Could comedy make a comeback at Bonnaroo in 2025? Expanded camping options, or even a two-weekend event? This week on The What Podcast, we dive deep with Bonnaroo insiders Festival Director Brad Parker and Marketing Manager Cory Smith from C3 Presents. They share exclusive insights into what worked in 2024, what fans loved, and the exciting changes planned for 2025. If you're a Bonnaroovian, you won’t want to miss this one!

And, of course, it wouldn't be Bonnaroo without a diverse lineup. Brad and Cory hint at what fans can expect — from EDM headliners to legacy acts — and talk about the balancing act of booking artists that honor Bonnaroo's roots while offering the "best in the streets" to appeal to any fan, regardless of genre.

Join the Discord for early access to episodes!

Photo By: Evan Brown

Are you Ready to ROO? The What Podcast wants to send you to the Farm to experience a magical weekend of music, fun, and friendship at Bonnaroo! You'll witness round-the-clock entertainment from over 100 artists! We've got 4-day tickets and a camping pass for you and a guest. Visit thewhat.co/win for details.

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CHAPTERS
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:02:29) Beat in Nashville
(00:07:08) This week's guests
(00:15:19) Russ in a music video
(00:16:37) Interview with Brad and Cory
(00:18:14) Bonnaroo 2024 feedback
(00:31:15) Grading last year's festival
(00:35:12) Focusing on community
(00:37:42) C3 revolutionized the industry
(00:42:45) Lessons learned
(00:25:53) Tuesday entry
(00:53:09) Lineup talk
(01:08:58) Bonnaroo census
(01:14:47) Teasing things for Bonnaroo 2025
(01:18:39) Chappell Roan
(01:25:51) GWAR
(01:28:14) Brad's tweet
(01:29:35) Changes for Bonnaroo 2025
(01:37:20) Who stage
(01:38:02) Final thoughts
(01:39:37) Outro

It's been five years since Exit 111 took place on our beloved Farm in Manchester, featuring heavy-hitting acts like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Def Leppard, and Guns N' Roses. Bryan Stone attended with Taco, while Barry made a visit to check it out. The hosts reflect on the festival's surprising gun policy and discuss how things have changed since then. Will Great Stage Park ever host another festival like this?

In more recent news, we explore Sand in My Boots, a new festival headlined by Morgan Wallen in Gulf Shores, AL, which replaces the long-running and beloved Hangout Festival. Hulaween is also on the horizon in Florida.

Find The What Podcast on X/Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Discord!

Are you Ready to ROO? The What Podcast wants to send you to the Farm to experience a magical weekend of music, fun, and friendship at Bonnaroo! You'll witness round-the-clock entertainment from over 100 artists! We've got 4-day tickets and a camping pass for you and a guest. Visit thewhat.co/win for details.

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CHAPTERS
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:05:32) Exit 111
(00:24:43) CaveFest
(00:27:23) Hangout Fest
(00:38:05) Hulaween
(00:43:13) Outro

While Bonnaroo news is light this week, the festival scene up north is buzzing. Lollapalooza lit up Chicago, and Montreal's Osheaga was equally vibrant. The crew is amazed by Chappell Roan's skyrocketing success in the pop world, as she wowed crowds at both festivals alongside artists like Noah Kahan, Green Day, and Reneé Rapp.

Closer to home, Chattanooga is set to host a new Bluegrass festival for the next three years, and Bryan and Barry delve into this exciting development for the city. They also explore Huntsville's South Star and discuss some lineup changes at next month's Bourbon and Beyond. Finally, they look ahead to key dates for Bonnaroo 2025.

Listen to this episode of The What Podcast here or watch it on YouTube. Do us a solid and also like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you listen.

Talk Bonnaroo and other festivals with us! Join the Discord

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CHAPTERS
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:02:27) New Albums
(00:13:27) New bluegrass festival coming to Chattanooga
(00:30:39) Lollapalooza
(00:36:59) Osheaga
(00:40:20) Upcoming lineup changes
(00:45:51) South Star
(00:49:00) Bonnaroo Dates
(00:51:34) Outro

Now that we're all recovered (mostly), it's time for The What Podcast to recap Bonnaroo 2022.

After almost three years without one, it was a different kind of Bonnaroo this year on The Farm. Though Brad wasn't on the ground this year, he led Barry and Lord Taco in a discussion of how it went for the them. Throughout the discussion the discuss the good, the challenges, and the "never not great."

