A week ago, we were supposed to be getting ready to return to Manchester, Tennessee for Bonnaroo. Instead, Hurricane Ida rolled through and cancelled everyone's plans.
Okay, so we saw the storm coming, but we didn't anticipate it coming like this. We certainly didn't think "too much water" would be the reason Bonnaroo wouldn't happen for the second year in a row. After the year we've had, who did?
With what should have been 'Roo weekend behind us, Brad, Barry, and Lord Taco of The What Podcast gather again to discuss whether the cancellation of Bonnaroo was the right call, how people made the best of the situation, and where things might go from here.
Topic: Bonnaroo
The aftermath of a Bonnaroo cancellation.
What happened?
Why it happened?
And what does the future look like for Bonnaroo post its second cancellation in a year?
We dig through all of that in the future of Festival Season.
This week on the What Podcast.
Barry Courter, Lord Taco, Brad Steiner.
It starts... right now!
Camp looks a little different this year, doesn't it?
A little odd.
It's not really Camp Nutbutter, it's more like Barry's basement.
Congratulations, we made it through another Bonnaroo year, guys.
Can you believe it?
We've done more shows about a non-happening event than maybe anyone's ever done in the
history of podcasting.
This is the longest running podcast about an event that's been canceled more times.
About nothing.
Barry Courter, Lord Taco, Brad Steiner.
What podcast?
Which fans this year that matter?
If you haven't gone back and checked, and Rush, you can tell me where this lives, but
we did a super secret live show at the Moxie that exists where?
Right now you can find that on our YouTube channel.
What is that?
I don't even know the name of that.
YouTube.com slash...
Haven't heard of the YouTube.
No, what is that?
I think it's going to get big.
I have good feelings.
Buy stock now.
Uh-huh.
So there's so much to talk about.
Let's first review.
The reason why I brought up the super secret show that we did is because there was such
a bizarre moment in the middle of it where Kevin, who again, he's Camp Breadaroo, right?
Yep.
Okay.
And Kevin just happens to be driving through Manchester.
And so what do we ask him to do?
But we'll just see if he can get on the premises.
Take a left and see how far he can get.
Kudos to you.
It was a great thought.
Great bit.
It was funny.
He said, where are you?
And he said, I'm about five minutes from the farm.
And you said, go.
Yeah.
So for the next 20 minutes, we basically watched a man sit in traffic.
The rest of the show.
But he did try to get in.
That was pretty funny.
The security people there were cool about it.
He was cool about it.
That was hilarious.
Yeah.
But it was nice to see the farm from that perspective because we very rarely see it
like that.
I mean, Sean, who's a radio guy here in town, he stopped by and said, basically, you've
lived this close to the farm and you've never driven up to, I've never done it.
Some people do this every year just off cycle, just to see the place almost naked.
The only time I've ever seen that road was 311 because that was the only entrance.
Oh, that's right.
I've never known where the arch, where the entrance is.
I've never understood where all those people are going.
No kidding.
No, it was interesting to see.
Do you think that when they, do you think though, cause they rebuilt the arch this year,
it's this digital masterpiece.
Do you think it stays forever or are they packing that up too?
I think the framework stays.
Does it really?
But I could be wrong because those tents is where they're called, come down.
Everything comes down.
Except for the what stage?
That's, I'm not even sure that's true.
I think the frame of the arch is permanent.
They built it out of metal.
The previous one was wood.
So I think they designed it to be permanent.
Interesting.
That's fascinating.
All right.
So go back and rewatch that.
Do we want to, should I start with my big surprise or should we end with my big surprise?
Probably ought to end with it because there might be.
We've got a big surprise that we're going to, I'm going to announce here at the end
of the show.
But first let's go through some of the things that you feel you think about the, the cancellation
and how it all ended up, you know, go through the gambit of emotions that you went through
from the moment you heard it till today.
You want to start with me?
Whenever.
Yeah.
That's fine by me.
So this is Sunday.
By the way, I hate to interrupt, but why are we all wearing the same clothes?
I know.
I noticed that too.
Is there an outfit?
Did we have some sort of.
I thought y'all sent an email.
Black shirt quota that we had to get to.
I know.
So this is Sunday, which would be it's noon ish.
We would typically be getting ready, recovering, getting ready for Lizzo and the end of the
day.
Lizzo would have been last night.
I thought she was Sunday.
No.
Oh, it's Brittany.
That's today.
Yeah.
Brittany's today.
Yeah.
Oh, that's correct.
I'm sorry.
So it seems like forever ago already that it's been canceled.
Right.
And we've moved on.
Yeah.
You know, you and I and Taco got to sit yesterday with Nick Turner, the guy who came up with
these, these heads and our Camp Nut Butter logo.
Also the, one of the half of Middest, some of the music that you hear on the show.
