Wanted to make a poll but I guess we can’t do those on this sub. But I wanted to ask if you thought The Strokes sounded good or if you enjoyed them. Personally I thought they were great but I’ve seen a lot of other people say they were bad or one of the worst Roo shows they’ve seen.

I was front and in the pit so my experience might be different but they were amazing. Julian sounded great and the band was so tight. They were my favorite set for Roo this year.

I don’t get why people always claim Julian was drunk either, he very clearly wasn’t. He’s also been sober from alcohol for 20 years now so I don’t get why people keep saying that. Julian is just awkward, mumbles, and their whole schtick is being too cool for school. Do people just not know that? I also found his stage banter to be funny while I see a lot of others not think so.

Want to ask this to see how many of you enjoyed their set and thought it was great, and how many didn’t like it. Discuss below 👇🏼

We had the chance to sit down with Keith Richards this week. Not that Keith Richards — let's get that out of the way early. Our actual guest is the newly-named Head of Festivals at Ground Control Touring, an independent booking agency representing artists from Waxahatchee to Japanese Breakfast to Manchester Orchestra. He was named to the role this past January, Ground Control's first-ever Head of Festivals, and he joined us to pull back the curtain on how a festival lineup actually comes together.

We get into the questions we've always wanted answered: do artists really make more money at festivals versus arena tours? Is there a "cookie-cutter lineup" problem, or is that a myth? Why is developing a true headliner one of the hardest jobs in the industry right now? Keith also walks us through what it was like being on-site at Bonnaroo 2026 during the storm evacuation, riding it out alongside Bonnaroo's own team, and drops a list of up-and-coming artists he thinks are worth watching heading into next year.

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

Daniel and Sharla are out this week, so JB and PawPaw Josh are taking over with a pilot episode of a Bonnaroo sports podcast.

If you've every found yourself arguing about SEC football one minute and Bonnaroo the next, this one's for you.

We're genuinely curious if this is something the community would want more of, so give it a listen and let us know what you think!

Question for everyone: What sports team or athlete do you think has the biggest overlap with the Bonnaroo? Or, if you're not into sports, what other off-season Roo content would you actually watch or listen to?

Bonus trivia: Without Googling - What MLB infielder used an off-day to perform at Bonnaroo in 2016 with his band? (Hint - the band has the same name as the player).

___________

Story Time at the Roo Bus was started in 2019, and is the only woman-hosted Roo podcast. 100 percent of proceeds support The TOTEM Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps young adults in live music careers through music festivals.

Hey everyone!

This was my first Bonnaroo and my first time ordering merch from the official store. I only ordered one shirt, but when my package arrived the other day, it was just a plain black T-shirt. It honestly even looks a little worn, so I’m really confused. 😅 Definitely not what I ordered.

I already emailed the customer service email that was included with my order confirmation, but I haven’t heard back yet. Is this something that happens occasionally? Has anyone else dealt with this before? If so, is there a better way to get in touch with someone or any tips for getting it resolved?

I’m really hoping to get the shirt I actually ordered or my money back at this point. Thanks in advance!

Saw limp bizkit the other night, and a late night which show from them would go incredibly hard. One of the most energetic shows I’ve seen from a band/ crowd in a looooong time.

This would be SO fun. Maybe a late afternoon/early evening tent or which set. & a crowd full of fuck ass bob wigs would be hilarious

I know that he has been on the farm before in 2018, any Rich Brian fans here who'd wanna see him come back? If so, what stage or tent would you want to see him at and at what time of day?

Saw a few old photo dumps recently and decided it's time to share some miscellaneous shots from my first Roo.

Followed same timing as last year’s schedule. Probably a bit over budget but not insanely unrealistic (hopefully). Who would you be excited for?

Can we bring Adele to the farm pls? 🤣😭🫪 unpopular opinion I know

Show me your best trinkets, please. 💞

Anyone else love these guys and hope they are on the lineup next year ?

Been so quiet

I always show out with costumes when I go to festivals, but ALWAYS forget to take pics. By any chance did anyone get a snapshot of my gf and I on the days I wore a disco ball on my head or my bear suit?? Im just hoping something is out there. Thanks!

Hey everyone! I'm a music fan and independent event promoter from Australia who loves discovering artists, building festival lineups, and seeing what different music communities actually want to attend.

I've always been fascinated by Bonnaroo's mix of massive headliners, jam bands, rock, indie, electronic, hip-hop, and a great touch of emerging artists, so I thought it would be fun to create a fan-voted Bonnaroo 2027 mock lineup based entirely on what fans want to see.

For this, could you comment?

3 Headliners and 3 Subheadliners you'd love to see, 2 Rock or Alt/Indie acts, 2 Jam-esque bands, 2 Electronic / EDM acts (Don't need to be DJs), 2 Hip-Hop / R&B acts (Don't need to be Rap), 2 Country / Americana / Folk acts, 2 As the fest says, legacy acts or reunions (acts at least 25 years old), 2 Emerging artists (under 200K streams)

The total: Roughly 20 artists per comment

They don't have to all be such realistic bookings; this is your dream Bonnaroo 2027 lineup.

Please upvote artists you agree with; I don't want the same names repeated.

After 2 or 3 days, I will collect the most requested artists. This will help me create a final survey that will then let the Bonnaroo community vote on the final lineup.

The results will become a full Bonnaroo 2027 Reddit fan-voted mock lineup poster based on Reddit's choices.

Can't wait to see what the Bonnaroo Reddit can come up with. I think this is such a fun concept.

Obviously he’s been booked multiple times when the festival was cancelled. So maybe his fans who previously bought tickets to the festival wouldn’t be inclined to risk it again - but I’d love to see Tyler perform in 2027 on the farm. What about yall?

Has anyone else ordered merch this year and heard nothing? I ordered a hat and I will be moving soon, and I still have not heard anything about the item being shipped.

Update: they canceled my order. They did not say anything to me but they did refund me. With all the AI slop and cash grabbing going on this year I will not be reordering.

👀

Check out this bad boy from my first roo. 2004!

Happy High Five Friday!

There was this one vendor that had like felt mushroom bags, looking to find that vendor missed out on buying one

How can I contact Bonnaroo’s live broadcasting team. When I contacted Bonnaroo, LiveNation, RedBull TV over email, they ignored me. What I need is “CRYSTAL CASTLES LIVE @ BONNAROO 2017” so if anybody has this stream OR is in contact with the team, please, ask them for this stream. THANKS!!!!!