It’s been over two years since music has echoed throughout the grounds of Bonnaroo’s farm in Manchester, Tenn. Despite the setbacks from the pandemic in 2020 and a hurricane washing away a year’s worth of work in 2021, the festival stands strong, ready to give fans a truly unique experience.
Today, the festival announced that it will return on June 16-19, with headliners J. Cole, Tool and Stevie Nicks.
“We’ve been two years into this thing. We canceled twice. We wanted to start with a fresh lineup,” says Bonnaroo’s lead booker Bryan Benson. Benson has been working with Bonnaroo for over a decade and shapes the event’s lineup with AC Entertainment’s VP of Booking Stephen Greene. “The two of us have been at the helm of this thing and continue to be, and we don’t see that changing,” Benson says.
Together, they’ve meticulously crafted 10 years’ worth of Bonnaroo festival lineups. “[It’s] probably a pretty good [thing] to have J. Cole on the Friday,” says Benson with a laugh. “That doesn’t mean he couldn’t work on Sunday, but I think if we were to draw up our number-one scenario, that’s how we would try to do it.” Welcoming Herbie Hancock on Sunday isn’t a fluke either. “Closing up the weekend with [Hancock] on Sunday… that’ll be a must-see performance,” he says.
While Tool is the only headliner that remains from the would-be 2020 festival, fans will be excited to know that many artists who persevered through the last two years will be showing up in 2022. “Some of those [2021] artists are back with us. Goose, King Gizzard and Marc Rebillet are all strong choices for us this year,” shares Benson. Billy Strings, Flume, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Porter Robinson, Disclosure, Lord Huron, Isaiah Rashad, Maggie Rose, Rezz, Tash Sultana and many more are also set to perform at the Farm in 2022.
This year, the SuperJam — a Bonnaroo staple — is also returning, led by Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff. It will feature a 1984 theme, a nod to the eclectic year in pop music, Antonoff’s birth and George Orwell’s dystopian novel. “Jack [has an] overall love and passion for Bonnaroo… the festival has a special place in his heart. It was a bit of a no-brainer,” Benson says of the reason for the decision. “If you look at Jack’s work and who he’s produced with, I’d say he has some of the best relationships with other artists of any artists we could have chosen. I would say it’s going to be a SuperJam that will go into history books.”
Since its inception, the festival has connected artists and fans, always striving to improve itself and the experience it offers, from an expanding lineup to practical things like improved bathrooms. “The new shuttle system that we had going from the campgrounds into Centeroo is going to be up and running,” says Benson. He also notes that the innovation they planned to introduce in 2021 will finally debut in 2022, including nine themed plazas throughout the grounds.
“We are so set up and ready to go,” says Benson. “I don’t think we’ll have a hurricane in June, so be ready.”
Tickets for Bonnaroo go on sale Thursday, Jan. 13 at 12:00 p.m. CT.
Visit Bonnaroo.com for more information.
Check out the full lineup below:
THE COMPLETE BONNAROO 2022 LINEUP:
THURSDAY, JUNE 16
Gryffin
Clozee
Sidepiece
Role Model
The Brook & The Bluff
Sons of Kemet
Goth Babe
Blu Detiger
Indigo De Souza
Adam Mel
The Weather Station
Andy Frasco & The U.N.
Jessie Murph
The Dip
Nothi
Wreckno
VNSSA
Weval
Kenny Mason
Calder Allen
FRIDAY, JUNE 17
J. Cole
The Chicks
Illenium
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Disclosure
Lord Huron
The War On Drugs
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Goose
Bleachers
Isaiah Rashad
Lane 8
Still Woozy
Whiskey Myers
Denzel Curry
Japanese Breakfast
Tove Lo
Dayglow
John Summit
Arlo Parks
Chris Lorenzo
Tai Verdes
The Regrettes
J. Worra
LP Giobbi
Briston Maroney
Noga Erez
Phantoms
Ship Wrek
Westend
Maggie Rose
Claud
Southern Avenue
SATURDAY, JUNE 18
Tool
Flume
21 Savage
Billy Strings
$uicideboy$
Porter Robinson
Marc Rebillet
Chvrches
LANY
Ludacris
Chris Lake
Tobe Nwigwe
Judah & The Lion
Mt. Joy
100 gecs
All Time Low
Nora En Pure
Slowthai
Black Tiger Sex Machine
Ashe
Said The Sky
Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
Joy Oladokun
The Backseat Lovers
Benee
Habstrakt
Lucii
Femi Kuti & The Positive Force
Teddy Swims
Moore Kismet
Patrick Droney
Cory Henry
Lucille Croft
COM3T
SUNDAY, JUNE 19
Stevie Nicks
Machine Gun Kelly
Roddy Ricch
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
Rezz
Herbie Hancock
Puscifer
Wallows
Tash Sultana
Coin
G Jones
Zach Bryan
All Them Witches
Tinashe
Fletcher
Tierra Whack
Lettuce
Dombresky
Bas
Protoje
Of The Trees
Sierra Ferrell
Ravenscoon
Wild Rivers
Flipturn
A Hundred Drums
PLUS! SuperJam: Jack Antonoff’s 1984
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