Bonnaroo Music Festival
The What Podcast Enlists in Pondo’s Army
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Music | Radio Public | RSS Bonnaroo typically welcomes anywhere between 80,000 to 100,000 festival fans every year. Even amongst crowds that size, there’s one frequent Roovian who stands out. With his viking hat and Flava Flav-esque giant clock around his neck, Pondo has become an instantly recognizable presence on The Farm. Related Video Having attended every Bonnaroo since 2008, Bryan “Pondo” Blake has become a fixture there, gathering members of the ever growing “Pondo’s Army.” The army is more ethos than battalion, with its members adhering to a “listen to whatever you love” creed that promotes love of all music, regardless of genre. Over his years at ‘Roo, Pondo ...
The What Podcast: 69 Days to Bonnaroo
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Music | Radio Public | RSS Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco get together in The What podcast world headquarters in Barry’s basement for the second time in two years to celebrate 69 days to Bonnaroo. Related Video Together, the trio chat through the Coachella lineup swaps and the changing festival landscape. Plus, find out how you can win some special merch (aka junk)! Advertisement Listen to Barry, Brad, and Lord Taco take a deep dive into the upcoming festival season and more in the episode above, or watch the full interview below. Review, like, and subscribe to The What at the links above or wherever you get your podcasts. Then make sure you also follow the...
Sixthman VP Jeff Cuellar joins The What Podcast to Talk Bonnaroo, Cruise Festivals, and More
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Music | Radio Public | RSS Jeff Cuellar was a key member of the teams that created such festivals as Bonnaroo, Railbirds, Forecastle, and Moon River. For today’s episode of The What podcast, he joins Brad and Barry to talk about his roles with those events, as well as to chat about his new job with Sixthman, where he helps produce mini festivals on cruise ships and resorts around the world. Related Video Cuellar also talks heavily about his role with Bonnaroo, and how close the festival’s organizers were to holding the event in September before it was cancelled. Cuellar also goes over some of the changes made to The Farm before he left. Advertisement Listen to Jeff Cuellar disc...
Gang of Youths and Spoon’s Britt Daniel Talk New Albums on The What Podcast
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Amazon Music | Radio Public | RSS It’s a two-fer interview week on The What podcast, with both Max Dunn of Gang of Youths and Britt Daniel of Spoon on the show. The two musicians discuss their latest projects — angel in realtime and Lucifer on the Sofa, respectively — and what the records might sound like once they get out on tour. Related Video Also on this episode, Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco discuss the new improvements to Bonnaroo’s iconic Farm grounds, including the promise of new sewage and drainage systems as well as paved roads! The hosts also update on the Bonnaroo ticket giveaway. (Or just get your own tickets here!) Advertisement Review, like, and su...
Trading Whiskey Shots for Ginger Shots: RÜFÜS DU SOL Joins The What Podcast
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Radio Public | RSS RÜFÜS DU SOL frontman Tyrone Lindqvist joins Barry, Brad, and Lord Taco of The What Podcast to discuss the band’s journey in creating their most recent studio album, Surrender. Related Video Lindqvist discusses how the band was headed for drama when they decided to trade their whiskey shots for ginger shots, but how the trio is much healthier for it. The Australian musician also talks about how the forced time off over the last few years and becoming a father changed his life. Advertisement Plus, The What hosts reveal how your artistic talent could win you tickets to Bonnaroo 2022! (You can also get tickets here!). Listen to the new episode above. Make sure yo...
2022 Festival Lineups Ranked by The What Podcast
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Radio Public | RSS Festival fans got hit with an onslaught of lineups in the last couple of weeks, and Brad and Barry from The What podcast discuss and rank their favorites. Spoiler alert, it’s New Orleans Jazz Fest at No. 1 and then everyone else. (Get your tickets here!) Related Video But what of Coachella (tickets here)? Or less “prestigious” events like Shaky Knees (tickets here) or Boston Calling (tickets here)? And then of course there’s the biggest elephant in the room, Bonnaroo? (The What fellas may be lukewarm on Roo’s 2022 bill, but loyal Bonnaroovians can still get your tickets here.) Advertisement Listen to The What podcast’s full ranking of the major 2022 music festival lineu...
