If you were wondering whether or not you should check out the Childish Gambino set at Bonnaroo

this year, all I have to do is point you to Coachella 2019.

Watch that from the other night.

Oh my god.

Wow.

That set was phenomenal.

I didn't know the Childish Gambino thing.

I didn't really get it.

My god do I get it now.

Did you watch it?

Not yet.

I'm gonna.

I'm going to.

We're going to I think like the second of Christmas Day like Bonnaroo fans we get like

three Christmases through the year.

This is the second one.

It is schedule day.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's fun.

We've made a habit of having our meeting which I guess we did a little or many one.

Yeah.

Already.

So we need to.

So this is when you start getting the campsite together.

This is when you get your group together.

You all either Skype, FaceTime, get to a bar.

Once the schedule comes out this is when you all get together and start figuring it out

because now it's crunch time.

It is Bonnaroo crunch crunch time.

This is the What Podcast.

That's Barry Courter.

I'm Brad Steiner a podcast for Bonnarooians by Bonnarooians on schedule day.

Not not necessarily schedule day but we've had a few days to actually like absorb the

schedule and talk to some listeners.

We're going to talk to some today and we might even be joined by one of our camp mates later

today.

I know.

I know.

That's what I mean.

Isn't that fun?

He's going to be radiating energy and happiness at all times.

His name is Bryan Stone.

If you caught some of the episodes last year from camp you might have heard his voice.

He also has his own podcast about you know I don't know things he complains about.

Kermud Gneese stuff.

Yeah.

Kermud Gneese stuff.

Yes.

So actually I think this is email address.

Kermud Gneese stuff.

Anyway he's going to join us a little bit later on this afternoon too for the podcast

that is dealing all with the schedule.

And I don't think that you can go too far through the schedule without finding so many

conflicts and we'll dive into those too.

But right off the top of my head they released the schedule earlier this year than ever before.

Everything is earlier.

Everything's earlier.

Everything's a little bit different.

They're trying I guess some new things to pump in some new energy.

But let me just ask you this and maybe it's because I'm by nature a conspiracy theorist.

Do you think that they put any energy into thinking they released the schedule the same

week of Coachella's first weekend?

I think all of that has some impact.

I mean if you know they released the schedule earlier because all these other festivals

were releasing theirs.

There's only a hand you know so many numbers of tickets that can be sold to all of these

things and so I mean I don't know too many people that can afford to go to more than

one.

True.

Certainly not many.

But I think some decisions are being made.

If you see a Coachella or Hangout Festival already and you like it you pull the trigger.

Well you see I don't definitely don't think they're going to change anybody's mind when

they release the schedule on the week of Coachella.

But I do think that they maybe you know deflate the balloon just a little bit of the Coachella

energy.

I don't know.

Maybe I'm just making this up but it just seemed odd that the same weekend of Coachella

they announced the schedule.

What comes next weekend?

What about Coachella weekend too?

What do they announce the super jams next weekend?

You know they were still was it this week that you was the last week where you could

make your payment plan type of thing.

So I mean I think all of that.

Yeah I think all of that plays in to how these decisions are made.

Now I don't know what it we're not in those war rooms so I don't know the exact decisions.

Now going back and seeing that when you first got the lineup and we loved it so much more

than many years in the past did seeing the schedule change the way that you saw the lineup?

No not really.

In fact it's kind of I don't I think I told you earlier I don't have nearly as many conflicts

as I have in the past.

And maybe it's just because of all the discussions we've been having.

It's probably going to likely be a game day decision for me.

Every year as we laugh we joke but it's the truth.

Every year there are these don't miss.

There's no way I'm missing that show and then yeah.

Chair feels comfortable.

I had a couple too many Bloody Marys.

Not just that.

Well not just that for me.

I'll take a nap.

A lot of time it's work related.

I want to take a picture of so and so and the band that I was so adamant about seeing

is on the other side of the farm or internet's not working for me so I'm struggling to send

file things for work or like you said I just don't want to get up.

I just want to get up.

Make the effort.

I wonder if I wonder if there are people who saw the lineup and loved it a lot and then

saw the schedule come out and thought it was thinner than they originally thought or the

other way around that they just this is just OK.

And then once they see the schedule they're man this is so much better than I thought

because I remember in years past when the schedule or the lineup wasn't nearly as beefy

and meaty as we thought it was when the schedule came out we're like wait a second.

This is so much better than I thought it was.

I wonder if that the opposite is true this year a little bit.

Well I mean to that point I think I told you the first time I saw it that Thursday is going

to kill me.

Thursday is unbelievable.

Thursday is crushing and then Sunday as we talked about as you guys will hear later on

I mean that what stage that's all day.

Yeah we'll go through the schedule here with some listeners in a second we're going to

talk to Dortha in April and maybe even Bryan Stone stops by at the what podcast.

Palatial Studios here in Chattanooga Tennessee. So before we get into like our schedules and

what we see as conflicts the thing that I noticed differently about the at least the

online interactive guide.

They added Wednesday and they added a next page tab because they've got so much going

on in the campsites and the pods that they needed somewhere to actually tell you what

in the hell was going on which is a I mean yeah I know stroke a genius.

I mean what if what if they start you know piling some stuff on a Wednesday night out

of nowhere you know just starting adding little bits and pieces here in the years coming up.

Yeah I thought about that.

Not to out anybody so I won't say names but if you remember we did hear from somebody

who sort of said kind of wish we hadn't let that get out of the bag like it has out of

hand.

Yeah the Wednesday stuff getting there on Wednesday.

Yeah it's just the week gets longer and longer.

By the way speaking of showing up on Wednesday are they still doing that event on Tuesday

night celebrating the original Ikechew or Ikechew whatever it's called.

Far as I know.

Yeah that's Rebus that would be the ones kind of involved.

Hey Rebus let us know what the hell is going on there.

So this is what they did so if you don't know before Bonnaroo existed on that same exact

site there was a music festival that was a tremendous failure.

They did mostly classic rock and nobody showed up and it was lives in lore as one of the

biggest disasters in music history.

But it was called like Ikechew right.

Icheqoo.

Icheqoo that's right something like that.

Well they're trying to put on something somewhat like that off site in Manchester the Tuesday

before Bonnaroo and I haven't heard anything about it since the original sort of like hey

let's do this.

I haven't heard one thing since.

Yeah just a little extra trivia that is why Bonnaroo takes place in Manchester Tennessee

is because Ashley Capps with AC knew of that site because of Icheqoo.

Superfly was looking to do something and he said hey I know this 700 acre farm.

They always do something in Manchester that night.

It's usually a local.

Oh do they?

I didn't know that.

Yeah at least they have in the past.

I think they're making this sort of that anniversary event type of thing.

What is the anniversary 20 years?

It would be.

Wow unbelievable.

Right.

So it's Thursday now things get started with a band called Keats.

I don't really know anything about them on the house stage which by the way what is the

house stage?

Yeah I don't know.

Is that I don't.

What's the little bitty one right in the middle?

Oh I know the house stage.

The house stage is in Planet Roo.

That's the one where they do all the yoga.

Yeah.

Yeah I got you.

Okay.

Yeah right.

Okay so then it really gets started which I think is a stroke of genius with Peach Pit.

What a start.

And then Thursday for us I mean we haven't talked about this but I know what you're going

to say.

Thursday is unbelievable.

Yeah.

Thursday is unbelievable.

It goes till six in the morning.

And like that Donna Massall that we've talked about in passing.

That voice of hers is unbelievable how strong it is.

She's great.

So Peach Pit into Donna Massall and then the Grand Ole Opry thing that you know I'm just.

We're so curious.

I don't want to save what I'm going to say about this but something just seems like it's

sneaky and something's going on.

Something sneaky is going on with this Grand Ole Opry show.

I know and Jack Harlow and all them witches are people that listeners have both pointed

out to us as you know check out don't sleep on type of thing.

Well here we go with my first conflict.

My first conflict of the festival is a band that when the lineup came out was like the

one.

There were two bands that I said these are it for me.

Cherry Glazer and Rolling Blackouts.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever against the nude party against Bulo.

Bulo is going to be the star of the industry here in a couple of years.

There I mean that drives me nuts.

That drives me.

The nude party is really good because they're the first they were the first Bonnaroo Rue

Clue and they came to even Chattanooga.

They got a great reception here.

That's a really really good show and I hate that I'm going to miss both of those for Rolling

Blackouts but it's I mean my mind's made up.

My mind's made up.

No you're right.

Thirsty.

Who knew?

Who knew?

And then you got I Like Magic City Hippies after that and then I'm really into Saba.

We talked about Saba in the last show when we were talking about you know unknown artists

that just got added.

Saba is one of those that not playing the Who stage but playing that tent.

I think this guy is a.

145.

I know that but this guy is really really good.

I know I'm saying we could literally go all night and who that's going to make for a long

weekend.

Well then you then surprise sets at Caliope till sunrise.

We need to find out how to say that.

I still think it's Calliope.

Calliope?

I've never heard Calliope.

Well which one is it?

In my mind it's Calliope.

Now I can't even say it.

Calliope.

