KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

The following is the final part of a four-part series following the history of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival which is set to for  June 13 – 16, marking it the 21^st time it has been held since its inception.

With another decade coming to an end and a change in ownership, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival started 2020 with high spirits and positivity with its lineup announcement; however, no one would have predicted the challenges that were coming ahead.  

By the end of January 2020, the festival had unveiled its lineup which featured headliners TOOL, Miley Cyrus, Lizzo and Tame Impala, as well as featuring  The 1975, Young the Giant, Megan Thee Stallion, Dashboard Confessional, Tenacious D, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Oysterhead, Nelly, Lana Del Rey, Vampire Weekend, Grace Potter, Flogging Molly, The Struts and more. By February organizers announced that the festival had sold out its general admission tickets, the earliest the festival has ever sold out.

“A huge THANK YOU to everyone joining us on The Farm in 2020 – it’s gonna be an amazing year,” the statement said.

Yet, all that would change in March when the COVID-19 pandemic made its way to the United States, causing festival organizers to first announce it would be postponing the festival until September out of caution, but by the end of June the decision was made to pull the plug and cancel Bonnaroo for the first time in its history, as reported by both The Manchester Times, Tullahoma News and other media outlets.

“Our annual time together on the Farm is nothing short of magical, but out of an abundance of caution and for the health and safety of all Bonnaroovians, artists, staff, partners and our community, this is a necessary reality,” Bonnaroo officials said in a statement.

This cancelation would make an impact on Coffee County, as the festival would generate $800,000 to $1 million in sales tax revenue, depending on ticket sales.

The festival’s cancelation did not stop the positivity, as it was announced that the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival will hold a Virtual ROO-ALITY on its YouTube page during the weekend of September 24-26, where they showcased selected performances from the festival’s history from 2003 to the present day, including the Beastie Boys’ final live performance, Jack White, James Brown, Metallica and more. Organizers would announce the 2021 iteration of the festival, its 20th anniversary, in January and said the festival would take place in the first weekend of September.

The lineup for the 2021 festival was announced in May 2021 and featured Foo Fighters, Lizzo and Tyler, the Creator as headliners with Grand Ole Opry, Megan Thee Stallion, Tame Impala, Run the Jewels, Glass Animals, Deftones and more. Later in the summer, it was announced that Lana Del Rey, Janelle Monáe and King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard had pulled out of the festival, but Khruangbin and RÜFÜS DU SOL were added in their place. Festival organizers would make another update a month out from Bonnaroo informing attendees that will need to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test in order to gain entry, as vaccines became more widely available.

However, “when it rains it pours” as just days before the festival was slated to begin, Bonnaroo officials announced it would be canceling for the second year in a row due to the conditions caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. When the storm swept through Middle Tennessee, and Coffee County, it brought substantial rainfall to the area, causing the grounds to have large pools of water and deep mud accumulating on multiple areas of The Farm, making guest and worker entrances onto the property nearly impossible.

“We have done everything in our power to try to keep the show moving forward, but Mother Nature has dealt us a tremendous amount of rain over the past 24 hours, and we have run out of options to try to make the event happen safely and in a way that lives up to the Bonnaroo experience,” organizers said.

In spite of this setback, the Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce, Nashville Unsigned, South Central Tennessee Tourism and others organized a local four day music festival called The Other Fest. The Other Fest featured 30 bands playing at three local venues which included Andy Frasco, Big Something, Kid Politics, Jade Million, Phenix Red, Steady Rotation, Them Guys, Justin Williams, Any Walker and more.

“We’re here to rally around the Roo Community, the town of Manchester and artists with The Other Fest and celebrate all that we love about Bonnaroo and the Bonnaroo Community,” the announcement read.

Despite back-to-back cancelations, “there’s always a rainbow after the storm” stayed true as organizers carried on and announced the lineup for Bonnaroo 2022 with J.Cole, TOOL, Stevie Nicks, who made history as the first female headliner at Bonnaroo, The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks), Flume, Machine Gun Kelly, Illenium, 21 Savage, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Zach Bryan, The War on Drugs, King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Billy Strings, Herbie Hancock, and more. With no other obstacles, approximately 40,000 Bonnaroovians returned to The Farm for the first time since 2019. While attendance was lower, the atmosphere was a radiation of positivity. Even TOOL frontman Maynard James Keenan share some positivity during the band’s set.

“We’ve been through a lot. We’ll get through a lot,” Keenan said to a cheering crowd. “But today, you deserve a break. So today, there’s only here. There’s only now. There’s only us.”

As a side note from Bonnaroo’s return, Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett was charged and arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) by Tullahoma police after attending Bonnaroo. Later in the year, Hargett would entering a no contest plea to the charge of first-offense DUI and was directed to pay $350 plus costs and attend DUI class as part of his plea agreement. He also had his driver license restricted for one year and would have to drive his personal car during the year on restriction and use a breathalyzer interlock system to start his car.

With the return of the festival being a success, organizers looked towards the future as the 2023 festival lineup was announced in January 2023, featuring Kendrick Lamar, Odesza, Foo Fighters, Griz, Three 6 Mafia with surprise guest Jelly Roll, Fleet Foxes, Lil Nas X, Tyler Childers, My Morning Jacket, Korn, Sheryl Crow, Paramore, Pixies and so on. By the time the gates opened the festival had sold out, and the waves of 70,000 Bonnaroovians, positivity and hot temperatures were felt throughout 700-acre festival grounds. Even though there was the threat of thunderstorms that Sunday evening, it didn’t rain on the parade of Foo Fighters as they closed out the festival.

“I never like to say goodbye,” Grohl said to the audience towards the end of the show, “only ‘see you next time.’ I hope to see you next time.”

The county also felt the impact as well, as Bonnaroo contributed to $339 million to the regional economy, which included more than $5.1 million in tax revenue to the region, as reported in the Jan. 21, 2024 edition of The News.

As for the 2024 iteration of the festival, Pretty Lights, Post Malone, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fred again.. would be headlining the festival, featuring other acts like Fisher, T-Pain, Megan Thee Stallion, Maggie Rogers, Melanie Martinez, Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Carly Rae Jepsen, Gary Clark Jr., Khruangbin, The Mars Volta, Cage the Elephant, Jon Batiste and many others.

Like the all the previous festivals before it, the 2024 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival will continue the tradition of “staying true ‘Roo” as it look towards the future as it radiates with positivity.