Yeah, it's great and so funny.
It was so, I haven't seen him in two years.
And a surprise guest came to my house.
Taco brought David Bruce.
I am Bonnaroo.
I thought you meant the stripper that we brought.
We don't talk about that.
And I mean, what was his name?
He is Bonnaroo.
And we got to sit on the porch and talk and visit and that was amazing.
So in that sense, it felt very normal.
Normal.
Yeah.
Very Bonnaroo like.
Yeah.
But nothing else has felt normal.
We did the secret show and we had a lot of people show up, came down from Indiana and
up from Atlanta, Chattanooga, North Georgia.
That was really cool.
So in that sense, it felt the community thing sort of showed itself.
And I think that's key.
Well you, well we had, we had a Barry Roo.
We sort of just coalesced around dad.
But Taco actually went and did things, the other events that, you know, were finding
their ways in and around Manchester.
It's going to let him get into that.
Yeah.
He, he actually did it.
So I wasn't going to speak to it, but back to your question.
The more on Tuesday when they made the cancellation, felt sad, felt mad, felt disappointed, but
pretty quickly figured out they did the right thing.
Each day since, I'm more, I'm a hundred percent convinced.
There's no question they made the right call.
Have heard from indirectly from people at AC, you know, I think the, I think the quote
was we've got like a hundred cars that are axle deep in mud currently, currently.
Jesus.
This was Thursday.
Man oh man.
Or Friday.
Yeah.
And those are the people that were already there.
So can't even imagine what would have happened had they tried to, there would have been,
you know, damages and people hurt possibly.
So it's, it wasn't just an inconvenience, put it that way.
You weren't just going to get a little wet or a little money.
It was going to be awful.
You were going to sink.
Yeah.
It was very possible.
You'd show up.
If you were lucky, that was the worst that was going to happen.
So put that aside.
But you know, your joke about it's two years and we've dWhat Podcasts and about events that
haven't happened.
That's true.
And so now we're looking at nine months from now.
So you know, at some point, well, we've got a lineup coming here in about two months.
I don't know what you're talking about.
So at some point we need to get past and start getting ready, which is mind numbing to be
honest with you.
I'm already exhausted thinking about it.
Thank you.
So about the events around Manchester, I was supremely confused yesterday.
You guys really blew my mind.
I didn't understand what all happened.
So explain to me all of the different events and who was organizing all of these things
that popped up around Bonnaroo?
There was countless.
I mean, you couldn't even keep track of all the stuff that's going on.
But I think one of the biggest ones was the other fest.
We got to get right up on that.
All right.
It was, it was countless.
Yeah.
Like the stripper.
Like the stripper.
Yeah.
The other fest, I think it was the biggest one.
And I think Kevin from Reddaroo had a lot to help with organizing that.
He did.
Kevin French.
Is that his name?
No, Ryan French is the city council.
Kevin is Barnes, I think.
Yeah.
Kevin Barnes.
Yeah.
And they, they threw Andy Frasco up on stage.
I don't know where they got this stage.
It was parked outside of a.
Andy DeFranco was there?
Wow.
They got some good talent.
Frasco.
Yeah, big.
And Big Wild, or Big Something opened for them.
And like in less than 48 hours, you know, this went from being, nobody even thought
about this to.
Oh, it was more like 12 hours.
12 hours.
They, they had a stage, they had lights, they had sound, they had engineers, they had crew.
Spicy Pie.
No, that was at the other one.
Okay.
But this was the other one.
Well, this is the other fest.
I think this was also part of the other fest, but there was another location that we went
to to get the Spicy Pie.
So what was that?
What was that festival?
That sort of offshoot.
I think it was part of the same because.
It was part of the same.
It was at two different, it was at Common John's Brewery.
And then.
And then this one was called Bite of Europe or Taste of Europe.
It was, it was a restaurant.
Okay.
But I think they said it was 20 bucks to get in and then your wristband is good at any
of the others.
So we could leave and go to the other one and not pay.
Oh, okay.
All right.
I got it.
Yeah.
So because they had, I mean, not to, you were there, so I'm, but according to Kevin, when
I talked to him, they were two, 300, 400 people who had come down that were in Manchester
camping.
So they were looking for something to do.
City council person, Ryan French called Kevin and said, we need to do something.
Yes.
He rallied, made a call to Andy Frasco's people.
They said, yes.
Spicy Pie was going to sponsor the beer exchange.
So they were already kind of on board and in town with a lot of product to sell.
As was pontoon, right?
So they had some beer.
So pontoon actually came to the mini-roo that we had at Lindsay's in Belvedere.
And they brought-
Which was a private event.
That's a whole nother event.
That was a whole other event.
Oh my God.
Can't keep any of this straight.
Yeah.
And we've done this a few times before.
