Bob Dylan, the Dead, Phish’s Trey Anastasio, Willie Nelson and Dave Matthews & Friends are among the highlights of the initial lineup for the third annual Bonnaroo festival (June 11-13), Billboard.com can reveal.
The event will be held on a 700-acre farm in rural Manchester, Tenn., about 60 miles south of Nashville.
Among the other acts set to appear are David Byrne, Wilco, Primus, Ani DiFranco, Gov’t Mule, My Morning Jacket, the Black Keys, Kings Of Leon, Taj Mahal and Galactic.
Tickets this year will be priced at $139.50 and $164.50, up from $119.50, $134.50, and $149.50 for the 2003 event. They will go on sale Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. ET via the Bonnaroo Web site (http://www.bonnaroo.com).
Bonnaroo 2003 drew 80,567 fans and grossed $11.5 million, second only to Bruce Springsteen’s 10 sellouts at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., which grossed $38.6 million. The festival sold out in 16 days, without the benefit of any traditional advertising.
Bonnaroo 2004 should do better than ever, given a higher ticket price and capacity increased to 90,000 due to more land secured by producers. Jonathan Mayers, president of co-producer Superfly, says both the production and talent budgets were increased this year. “There will be additional stages and more activities than we’ve ever had,” says Mayers. “Operationally, it should be a better-run festival than ever.”
The festival’s popularity has spawned a series of innovative media projects, including three volumes of “Live From Bonnaroo” CD compilations and two DVD documentary companions. It is expected that more artists will be announced in the coming weeks.