Because I keep thinking of the the Blinded by the Light song.

What do you mean?

It says Calliope.

Does he?

Okay here's all I know is when I was walking around New Orleans there is that street somewhere

in the Garden District and when I walked past it I was like oh no.

Let me just turn on Alexa and see what she says.

But here's the problem with that Sunrise surprise till sunrise set.

That means we're gonna be up till sunset.

Not because we're at the stage but because our camp is right next to it.

So welcome to 6 AM Barry.

Yeah it is right next to it and it is loud.

So yeah I mean I don't know what sunrise sets at Cala-la-la-la-la means but yeah that's

gonna last till 6 AM.

I'm telling you.

We haven't even talked about GA what might be going on.

I mean look Thursday night was the first night that I last year was the first night.

Was it Thursday?

Yeah it was Thursday night I went to GA.

Or was it Friday night?

Oh god I don't even remember.

But there is all kinds of stuff in Thursday night.

But we missed the repeat repeat thing on Wednesday night.

And who's gonna be sneaking out to GA on Wednesday night to play?

I'm telling you let me just give you a word of warning here.

Thursday is such a great day and you're gonna be in such a good mood.

You're gonna love everything about life on Thursday.

Reel it in.

Pace.

Yes please pace.

Please don't go crazy until 6 AM on Thursday.

You've got a long long race to run.

Please keep it together.

That's all I ask of our people.

But yeah like if you go through some of the stuff that's happening on the GA site.

I mean I don't care what it is.

I'm just gonna pop in and see what the hell is going on.

I mean even our buddies at Lightning 100 are doing whatever this means.

Lightning 100 and tons of guitar pool.

What in the world does that mean?

We'll have to do a podcast afterwards and talk to people who never left camp.

Oh my god that's a great idea.

You know?

You can go from pod to pod in GA.

Oh I'm sure there's plenty of them.

Yeah that's what I'm...

I bet you're right.

So you go to Friday.

So Thursday lasts until 6 o'clock in the morning.

Then Friday to me is maybe my busiest day.

It has every artist that is on my wish list playing on Friday.

That's why Thursday is...

I just look at it with like heart palpitations.

It's like oh Brad please don't do this.

Please don't hurt yourself.

I think I made fun of by a friend of ours the other day when I said I really need to

start working out to get my body in shape for Bonnaroo.

Oh I have.

I'm not quite to the you know circling dates on the calendar but I've you know it's every

opportunity I get is take a walk you know.

Yeah.

It's my back.

This old man's back is I'm very worried about.

It wakes me up in cold sweats because it's like T minus what 60 or something.

All right.

So you go to Friday.

The artist that you picked out Monsier Perrine is starting off Friday against the Teske brothers

and Ida May.

Ida May another artist that we talked about when we did the additions to the lineup a

couple of weeks ago was last week.

Ida May is terrific and I really just love her voice.

I think that's between those two.

I think that's a perfect way to start Friday.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Chill.

Especially after.

Yeah.

Yeah it's really chill like the soundscape will be nice.

If it's not too hot I'm going to be freshly showered and ready to go.

And then if you if you really want to turn up the guitar rock rival sons on the what

stage rival sons are getting a lot of airplay and active rock.

They're all guitars.

They're rock stars.

These guys are straight up rock stars no doubt.

But I'm not going to worry about that because I got Cherry Glazer.

So whatever happens to two o'clock I've got 45 minutes to sort of reconvene and figure

out myself before Cherry Glazer because once Cherry Glazer hits my day my day goes.

My day starts flying from Cherry Glazer to Pinky Pinky to Parquet Courts to AJR to Avett

Brothers to Grizz to Courtney Barnett to Childish Gambino to Solange to Beach House and then

maybe I can come up for air.

So that's nine straight hours where I don't see any break in my day whatsoever.

Seeing you know I've got to go by and at least see Girl Talk at 2 45.

It's two o'clock at night.

Yeah.

They're being nappy somewhere.

Maybe two.

Maybe two.

Maybe it's out there in the field watching Girl Talk.

It's a great point.

I mean I'm not going to see that fish show on Friday night not because I don't want to.

There's just no possible way.

I can't push myself into all of that and try and you know navigate the what stage only

to come back for the Grizz Super Jam which I absolutely don't want to miss.

I think that Grizz Super Jam is going to be a lot of fun.

Yeah I do too.

The way that he's the musicianship that he brings to the stage even as an EDM act even

I'm appreciative of.

Even I like and I've got to imagine he's got a lot of people willing to come up there

and play to some tracks and add some instrumentals to it.

And just there's always the mystery of the super jam.

You just never know who's going to join you know.

Yeah.

Good point.

So yeah.

And you got and you got the massive return of Brock Hampton.

Now Brock Hampton not necessarily for me but they canceled last year that Brock Hampton

show people have been waiting two years for.

That's going to be massive.

And then you've got then you got your Girl Talk till three.

And of course we've got our old problem.

The surprise set until six o'clock at Galliope.

And that that seems to me like one of those days where I'm going to I'm going to be done

by a certain time go back to camp and reset maybe take a nap or something and I'll find

myself out in a G.A. on Friday night because because the energy in G.A. on a Friday night.

Watch out.

See that's the X Factor and all this Brad.

I mean I really just don't know how that's going to change our routine.

Yeah.

I mean I think you would agree we have fallen into a fairly comfortable routine with how

we do it right.

Yeah.

Having been there so many times but we until you went out to G.A. last year it never entered

our thought process.

Yeah I know.

So here's the problem is at some point and I'm going to go ahead and get the cat out

of the bag there will be some sort of secret show happening out in G.A. it will happen

and we're going to get word of it and it's going to spread like wildfire and it's going

to throw the entire night the entire night off and it was I don't know if it's going

to be Saturday night or Friday night but one of the nights they're going to like send us

a note like hey just in case you want to go to Plaza blah blah blah and all of a sudden

you know para more Casey Musgraves and Marin Morris are playing out in G.A. at a pod.

I know.

I mean put throw this in there what if you wander out there noonish mid afternoon one

of the days and you're just having such a good time.

You stay.

You're going to hang out there.

Oh my God.

I know man.

I mean they so we have people in our camp that will wander out into G.A. and hang out

with some friends of theirs and if you do that at two o'clock three o'clock and you

know you're having a pretty swell time right and things get a little out of control you

look up at seven thirty.

Yeah you're done.

I mean your day you've got your day.

Who was who's your friend that was with us last year we saw him like twice.

Oh Trevor.

Yeah.

He wandered out there.

We never saw him again.

I know growing it we call him growing young boy because he's a 19 year old kid that works

here but he looks like he's he's a very strange looking.

He came back to change maybe change clothes and once.

Yes he's he can't with us.

And he was he was in G.A. literally the entire time.

I don't think he saw a show.

Hey by the way can I stop for a second and go backwards.

Which one is the plaza that Haley Williams is putting is that the the plaza of the sanctuary

of self love plaza too.

Yeah.

OK.

They don't ever actually mention anything that she's doing like she's not ever on the

lineup.

It's just like Nashville vinyl club and a lot of empty space.

I thought they did in the when they announced it maybe though.

I mean there's all kinds of stuff that that's happening.

She's going to do it but not specifically when or.

Right.

There's just like her name doesn't appear anywhere on the schedule and I don't know

if that's on purpose to give her like freedom to figure out when she wants to come in.

But there is a giant swaths of empty space from 8 to 12 on Thursday on Friday 8 to 12

a giant swath of empty space.

I mean there's a lot of places in these plazas that you can start you know right popping

in little surprises and little little teeny tiny additions that you know.

We'll have to fit in perfect.

We'll have to find somebody Jeff or somebody maybe that would be an interesting question

is how they are going to program G.A. versus the bigger lineup.

What if they mean what if they don't what if they just throw some stuff out there when

they can get it and see what happens.

Well that's what I'm that's what I'm wondering.

Because it do they want it to compete.

Do they care.

Yeah.

That's a good point.

You know and it comes it brings me back to something that he said that we've lynched

a lot latched on to for weeks now.

He said that they create lanes for fans of certain types of music and certain formats

of music.

They create lanes for you to navigate the festival.

Well that doesn't necessarily ring true when you see the Saturday schedule.

Saturday doesn't make a lick of sense when compared to what Jeff Quay are said about

lanes.

Now sometimes scheduling is scheduling and they can't do anything about when a certain

artist is available.

I mean they got to get John Prine when they can.

But John Prine versus Jim James is going to break a lot of people's hearts.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

Probably that's what they probably got him when they could get him.

John Prine.

John Prine.

Yeah.

And Jim James too I'm sure.

I'm guessing you're probably right.

I mean let's not let's not fool ourselves.

Jim James is going to be somewhere else.

Yeah I mean Jim James is going to pop up.

Right.

Maybe a couple of different times on this on this lineup.

Because Saturday being as light as it is gives me all of the problems that I probably have

ever had in the last three years.

You could add up the last three years I've had no conflicts.

I have more conflicts on Saturday than I have had combined in three years.

And it's like all happening all at the same time in two different places in two different

places on Saturday.

