Last week, thousands of eager music fans from around the country were watching BLAM. For those who don’t know, BLAM is a yearly quirky video program used by the Bonaroo Music Festival each year in order to announce the bands that hundreds of thousands of people will be camping out in Manchester, Tenn. to see live. The festival has become massive in recent years, consisting of hugely popular headliners accompanied by a deep roster of lesser-known acts.
Headliner to see: Kanye West
Starting with one of the biggest names (or as Mr. West himself would probably say, the biggest name) at the festival this year, we have Kanye West. The Chicago-based rap superstar and Bonaroo have had a rocky history; mostly due to the 2008 festival, during which Kanye didn’t come on stage until after 4:30 a.m. and later blamed the festival’s staff in numerous interviews And after a controversial year consisting of controversial interviews and a controversial album, Kanye at Bonaroo certainly screams controversy now more than ever. But West is coming off a massive North American tour that featured a career spanning set list and elaborate artistic production. Many people will be considering Kanye to be the headliner to see; no matter what time he comes on stage.
Vampire Weekend
The New-York based band have obviously elevated themselves to a status much larger than the niche following that they developed after the release of their critically acclaimed 2008 debut. The indie rockers are listed only a couple of spots behind Elton John on the official lineup poster, meaning that their presence certainly matters. Despite receiving early criticisms for their live performances, the band has finally gotten the hang of things, performing with more energy (and often more members) than audiences at their original shows could have ever predicted. This is certainly the best time to see Vampire Weekend too, as their newest album Modern Vampires of the City received the highest praise of any of their work so far when it was released in mid-2013.
Chance the Rapper
Another Chicago rapper to look out for at the festival, however Chance probably won’t draw the same crowds that Kanye will. The psychedelic-obsessed emcee released his second mixtape, Acid Rap last summer and has not turned back since, generating huge buzz in the underground rap community. With the addition of a live jam band instead of simply rapping over backing tracks, and the possibility that Chance’s good friend Dubstep/R&B artist James Blake may join him on stage, this smaller booking promises to be one of the best of the entire festival.