15 years later, Bonnaroo is still one of a kind

MANCHESTER, Tenn. — Four days. 80,000 fans, 150 musical acts, including giants Pearl Jam and Dead and Company that features members of the Grateful Dead and John Mayer.

It's strange to think that in the past 14 years, Bonnaroo has become an annual event that this city of about 10,000 people could set its watch to. But as this area about 70 miles southeast of Nashville prepares for its 15th annual festival, which happens Thursday to Sunday, it seems like a fitting time to turn back the clock — to June 20, 2002.

That was the day "Bonnaroo" became a household name around here, not because of the music but because no one could get to work on time.

On the eve of the first Bonnaroo, Interstate 24 effectively became a parking lot for nearly 30 miles, as cars and campers waited for hours to file into the grounds of Great Stage Park.

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Traffic planners weren’t the only people that Bonnaroo caught by surprise. In 2002, putting on a massive music and camping festival was seen as bucking the trend — tempting fate, even.

The first Bonnaroo happened just three years after Woodstock ’99, which descended into rioting, arson and reports of sexual assaults. To many, producing another large-scale event like that was a dangerous proposition.

Bonnaroo’s producers had a different perspective. They took inspiration from annual events held by “jam band” rockers Phish, as well as European festivals that had run successfully for decades.

They booked Phish frontman Trey Anastasio and dozens of other like-minded acts and hoped that those bands' grassroots fanbases would spread the word.

It worked. Bonnaroo sold 60,000 festival passes in 19 days before organizers had spent a cent on advertising.

As Anastasio closed the festival on its final day, he was one of many marveling at what they’d accomplished.

"While the world is thinking that good, positive gatherings of people in the form of live music is something that's going the way of the wind, I actually feel quite the opposite," he said on stage. "I mean, look at this. ... The fact that media and people are not noticing, maybe that's a good thing.”

Of course Bonnaroo’s success wasn't a secret for long. Fourteen years later, it’s one of dozens of multi-day, outdoor music festivals across the USA every year.

These days, Bonnaroo's musical identity is tougher to pin down as its lineup aims to appeal to everyone, not just jam-band fans. You'll see big names from the worlds of rock, rap and roots music.

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And you'll see many of those performers on lineups at other festivals: 2016 headliners LCD Soundsystem also are performing at this year’s Coachella and Lollapalooza. Still, Bonnaroo co-founder Rick Farman of Superfly productions believes the festival continues to set itself apart from the pack.

“Bonnaroo is one of those places that the top acts and emerging acts really feel a need to play,” he said. “We still have more people wanting to the play the festival than we can possibly program. ...

"Some acts aren't going to Europe (to play festivals) when they were in the past," Farman said. "They can actually stay in America and play a festival season.”

Even when the acts on the bill don’t set Bonnaroo apart, the people buying tickets do.

Almost all of Bonnaroo’s attendees — 80,000 in sell-out years — make the festival’s campground their home for four days and nights. They are either taking in live music or partying back at their camp at all hours of the day.

For most, it's also a pilgrimage. Roughly 85% of attendees come to Bonnaroo from outside of Tennessee.

Compare that to Lollapalooza, which gets much of its audience from the Chicago area and sends attendees home at 10 p.m. CT each night.

Bonnaroo's audience is a captive one and committed to having a good time. The festival now has an official code for attendees, and one of its key tenets is to "Radiate Positivity" in the form of "smiles, high fives, and random acts of kindness."

That's an ethos that people such as Bryan Blake of Henderson, Ky., have taken to heart. This year will mark his ninth consecutive Bonnaroo.

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"As soon as I pull in to the campgrounds, I feel like I have come back to such a warm, familiar place," he said. "I have made many friends that have become like family to me at Roo."

Positivity seems to radiate through Bonnaroo's concert audiences, too. Countless performers have sung the praises of its crowd.

The attitude even seemed to get through to the seen-it-all Sir Paul McCartney, who told his 2013 audience, "You are something, Bonnaroo."

Though carefree vibes permeate the grounds throughout the weekend, Bonnaroo is big business, too.

A general admission ticket for this year's fest ranged from $324.50 to $349.50 with additional charges for parking, camping and VIP options, and only the more expensive option is still available.

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For each ticket sold, $3 goes directly to Coffee County. Another $2 goes to the Bonnaroo Works Fund, which has donated $7 million to various arts, education and environmental causes with a focus on local organizations.

Bonnaroo had a $51 million economic impact in 2012, the last time a study was conducted. That included $36 million that concertgoers spent in the area.

That kind of business eventually attracted Live Nation, which last year purchased a controlling stake in the festival. The massive entertainment company also owns Ticketmaster and controls more than 60 festivals around the world.

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The new partnership already has led to new developments on the festival grounds, including the most talked-about addition this year: permanent bathrooms.

Farman also is looking forward to future, unnamed developments on the Bonnaroo property. Even as they celebrate festival No. 15, he said he and his co-founders keep their focus on the future, not the past.

"I think all of us personally feel grateful that this thing has been as successful as it has been," he said. "And it's been such a special thing for all of the people who've been a part of it."

Follow Dave Paulson on Twitter: @ItsDavePaulson

Bonnaroo by the numbers

• When: June 9 to 12 in Manchester, Tenn

• Who: More than 150 acts, including big names and indie favorites from the worlds of rock (Pearl Jam, Dead & Company), rap (J. Cole, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis) roots music (Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton) and more.

• Stages: 10, including the massive “What” stage for headliners, “Which” for other big names and three tent stages that mostly host indie and club-level acts.

• Attendance: Bonnaroo doesn’t release attendance numbers until after the festival but typically has 80,000 attendees each year.

• Where they stay: Almost all camp on the festival campgrounds in tents and RVs.

• How much money do they spend? $51 million in 2012, the most recent study 

• How to get tickets: General admission passes granting admission to all four days of the festival are $349.50 at bonnaroo.com. VIP passes are $1,598.50 a pair.