So which one did, which one, you knew it to all of these?
I went to all three.
And then I came to Chattanooga last night and saw-
Barry-Roo.
At Barry-Roo.
And then you had Loop Daddy.
That's right.
So who was the performer that we had in this house?
Who did we book here?
We had Nick.
Okay, good.
Doing stand-up.
All right.
So all of these things just sort of happened organically and naturally.
And then if you happened to stick around, you could find your way.
Did any of our people that we talked to on the secret show, they were all there, right?
Yes.
Okay.
Michael was there, Kevin Mitchell was there, right?
Yeah.
I mean, he wasn't on our show, but you took him out like the people that showed up as
guests.
Right.
I guess I'm wondering is how likely were you going to be sticking around in town if you
were to show up and they canceled?
Like for instance, when the RooHamm kids, they get the ding on their phone and then all of
a sudden, you know, they're two hours away from Manchester, Nashville, and they just
keep going and decide to stay here all weekend.
They're still in Nashville.
Yeah, that's nuts.
Yeah.
Do you think that that was more likely the case or do you think most people probably
bailed and turned around and drove home?
No, I think most people, if you were on the road, if you were in town, you probably made
the decision to stay and just find a party, find a concert, find something to do.
I'm sure all the hotels instantly booked up from people needing a place to stay.
And you know, if you've already got the car loaded and all your stuff, that's right.
Go back home.
Even at our secret thing, you remember the three people from Indiana and Clay Wilhoyt,
who is a longtime Patreon, they were all excited because they were going to go see My Morning
Jacket on Friday.
And then the news came down.
So My Morning Jacket and Brittany Howard are going to do a show in Nashville, right?
Was it a Nashville show or an Atlanta show?
Atlanta.
Okay.
So that show cancels because My Morning Jacket comes down with COVID.
Someone in their travel group.
Okay.
That's clear.
It wasn't a band member, not a crew.
It was someone in their travel group.
So that would have been a big knock to your festival plans if all of a sudden My Morning
Jacket, My Morning Jacket would have canceled.
They wouldn't have been a Bonnaroo.
So there'd been a three out.
Now it would have loosened up to go to Goose, right?
Was it Goose at the same time or Krungbend?
Wasn't Krungbend?
Goose was a big conflict with My Morning Jacket.
Goose was the big one.
Krungbend was before.
Okay.
Yeah, that would have been pretty bad news for me.
Yeah, that would have broken your heart.
That was the one thing that you were excited about.
That and turquoise.
But yeah, the My Morning Jacket was going to be a big deal.
So yeah, I don't know how I would have felt had the festival happened and they canceled.
Well, did you see that the one thing that did, the Bonnaroo did put their name on?
I don't know if any of these things actually had the Bonnaroo name on it, but the one thing
they did put their name on was the show with Phoebe Bridgers, Brittany Howard, and somebody
else.
I can't really remember the third person.
I saw that.
Yeah.
Yeah, that was actually in Nashville.
But none of these other things had the Bonnaroo name on it.
Correct.
These were all fan organized.
Okay.
Yeah, third party.
Except didn't you tell me, I mean, I guess it wasn't official, but there were some Bonnaroo
folks.
Our friend Jeff Cuellar was there.
Jeff Cuellar was actually at the other fest at the restaurant right before he came on
and talked before Andy Frasco.
And they said that-
Obviously not doing his due diligence of getting cars out of the mud, huh?
We took a break on that, huh?
Maybe he didn't dig it all day.
He didn't seem like he wanted to be up on stage.
I don't think he liked that.
But they actually mentioned Ryan French that their generator broke last minute and they
called up Jeff, I presume, and said, can we get a generator?
And so they got a generator loan from Bonnaroo so they could put that show on.
I also heard, and somebody can correct me if I'm wrong, I don't remember the exact story,
but I heard that Bonnaroo is donating a ton of their tents to the New Orleans relief effort.
I think you saw that too.
I think, yeah, we heard that yesterday, but I think I saw a story today in the paper that
they are.
So I don't know how many people-
What's a paper?
I don't know how many people actually displaced down there that need tents.
I mean, it's cool what they're doing, but is that the need?
I wasn't clear on whether it was camping tents or if they were using big vendor tents.
I couldn't figure-
I thought it was the VIP camping tents.
Oh, okay.
That was the picture.
It was the odd shade geodesic dome looking thing.
Yeah.
Okay.
So then, but you see the pictures now.
You see what the farm looks like now.
The original reaction, and we said this on the secret show, or at least my initial reaction
was when I first heard this, I was just immediately relieved.
All of this felt, I know everybody, there's so many people excited about it, but for me,
having come from a hurricane and have all of my animals and everything with me, it just
became such a pain in the ass.
The idea that I could just show up here and now I have no responsibilities whatsoever
was actually the best thing that could have happened.