Check out the full episode here, or watch The What trio recap Bonnaroo 2022 via YouTube.

It's Bonnaroo week, so The What Podcast welcomed a group of Bonnaroovians onto the show for a live episode. Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco were joined by Tara and Kai, Jake from the RooHamm podcast, Bryan Stone from Camp Nutbutter, and Daniel and Sharia from The Real Roo Bus to discuss what they're excited about, changes to the Farm, and lineup picks.

Listen to the episode here or watch it via YouTube. As you make the annual pilgrimage back to Bonnaroo, make sure to like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

Bonnaroo is just a week away, which means it's time to finalize your personal schedule. Barry and Lord Taco, with some help from Brad, offer their picks for which acts they plan to see at The Farm this year.

Plus, find out what other non-music events are can't miss -- including where to see The What hosts recording a live episode -- by listening now. You can also watch the gang make their 2022 Bonnaroo schedule picks via YouTube.

When you've set your lineup, like, review, and subscribe to The What wherever you get your podcasts.

Lineup release day and schedule release day are special occasions for festival fans. Brad, Barry and Lord Taco from The What Podcast offer their thoughts on the Bonnaroo 2022 schedule. What are the highlights and where are the conflicts?

Do us a favor and like, review, and subscribe to The What wherever you get your podcasts.

From camping to showering tips to what to bring and not to bring, Bonnaroo veterans Brad, Barry and Lord Taco from The What Podcast offer some of their Do's and Don'ts for how to do Roo.

Once those are secure, Bonnaroo veterans and The What hosts Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco have plenty of tips. From camping etiquette to showering tips, self-care advice to packing lists, the trio of longtime Camp Nutbutter residents share their knowledge of Roo do's and don'ts

Superfly was just over five years old when co-founder Rick Farman and three of his former college buddies and fellow co-founders decided to create what became Bonnaroo. Farman joins Brad, Barry and Lord Taco of The What Podcast to talk about why they wanted to do it, and why they thought it might work.

In addition to discussing the history -- and future -- of Bonnaroo and other Superfly events, Farman digs into their newest venture: Superf3st. A Web3 community-based experiment, Superf3st aims to build an event from the community up, giving members a chance to make decisions and influence the direction of the festivals itself.

EDM and all of its subgrenres have become a big part of Bonnaroo in recent years, and the guys on The What podcast freely admit it's not their lane. So, Barry and Lord Taco reached out to friend of the show Kyle to learn more and get his thoughts on which acts are not to be missed at this year's Bonnaroo.

Follow Kyle on Instagram at @thekylegonzalez or @thesteelyvan, and listen to his EDM playlists on Spotify here: Bass, House, Pop, and Hiphop.

What happens when you randomly decide to don a Viking hat with horns and a giant clock around your neck while attending Bonnaroo? People want to hang out with you of course. Pondo joins Barry and Lord Taco on The What Podcast to explain the origins of Pondo's Army.

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. The gang also chats about the Coachella lineup swaps and the changing festival landscape. Plus, find out how you can act now to possibly win some special merch (aka junk)!

Listeners to The What podcast showed off their artistic abilities and their senses of humor in an effort to win tickets to the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. David Grimes is the lucky winner and joined Barry and Lord Taco to talk about his trips to The Farm and his winning work. (See all the submissions here.)

Plus, David talks about his first experiences on the farm, and Lord Taco takes us on a tour of the new The What website.

There's no band like GWAR and they did Bonnaroo right. From crew sacrifices to tea parties, these intergalactic warriors partied hard and put on an amazing late-night show, complete with their trademark blood. In this episode we debut our interview with their new guitarist Grodius Maximus.

Also joining us is our campmate Elizabeth Thorpe, a photographer who got to shoot some amazing sets at Bonnaroo 2024, including GWAR while wearing our Never Not Great t-shirt! Later in the episode, Beth and Bryan reminisce about Woodstock '99 since they both attended 25 years ago.

Listen to this episode of The What Podcast here or watch it on YouTube. Do us a solid and also like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you listen.