I've got Marin Morris, Hippo Campus, Bishop Briggs, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and DeLacy.

Five artists that are probably in my top 15 of seeing all playing at the exact same time.

And I don't know what to do with that.

I really don't know what to do with that.

And then if you want to if you want to go even further I've got Casey Musgraves, Jim

James, John Prine, Odessa and The National all happening essentially all at the same

time.

And if you're but here's the difference if you're a 15 to 20 minute set guy or girl and

you want to just pop in and watch 15 20 minutes that's perfect for you.

Right.

I'm just not like that.

I was getting ready to say that you and I watch differently.

I'm OK with a lot of the walk by us because I don't have to be up front.

You like to be up front.

I do.

Which is more of an effort.

It's a longer walk.

It's more of an effort.

It's you got to be more intentional about how you get from A to B. I don't have a problem

walking to the back and you know getting 15 20 minutes.

If I like it I stay.

Yeah that's not for me.

Yeah.

I would say that something odd Childish Gambino's got you know three artists playing against

him four artists playing against a Post Malone has nobody.

And frankly the National doesn't either.

The National has space Jesus Republican hair and a silent disco set from A.C. Slater.

I got to imagine that if something happens in G.A.

Yeah that's what I'm it's going to happen somewhere between Jim James and say midnight

when Post Malone's done something around there is when it's going to happen because that

seems way too empty for me to not think something else is going on.

Yeah that's what I was getting at.

I went I would love to know.

And that takes some coordination though.

It does.

That takes a genius to be.

I mean I don't look at the matrix but somebody far smarter than me.

Yeah yeah.

That's not a high level.

And they're.

All right.

So the National is my sort of my final show essentially of Saturday.

I mean I want to see Post Malone.

I really think it's going to be fun and I'm going to I'm going to make every effort to

get there.

But if it ends if National ends at 11 there's no way I'm getting to where I want to be to

see Post Malone.

And here's the other thing going back to Friday.

Dude there's a big problem.

Imagine how hard it's going to be if you are a huge Courtney Barnett fan which I am which

you are.

Bryan Stone is you took Courtney fan going from Courtney Barnett and getting to Childish

Gambino.

Courtney ends at nine.

Just starts at 845.

I had I'm just a guy that doesn't like to be 150 200 yards away from the stage.

So I'm going to have to make sure that I'm somewhere close for Childish Gambino which

means that hour and a half before totally gone.

That means I miss entirely the entire Courtney Barnett set.

Yeah that's I know where you're going and that's like in my head I'm physically.

How am I going to do that.

How am I going to get there.

Probably not.

Yeah you're going to see if you want if you're going to if you're going to go to Courtney

Barnett that means at eight o'clock that means at eight o'clock you're going to have to leave

just to get somewhere that is manageable for Childish Gambino.

And same with Post Malone.

But for people who have never been all of the stages are sort of in the center area

and they're navigable.

But the what stage is the only one that's sort of its own gated entity and it becomes

there are two bottlenecks.

Yeah.

I mean and they are massive bottlenecks.

That's the McCartney one that was such a huge crowd.

Yeah.

And I have a feeling this year is going to be.

I think Childish is going to be massive.

Childish is going to be massive.

And imagine the people who desperately wanted to see Grizz, Gojira, Courtney Barnett and

then all of a sudden you know they've got to leave at least 30 minutes early from the

set that they wanted to see just to get to somewhere to see Childish Gambino.

See and not to keep going back to that GA thing but in the past there was no reason

other than you were just flat out tired or whatever to not be in center route on those

Friday and Saturday nights.

You know what I mean.

So that everybody was there.

I just wonder if if that whole comfort factor you know hey there's it's pretty cool hanging

out where we are.

I want I'm curious to see how that impacts some of these crowds.

Yeah.

And so you get that problem.

You get that problem for the Childish Gambino show.

And then on Saturday you get the same like you said the same problem for Post Malone.

Now I don't necessarily see it as as big of a problem going from the National Space Jesus

AC Slater to Post Malone or from camp to Post Malone.

But I can see myself probably skipping the Post Malone show because I love the National

so much and I'll be done for National 11 o'clock by 11 15.

I'll look up and be like I don't know if I can make it you know to Post Malone and be

in a place where I feel comfortable.

Yeah.

I mean maybe maybe that's one of those shows that people around me convince me to just

go to the back of the field and watch Post Malone from the back sort of like I did Kendrick

Lamar last year.

Who was the Sunday night closer last year.

That's what we that would be the killers Barry.

I think everybody went in to see the killers and Denson one of our campmates and I decided

to hang out back in the right behind the stage.

There's like four of us back there.

Yeah.

We could hear we couldn't see but it was we were just done.

Yeah.

We didn't didn't want to fight the crowd.

So that's the kind of decision that I'm talking about and I keep saying it but I really it's

going to depend on how how long Thursday is and how if there is recovery time on Friday.

Well you know you go to Saturday for me at least if if I skip Post Malone or if I go

to see it in the back of the field until like 12.

That's the night I'm going to GA and finding something special in the pod because honestly

I've got nothing that interests me after tepid interest in Post Malone.

Nothing past that lonely island.

You can forget it.

And then the rest of it is just sort of like Gucci Mane.

I'm not I'm not.

That's not me.

But I will.

If you if you give me something in GA I'll be out there all night on Saturday night.

Sure.

I'm with you.

That's probably when is the beer exchange.

Oh God I forgot the beer exchange.

If it's on Friday I'm going to get killed.

I think it's Friday.

Oh no.

Oh no.

And we need to confirm.

Oh my God.

This is the other problem.

We've got people that we're supposed to be interviewing on the fest.

We got work.

Oh no.

Yeah we're talked we talked to them about doing something from this beer exchange.

My Friday is ruined.

I'm going to get crushed on Friday because that's essentially when all the artists are

going to be there.

All the artists that I want to see are going to be available to be interviewed that day

which means I'm going to be taken away from their show.

Oh God.

Oh my God.

Yeah.

I'm going to.

First world Bonnaroo problems.

We're completely right.

Exactly.

Exactly.

I'm going to suggest we think about it for a minute and then just let it happen.

All right.

So let's go to Sunday and we'll talk to a couple of listeners here in a second and get

their perspectives on the schedule and conflicts.

And by the way if you want to win some Bonnaroo tickets I think we have another week in this

at the what podcast or the at the what underscore podcast my apologies on Twitter or the what

podcast dot com.

Just drop us any sort of note.

And yes somebody asked me if pod beam comments get you in for the contest.

Yeah absolutely.

Any way that you interact with us.

I'm literally writing down your screen name and hopefully we can announce it on the show

next week and you can claim your tickets.

But when you go to Sunday I've never seen a schedule from Bonnaroo so in the same lane

as Sunday.

And it's not just the what stage where trampled by turtles Brandy Carlisle the Lumineers are

essentially all the same fans.

They all sort of to me fill the same sort of space.

Now they're all completely different artists and they all have completely different sounds

but they seem so similar when we were told that they sort of program this via how the

lanes that you could travel based on the type of music that you like.

That to me Sunday is all one big lane.

I'm not sure and I and you know more of these bands than I do but it feels to me like there's

three or four or four maybe five or six lanes.

It doesn't feel all over the place to me like maybe it has unless you consider that EDM

and you know the Nashville Grand Ole Opry are polar opposites.

I guess in that but there are four or five distinct lanes but there's not 12.

Right.

That makes sense.

I got you.

You have any schedule.

You have any conflicts on Sunday.

I'd like to see Walk the Moon Lumineers and I'm definitely going to see Little Dickie.

So that one.

Sure.

That's gonna be tough.

Brandy Carlisle is probably an entire set for me though she will be here at our Moon

River Festival.

That means you miss a lot of the princess set which is Maya Rudolph and the Prince cover

band.

Yeah and you know Hobo Johnson is one of those that people spoken highly of.

I think that you're going to do and by the way my boy Patrick Dronie is playing exactly

at that time too.

It's going to be tough.

I don't know what I'm going to do Patrick Dronie versus Hobo Johnson.

I would like to spend 15 20 minutes at the outset of that Hobo Johnson show just to see

what it's about because he's such a lightning rod of back and forth.

But Brandy Carlisle on the what is everything that's right about Sunday.

Everything that's right about Sunday.

It's a four o'clock show.

You can probably if you get there early enough get into the pit.

You know it's one of those moments where I love Bonnaroo and I hate it all at the same

time because it's going to be 200 degrees.

I'm going to be miserable but I'm going to love every second of standing in that pit

in the blazing hot sun with her.

Now that it's everything I love about the festival.

Now that I think about it because of my job at the paper I have photography access so

I may shoot Brandy.

That would be a good one to get the first three songs.

That's that's probably what I will do.

Yeah.

Assuming assuming I get in and again I think so.

And again but I will I will keep reiterating the four o'clock what stage show to me is

is the festival at its best because it's so easily to be so easily navigated.

You can get into the pit pretty easily.

You can hear.

And then by the way the sound is just impeccable.

So Brandy Carlisle four o'clock on a Sunday.

You could not have dreamt it up better for me which means I'm going to miss Patrick

Dronie Princess Lemon Twigs and Hobo Johnson.

