Bonnaroo reveals 2011 schedule

By Alex Young on May 13th, 2011 in Festival News/Rumor, News

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In 27 days, folks will be sitting in stop-and-go traffic on I-24 waiting to get into the Bonnaroo campgrounds. But once they do, they’ll be greeted to a four-day musical extravaganza featuring Eminem, Buffalo Springfeild, Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, Weezy, Widespread Panic, and about 150 others. Today, the festival revealed its official schedule so you can figure out which of these acts you’ll be seeing and thus when you can make a trip to Shakedown Street for those two for $2 Grilled Cheese.

So, what we got?

As always the case, Thursday night gears more toward the festival’s up and coming acts, with Deerhunter, The Walkmen, Wavves, Best Coast, and Sleigh Bells among the highlights. Other notables include CoS favorites The Knux, rising MC J. Cole, Jack White’s wife (aka Karen Elson), The Drums, Dam-Funk & Master Blazer, Twin Shadow, and Henry Rollins, who teams with Tig Notaro and Nate Bergatze in the Comedy Theatre. As for conflicts? Well, The Walkmen are opposite Sleigh Bells and Henry Rollins, J. Cole plays against The Drums, The Knux face off against Best Coast, and Karen Elson and Wavvess will overlap. So, yeah, there are quite a few nasty ones.

If you’re one who doesn’t mind camping, then Friday would be the day to plop yourself at the “What Stage” as The Decemberists, My Morning Jacket, and Arcade Fire play back to back to back. But if you do roam around, other day time highlights include Florence and the Machine, Wanda Jackson, Matt & Kim, Atmosphere, Opeth, The Sword, and JEFF the Brotherhood. And then there are the late night sets, which see some heavy conflicts. Lil Wayne hits the “Which Stage” in the middle of Bassnectar and Big Boi’s respective sets. Then, around two in the morning, you have to choose between Pretty Lights and Ratatat. Good luck.

How’s this for a trio at the “What Stage”? Wiz Khalifa opens for The Black Keys who open for Eminem? Well, that’s what we have on Saturday. Over at the “Which Stage,” it makes a bit more sense as Mumford & Sons open for the recently reunited Buffalo Springfield. Other notables on day three include Loretta Lynn, Man Man, Deer Tick, Omar Souleyman, and Portugal. the Man. At night, Dr. John w/ The Original Meters and Allen Toussaint go against Bootsy Collins. WTF? After that, Girl Talk plays “This Tent”, STS9 holds down “That Tent”, and Gogol Bordello rocks “The Other Tent.”

The final day of Bonnaroo 2011 features sets by Robert Plant & Band of Joy, The Strokes, and Widespread Panic. It also sees The Strokes going against Explosions in the Sky, Beirut, and the festival’s iconic super jam, which might be worst conflict of the entire fest. 2009, anyone? Sunday also promises sets by Iron & Wine, Cold War Kids, Robyn, Gregg Alman, Mavis Staples, Nicole Atkins, and Ben Sollee.

Check out the complete schedule below, or via bonnaroo.com.

Four-day passes for the festival remain on sale, but organizers say they’ll be gone in a matter of days. Visit the festival’s website for more details.

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

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  • zatzbatz

    Whoever filled out that schedule up there, they are missing Primus for what? To hold down a good seat for Arcade Fire? And they want to see The Sword, but not Opeth!!!

  • Nate

    Some heartbreaking conflicts for sure but not as many for me as I’ve seen in years past. I don’t understand having Ray LaMontagne overlapping with the Decemberists but I’ll do what I can to catch about an hour of both. Really wanted to see the Del McCoury Band collaboration with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band but it starts to close to the Jacket, so I’ll have to miss it. Glad I get to see all of Mumford, Black Keys and Buffalo Springfield. Late nights are pretty disappointing but I don’t really like getting freaky with all the drugged-out weirdos. Only late night bands I wanted to see were SCI, Dr John with the Meters and Allen Toussaint, and Bootsy Collins. Also don’t understand scheduling Dr John and Bootsy at the same time. Of course Sunday pre-headliner slot seems to be the worst of all. I’m gonna go with all of Plant and the last 45 minutes of Explosions in the Sky. Sucks to miss the SuperJam, especially because I know the guy playing sax in it – Brian Olive (formerly of the Greenhornes).

  • http://twitter.com/tonesofyo Tones of Yo

    ok … I haven’t been in two years, but since when did ‘Roo start giving the first two bands on the bill (eminem, arcade fire) only 90 minute sets?

    • http://twitter.com/roofan2009 C Lamb

      This is the first time… I am horribly disappointed in Arcade Fire only having 90 minutes. I was really hoping they would have at least 2 hours so it wasn’t just “Suburbs” and a few hits like their Coachella performance was. 

  • Moses1221

    This just pooed in my mouth.
     

  • chillseeker

    No, exactly one month from today, Bonnaroo will be over.

  • max

    Probably the best scheduling for me in all of the 10 years ive been there, How can you expect there not to be conflicts somewhere along the line,  very minimal for me this year!  

  • bry

    Why would they put Dr. John the same time as Bootsy?  The Beirut/EITS/Strokes/Superjam conflict is criminal. everything else can be chalked up to tough decisions.

  • Mitchell E

    This is how you know this year’s lineup is weaksauce: no bigtime conflicts (obviously this is a person-to-person conclusion, but you get the point)

  • Jb

     Robert Plant, Strokes, Explosions, Super Jam, Beirut all at the same time…EPIC FAIL

  • Chris

     Thursday’s lineup is awesome. Going to have to make some tough decisions on the other days, especially late night Friday! Can’t wait to be back on the farm!

  • gizzy

    this schedule is infuriating. they literally have giant gaps of nothing then put 2 or 3 bands i want to see all at the same time. what a joke