Thumbnail photo: Elizabeth Thorpe

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CHAPTERS
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:02:14) GWAR at Bonnaroo
(00:06:20) Interview with Grodius Maximus
(00:11:19) Beth at GWAR
(00:25:02) Beth's Bonnaroo story
(00:42:09) Bryan and Beth
(00:47:40) Woodstock '99
(01:15:34) Favorite Shows
(01:22:49) Outro

Jeff Cuellar was a key member of the teams that created such festivals as Bonnaroo, Railbird, 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. Cuellar also goes over some of the changes made to The Farm before he left.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Plus, The What hosts reveal how your artistic talent could win you tickets to Bonnaroo 2022! Visit thewhat.co/win for details on how to enter.

A former girlfriend played a big role in getting Ryan Winnen, Chase Lawrence, and Joe Memmel together in what is now COIN. The guys join Brad, Barry and Lord Taco on The What Podcast to discuss their Nashville origins, festivals, and their upcoming return to Bonnaroo this summer.

Barry, Brad, and Lord Taco also weigh in on last week's Jack Antonoff conversation and discuss the polarizing responses to Taylor Swift. Not only that, they discuss their upcoming ticket giveaway for Bonnaroo 2022.

Also check out Midist, who does our bumper music, and *repeat repeat, who does our theme song!

The What Podcast hosts obviously love Bonnaroo, and they're not the only ones; Jack Antonoff has played the fest numerous times, and is heading back to the Farm in 2022 both with his band Bleachers and as the architect of a 1984-themed SuperJam.

On this episode of The What, Antonoff joins Brad to chat about his love for the festival and his plans for the special SuperJam. He also touches on Damon Albarn's recent remarks about Taylor Swift, and the craft of songwriting in general.

Elsewhere in the episode, Brad and Barry discuss the Neil Young-Joe Rogan feud around Spotify, as well as camping at Bonnaroo.

Festivals fans Reggie and Jessica join Brad, Barry and Lord Taco to discuss what they love about Boston Calling, but also to compare European festivals to those here in America.

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 number 1 and then everyone else.

But what of Coachella? Or less "prestigious" events like Shaky Knees or Boston Calling? And then of course there's the biggest elephant in the room, Bonnaroo?

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.

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?

Everybody has a story about being in the pit when things got a little scary, and Brann Dailor of the recently Grammy-nominated Mastodon tells Barry and Lord Taco about his experience on the latest edition of The What Podcast. He also shares some stories from that band's experience filming their Game of Thrones cameos.

Also on this episode, Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco also talk about the latest festival news, plus we have more music from Midist.

The War on Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel joins Brad from The What Podcast for a special interview about the band's new album, I Don't Live Here Anymore.

In addiction to discussing the progression from the TWOD's previous full-length, A Deeper Understanding, Granduciel is joined by his bandmates for a four-song performance. In this exclusive set, The War on Drugs perform the new LP's "Change," “Old Skin,” “Occasional Rain," and the title track.

Elsewhere in the episode, Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco talk the latest Bonnaroo news and Peter Jackson's new Beatles documentary Get Back. Listen now, and make sure you like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

The Camp Reddaroo Beer Exchange was one of our most anticipated events for Bonnaroo 2024, and this week we are featuring a conversation we had on the Roo Bus about it featuring some guests you are probably familiar with. Daniel, Evan Bonnaroo, Mitchell, Kevin, and EDM Kyle. Also joining us was Romy Bayhack, who works for the festival.

With Taco out of town this week, Barry and Bryan also talk about what's in store for the future of The What Podcast, and also look back at how the Bonnaroo Music and Arts festival has evolved in its 22-year history from being jam band heavy to what it has become today.

Listen to this episode of The What Podcast here or watch it on YouTube. Do us a solid and also like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you listen.

Thumbnail photo: Evan Brown

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CHAPTERS

(00:00) Intro
(05:08) Bryan reflecting on Dead & Co.
(11:42) Taco's weekend
(14:05) Looking at future episodes
(14:23) Bonnaroo's history of adapting
(27:09) Setting up this week's interview
(37:54) Beer Exchange
(49:09) Outro

As the news from Astroworld continues to breaks hearts, The What Podcast explores the aftermath of the tragedy. Will there be an impact on how future festivals handle security or capacity? What about artist's responsibility?

On a lighter note, Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco also make some early predictions for the Bonnaroo 2022 lineup, and discuss the new adaptation of Dune. (Spoiler: Barry is not a dragon.)

