bonnaroo

Bonnaroo 2009: By The Numbers

Bonnaroo Week rolls on here at Hidden Track with a feature for the stat geeks everywhere. Now in its eighth year the fine folks at Superfly have again crushed it with a diverse offering that’s sure to please even the pickiest of music snobs. As we took a look at this year’s lineup we were struck by the amount of the ‘Roo alumni that have routed their summer tours to include a stop in Manchester this year. So we figured we’d once again lay out a list of the folks who just can’t stay away from Bonnaroo, followed by a few fun facts to help keep you busy on your way into the festie…

bonnaroo

Two-Timers Performing at Bonnaroo 2009:

Neko Case, David Byrne, Elvis Costello, Mars Volta, The Decemberists, Ani DiFranco, Andrew Bird, Girl Talk, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, MGMT, Citizen Cope, Kaki King, Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Cage The Elephant, Heartless Bastards, Elvis Perkins In Dearland, Allan Toussaint, St. Vincent (1 Solo, 1 w. Polyphonic Spree), Page McConnell (1 Vida Blue, 1 Phish)

READ ON for the rest of the list and some fun factoids to keep you entertained as you make your way to Manchester…

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Tour Dates: Lou Reed Goes Deep

This Thursday and Friday former Velvet Underground front man Lou Reed will take up residence at the soon to be rechristened Gramercy Theater for two nights of fully improvised music

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Bloggy Goodness: Ryan & Mandy Get Married

A few weeks back, we dropped the gossipy news that singer-songwriter-blogger-novelist Ryan Adams had popped the question to former teeny-bopper pop star turned actress Mandy Moore. The odd couple didn’t

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Interview: Superfly’s Jonathan Mayers, Pt. II

Last week, we brought you part one of our in-depth interview with Superfly Presents president Jonathan Mayers where we discussed his start in the industry, the booking process for Bonnaroo and so much more. This week, we bring you part two of Scott Bernstein and Jeffrey Greenblatt’s talk with Jonathan, which includes his thoughts on Outside Lands, Vegoose, Superfly’s Greening efforts and much more…

Hidden Track: What has been your favorite Bonnaroo – both, in terms of your experiences and in terms of performances?

Jonathan Mayers: I have a couple, really. I’ve had many amazing moments there. You know, to be working with your friends every day, to feel creatively inspired, realizing that you can do anything. It’s like you can have an idea and with a good team of people you can execute on it and that just for me, the festival itself happening, is very fulfilling.

In terms of performances, I’m a huge Neil Young fan and when Neil Young & Crazy Horse played [in 2003] it was just such an amazing thrill for me because here was my hero, playing the festival and totally killing it. That was amazing. And, I’m also a huge Radiohead fan and I thought, Radiohead it was just an amazing set and they are one of my favorite bands. When they played, it felt like the festival was evolving – so that was really exciting too. And even Metallica last year – we had a lot of people that didn’t feel like that was a good booking for us and I thought that they were amazing. I thought it was a statement that – you know what – the place isn’t going to burn down. They’re an amazing live band and it worked.

READ ON for more on Outside Lands, the future of Vegoose, the economy and who Jonathan is most excited to see at this year’s Bonnaroo…

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Interview: Superfly’s Jonathan Mayers, Pt. 1

In 2002 the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival kicked off their inaugural edition with a lineup filled with the biggest names in the jamband world. Over the past seven years the ‘Roo has blossomed into arguably the best festival in the country thanks to diverse lineups, fan-first thinking and a comfortable setting where both artists and attendees feel at home.


While most music fans have their sights set on this year’s installment of Bonnaroo on June 11-14 in Manchester, TN – Superfly Presents president Jonathan Mayers already has his set on who he’s going to bring to the middle of the Volunteer State next year.

The extremely engaging and wry-witted Mayers recently took some time to speak with Hidden Track about his start in the industry, the fest’s booking process, their vast vault of performances, year two of Outside Lands, the future of Vegoose and much more in interview with Jeffrey Greenblatt and Scott Bernstein. With so much ground to cover we’ve split the interview into a special two-parter, so make sure to check back next Wednesday for the rest of the interview. In the meantime here’s part one…

Hidden Track: Can you tell us about your background, how did you get into the music industry?

Jonathan Mayers: Well I started in the adult entertainment business, I was… no that’s not true. Well, I went to school in New Orleans and I was always passionate about music, but I was also an entrepreneur and had all kinds of different businesses and stuff. So I went to school there and really got entrenched in the whole music scene down there and got inspired by it and then also, I had interned at the Jazz Fest when I was a senior in college. The New Orleans Jazz Fest is one of the best festivals in the world, it’s an amazing festival, and so I interned there.

READ ON for more on late nights, nabbing The Boss and keeping things fresh…

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Hampton Countdown: Insta-Downloads

Does anyone else find it curious that Phish hasn’t started selling downloads of their upcoming Hampton Coliseum reunion shows on LivePhish.com yet? Does this mean the band – who pioneered

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