There are some big surprises in the Bonnaroo announcement that, after weeks of teasing, was finallyreleased last night. None are more shocking than the lack of Outkast as a headliner, though. Could Bonnaroo have realized that perhaps every other festival
having the same nostalgic act as a headliner creates a kind of homogeny that flies in the face of festival/music culture? More likely than not they were thinking, “Meh, we already have Elton fucking John so whatever.” That’s right — the man who wrote “Candle in the Wind” is headlining Bonnaroo, so you don’t have to go to any other festivals cause this one is obviously the best. Backing up Elton John on the other days are Kanye West, Jack White, Lionel Richie, Vampire Weekend, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Frank Ocean, The Flaming Lips, Phoenix – and that’s only the first line of the poster. Go down a little lower and you get killer bands from all over the map, like Mastodon, Darkside, Phosphorescent, Cloud Nothings and Real Estate. So if you’re like me and are ready to live out your lifelong dream of jamming to heavy metal, sweet electro and Elton John all in one weekend, then this is the festival for you.