But at first, I really, and I've told you this a hundred times, I really thought that
it was an insurance play.
They finally got the opportunity.
They can't use COVID as a way to get the insurance policy anymore, but they can have an act of
God and a hurricane that wipes through, especially after you see what Ida did in the Northeast
after the terrible news of what's happened in New York and New Jersey.
But then the picture started coming out.
So just my initial reaction was, man, they got lucky.
They got to get out of this and get their money back.
Because I really do think, and I'm not putting words in anybody's mouth, but something makes
me feel like half of them didn't want to do this anyway.
That as a collective, there was one foot in and one foot out.
I think that's you and I've been talking along those lines for a year.
I mean, that's how I felt.
And it's that that was a COVID thing.
There's definitely that sense because of COVID.
Do we really feel safe?
Are we going to feel safe with 80,000 people in Porta Pot?
We make those jokes, Porta Potties and FEMA tents and all that.
But that was going to be the reality.
The hurricane was an entirely different issue.
And I haven't read the entire story and we're going to have to follow up on it.
But the topic that you and I talked with Jeff Becker about a year ago, force majeure, a
term you and I, you may have heard of it.
I had not.
But he talked about he's an entertainment attorney, big time entertainment attorney.
And so that was going to be the issue.
And sure enough, there was a story in Billboard this week that that has become an issue that
apparently some of the vendors and the artists are now kind of on the hook for a little bit
of their own cost.
Now I don't that's all the details I know because I wasn't able to read the entire story.
Are you telling me there was a paywall?
Can you believe that?
What kind of publication would put a paywall in front of quality content?
It's like they don't want people to read the story.
That's weird.
But so we're going to have to that'll be a topic we're going to have to dig into to see
how that played out.
But yeah, if if you had any doubts about the severity of the rain and what it was like
the when it landed in New York, New Jersey, it should have it should tell you.
I'm surprised that like there weren't like serious injuries or damage done when it came
through Manchester when you see what all happened in New York.
I can't believe I would feel very nervous if I was a volunteer sitting in a tent while
you know, the remnants of Ida come ripping through Manchester.
Two things.
We knew it was going to hit Manchester.
Apparently New York was surprised.
Apparently they were not at all prepared.
Now what that actually means, I mean, you know, I don't know what that means, but they
weren't prepared and and and they got hit hard.
Manchester.
I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, didn't seem it seemed like it was sort of on the edge.
There was a lot of talk, you know, like it's not rained that hard and it's not been that
bad.
Really just dumped a lot of rain on us.
Well, we saw it here.
We had some wind and some trees down here.
Yeah.
But I mean, Manchester felt like it wasn't getting it as bad until it was all said and
done.
Let's see.
That's what I was trying to see.
I mean, once I saw the pictures, then I said, oh, my God, that's not good.
This was not an insurance play.
This was legitimately I don't know how you I don't even know how you get cars in.
If if they couldn't get the volunteers that were in that I said or Axel deep, that was
Thursday.
Yeah.
And they're still there.
Well, I think they're out now.
I think they came in and got them from what I understand.
But they, you know, probably dried up enough by now that they can start getting them out.
So well, I told the story.
So my first my first Bonnaroo was was 2003.
And I'll never forget it because this torrential downpour happened and it was one of the hardest
rainstorms I can remember.
And we had had such a bad couple of days, me and my buddy and we just wanted out.
We had to get out and we were out in G.A. and 20 feet, no more than 100 feet away from
the exit.
And we thought that we had our oh, we were so excited.
Get me the hell out of here.
I'm tired of being rained on.
I'm tired of being covered in mud.
We finally get to the promised land and the SUV gets stuck directly in mud.
Well then the rain starts coming down again and it's starting pouring on our heads.
So he's putting plywood under his cars.
He's digging mud out.
He's doing every I'm sitting in the car.
He's doing everything he can to get his car out of here because he's dying to get out
of and we just couldn't make it happen.
We could not get this car out of the mud.
So what did we do?
We slept in the car and we woke up to a kid who was no more than 14, 15 years old on a
four wheeler dragging people out of the mud for 50 bucks a pop.
I mean it was all the money we had in our pocket and dude to this day, we call him dude,
dude to this day would say it's the best $50 he's ever spent in his life because there was
no way of getting out of there.
No possible way.
That's right.
Yeah.
I've told this story.
I guess it was 08.
They rained, I think it was Wednesday so we got there Thursday and they rearranged everything.
They built a bridge I think that year and you were going to camp parallel and perpendicular
and they put you over here because it's high ground type of, and there was a little rivulet
of water about that wide that went from one side of the-
Didn't he play at the signal last night?
Yeah.
Wasn't that a marked rivulet?
Yeah.
Yeah.
From one side of the cars to the other, right?
