huge. Many fans chose to sleep on the grounds for the entire weekend of music, while others joined the festivities only during the cool nighttime concerts. The festival also featured special events and attractions like the Gateway music-sharing tent where fans could create and download their own mix from participating Bonnaroo musicians. Also on site was a movie theatre showing Tommy and Yellow Submarine, a 24-hour coffee shop, and many rest and lounge areas where dancers could take a break from the loud crowds.

The second annual Bonnaroo Festival was just as successful. The Bonnaroo festival sold 80,000 tickets in 17 days. Fans flocked to the festival, following their favorite jam bands. Sonic Youth and Neil Young headlined the first day of the fest with blow-out performances. Knoxville's Robinella and the CC String Band kicked off day two with jazz-infused bluegrass. Liz Phair delivered a strange but loved set before the Allman Brothers made their way to the main stage. The Flaming Lips brought the audience to their feet, followed on day three by The Dead, a Grateful Dead tribute band endorsed by the original Dead's surviving members. Even old favorites like James Brown made appearances on the multiple stages around the venue.

The 2004 Bonnaroo took place on June 11-13, still in its original home in Manchester, Tennessee. The line up was announced to include Wilco, Ani DiFranco, Patti Smith, Simple Kid, Los Lonely Boys, and Dave Matthews. And that's only the first day! Day two entertainment included Los Lobos, Gomez, Acoustic Syndicate, and My Morning Jacket. A new feature of the third annual fest is the comedy tent featuring stand-up shows throughout the day. Comedians in 2004 included Todd Barry, Rich Vos, The Upright Citizens Brigade, and Bonnie McFarlane.

Other 'roo' activities are provided to keep the masses entertained between shows. Food and drinks are found at Jack's Cafe, which boasts the best of Tennessee barbeque. Another popular attraction is the Brooer's Festival featuring beer from a dozen national craft breweries. A new feature at the 2004 fest was dubbed Bonnaroo Buskers: a crew of street performers and roving artists from across the country put in place to entertain and delight. On site batting cages were provided by Major League Baseball, as well as baseball video games for those less athletically inclined. A favorite fixture of past festivals, sure to be included in every event in the future, is the playground. Bonnaroo set up an old-school playground with swings, slides, monkey bars, and all of your favorites from the park back home. Festival Yoga, introduced in 2003, is available to all Bonnaroo participants and helps fans prepare for the grueling days of fun in the sun.