The thing the night goes on and I'm just sort of like I'll do whatever.

You can take me into any direction you want to.

I'm definitely going to go to Little Dickie.

If you want to swing by Lumineers I'm OK about that.

I don't nearly hate Lumineers as much as some people do.

I find them to be quite charming.

If you want if you even want me to swing by A.C. Slater I'll do it because those guys

are really really interesting to me even though they're an EDM act.

And then if you want me to go to Mac DeMarco and try to brave that crowd that crowd is

going to be massive.

There is not a better piece of scheduling honestly than putting Mac DeMarco against

Cardi B. Because let's be honest they might they might sort of be in the same lane so

they can split the crowd and and make it least manageable at least manageable because his

crowd and Cardi B's crowds are going to be massive.

I bet that's the night we go see fish.

That is going to be the night I at least give fish a try.

I have never once seen fish.

I've never had an interest in fish.

I've never spent time.

I mean I liked a few albums when I was a kid but maybe that's the night I finally give

them a shot.

It feels like it could be a good night for all of Camp Nut Butter to just sort of find

a corner in the back and I would be more than happy with that.

Get a beer.

Let it happen.

Yeah.

I would have no problem sitting on a on a blanket Sunday night watching fish.

Yeah.

That's fine by me.

That's what I'm feeling.

I'm all into that.

You want to talk to some listeners and get their takes on the schedule?

Absolutely.

Who are we talking to first?

We have up first Dortha.

How are you?

Hey.

Brad Steiner, Barry Courter.

How are you?

Hi.

I'm great.

How are you all?

I speak as one now.

I'm Brad Steiner, Barry Courter.

I speak as one.

We're a couple.

This is not where I thought my life was going.

I did not expect this to be where I ended up.

Hi Dortha.

How are you dear?

I'm great.

How are you all?

Excellent.

How many days are we down to?

It's getting close.

62 I think.

I think that's something.

How many Boners you been to Dortha?

This will be my third one but I haven't been back in a few years.

I went to 2014 and 2015.

Why did you take a few years off?

Most of the financial stuff.

The squad ended up like there was always a reason that we couldn't go.

Where do you live?

I'm in Kentucky.

Just outside of Willowville.

So not far at all.

See Brad and I, we only have to drive like an hour so we don't consider.

We don't think about those 15 hour drives some people make in the 8 hours.

Right yeah I think we're down to two and a half but now my sister lives in Nashville

so we go down a couple days before.

What was your initial impression of 2014 when you walked in?

It was just nuts.

Like it's an entire different world.

Like it's just insane and it's really hard to describe if you haven't been there because

even if you've been to another major festival, you've not been to a Bonnaroo.

Right.

Yeah it is interesting to talk to people who've never been because their perceptions are all

over the place.

It's not usually that it's a big sweaty dirty pigsty type of thing but you can't.

Well it is that.

Well it can be.

Right.

But you can't.

That's impossible.

The hardest thing to explain to people is how big it is.

I think that's just the farm.

As the entire place you're talking about when you talk about the campsites etc. it's definitely

not the biggest music festival that you can go to.

Lollapalooza is damn near impossible to navigate.

It's just so big.

Wow.

I mean they take up the entire park and to get from one main stage to the other it might

be a mile and a half walk.

It takes forever.

It's 45 minutes straight.

45 minutes to go from one stage to the next.

So if you have a main stage artist that you want to see on one side, there's no possible

way you're going to the other side to see the guy playing right after that.

Just not happening.

But I do see your point as far as Centero is concerned.

That's what I actually think the opposite.

I find it to be actually small and quaint.

Well that's because we've done it a lot.

You think so?

When you first walk in it's pretty overwhelming.

Don't you think, Doratha?

That's probably true.

Yeah.

I got lost.

We were partying really hard one night and we just kept saying well we just have to find

the Ferris wheel.

If we can find the Ferris wheel it's going to be all okay.

So we just kept going in a circle around the park and we just kept coming back to the same

place not realizing that we have no idea how to get to the Ferris wheel which you can see

from the entire Centero.

Right.

Right.

Well you really.

That's a good party.

I do take that for granted because now that I think about it the first year or actually

the second year that I went they still at the time had the Mounties.

That they had the literally in the festival in Centero they had the cops riding the horses.

Right.

Oh wow.

And it was one of those nights Doratha where I like I it went a little too hard way too

fast and by the time I found myself it was pitch black at night.

It might have been midnight one o'clock in the morning and I swear to you when I looked

up and I saw a guy on a horse I thought all hell was breaking loose.

What world did I just walk into it made no sense.

Like I had to ask people around like the next morning I had to wake up.

I was like guys did you see a horse?

Yeah.

Right.

Is that real?

I got that I think it was the My Morning Jacket witch stage show at midnight or so I tried

to go from one side of that field to the other and it was so crowded that and there were

people passed out on the ground that you had to kind of look down.

When I finally looked up I had no idea where I was.

There was a sea of people I couldn't tell you which I don't know it was pretty weird.

It does I guess I do take it for granted how much we've been there and how familiar I am

with maybe every step of that place.

Because to me like the fun part on Wednesday when we get there is taking that tour through

Centero and just seeing what they've changed.

What they've rearranged a little bit.

One day one year I can never forget how we talked about the fact that they moved the

comedy tent or no they moved the this tent they angled it just a little bit.

Remember we talked about that for three days.

Three days we talked about just the way they angled the tent.

Since you brought that up we haven't talked about it since last year but you're convinced

they moved the hill.

They moved the hill.

Look I'm not talking about this again.

We he hung me out to dry in front of Ashley Caps.

We're taking a tour of the grounds you know like they take the press on like a tour where

you can walk around on Wednesday and see the whole place like you haven't seen it before

or something.

But they take all the new media out there and we it's just different to see it in the

daylight and empty right.

And so when it's daylight and it's empty when you're standing there at the wet stage and

you turn around that hill that VIP Hill have been moved at least 50 yards at least 50 yards.

You know I'm right about this.

No.

OK.

And so I've never been Dorothy I've never been more embarrassed to be standing with

Brad and Ashley Caps when Brad's asking and Ashley's like what.

He looked at me like I was insane.

He looked at me like I was riding a horse.

And I'm convinced they moved that hill closer.

I'm convinced I spent that entire weekend eventually thinking that you were correct

on that.

Thank you.

I couldn't get it out of my head the entire weekend.

I'm looking at that damn hill.

I think it actually is.

I'm telling you they're not going to admit it.

We sat there with Ashley Caps and he looked at me like I had 10 heads and we moved a hill

and then he's looking at me like you brought this guy with you.

I'm telling you if you if you just look at it versus pictures from five six years ago

they moved the damn VIP Hill.

I'm convinced.

Anyway say hello to Bryan Stone one of our campmates from Camp Nut Butter just walked

in.

Hi.

This is Dortha.

We're on the phone with Dortha.

I'm thrilled about this.

As thrilled as you are.

She's listening to Brad wax on.

Anyway so the schedule came out this past weekend and or this past week.

Do you remember when you went in 2015 2016.

Did you have any scheduling problems then.

Honestly when I went then I had no idea what to expect.

I'd never been to any major festival.

I was just like well I mean I'm sure I'll get to see whatever I want.

So I'm not going to worry about the schedule until I get there and then I get there and

I see like 10 shows the entire festival.

But what in the hell happened?

This year I'm more prepared.

I mean I just kept wandering everywhere and like it was a blast.

I mean I was like I'm going to see the whole festival.

I was like I'm going to see the whole festival.

I was like I'm going to see the whole festival.

I was like I'm going to see the whole festival.

I'm not super worried about it.

This is the crux of the first time festival goer right.

They end up not giving a damn about who's playing.

And this is why we keep saying every year that the lineup just does not matter.

You know lineup matter for some music festivals and of course they affect the bottom line.

But if you make the commitment to go and let yourself go and let yourself enjoy it you

really probably don't care too too much about what you're seeing and when you're seeing

it.

Right and that's where I was in those years.

But this year I've just been so into this lineup and there's just so many different

things that I want to see.

Like what?

Let's go to the list.

I mean so like the number one thing that I saw whatever the lineup first released with

the Friday night was Graze and Gojira going on at the same time and those were two that

I was super hype about.

So I still don't know what I'm going to do with those.

Now before we go any further so Gojira is the is of course the heavy metal band that

we actually talked about a couple weeks ago.

It's weird that you go from Gojira to Grizz.

That's an odd compliment.

Yeah I don't think a lot of people are going to have that set conflict but with me I mean

like I like all the music.

I listen to just about everything and I've been looking forward to seeing Grizz since

I first heard him a couple of years ago.

I just haven't had the opportunity to actually see him at a festival.

But Gojira I found after the lineup dropped this year and I started listening to him and

I was just like this is insane.

Like what they can do with these instruments is nuts.

It's nuts and it's loud and here's where I don't think it's going to be necessarily

too much of a conflict conflict but the sound bleed from one stage to the other those are

two very very loud artists.

Right.

Grizz and Gojira literally within 200 yards of each other might be pretty troubling for

somebody in the back of the witch stage.