They put you door to door so there's not a lot of space between.
After a couple of hours of people just constantly walking through that, it went from that wide
to 10 feet wide and stretched from car to car.
You couldn't walk through it.
That's the image that I kept having in my head on Tuesday of 80,000 people in that mud
and water.
I mean, do you remember the year before they built the bridge that gets you from the what
to the rest of Centauru?
I mean that perennially flooded all the time.
If it rained that became a mud pit for 30, 40 yards and year after year after year all
they would do is throw hay down.
They would throw a couple of pieces of plywood.
Piece of cardboard, yeah.
Then it rained on a Tuesday and they said, oh no, no, no, let's build a bridge now.
The next day they built a bridge and they had it ready by Thursday when Centauru opened.
There are ways around small pockets of water and mud, but there's no way around 10,000
cars basically sinking.
No.
I said this on Thursday during our show and if you heard that, sorry for me repeating,
but my boss when I filed my story said, kind of jokingly, I thought mud and rain was part
of festivals like Woodstock.
Ha ha.
I said-
Is that a strain of weed?
I said, well-
Because I don't want anything to do with mud and rain.
It's the worst possible thing of Bonnaru for me.
I can deal with heat, but I just do not want to be wet.
That's what I've said every year.
I told him, I said, first of all, that wasn't mud at Woodstock, so it's gross.
Secondly, it's one thing if you're there and it happens, then you kind of roll with it.
The fact is the turnpikes, the entries were flooded, so we weren't even going to be able
to get in.
It was going to be horrible.
Look, the panic that ensues when you see rain move your way on the forecast and wherever
you are and you've got to hightail it back to camp to sort of batten down and tarp up
what you decided to not tarp up because you didn't know rain was coming through, that
is the worst feeling of my entire weekend.
I hate it.
Yeah.
I absolutely hate it.
Plus, I'm not organized enough and I don't put together a good enough campsite that's
going to be rainproof anyway.
We sort of half-ass it and hope that Barry fixes it later.
It's more about the shade.
Well, Sean Stewart was there the other day and we were laughing about the last Bonnaroo
when that lightning hit.
Now, there wasn't lightning as part of this storm.
That's a whole other issue, but it did rain that Sunday morning so bad and we were adjusting
tarps and keeping it from going this way and that way.
Sean and his buddy were still in their tents and his buddy had the easy up over it and
it filled up.
It filled up so much that it crashed down directly onto his tent.
It's one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
It was scary.
He came out of that tent like in Ace Ventura 2.
And Ace Ventura comes out of the horse's ass.
Because a lightning bolt had hit a transformer 50 yards from where we were the exact instant.
The very second that they crashed.
Yes, it was like the whole universe conspired to screw with that one guy.
I'm telling you, he came out of there expecting to see angels.
He thought he was dead.
He walked in with a big black beard and he came out looking like Santa.
He was like, he doubted entirely.
He expected to see angels.
Well, the other thing that I thought was interesting about the, that you asked at the secret show
is, and I brought it up a second ago, I mean we're into lineup rumor season.
I know.
I mean the rumors are going to start filling up.
I really want to try and get our booking agent friends back because it's one thing that when
we asked them, how do you book inside of a pandemic?
Well, they're having to do it again.
How do they book something that's going to happen in June when they need to do it like
right now?
Right.
Yeah.
And do they, do they scrap everything from 2020, 2021 and start over?
Or do they try to bring over what they can?
Can they?
I can only, I know I talked to much, much smaller scale festivals in this area and they
had to postpone like Bonnaroo had to.
They were going to do 2020 summer, moved it, they thought fall, then they moved it again.
And the one thing that they said that sort of stuck out to me is you can only ask bands
to sort of hang on maybe once.
If they're really nice, twice.
You can't keep asking them, hey, you know, don't cash that check just yet type of thing.
Yeah, I mean, I bet that all the deals are reset, but they're going to try and go after
the same sort of artists, you know, but a lot of it's going to be, at this point, Tame's
album cycle is going to be off.
You know, does, does Tame come back to the States because it doesn't really fit into
their promotional plan that they're after.
Does the Foo Fighters have been doing show after show after show?
Does this show fit into their overall strategy next year?
Those things are going to be completely reset because, you know, we've talked to the booking
agents before.
We've talked to managers before.
It might just not fit for what they want to accomplish for the rest of the year.
I'm almost ready for something new.
I would almost rather just start with a whole new lineup and just start fresh.
That's because we already did your show for the picks.
So we need another episode or two.
Well, and everyone you picked canceled.
So yeah, we're not going to let you pick this next year.
Did we ever find out whether or not it was a baby?
Did anybody call to confirm?
That's probably the biggest try.
That's still up in the air and we'll never know.
That's what you're upset about the most.
I was hoping maybe that was your big surprise for later.
