In Heated Anticipation

The warm snap blessing Charlottesville this week is no coincidence. As sure as the khaki cutoff short shorts I’m currently sporting, Mother Nature is just as excited as we are at the announcement of the lineups for Bonnaroo, Coachella, and a host of other multi-day music festivals in the late spring and early summer. Thousands upon thousands of fans will flock to Tennessee and California to witness an assembly of musical greats from all ends of the spectrum, camping out and generally getting smelly in the pursuit of devoted fan Nirvana. We hope you’re ready to bust out the extra strength Old Spice, because there are some definite scorchers this year.

Perhaps the most anticipated musicrelated event of the year is Manchester, Tennessee’s Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. This 4-day event brings some of the biggest names in mainstream and alternative music, as well as filmmakers and comedians, together on a 700-acre farm for what can only be assumed will be a mind-blowing experience. To put it simply, the lineup is ridiculous. Taking place between June 11 and 14th, Bonnaroo will showcase Bruce Springsteen, Phish, The Beastie Boys, Wilco, Snoop Dogg, Elvis Costello, The Mars Volta, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Andrew Bird, MGMT, The Decemberists, Girl Talk, Bon Iver, Jenny Lewis, Animal Collective, and countless others. One of Bonnaroo’s main selling points, besides it’s all-encompassing schedule of slated artists, is it’s self-contained approach to a gigantic music festival. All attendees are encouraged to camp out for all 4 days, and general stores, showers, and water taps are provided all over the grounds for the convenience of show-goers. This means you won’t be forced to miss a single second of your favorite artist’s performance because of bathroom breaks or traffic. At $250, the price may seem a little steep, but when you consider that you’re paying for a campsite, parking, and ridiculously popular artists for 4 days, it’s pretty much a steal.

Coming in at a close second is California’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, taking place in the desert town of Indio on April 17th, 18th, and 19th. Headliners and notables include Paul McCartney, the Killers, the Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Morrissey, Franz Ferdinand, Amy Winehouse, Fleet Foxes, Conor Oberst, Mastodon, and Lupe Fiasco, along with a few overlapping acts from Bonnaroo. Although Coachella has a more straightforward approach to the festival environment, the lineup can’t be ignored, featuring a lot of amazing artists and an alternative for West Coasters who can’t make it to Bonnaroo, and at $270, the price and amount of bands are pretty comparable.

Of course, the fun does not stop there. The Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago August 7th through 9th has yet to announce their 2009 lineup, but judging from last year’s event, featuring Radiohead and Rage Against the Machine, it’s sure to be a banger. Additionally, the Bamboozle Festival features more mainstream artists such as No Doubt, Fall Out Boy, and Taking Back Sunday, as well as a showcase of musicians of the punk/metal variety, an East Coast date in New Jersey, and a West Coast date in California. No matter what your taste in music may entail, there is a festival planned in 2009 that can cater directly to you and your band of merry summer travelers, so get planning and get packing.