Right like you can't stand in the middle of any of that and expect to have a good time.

Oh my god your head's going to spin around.

That's Courtney Barnett.

Yeah we'll be a Courtney Barnett.

So that's not necessarily too much of a conflict for us.

What are some of the conflicts you have?

There was a let's see there's a couple that the Drax Project the one that you'll actually

just recently featured when we did the Who podcast.

That is going yeah that's going against Jack Harlow who is a Kentucky rapper and yeah I'm

super excited to see him and you know I'm from Kentucky so I'm just like repping him

a little bit because he's great but they're they're on at similar times.

So I think there's like a 15 minutes that they aren't overlapping.

So tell me about Jack Harlow because the only thing that I will comment on is he's got the

oddest head of hair I've ever seen in my.

That's a mop.

That is a mop.

Yeah.

He works on that.

He got way too into being with G.O.

Man that is like I don't know where his hair starts and ends.

I don't see.

That is an odd look.

All right so tell me about Jack Harlow.

But I mean he's just like he's just a rapper and I just like what he does and he talks

about Kentucky a lot and his raps and there's not a lot of Kentucky people that are coming

out musically you know you got Jack Harlow and Howard Schultz.

He's only 20.

That's young.

He's young and he's great and he's like I like where he's going the fact that he's already

doing Bonnaroo right now at 20.

You go guys.

Yeah.

Look at that.

He's down the road from us in Atlanta.

He's nothing about that picture that says rap.

No nothing.

No at all.

He's a cellist.

If you ever if you want to like amend some of these problems if you want to fix the Drax

project then you're more than welcome to drive to Chattanooga and see them perform at my

festival the running of the Chihuahuas which they will be performing one of their very

first ever US shows right here for free in Chattanooga.

All right.

So what else do you have that's on your list?

The Childish Camino and Jade Cicada.

I have heard just crazy good things about the Jade Cicada show and seeing it live and

I've looked it up on YouTube.

But I mean Childish Camino has got to win.

Like you can't miss them.

Guys.

But I'm just.

Yeah that's a conflict.

This is interesting and Brian can help out because Brian's been to as many Bonnaroo's

as I have and knows this especially the back end of this pretty well.

The nuts and the bolts of it.

They have Childish Camino and Fish playing the what stage right?

Certainly those are totally free and clear and they don't have any people playing with

them.

Why this year the change?

There's there's there's four artists playing during Fish.

There are one two three four five things happening during Childish Camino.

That is stunning to me.

Fish go until one thirty in the morning.

What stage doesn't usually go that late?

I think Marshmallow did that year.

Remember Marshmallow?

Yeah it normally doesn't though.

They usually wrap things up around midnight.

So maybe that's the reason.

You know Kanye was supposed to start around that time.

Well that was originally supposed to be on the which stage back in 08 then they moved

it that was just a disaster.

Like when you said there when you said there's a conflict with the Childish Gambino show

I thought you were mistaken because normally they don't put something against one of the

headliners on the what.

And now there's now they are they're packing a whole bunch of stuff happening during Childish

Gambino and during Fish.

That's very very surprising.

Post Malone is the only one who's going into post this year.

Man that's a good point.

I didn't even think about that.

So so when you think like for the nerds for the guys the poster nerds I consider myself

one of them.

Post Malone going on a post is here headliner is here number one.

Post nerds it's Fish.

I know that but but they're not going on a post.

I mean the only place they're going on a post is Sunday night.

There's nothing else going on anyway.

But anyway neither here nor there.

I'll tell you the conflict to me that's not really conflict it just makes my decision.

I would maybe give Fish a try.

I'm not a Fish fan.

It's not something that I've ever been a it's never been a deal for me.

So my decision is made because Beach House is playing.

Done.

I don't know.

Three sets of Fish is too too many.

I think I'm a fan.

I think one would have been good enough but I'm going to do late night Fish and then I'll

be on Sunday.

No on Friday I'll be at home on Sunday.

No you won't.

Yes I will.

No you won't.

I know you're not going to be home.

God you break so easily.

Just depends.

Dorothy this is what we do for the whole week.

What else do you got?

Anything else that is conflict?

I mean I think Saturday to me is my latest day but I can imagine people being very very

worried about Saturday.

Yeah I mean the John Cron Jim James I think that's just mean.

That is mean.

I'm just now looking at that is very mean.

I agree.

Of two artists that have so much shared audience.

So many people would love.

Incredible crossover.

And to think that there was probably a conversation happening with those two actually being on

the same stage as each other.

Well that's not going to happen.

I could totally see Jim James walking out there and playing with John Cron.

That's a good point.

Right I was definitely expecting that.

I like the way you said that though that's just mean.

My biggest conflict if it's the right word is all day Thursday.

That schedule I may be dead by Friday morning.

Thursday is going to be under a blanket for three days after Thursday.

He's going to walk his limit on Thursday.

With that it just goes all night.

I mean Thursday is already a great day.

It's loaded up.

And you have any problems on Sunday?

Sunday it's starting with the Ripe and Kigizaku Morioh.

Them being on the same stage.

Like those were two that I also discovered after the lineup came out and I was looking

forward to both of them because those are some that have looked up on YouTube and it's

just like their live shows are incredible.

Hey Dorothe can I go ahead and put a hundred dollars on the fact that you're not going

to go to either one of those?

No I did not want them to be that early.

One o'clock on a Sunday.

Good luck.

Unless you fell out.

I did two Carolina chocolate jobs in 15 I think and that was fantastic.

That is one that got us up early.

That is and I'll tell you we used to we talk about this a lot and you know at this point

it's been so long ago it doesn't even really matter but we still yearn for the days that

you know Sunday one o'clock on the what stage was some sort of like take me to church music.

Yeah Mavis Staples was there.

Sharon Jones was there.

That was the Charles Bradley slot.

You know year after year they put these really great soul artists that almost would be like

church like on a Sunday morning at one o'clock morning.

But yeah they don't do that anymore.

The Carolina chocolate drops really the last time where I feel like I was taken to that

moment on a Sunday.

That was a great set.

That's not going to be a conflict.

Sunday on the what though that is going to be a pretty chill day trampled by turtles

brandy Carlisle lumineers into fish.

I mean you're right about it.

That's a stoner's dream right there.

Our buddy Nick at camp he'll say he'll basically like oh man look at that I could just get

high and sway to that shit.

That's one solid lane trampled but that is they're all essentially the same sort of mode.

They're all in the same sort of wavelength.

Sunday works for me well Friday is good Saturday is a pretty is going to be a resting day.

There's not there's not a ton for me on Saturday.

I agree.

We never agree on this.

Sunday is going to be bouncing back to try to see little dicky and then walk them in.

Who's the artist you're not missing this year Dortha?

Honestly Peach Pit and their first thing Thursday and I am not missing them for anything.

They're amazing.

Friends?

I

like Peach Pit a lot and I love love love that they are the start of my

festival. I love that idea. They came out with a banger. I really

hoped that that was intentional because you know you put your strongest single

out first, the best song in the album put it out first. I love the idea of putting

somebody really really strong in that Thursday opening slot and to get your

weekend started. I love that. I love that place. Get there early though that's gonna be crowded

right because everybody's so excited to get started. Thursday's gonna be packed. I know.

And I'll tell you like there was a year I can't remember what year we started

noticing it but we got sort of depressed one year walking around because we

thought Thursday's were like our secret. We thought we had something special with

Thursday and then one year we looked up like why are there all these people here?

When did the secret get let out that Thursday was the day? Stop coming on Thursday. It was supposed to be

travel in day. Right this is my secret parking lot in the neighborhood don't do

this. Well Dorothy we can't wait to see you. You got a whole group coming?

Yeah it's smaller than normal. I think it's like eight of us this year. It used to be like 15-20. Now we're all old.

Oh come on. Do you see the guys you're talking to? We're all old in our late 20s. We have a collective age between me and Barry of 120.

Yeah. I'm only 37. That's right. That's right. But I'm sitting here talking about Bonnaroo so what up?

You're killing it. My dad. Whose dads? Alright Dorothy thank you so much. We can't wait to see on the farm this year and hopefully we can get around and share some times alright?

Thank you. Yes definitely. Thanks guys. Have a great day. See you soon. Bye.

Bryan Stone from the ever popular Something On Air podcast. You still do that anymore? Yeah I did one this week. Are you doing a podcast from Bonnaroo? Are you just going to be producing for us?

I don't know. Probably both. I just kind of wing it as I go. Catfish and the Bottle Men. We played one of the days we were doing any band or not. I love this band.

You love Catfish and the Bottle Men? On the what stage on a Friday? That's going to be a hell of a way to start the day.

Let's rewind a little bit. Brian is one of our camp mates at Camp Nut Butter. He's been around forever. He's been a radio flunky in Chattanooga for a while too.

Thank you. You're very successful and he works at the Alt Station in Chattanooga. So you've got your Bonnaroo credentials ready to go. He knows what he's talking about when it comes to Bonnaroo.

Before you give me your Catfish and the Bottle Men love, because I want to talk to you about that, who are your can't miss moments?