Durand Jones and The Indications namesake Durand Jones gives new meaning to the expression "the eyes are the window to the soul" during his fun and insightful conversation with Brad and Barry on The What Podcast. The band's singer/drummer Aaron Frazer was on the show last episode, and now it's the frontman's turn to step to the mic.

Durand Jones and The Indications singer/songwriter/musician Aaron Frazer tells Brad and Barry of The What Podcast that working with the band and releasing his own solo album is sort of like being a Marvel superhero: there is plenty of work for everyone.

This week on The What Podcast, Brad tells Barry and Lord Taco all about his experience at Austin City Limits 2021. Highlights include George Strait, Durand Jones, and sushi, and not necessarily in that order. Take a listen and make sure you like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Marc Myers, a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal, joins Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco to discuss his new book, ROCK CONCERT: An Oral History as Told by the Artists, Backstage Insiders, and Fans Who Were There. It's a fun conversation on The What Podcast that looks at the evolution of the live show from the '50s to the '80s.

Myers gives insider info about how rock concerts evolved, how a particular series of events led to the arena shows we know and love today, and what the industry looks like in 2021. Take a listen, and make sure you like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Keeping up with which festivals are happening and which are being canceled or postponed can be difficult enough, but Brad, Barry and Lord Taco have a little fun on The What Podcast playing Fake or Festival, a game that asks which is real and which is made up.

Where were you when you got word that Bonnaroo 2021 was not happening? Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn of Sylvan Esso were in the middle of practicing for their Superjam set, a special collaborative show that's always one of the most anticipated of Roo.

Meath and Sanborn joined Lord Taco and Barry from The What Podcast to share what it was like learning that the festival had been canceled by a storm. The duo also give some insight about what they had planned: "I wanted to take Superjam and turn it into the wedding band of dreams," revealed Meath. "Which mainly means giving everybody permission to sing the wildest, schlockiest, or songs that just have touched their hearts that they would never do because it's overdone."

A week ago, we were supposed to be getting ready to return to Manchester, Tennessee for Bonnaroo. Instead, Hurricane Ida rolled through and cancelled 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?

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 from here.

Hurricane Ida changed plans for a lot of people, and hopefully everyone is safe and able to recover fully and quickly. The What Podcast’s own Brad is safe in New Orleans dealing with the aftermath while still looking forward to a weekend in Tennessee. Before the hurricane hit, Barry was able to chat about preparing for Bonnaroo 2021 with Khruangbin’s Laura Lee and D.J., who are set to perform on The Farm this Friday.

The pair talk about their come-up since first playing ’Roo in 2017, graduating from an early afternoon This Tent set to a prime evening show on the Which Stage. They also touch on the safety precautions Khruangbin has put in place for their trip to Manchester, all to ensure that their upcoming tour can go ahead as scheduled.

Also, if you're planning on being at Bonnaroo this year, keep a look out for The What Podcast crew's Camp Nutbutter; they'll be setting up their mailbox at the camp site's entrance, and you can drop off notes or record a greeting that just may get played on the show!

The Bonnaroo Music & Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, is less than a week away and the guys on The What Podcast are sharing their daily schedules for the acts the want to see. Last week, it was Lord Taco's list and this week Barry tells us his must-see artists. Brad will wrap things up next week.

On today's episode of The What Podcast, we take a slight detour from Bonnaroo 2024 discussion and recap recent events. Russ went camping (again), and Bryan Stone flew out to Las Vegas to catch three nights of Dead & Company at The Sphere, plus the Hoover Dam.

Bringing things back to Bonnaroo though, we also feature our interview with Happy Landing, who performed on the Who Stage Thursday at Bonnaroo 2024. Andrew, Wilson, Jacob, Keegan, and Matty from the band sat down with us and talked about doing their first Bonnaroo.

Listen to this episode of The What Podcast here or watch it on YouTube. Do us a solid and also like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you listen.

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CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Intro
(00:02:12) Contest Update
(00:04:55) Upcoming shows
(00:07:55) Russ went camping again
(00:11:05) Dead & Co. at The Sphere
(00:49:06) Setting up this week's interview
(00:53:49) Happy Landing at Bonnaroo
(01:08:37) Outro

As every Bonnaroo veteran knows, a big part of the fun is spending time pouring over the newly released schedule to make your lineup and to lament over the inevitable conflicts that will occur. Barry, Brad and Lord Taco from The What podcast, the premiere podcast about Bonnaroo specifically and festivals in general, will each share their schedules between now and the event. Up first is Lord Taco himself.