The What Podcast Reacts to the Bonnaroo 2022 Lineup
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Radio Public | RSS It’s finally here! After two years of cancellations, Bonnaroo is ready to try again in 2022 with its newly revealed lineup. If there’s anything that gets festival fans excited, it’s lineup day, and The What podcast gang are definitely festival fans. Related Video As soon as the lineup dropped, Barry, Brad, and Lord Taco were on Zoom dishing their reactions to the 2022 Bonnaroo bill. What day are they most excited for? What do they think of Stevie Nicks becoming the first female performer to headline the festival? How do they feel about Machine Gun Kelly’s booking? Advertisement Find out what they think by listening to The What podcasters react to the Bonnaroo ...
Support Hurricane Ida Relief Efforts with Our “Radiate Positivity” T-Shirt
Hurricane Ida and the resulting Tropical Depression forced the cancellation of Bonnaroo, a crushing blow to music fans across the country who were hungry to return to be The Farm. But let’s be honest, that’s far from the worst of the devastation this storm caused. That’s why we’ve decided to keep the Roo spirit alive while supporting relief efforts with our “Radiate Positivity” benefit T-shirt. Our original design aims to celebrate the energy of one of America’s greatest music festivals, demonstrating that even the nastiest of weather can’t keep us down for long. And to help others get back on their feet, we’re donating 50% of net proceeds to the American Red Cross’ Hurricane Ida relief efforts. Thanks to our direct-to-garment printing process, we’re able to offer this shirt in a vari...
The Aftermath of Bonnaroo’s Cancelation on The What Podcast
Listen via Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google | Radio Public | RSS A week ago, we were supposed to be getting ready to return to Manchester, Tennessee for Bonnaroo. Instead, Hurricane Ida rolled through and canceled everyone’s plans. Okay, so we saw the storm coming, but we didn’t anticipate it coming like this. We certainly didn’t think “too much water” would be the reason Bonnaroo wouldn’t happen for the second year in a row. After the year we’ve had, who did? Advertisement Related Video With what should have been ‘Roo weekend behind us, Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco of The What Podcast gather again to discuss whether the cancellation of Bonnaroo was the right call, how people made the best of the situation, and where things might go fr...
In Lieu of ‘Roo: A Recap of Phoebe Bridgers, Brittany Howard, and Sylvan Esso in Nashville
Following the cancellation of Bonnaroo 2021, in which Hurricane Ida rendered the campgrounds and festival site unusable just days before kickoff, artists are seeking ways to still connect with fans. Among the acts already in middle Tennessee announcing last-minute shows are Leon Bridges, The Band Camino, and Zach Bryan. Saturday, September 4th featured one of the more stacked impromptu lineups of the weekend when Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville welcomed Sylvan Esso, Brittany Howard, and Phoebe Bridgers (with a negative COVID test or proof of vaccination required for entry). Stretching over four hours, the show allowed ample time onstage for all the artists. As Phoebe Bridgers put it, glancing at the nearly 7,000 people gathered in downtown Nashville, “Bonnaroo would’ve been tight…but this...
Manchester, Tennessee Schools Close Due to Bonnaroo Traffic Changes Following Hurricane Ida
Update: Bonnaroo 2021 is officially canceled. While some schools close down for religious holidays or dangerous weather, only a select few get the honor of shutting down because of their proximity to high-profile music festivals. Earlier today, Manchester City Schools in Tennessee announced that students will no longer be expected to attend classes this week due to traffic patterns from Bonnaroo. “Due to expected increased traffic volume because of weather related changes to Bonnaroo entry, Manchester City Schools will be closed Wednesday, September 1. Students will return on September 7. There will be no extended care,” reads a statement on the school’s Facebook page. Two elementary schools and one middle school will be directly impacted by the changes, and hopefully any kid that was cont...
Bonnaroo Canceled Due to Unsafe Conditions Caused by Hurricane Ida
Just days before Bonnaroo was set to kick off, organizers have pulled the plug on the annual music festival due to unsafe conditions caused by Hurricane Ida. In a message emailed to fans and shared via social media, Bonnaroo organizers explained that much of Centeroo (where the stages and activations are set) and the surrounding campgrounds became so waterlogged from rain that the grounds have been rendered unusable and unsafe. “We are absolutely heartbroken to announce that we must cancel Bonnaroo,” read the note. “While this weekend’s weather looks outstanding, currently Centeroo is waterlogged in many areas, the ground is incredibly saturated on our tollbooth paths, and the campgrounds are flooded to the point that we are unable to drive in or park vehicles safely.” Advertisement Relate...
