Dr. John, Bonnaroo 2011 (Photo credit: Kevin Yatarola)
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“Ain’t never was, never gonna be, another big shot like me.”
So sings the late Mac Rebennack—better known as Dr. John, The Night Tripper—on his song“Big Shot,” which appeared on his 2012 album, Locked Down. And Mac wasn’tlying. The legendary New Orleans singer, songwriter, pianist, guitarist, voodooshaman, etc., who passed away at the age of 77 last week, mined the swampydepths of the Louisiana Bayou to produce some of the most influential funk,boogie, and rhythm and blues music of his time—including, as many of youprobably know, the record that gave Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival itsname, 1974’s Desitively Bonnaroo.
The exact definition of that albumtitle has been debated somewhat over the years, partly because some try toattribute it to French and/or Cajun when, really, it seems like it’s simply just laid-back Louisiana slang for “positivelythe best.”
Quite a fitting phrase for thisweekend, don’t you think? Well, the founders ofBonnaroo, it probably goes without saying, tend to agree.
“I’ma huge Dr. John fan,” says Ashley Capps of the the Knoxville-based promotioncompany AC Entertainment, which co-founded Bonnaroo with its NOLA counterpart,Superfly, in 2002. “I saw Dr. John when I was in high school—and I’m an oldguy—back in the early ‘70s, when The Night Tripper would come through town andplay here at the [Knoxville] Coliseum. I had this tiny club for a while thatheld 200 people, and one of my most memorable Dr. John experiences was when hecame in there and just did a solo piano show. I was reminiscing about this theother day. It was just an unforgettable evening and one that I remember like itwas yesterday—sitting in the dressing room and listening to him tell theseamazing stories. Dr. John was like a walking library of American music. Heembodied so much about the spirit of American popular music, and he hadit—literally—at his fingertips.”
And, though Dr. John has passed onfrom this life, his influence and presence—alongwith his impressive catalog of songs—resonate. Just earlier this week, it waseven reported that a final album from the icon, featuring the likes of WillieNelson, Aaron Neville and more, will grace our ears soon enough. But, for now,The Farm seems as good a place as any to celebrate Mac’s memory.
“Obviously,the festival is named after one of his albums—and there’s that show that he didwith The Meters, where they recreated Desitively Bonnaroo, which was oneof the epic moments of Bonnaroo history,” Capps continues, referencing Dr.John’s 2011 Bonnaroo performance with the equally legendary band that backedhim on the original album. “Remembering his legacy is really important to us.He just embodied so much of what the festival itself hopes to capture.”
This year, which marks Bonnaroo’s 18th return to Manchester, the festival continues toshowcase the inclusive, expansive and—above all—celebratory spirit that hasbrought thousands of music fans to the middle of Tennessee for nearly twodecades, and there’s more to enjoy on The Farm than ever.
One of the main additions to Roo in2019 is Where in the Woods, which can be found near VIP camping and south ofPlaza 2 and promises to “transform the forest into anunforgettable magical landscape for late night fun and day-time escape fromreality,” offing DJ sets, late-night dance parties and, during the day, awelcome and entertaining respite from the summer sun.
“As in recent years, most of the fresh action is in the campgrounds,” notes Superfly’s Kerry Black. “Where in the Woods will bring to life an epic wooded area that has never been open to the entire festival. I have always dreamed of seeing a venue like this at the festival since seeing The Glade at Glastonbury many eons ago.
“And,dear to my heart, I love seeing that New Orleans will continue to be stronglyrepresented with Bayou Libre at Plaza 9 curated by Freewater,” Black continues.“I am especially excited to see their take on Beignets and Bounce!” (Don’t missthe powdered sugar–covered deliciousness this evening, 5–7 p.m.) Also, theChristmas Barn interior has gotten a face lift and will feature some uniqueprogramming like the Kasvot Växt party—make sure to don your finest whites!”
Black is referring, of course, totonight’s tribute to Bonnaroo headlinerPhish’s 2018 Halloween performance, when they “covered” the obscure, early ‘80sScandinavian band Kasvot Växt’s album, í rokk (spoiler: it was actuallya collection of brand-new Phish tunes). The event’s curator, DJ Uncle JesseLauter, promises a “blend of Scandinavia’s funkiest, Trans-Europeancontemporaries of the band, modern artists influenced by the Växt, and littlepåskäggs [Easter eggs] from that time Trey, Page, Mike and Fish paid tribute toJules, Cleif, Horst and Georg.”
Besides the triumphantreturn of Phish, who are playing Bonnaroo for the first time since 2012, andamong the many, many artists to see on The Farm this weekend, Capps has somesuggestions.
“I’m thrilled that we have the Grand Ole Opry back, kicking things off tonight,” he begins. “That was a really exciting step for us last year, a tremendous musical tradition as well as a Tennessee tradition. And there’s so many bands that I’m excited to see. The Comet Is Coming, who are also playing tonight, I’ve had the opportunity to see those guys several times in the last few months. What a way to kick off the festival. Those guys are going to take us all into orbit—such an incredible band. I’m thrilled that Solange is finally coming back to the festival, and it’s great to have Childish Gambino back. And, of course, Phish—finally, again, after all these years.”
Among other newhighlight offerings—and possible futureBonnaroo staples—is The Farm’s first-ever Pride Parade, brought to you byBrooklyn’s House of Yes on Saturday afternoon. Capps calls the decision to hostthe celebratory event a “no-brainer,” not to mention the fact that Bonnaroo—intrue New Orleans fashion—has always been quite fond of parades.
Looking back on 18 years ofBonnaroo, Capps notes that most people thought the festival’s founders “were crazy” back in 2002, but here we are, inthe midst of yet another run of festival-filled spring and summer months aroundthe country.
“Theentire festival landscape has transformed, and it’s really remarkable to havebeen at the forefront of that transformation,” Capps reflects.
But you won’t catch Bonnaroo’s curators trying to maintain the statusquo just because they’ve had some successes in the past.
“Thebeautiful thing about the world of art and music is that it’s continuallyreinventing itself,” Capps says. “New artists and new ways of making music areemerging all the time. Keeping a finger on the pulse of all of these excitingnew developments, while remaining true to that core spirit of creating anamazing festival experience, is really at the heart and soul of what we do. Andthere’s no formula to it. I’d love to tell everybody, ‘This is how we do it,’but we experiment, and some experiments work out better than others. I think theaudience knows that we’re really committed to making Bonnaroo an absolutely,fabulously unforgettable weekend experience.”
And some of this year’s plans might still be on the way. When asked about apossible tribute to Dr. John this weekend, Capps offers, “We’ve been conjuringup a surprise or two, but they’re still in the works—we’ll see what happens…”
Welcome—or welcome back—to The Farm, everyone. Without a doubt,this weekend promises to be desitively Bonnaroo. Laissez les Bons temps Roo-ler.