After much angst and hand-wringing from Bonnaroo fans like Brad, Barry, and Taco of The What podcast, the festival released an announcement regarding their COVID-19 safety protocols. They also let us know when they will release the schedule, and the guys all agree the announcement is worth the wait.

Lollapalooza is in the books and Brad from The What Podcast, a show dedicated to live music festivals, was there...sort of. Brad, Barry and Lord Taco go over how the huge festival in Chicago might foreshadow things to come for other events--including Bonnaroo.

It’s finally music festival season and The What podcasters have lots of twists and turns to discuss. Are we all ready for this? Are they ready for this?
Lollapalooza begins now, and Brad and Barry are just as curious about how everything is going to work as you are. Pooling their years of experience plus insider information, they discuss the reality of returning to music festivals in a world that is still not entirely recovered from 2020.

Few artists today make music as smooth as Cautious Clay. For this week's episode of The What Podcast, Barry and Brad spend some time with him discussing his influences, his journey to becoming an artist, and how he makes his music. They also talk about how he has developed as a lyricist.

On the latest episode of The What Podcast, Consequence Founder and Publisher Alex Young joins Brad and Barry for a wide-ranging conversation on the music industry, festival scene, and more. They also chat about the origins of Consequence, the state of music journalism in 2021, and what the festival landscape will look like in a post-COVID world.

Festival season is upon us and Brad and Barry talk to Matt Quinn from Mt. Joy, one of those bands that can play at just about any festival. Plus, it's confession time for two "veteran" media guys as Brad forgets to turn on his microphone.

The spectre of Bonnaroo is large and real (finally), and on this episode of The What Podcast, Brad and Barry are starting to focus in on the live music festival season, which will be more exciting and intense than ever before. They talk to the winner of their ticket giveaway. Also, Barry and Lord Taco make a trip to a Mini Roo with some serious Roo fans like Daniel and Sharla from the Roo Bus and Kevin and Mitchell from Reddaroo.

The What Podcast takes a deep dive into music festivals every week and this time around Brad, Barry and Lord Taco offer their tips on what to bring and what not to bring to your first Bonnaroo, as well as how to make sure your festival experience is a positive one.

At some point or another in all of our lives, we've wondered how this song gets played on the radio and not that one. This week on The What Podcast, Brad and Barry talk to one of the guys who actually makes those kinds of decisions. Troy Hanson, head of rock programming at Cumulus Broadcasting, is our guest on the show that takes a deep dive festivals in particular, but music in general.

It's been almost a month, and we are still talking about Bonnaroo 2024. This week, we take a closer look at Post Malone's performance, talk about Russ' camping trip to The Other Farm, and start making plans for next year.

This week's guest is Jason Singer of Michigander, who might be the nicest guy in the world. We talked about his first Bonnaroo, writing songs the Nashville way, and more.

Listen to this episode of The What Podcast here or watch it on YouTube. Do us a solid and also like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you listen.

Thumbnail Photo By: Scott Hotaling

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CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Intro
(00:00:57) Russ went camping
(00:11:11) Post Malone show
(00:20:01) Steve-O's tattoo
(00:23:51) Reflecting on Bonnaroo
(00:37:25) Bryan wants a shirt
(00:40:45) Introducing this week's guest
(00:47:02) Interview with Michigander
(00:55:50) Responding to Reddit comments pt. 2
(01:00:33) Planning for next year
(01:02:41) Upcoming shows and events
(01:08:29) Outro

This week on The What Podcast, the weekly show that takes a deep dive into the world of music festivals, Brad and Barry talk with Mike Daly, Executive Director of A&R and Music Publishing at Disney Music Group, about what exactly guys in his line of work do.

The What Podcast is a show done by Bonnaroovians for Bonnaroovians that takes a deep dive into the live music festival universe. This week, Brad and Barry talk to Grace Potter about what it has been like to be the guinea pig (her words) for other musicians as they hit the road, and what it was like coming out of a difficult time in her life. She also talks about how tough it was shooting the video for her deeply personal song "Release".

Write this down, Brad, Barry and Lord Taco are determined to get to the bottom of the recent spate of festival lineup releases and while we don't want to give it away, they are pretty excited about one in particular and vow they can be in Amarillo by morning.