I understand there's no Pearl Jam and that's all you care about. All you care about is some sort of Eddie Vedder tron.

25 Sets of the Almond Brothers band. Yes please.

Brian's mode of music starts and ends with, does it sound like, hell far, hell hell far, hell far, hell far, hell far, that's what you like. No doubt about it.

Yeah that's a really accurate way of putting it. I appreciate that.

What is the terrible band that you made me go see at Music Midtown?

JJ Gray and Moe Frum. Oh God.

JJ Gray and Moe Frum. Just the worst. I get where you're getting what you're saying with that guy.

The worst! That's a bad example. It was the worst show I've ever seen.

JJ Gray's fine. He's fine. Stone washed jeans and a belt buckle.

He didn't have stone washed jeans on. He did have a hell of a belt buckle on.

So that's basically Bryan Stone's MO.

Guitar driven music played by primarily white guys. That's kind of what I listen to.

So your number one artist is who? What did you say?

I don't really have a number one artist. The Catfish and the Bottle Men show, I'm serious.

I think that's going to be the weather's near decent on the What Stage, which I'm going to be spending a lot of my time at the What Stage this year.

A lot of stuff I've never seen before that I've just started to like.

Or Brandi Carlisle. I've never been a big fan, but the more I listen the more I like.

So that's going to be one that I absolutely have to see.

And Childish Gambino. I've got to see what this is all about.

You're not going to like it. Oh I'm not expecting to like it. I've just got to see what it is.

Are you a front of the crowd or back of the crowd guy at the What?

Well obviously that depends on the time of day because that changes where your access is.

I'm fine with the middle. I can be anywhere.

The sound at the What Stage is as good of any stage as I've ever heard.

In the country. Yes.

I'm with you. I want to be comfortable. Brass has got to be up front.

He needs somebody rubbing his feet.

Have you never been in the pit? Never been in the pit once.

Even when it's a light afternoon? Why?

Actually take that back. We went to go, was it Gary Clark Jr.? We got there right at it ended.

So I walked in and walked out. So that doesn't really count.

It was literally, it was pow, good night everybody.

That's exactly what it was. So no I'm fine out there. That sound really is just incredible.

It just doesn't matter where you're at. And I have not been spoiled as badly as all you have.

And been on stages. Why are you staring at me?

Why wouldn't I be staring at you? We both are.

Because if there's not somebody rubbing your feet and bringing you drinks, you're not going to watch it.

My feet start to hurt. Okay?

So I don't know what I'm missing out on. And then Spoon was my only real opportunity to get on the what stage.

Oh yeah, I invited you on stage for Spoon and you said, nah, no thanks.

It was Sunday man. I was tired and I didn't believe you necessarily.

And then you missed one of my great Bonnaroo moments when I met Billy Joel.

What did you say? You're doing well sir? Or something like that?

Have I ever told this story on the show? Yeah. Have I? Good work. Great work.

I had my moment to meet Billy Joel. I shook his hand and all I said was, great work.

And he looked at me, stared me deep in the eyes and said, thanks. Good talk. Great talk. Mailed it Brad.

But after Catfish and the Bottle Men, that's Friday early. I want to see what AGR sounds like.

You're not going to like that either. I don't know that I would, but I'm just curious what those kids will sound like.

Okay, I hope I'm not giving you the wrong impression, listener of the what podcast at the what underscore podcast on Twitter.

I just know Brian's musical taste so well. I just know him like the back of my hand. I know what you're going to like.

I know what you're not going to like. Well, stuff that hits the radio of AGR has got an okay sound. I don't dislike it.

Look, I've been on these kids for six years. We talked to them on the podcast. They were outside our radio station in front of five people.

This was five, six years ago, right? These kids have got it.

They're pretty young. They're very young. But it's going to be poppy. It's going to be pretty poppy.

And I don't know if you're necessarily into that kind of stuff.

Well, luckily the witch stage is easy to get in and out of. So if I get bored, I'll get out of there.

But basically it's all just getting ready for Courtney Barnett at seven, whatever it is.

Yeah, you're such a Courtney Barnett. Oh my goodness. I'm lost in love with it. It's almost unhealthy.

OK, so I invited him to be on stage for Spoon and he said, nah. And then one year I invited him into the trailer to watch Courtney Barnett play in the trailer for me and three other people.

And at the time, do you know what he said? I'm sure this is not verbatim.

This is verbatim. Quote. I promise. Put money down. This is what Brian said.

Bryan Stone said to me when I said, hey, you want to get in here and watch this hay bale session with Courtney Barnett?

He goes, who's Courtney Barnett? Yeah. Who did we see in there last year? Dua?

Dua? No, she didn't do the hay bale session. Last year I saw. You and me and Hillary were in there for somebody.

I saw Japanese breakfast in there last year and I saw somebody else. I can't remember the other person.

I think it was Japanese breakfast. Yeah, Japanese breakfast is fantastic. I definitely mess that one up. Yeah, you blew it. 2015.

Yeah, that's all right. At some point, when did you start trusting me with this?

I still don't trust. Gary said, what are you talking about?

Look, I had a chance that I could have gotten into the pit to see Tom Petty and didn't. Why? I went home.

OK. Well, what happened was the Sunday night. It was a Sunday night when yeah, what happened was my daughter called and said, I got got us both into the pit for Tom tonight.

I said, great, I'm in. And then I sat in a chair. It was done. Get it.

That damn chair got you every time. I called her later and I said, I got me skipping out on the pit for Pearl Jam for a stupid girl.

Yeah. How'd that work? Worst idea ever. Worst idea ever. I'm still not over it.

I haven't talked to that girl since. And who told you that was a bad idea? Everyone, but certainly you.

OK, thank you. She's really pretty though. I'm really I've really tried very hard in there over 15 years, Brian.

I've tried very hard to be your life coach, but you just refuse to go hand in hand with me.

Stom and Louis style off of this mountain. Well, we don't really spend all that much time together.

That's the problem. No, because you're always on stages and I can't go there or pits that I can't get into or I refuse to go.

I don't know why you don't even try. That's insane to me. Like, here's what's crazy is if you are even just a regular Bonnaroo GA or how in the world do you not at least try to get into that pit?

If you can, especially in the afternoon shows, they're so easy. I mean, some people have the room around them.

I guess Brian is right, because Brad and I had the same credentials last year, but for all the years prior, we didn't.

So we'd be at camp and be like, come on, let's go see this show. And we'd get there and Brad would go right and we'd go left.

It's not the same experience. I like to fly solo at Bonnaroo, too. I like to just do my own thing.

Well, we've said that before about our camp Nut Butter. We've been all camped together. We have a great time. We all love it. But we do not go to shows together.

It is very strange. We try to find one or two. Yeah, there's a couple of meetups, but better than that. No, no.

If there's eight of us, we go what? Six different ways.

Half of our camp doesn't even leave camp, including Bryan Stone. No, I leave. This joke has gone too far. Really? I leave the camp a lot.

I spend a lot of time at the media center, the media compound. You left our camp to go smash Nabe's all year last year, but you didn't go to shows.

That was an outlier, all right? Technically, he did leave the camp 20 feet away. Yes, to a different camp. To someone else's tent. Yes, it was very strange.

All right, so who else you got? You got any other conflicts on your schedule?

The schedule overall isn't strong enough for me to really have anything I would consider a real conflict.

I feel like you've really tapped out of music for a while. I'm not being insulting. I think that you've hit that age where acquiring new things is not necessarily your real house.

What am I looking at? What day is it that the record company opens on what? Is that Sunday? No, no, that's Saturday.

There's a record company. There's Hozier. There's Odessa. There's The National. There's Kacey Musgraves, Jim James, John Payne. I can see any one of those.

I don't think that you're a National fan. I would go to the show. I'm not saying I'm a fan. You'll hate it. It won't be for you.

But there's plenty to see, but nothing if I miss it, I'm going to be sitting around being like, damn it, I can't believe I missed that.

What about for you? Jim James, of course I'm a My Morning Jagged fan. I'd love to see that.

How about for you, The Soul Rebels? Are you a Soul Rebel? I only know the name.

Soul Rebels and Trampled by Turtles, two things that I think you'd be really into. I know Trampled by Turtles. Yeah, you'd like those.

So Soul Rebels, my this year's pick that I have to like? I will come up with my Bryan Stone pick.

I'm not ready to give that to you yet, but I do have some ideas. Because every year I give you a pick.

And I usually listen to that one pick. It takes me a while to come up with one. Usually by the time the boner is over.

And then I'm like, oh wait, yeah, that is pretty good.

And then I have to remind you that that's the one I told you to go sing.

Well, the Courtney Barnett thing was I stumbled on that and then later I think I was like, hey, that Courtney Barnett was awesome. I told you this.

It's infuriating to me. It's infuriating you don't listen to me. It was a Thursday night, right? It was. She was a Thursday night.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. She's our poster child for Thursday night. I wish she was on a bigger stage, but that's fine.

Yeah, that was the crazy thing about this schedule. They put her again in a tent. That tent, yeah.

I just I can't. Even if it's the crappy witch, I want her on a bigger stage. I do too. I do too.

