Hard-touring leaders of the jam/rock scene, moe. has played all three Bonnaroos and also hosts its own summer festival, moe.down, now in its fifth year. Here, guitarist Al Schnier (on the screen) takes a picture of the massive crowd.

GOOD TIMES, GREAT MUSIC at BONNAROO

In just its third year, the musically diverse Bonnaroo Music Festival has already become the biggest and highest grossing musical event ($14.5 million this year) in the United States. Having sold out each year with no traditional advertising while selling all tickets directly to fans, this four-day camping festival, produced by Superfly Productions and A.C. Entertainment, appears to be an anomaly and already has become a “must-attend” event for many. This year, 90,000 attendees came to a 700-acre farm in Manchester, TN for a plethora of music with a distinctly broad scope and a focus on innovative acts – be it established artists or introducing up-and-coming artists. With a temporary city constructed on a cow pasture, fans were treated to over 80 acts on two outdoor stages and in four large music tents, aptly named “Which Stage,” “What Stage,” “That Tent,” “This Tent,” “The Other Tent” and “Another Tent” to avoid confusion!

Bonnaroo, which means “good times,” is the prototype for festivals of the future. This grassroots rock festival boasted the largest temporary wireless internet deployment in the United States with a coverage area of over five square miles. This meant that in the middle of a concert field one could open up their laptop and be on the internet! The good times at the independently run Bonnaroo were focused on music that leaned toward improvisation, whether it was bluegrass (Yonder Mountain String Band), indie-rock (Grandaddy), pop-rock (Guster), Latin (Spam Allstars), jazz (Jazz Mandolin Project), funk (Bernie Worrell), alt-country (Neko Case), punk (Patti Smith), prog-rock (Umphrey's McGee), singer-songwriters (Erin McKeown, Donovan Frankenreiter, Mike Doughty and Nellie McKay among others), electro-pop (Jem), DJs (Cut Chemist) along with everything in between. Here is a look at some ASCAP artists that performed at Bonnaroo with more extensive coverage available on Playback Online at http://www.ascap.com/eventsawards/events/bonnaroo/

Words and Photos by Jon Bahr

The original members of the Grateful Dead keep on truckin' into their fourth decade and have been invigorated as of late by drawing in remarkable musicians to form a new touring unit dubbed The Dead. Bob Weir is shown here during their headlining set.

Femi Kuti (SACEM) who carries the afro-pop crown that was passed along by his father, Fela. Femi delighted with his words, saxophone and keyboards and was accompanied by a tight band complete with African dancers.

Superfly Productions, co-producer of Bonnaroo, is well known for their tremendous Superjams. With no pre-announced line-up, the crowd was treated to a surprise appearance by sax great Maceo Parker, who joined many top musicians for a funky set.

Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice (IMRO) performed a captivating set filled with his beautiful lyrics and an impressive band.

Hailing from Tennessee, Kings of Leon played a raucous set that showcased their style of modern Southern rock.

Dave Matthews & Friends, which includes guitarist Tim Reynolds and members of Emmylou Harris' band, performed a mix of Matthews’ songs and classic covers.

Remarkably innovative guitarist Marc Ribot brought his edgy playing down from New York with one of his many bands, Los Cubanos Postizos, which interprets Cuban music.

Emerging out of Nashville, Blue Merle combines bluegrass with elements of southern rock and will be making big strides with an upcoming studio album on Island Def Jam.

Max Abrams' saxophone electrified the crowd during a set of New Orleans songs with Jojo & His Mojo Mardi Gras Band. He is shown here (right) with ASCAP's Chad Green.

Grammy-winning legend Winston Rodney of Burning Spear shows no signs of letting up after 35 years making beautiful reggae music.