Wow, who knows?
Welcome little baby!
Yeah, I think, I don't remember.
Was it Brent from Indiana that came down?
That was, I think he mentioned.
Kent.
Kent.
But of course it would be in your mind Brent.
Yeah, Larry.
Larry was there.
My poor wife.
Barry has met her and known her for 10 years and what do you call her when you see her?
See don't ask me that because I had it blocked out so I won't do it again.
It's a different name every time.
No, that's not true.
Every time she's got a different name.
How is Hannah by the way?
Hannah's great.
Hannah and her sisters are doing fantastic.
This all started because I wrote about her in a story and gave her your last name.
Yeah, she has a different name in every story.
And then now we were out in public at the market and I called her Hannah or Holly or
something like that.
I don't really remember.
Henry.
But anyway, Kent is the one who, yeah he said the biggest disappointment is we won't know
if he's a baby.
That's right.
We'll never know.
We can only hope that he will be back next year.
So many levels.
He might not be a baby next year.
He might grow up.
He could grow up.
He could just blow my mind on that.
He could be the middle schooler by then.
The middle schooler.
The middle schooler.
The fifth grader.
As a baby identifying expert, when do you think the cutoff is baby not a baby?
I don't have scientific reasoning.
It's just something in here.
You just know it when you see it.
I know it when I see it.
Interesting.
So a year may not change it.
He may still be a baby in a year.
I'll know it when I see it.
I'll check it out.
Okay.
All right.
Little middle schooler.
So any other thoughts about the Bonnaroo, the way they handle it, the whole season in general?
Do you feel like, for instance, next week is your local festival.
Railbird happened two weeks ago.
Everything in New Orleans is canceled.
There is no rhyme or reason for when something goes on, doesn't go on, how well it's done.
Some of the stories out of Railbird where the first day the lines for water and bathrooms
were just atrocious and they had to on the fly mend those fences and fix some things
for the second and third day.
How do you feel about next weekend?
There's two parts to your question.
How do I think it went?
For whatever reason, and we've said this before so we're not breaking ground, it's been hard
getting information out of the Live Nation folks, the people running it, people that
we've had good relationships for many, many years.
I don't think we've done anything to cause that and I don't think they personally are
trying.
I think it's come from higher up, from corporate and the uncertainty.
I guess I'm giving them a pass on that.
But it's been tough getting information, not just for us but for fans.
So there's been a huge level.
If you think that there's been a lack of communication on the regular attendees part, if you've had
it, it's everywhere.
It's not just social media.
It has been one of the more frustrating parts of this entire year.
Even before, when the first go-around, the first lineup that came out, everything was
fine and then COVID changed the entire communicative structure it feels like.
I don't want that to sound like first world problems like, oh they need to answer my phone
call when I call type of thing.
That's not what I mean.
But you see the mixed messages even in social media.
The fact that some people can't get clear parking answers, that have ticketing problems,
that seem to go unanswered for days and days and days.
So then part two of that is how do I feel about our festival?
I felt great about it two, three weeks ago because I was getting a lot of communication
and then this last week I've asked for information and nothing.
And then YOLA canceled because of COVID.
So on Friday morning it felt, hey I can't wait, we're going to go do this festival.
And then now it's like, ah, you know.
Starting to get this weird feeling like we got a few days ago.
I don't mean to predict or throw shade.
I hope it happens.
I'm just saying it got weird.
Speaking of YOLA canceling, back for a second, with my morning jacket coming, one of the
crew members having COVID, that would have obviously.
Travel party.
Travel party.
Okay got it.
So that would have obviously meant they were going to cancel the Bonnaroo show.
Are they a headliner?
When?
Were they a Bonnaroo headliner?
They were, which stage?
They were.
But you wouldn't call them a headliner?
I would.
I don't know why they weren't.
The only reason I ask is because wasn't there that rumor, and I don't know who started it,
but they acted as if they had information that a headliner was going to drop?
Yeah, that never happened.
That never happened.
We're now past the point of.
Oh yeah, I see where you're going.
Was it going to be, no.
Because they didn't announce our show until Friday or Thursday.
When did we do that?
All my days run together.
I have no idea what day it is.
I don't know either.
I'd have hit New Orleans, I have no concept of time in reality.
They didn't announce they were canceling until that day, so no.
Might not be a headliner, but definitely a fan favorite.
I mean, they were high on a lot of people's lists.
Sure, and I'm just trying to figure out if a second line band artist is a headliner or
not.
Right.
Or do you consider the top line the headliners?
I consider the top line.
See, I do too.
You're one of the three or four.
Unless I'm writing the story and then I would call them, I would put my morning jacket in
there because I want to include a headliner.
Really needed to fill that column, didn't you?
No, including my favorites.
I always put my favorites in there.
