Bonnaroo makes do

The Summerfest grounds in Milwaukee remained vacant this past summer. Live music has been one of the biggest casualties of the Covid-19 pandemic with bands either cancelling concerts or promising rescheduled dates in 2021.

Bonnaroo, a music festival in Tennessee, has found a way around the crowds while still delivering its audience a concert experience.

In past years, artists have performed to sold out crowds each night. Organizers worked to find a way to gather an audience while still honoring refunds to those who purchased tickets for the live event.

Partnering with Youtube, Bonnaroo has created its three-day festival virtually, free for all those who tune in. Each day consists of roughly twenty-five artists and the event runs nearly nine hours long. Throughout the weekend, listeners can hear a variety of music artists across a variety of genres. 

The setlist was a mixture of both new and old content from various artists across a variety of genres. Recorded performances of previous year’s headliners are interplayed amongst new content.

Amongst the new content was a virtual meeting titled “Sanctuary of Self Love” moderated by Hayley Williams of the band Paramore. In this meeting, experts and fellow artists discussed how they have persevered through the difficult times. 

“I did use my album as a type of therapy for me to deal with my own emotions and thoughts and feelings at the beginning of Covid.” Artist Charlie XCX said during the panel. “But I also think I used it as a distraction.”

Artists have used the isolation to create and release new music and content for their fans. The group Chromeo performed their latest EP “Quarantine Casanova”, a shortened album focusing around themes and sights of the pandemic.

“When we wrote this song, we were sure this would all be over by August.” Chromeo said during his set on Thursday night. “Well it’s August and here we are.”

To generate revenue for the event, short breaks occur between artists promoting merchandise from Bonnaroo, tickets for the 2021 festival and artists upcoming projects. 

Plans for next year’s festival have not yet been released but will be announced closer to the event planned for late June 2021. Fans are hoping the artists that were originally scheduled to perform for the 2020 festival make their way onto the 2021 setlists.