And I don't I just I worry about it on. First off, I think that that tent is my least favorite stage of the entire festival.

I'm not a fan of any of the tents. I don't. I like I like for some reason.

It's not a crappy place to watch. Well, if you get a lightly attended show, it's OK.

But if it's if it's just bad, if it's just really hot, you just have ten thousand people under there trying to get out of the sun.

Yeah. Well, and then they're the thing I don't like about when they're crowded like that.

If you get a good spot sort of up front, you got all those people that have to be the up front people and they just keep continuously from the never stop.

Never stop. Somebody's trying to get in front of you. I don't remember which one I was.

I was it was raining. I had a good spot. And ten minutes later, I was outside in the rain.

I don't remember moving. So I went home. Luckily, they put those.

You know, they got the screens out there now, which helped, but it's just not an overall great experience.

Well, some people like that a lot more than this, mostly because there's that elevation.

There's that hill that you can sit on and kind of see over everybody that you do kind of feel like you're in a hole.

Right. Am I thinking of that right one? One of them feels like there's no way to get elevated.

That's this. I mean, that that is you know, you have closer to this on the left, that on the right.

And that to me is maybe a better viewing experience if you're not necessarily invested in the artist.

Like, for instance, T-Pain last year, we all watched T-Pain from that hill on that.

And we hated every second of it. But nonetheless, it was a nice way to like I can just sit back here and see it.

This doesn't necessarily give you that the super jam that way.

Last year, too, we were all there and had a comfortable spot outside.

Yeah, we weren't invested like you can see anything here.

But I'm invested in Courtney Barnett and there's no possible way I think that she should be on a tent.

And I'll be honest with you. I love AJR. I love those kids. I'm stunned. Stunned.

They put him on the witch stage. Stunned.

How in the world they put AJR on a witch and Courtney Barnett in a tent is baffling to me. Absolutely baffling.

I'm going to listen to me. If I write a song preaching what is wrong, will they let me sing on TV? Should I keep it light? Is that right?

As we navigate the schedule, it's schedule day on the What Podcast, the whatpodcast.com or the what underscore podcast on Twitter to get in for Bonnaroo tickets.

One more week of this and we'll announce the winner next week.

We got another listener. By the way, Bryan Stone just decided just to leave. Why did he just walk out?

I don't know. I wanted to tell people listening. If you want to know what the Week in Camp Nut Butter is like, you just got a little taste.

Oh my God. That was just, I mean, that's not even scratching the surface.

No, but that's what happens over and over.

All day.

So bless his heart. He keeps coming back.

He's coming back and loves it. And this year keeps trying to tell us he's going to bring a girlfriend to witness this abuse. He's out of his mind.

Let's talk to another listener. Who we got now?

April. Hi, April from Knoxville.

Hi, how are you?

What are you doing?

I am touring my work's new bar that they just built. Are they building it?

Oh, well, hello.

That was just down in the basement.

Well, hello. My liver is throbbing.

If you're ever in Knoxville, come see it.

You know, there's a really great brewery in Knoxville called Print Shop.

Yeah.

I'm a big fan of their. They got good beers.

Yeah, I haven't actually been there yet.

Okay.

I used to live on outside of town, but not anymore. I live downtown.

You're in Knoxville, so it's a very short drive to Monterey, isn't it?

Very short.

How many times have you been?

This will be my 12th year.

Wow.

12th year on the farm.

You know, we don't talk to many vets that have numbers that high.

We've been talking to a lot of people that are three, four, five-ers.

But Barry and I have been saying, maybe for a year and a half now,

the people that have been there for 10, 12, 13 years,

imagine that first one that you went to and the difference that it is today.

How unbelievable.

It's a different world.

Totally different.

So I remember being scared to death.

Like, my first vessel, like what's going to happen?

You know, I've heard all these great stories about Monterey,

but never thought it was going to be as amazing as it was.

And I don't know why I was so scared when I arrived,

but seeing how it was then and how it is now, it has definitely changed.

But it's still my favorite vessel.

Were you concerned or were you told about the whole spray bottle misting thing?

Do you remember that?

I did, yes.

What?

Remember people were supposedly putting, like, what, PCP in the spray bottles.

Everybody's like, man, don't let anybody spray you.

Yeah, and then I was like, I can't walk around barefoot because there's going to be needles.

And I was like, that is so stupid.

Like, no one does that.

And if you do, don't do that.

Right, right. Not cool.

But yes, I was definitely one of those.

That was why I was, you know, one of the main reasons why I was scared to go.

Yeah, I mean, me too.

Me too.

Yeah, we all. I was, for sure.

My first year, not only was I scared, I haven't, well, I don't camp.

Look at me. This is not for me.

Camping is terrible. I hate the outdoors.

I don't like bugs. I don't like people.

I don't like heat. I don't like the dirt.

I'm yet particular about my bathroom habits.

This was not for me.

And the first year is historically, I might have told this story before on the air,

but it was the worst experience of my life.

It was legitimately the worst weekend I have ever had in my life.

I felt as though I was in the opening scene of Lean On Me.

And the kids were coming out of the cages in the cafeteria,

and they grabbed the principal, and they're slamming his head into the ground.

It was just scary. It was a scary moment.

And I've told this story before.

We get lost heading back to our GA campsite, which felt like it was miles away.

I might as well have just been camping in Chattanooga.

We were in pod one.

If you remember pod one.

Is that the outer?

They would lock you there.

Once it filled up, they would not let anybody leave until the campgrounds were full.

So we kind of just like had it.

It's now, I guess, where all the volunteers camp and all of the medic.

Like kind of not kind of think.

There's like a bridge that you have to cross over.

I can't remember, but it was probably like a 35, 40 minute walk, and it was just horrible heat.

Yeah, and here's the crazy thing.

I made that walk the first year, and I thought it was never going to end.

I went to GA last year, and if you look at the map,

it probably was no different than where I camped 15 years ago.

But man, it felt like it was 10 minutes.

It felt like it was no time whatsoever to get from that pod,

that experience that the secret KG Elephant show was at, from there to our camp.

It felt like nothing.

It felt like nothing.

That's the genius of how this thing has evolved and changed.

And really, they've taken the user experience and completely upended it and made it so much better.

Yeah, I think we were kind of camped there around there last year.

I think we were in between two and three the past two years.

So we weren't far.

Have you gone as a fan every year, or has it been like work related any time?

No, fan every year.

Wow, that's pretty good.

One year we decided we were going to skip Botaru and go try Hangout Festival.

And then we got an opportunity where my friend had a friend who had an extra guest pass.

And as you know, because you camp and guess, it's one of the best things that you could possibly have.

We don't really like talking about it now.

It's terrible.

It's just something that just sounds so shitty when we talk about it.

Well, so she ended up getting a ticket.

So I went on Craigslist and found a guest ticket online.

And we did guest one year.

This year we're doing group camping for our first year, so we're excited about that.

That's really cool.

That is cool.

Yeah, we've never done group camping, but we have all our Knoxville friends are excited.

So we're just going to do a big group this year.

How many?

We're shooting for 25.

I think we have about 20 right now.

Wow.

And they're all from Knoxville or are they coming from everywhere?

Most of them are from Knoxville.

That's cool. That's really cool.

We have some that are from Nashville and Chattanooga.

So we'll see how many we have when it all boils down to it.

When you look back on your 12 years, what is the one memory you got?

Is it a show? Is it a camp experience?

What's the one that comes to mind first?

Paul McCartney.

Me too.

Paul McCartney.

Pretty special one.

It was the best show and I was really hoping I would come back this year, but then I thought about it.

I was like, I don't think that that show could top the first time I saw him.

I felt the same way.

When I heard the rumors, I said it on the show and I said it to Barry.

I was like, man, I've already had that moment.

I don't want it again.

But then I realized not everybody had that moment.

So, you know, if they want to bring him back, I'll let somebody else enjoy it.

I'm not going to go.

That was a really interesting discussion for us because I think Brian and I both felt the same way.

I've already seen it.

But then we thought, you know, there have been several bands that we've seen several times.

It's always something different.

And like you said, other people haven't seen it.

So I can go either way on that one.

It's going to be hard to top.

And that the reason why McCartney is mine, too, it over anything's ever happened at camp or somebody I've met or a show.

The reason why that McCartney thing was so special to me as I sat there, I was sitting there in the pit and in front of me was a guy and his girlfriend and then their friends.

And they're maybe I'm amazed comes on and he drops down to one knee and he proposes to her.

And I have already cried once during the show when he talks about his friend, John, I've already balled once.

Then he plays. Maybe I'm amazed.

The guy drops down to a knee.

He proposes to her.

She says, yes, all the friends are hugging.

They're hugging me.

I'm crying.

And then three, two, one, live and let die fireworks.

It's like the guy knew the set perfectly and to find the perfect moment for this.

I've had John before.

Exactly.

Waterworks.

I mean, I lost my entire mind.

That was the moment I'll never forget.

That's cool.

Yeah, I was probably one of the best moments.

I've ever been to period.

Went back to camp and talked about it some more.

Woke up that next morning, talked about it some more.