Yeah, really had to fill the column.
I know that it feels empty and I know it feels sad, but it was really fun seeing most of
the camp people this weekend.
And I'm sure, although odd, I'm sure you had a blast doing what you did.
I had a great time.
Yeah.
And seeing that community and whatever pockets they were, I saw one of our podcast listeners,
Evan, who didn't actually end up making the trip, but he did his own version of his group
getting together this past weekend in Jersey and doing a version of their sort of Bonnaruth
sit around and chat.
I mean, it does feel like it was prevalent no matter where you were.
Yeah, the RooHamm crew were at La Quinta around the pool.
The majestic La Quinta pool.
Yeah, they made the best of it.
That's what you got to do, right?
I think they had 13 people.
Some of them had flown in from LA, Denver, and New York.
So what are you going to do?
Tuesday night I'm sitting at the Bitter Alibi and I see Frank Swanson, one of our former
patrons.
Oh yeah?
He's from Chicago.
He was one of our guest listeners.
So we hung out and bar hopped a little bit.
And kind of the same thing.
They came in from Chicago and stopped in Chattanooga and just made the best of it.
I think, Brad, I think that's a great point.
I think seeing the people that came to the Moxie, 12 people or so, and there was a couple
that were staying there that knew us, knew the show, that was really cool.
Having David Bruce come by yesterday with you was amazing.
I mean that guy drives what?
12 hours.
12 hours.
And speaking of.
The RooHamm guys drove 12 hours.
Yeah, David Bruce, he drove through a lot of that weather in New York.
He said he almost hydroplanned in some parts because the water was so high.
And this is a guy, that's the story that I wrote for our magazine that will come out
next month is the community.
Is there a paywall for that?
Yeah, how much is that going to cost me, Barry?
Jesus.
Baby needs new shoes, guys.
Come on.
But that was, the community part of it is, you both have done it.
You had people who don't go look at you like you're crazy when you tell them that you can't.
Every year at Bonnaroo.
They say you sleep in a tent?
And they don't understand.
On purpose?
Yeah, on purpose.
They don't understand the community and the passion that people, I mean like us have.
It's the truth.
We've done this thing every week this year about an event that hasn't happened in two
years.
I mean think about that.
I've been to more of these secret mini-roos than I have actual ones.
Yeah, it's very awkward.
That's the truth.
People don't understand that until they experience and see it.
The fact that, I mean you said you were at the event the other day, a couple people recognized
you.
It's not about that part, I'm assuming, not to put words in your mouth.
But it's the fact that people love this festival.
And Bonnaroo happens, whether it's officially canceled or not, there's still going to be
the community, wherever they happen to be.
It's a tradition unlike any other.
Do I get a jacket?
Am I going to get a jacket?
I think it's big surprise time.
I think Barry needs to.
It's really weird.
Somebody asked, actually it was David Bruce yesterday, right?
David Bruce asked the question, how did you and Barry meet?
So me and Barry met because he's in the newspaper business.
I'm in the radio business.
One thing leads to another.
We just travel in a lot of the same circles.
We met each other at Bonnaroo and then all of a sudden we decided to start camping with
each other at Bonnaroo.
We then started adding more people to our campsite.
And as we did that, these people you see on the back wall here are our main group.
So we've added one person to the group this year and that is Mr. Lord Taco has officially
got his own Camp Nut Butter head for the first time.
We haven't added a member in five years at least.
Lord Taco finally.
Now the best part is in your sunglasses.
You can see the Volkswagen bus.
This is a big surprise.
I didn't think this was going to happen.
Congratulations.
You're officially part of Camp Nut Butter.
Here's the crazy part.
I don't like to say this, but you got a bigger head than everybody else.
I'm really upset with the size.
Look at the size difference between yours and Barry's.
Look at Barry's and look at yours.
That is huge.
It's very unfortunate.
It's not the only thing that's bigger.
Yeah, my man.
So there you go.
You see the sunglasses.
Thank you so much.
Inside the sunglasses you see the Volkswagen bus.
That's awesome.
There you go.
Love it.
Taco, congratulations.
Thank you so much.
You deserve it.
You're obviously an integral part to our camp and our life.
So we had to make you an official part of Camp Nut Butter.
So here you go.
Thank you so much.
Your number three, six, seven, eight, nine, ten is number 11?
Yeah.
Number 11.
Wow.
I'm going to have to get that redone now.
Well, there's some we can drop off.
We need to do a few... Do a little pruning.
I haven't seen Chris Cobb.
He was there in 19.
Yeah, he showed up that one time.
That's Chris Cobb.
Yeah.
My brother is on there.
No, he's not on there.
No.
No, good.
Yeah.
That guy, Joe, Joe hadn't been there in a while.
Joe showed up with a wife.
But he was there.
That's right.