It was so good.

One of our campmates got back to camp and he said, I'm going to go home.

I remember here.

I saw everything I need to see just now.

It's that not going to top it.

Not a topic.

You know what?

I'm just hitting the heart.

It's just not doing it for me.

Too bad for them.

All right.

So when you look at the schedule this year, who's top of your list?

So I love Gambian.

I'm going to go see Fish.

I'm going to do Trimble by Turtles, the Wood Brothers, Love Me Some John Prine, Jim James.

That's going to be my biggest issue.

That's going to be your biggest conflict.

It's going to be Jim James, John Prine, and Odessa all at the same time.

Yeah.

We talked to Dortha earlier.

She said, that's just mean.

She had a great line.

That's just mean.

Jim James versus John Prine.

Obviously, John Prine's a legend.

I have to go see him.

I'm going to see Jim James again, hopefully.

And Odessa's going to be around.

So it's like one of those things.

I may split my time up between Jim James and John Prine, but I'll just have to see Odessa another time.

Let me just say this, and I don't want to be morbid about it, but I've gone through this twice, specifically with Solomon Burke.

There's nobody I love.

I'm a soul music guy, right?

I like 50s and 60s soul music.

And Solomon Burke is the top of the list for me.

It's Solomon Burke, Syl Johnson, Otis Redding.

Well, when I saw Solomon Burke on the lineup, I said, I don't care what's playing around it.

I have to see this right now because I don't think I'm going to see it again ever.

And by the way, he died six months later.

So if you got the shot, if you've got the shot, see John Prine before, you know, before time runs out.

Right.

Absolutely. Tom Petty.

Tom Petty.

You know how much I'm not even Tom Petty fan.

I'm irritated I never saw that show.

I think it was the rain to Tom Petty closing out Bonnaroo.

Was it 2013?

Yeah.

Yeah.

I think it was.

And it was one of that was a great show also.

So yeah, you have to when legends are in front of you, you have to take your take it by the reins and go for it.

What are some other conflicts you have other than Jim James and John Prine?

So we have a Knoxville band playing and they're some good friends of mine.

They are playing at the Ville on Thursday, but that's during the oh gosh.

Who's the Knoxville band? What's their names?

Three Star Revival. Check them out. They're awesome.

OK. All right.

Yeah. But they're playing during Grand Ole Opry.

Yeah. Ooh.

So I'm like, oh, this is really hard. I love you all.

And I left last year because I played last year also.

I left Pigeon's Flame Ping Pong to go see them.

So I feel like I have an exemption this year.

You do. You got to pre-pass.

And they're a Knoxville band. So you'll see them again.

Exactly. But they're some of my good friends.

So I'm like, oh, I feel like I should support you.

But at the same time, I did last year.

There's something about I don't know what is in my head about this,

but something just doesn't feel right about this Grand Ole Opry show in a good way.

There's a specific reason why it's on Thursday and there's a specific reason.

What's that?

And I'm very curious as to what they're going to be doing since the MMA Fest got moved.

Right. I agree. I agree.

Absolutely. Something is not clicking.

And maybe that's what it is because there's something up.

And maybe that's why I feel so, so like weird about it.

But I can't miss it. I know this is going to be something and I don't know what it is, but that's what I want.

I can't miss.

And as we've said, AC now has a Nashville office.

I mean, there is there has been a Nashville push for three years and the CMA is moving.

I mean, that was an agreement, you know, they.

So I agree with you. There's something up.

And when you have and when you have on the lineup, Marin Morris, Brandi Carlisle, Casey Musgraves.

How am I not how would you not connect the dots here?

And I'm pretty sure Casey Musgraves and Haley Williams, they did.

They just like did a song together at the show.

Girls just want to have fun.

I mean, there's a bunch of crossovers.

Haley Williams has got an exhibit in the pods.

No way she doesn't come out of Grand Ole Opry.

She's she's from Nashville and I'm crying crossing my fingers.

I know this sounds crazy.

Miley Cyrus. I was OK.

I was saying the same thing, but I didn't want anybody to be like, you're wrong.

A boy can dream.

I mean, JT lives in Nashville.

Coming out with only Island.

I'll be honest with you, if you if you if you ever want to if you ever just want to go find Justin Timberlake, just go to the Puckets in Franklin.

He eats there three times a week.

I know people that live in Franklin that talk to like, man, this Justin Timberlake is all the time in Puckets like he owns the place.

I always felt like Justin's not ever going to do Bonnaroo because he has his own festival.

I mean, he runs that he basically has his hooks in that pilgrimage festival in Franklin.

So I can't imagine him him doing any sort of Bonnaroo thing.

That's very true. Plus, I don't know if you know, they he's a lot of money.

He's a big number. And it's going to be a big number just for him to show up for 15 minutes to, by the way.

And I don't that doesn't seem like the Bonnaroo speed.

But yeah, it's he also has a lot of money.

So it'd be, you know, maybe he does 15 minutes just because it's fun.

I know he does. It's a short drive.

I mean, he got to have a lot of goodwill. I wouldn't be banking.

I don't know. We'll see.

But it is surprising. It is surprising to me.

Like, there's a couple of scheduling surprises that we didn't understand.

Like, first off, AJR being on the witch stage is stunning to me.

I cannot believe I just started listening to them and they're awesome.

They're fun. They're they're a fun, fun pop group.

I don't understand the witch stage when you have Courtney Barnett on a tent.

And I am pretty stunned that Lonely Island is doing that big of a set that late at night.

It is late. And that was another conflict of mine.

I wanted to be dramatic because I haven't been dramatic in a very long time.

And that's the same time. And Joe Russo's almost dead.

Like, again, I love my jam band. That's going to be a great, like fun late night dance party.

But all that's going on at the same time. I haven't said this yet.

And I've been avoiding saying it because I didn't want to make anybody mad.

And contrary to popular belief, I make people mad on my radio show. Not here.

That's a different world. I hate Lonely Island. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.

I used to hate them too. I hated them on Saturday Night Live.

I cannot stand that guy. And I've got a very, very specific reason why I don't like that kid.

That guy on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the guy that's in Lonely Island.

Andy Samberg. I can't stand him. It goes a long way.

It's a long history as to why I dislike him so much.

But that is something I'm absolutely not even going to pretend that I'm going to.

I'm not even going to tell you. I will not sniff it. I will not walk past it.

I don't want anything to do with it. That's the last I'll bring up.

I'm betting we see him there.

I like that you're getting very emotional about this.

I know. I've been holding back for a long time on this show.

How do you feel, Brian? Thank you for letting it out.

That would be the only time I talk about Lonely Island, by the way.

No, it won't be.

I hope Andy Samberg doesn't stumble across Camp Nut Butter.

Hey, what's up, bro? Hey, guys.

Now that would be entertaining.

That would be fun. I hope he does come by.

I need to stop talking. I've already made somebody mad about Lonely Island.

All right. So any other any other conflicts, any other things that got you troubled?

Girl talk and Chris Superjam.

Yeah, I'm with you there. I like girl talk.

I love girl talk. I've been listening to girl talk for years.

And the fact that girl talk is on that line now, I got immediately.

If it's like any of the previous ones, though, you could probably be anywhere on site and hear a good bit of it.

Probably.

Like when Beastnektor.

I'm surprised that Childish Gambino has a set with somebody somebody else's playing at the same time.

We just talked about that.

It's the first time that I've seen a headliner on the What Stage Childish and who's the other one that comes right before right after Childish?

Fish.

Fish. Yeah.

Both of them. Both of them have artists playing during their sets, which is not something I remember happening before.

And no, that never happened on the What Stage.

Our listener or listener just now, Dortha said Post Malone is the only one playing on a pose, which is so, so fascinating.

Other than fish on Sunday night.

It's not something I've seen before.

Yeah, neither have I.

We really do appreciate the time.

And if you're ever in Chattanooga, come by and say hi and hopefully we'll see you at the farm.

OK, yes, sir. I'll see you later.

All right. Thanks, April. See you soon.

Bye.

There you go.

Another week in the books.

So what podcast getting closer and closer to Bonnaroo 2019?

How many days we have, by the way? Are we under 50?

No, should be just under 60.

OK.

But, you know, as we're wrapping this up, Brian, the more we talk and listen to April and Dortha and Brian and what you and I said at the beginning, last year was easily, easily the most fun Bonnaroo for me.

Yeah.

Everything.

There was not a negative.

Everything. I mean, I rounded a corner and I'd run into somebody.

Right.

Nice thing would happen. Good thing would happen.

Interviews literally fell.

Right.

Fell in front of me.

This one already feels like while I was pretty relaxed about it earlier in the week, now that I sort of play it all out in my head, this is going to be a crazy one.

You getting a little stressed?

I'm gonna.

OK.

Yeah. Because of what, you know, so much that you and I want to see, the GA factor throws a whole new wrinkle in.

Hey, Barry, Barry, Barry, take your own advice.

Just let go, man.

Just let go, man.

Just let go, man.

The Bonnaroo podcast, a podcast for Bonnarooians by Bonnarooians.

This is the What Podcast.

We'll talk to you again next week.