Showed up two years ago.
The only person on this that didn't make it in 19 is the guy who was the first one doer.
Oh, yeah.
Been every year until...
Yeah, the official camp patriarch, I guess.
He had some lame thing like a national racquetball.
There's a racquetball.
Yeah, that he only won, right?
In the finals in Texas or something.
Yeah, some lame thing like that.
Yeah, it's a pretty good group.
The only thing that is... That might be our group.
I wonder what your group does.
Does your group have a certain thing that you guys all either... Is it a T-shirt?
Is it a thing?
Share it with us at the what podcast or at the what underscore podcast on social media.
Good point.
I'm glad you mentioned that because in talking to the RooHamm guys, Parker and Jake...
They all have liver disease as a...
Well, they drink hams.
That's their thing.
Yeah.
You and I always talk about you had to come this year from New Orleans, but we live close.
It's an hour away from Chattanooga to Manchester, basically.
I never really considered the trip is as much a part of the fun for them as the actual event.
They stop in Metropolis, Illinois.
They stop at the Waffle House outside of Nashville.
They love that.
Yeah, their whole trip down here is planned around stuff they can do while they're...
Never considered it.
Yeah, that's nuts.
That's cool.
Yeah.
I really like that part of it.
Especially group camping has become such an integral part of the experience.
I love finding those little things that keep the groups tied together and what is different
about certain groups from one to the other.
That's always the fun part for me.
So share it.
I'd love to see some of the goofiness because the more goofy, the better.
The reason why I wanted to go to that OOP Daddy show last night so much is because I
love guys that create cultures and that culture is even bigger than they are.
The fact that everybody shows up there in a robe is because the guy...
People were bringing totems, signs.
Yes, it's terrific.
He's created... I mean, he's really great too.
He is.
He's got an entire culture and brand that he's created inside of that.
That's what I like about the whole campsite stuff too.
That's awesome.
You too.
Anything else before we go away for a little while?
That was the point.
What are we going to do?
We should let folks know.
We don't know.
I don't know.
This event has not happened.
I don't know that we can keep doing the show every week.
How much longer can we keep talking about?
You're going to be here in town for a boutique festival called Moon River.
That should be interesting.
I hate that Yola's not going to be there because she would have been my absolute number one.
We want to talk to Ryan French.
I hope I'm not putting him on the spot by saying that, but I think we'll make that happen.
We obviously want to have Jeff Quay are on soon.
Also, I'd like to suggest we get... I met one of the co-owners of Pontoon, the brewery
down in Atlanta.
They've now collaborated with... They've done an official Bonnaroo beer.
They've done the Rue Bus beer, the Repeat Repeat beer.
They're fantastic.
I had a great time hanging out with them.
We had a fun time talking to the spicy pie guy.
Yeah, same thing.
I think they'd be a good pick.
There's shows out there.
I'm not sure we can do one a week.
We're going to have to figure that out.
Before you know it, that is the crazy thing.
Before you know it, we are going to be in another lineup.
It's going to be January.
2022.
You're going to get a Coachella lineup by November 1.
You're going to get a Coachella lineup.
Right after that, you're going to get a Bonnaroo lineup.
These things are going to start coming... Oh, you're going to get a Hangout lineup too before
Christmas.
These things, remember, happen between November and Christmas because they want you to sell
tickets for Christmas.
That's right.
We plan to talk to the folks at Consequence.
They're trying to hook up some band interviews.
There will be shows.
You and I, I think we need a break.
We need to reset.
I'd like to have a nap.
Are you saying that we need a break?
Are we taking a break from each other?
Are you breaking up?
We need a break.
No.
Not to mention, we're going to be in a lineup.
We're going to be in a lineup.
We're going to be in a lineup.
We're going to be in a lineup.
We're going to be in a lineup.
We're going to be in a lineup.
Not to mention, you've got to go back to New Orleans.
You don't even know what.
I don't know yet.
You don't have power.
There's a lot going on.
We'll see.
I'm glad to see you guys though.
This was amazing.
Yesterday was terrific.
This is our first in-person show.
All three of us have done in what?
Since this basement.
Since we were in this basement.
The last time we were all here together, we did a show.
I hid something in this building, so I wonder if I can still find it.
It's like I buried a treasure and see if it's still here.
Great.
The way that you've really kept the place up is going to be hard for me to find it.
You like what I've done?
You're the one quarter that seems clean.
Yeah, you guys should see this.
It looks like the tornado hit.
I had an electrician come in one day and he had to weave his way through.
I said, it's usually not this neat.
You came on a good day.
He took his breath away.
All right.
That's Barry at Slurred Taco on Proud to What Podcast.
Thank you for this big surprise.
Yeah, I'm very excited.
This is the best head I've ever received.
Thank you very much.
All right.
I'd be honored.
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