Many fest heads need to plan early which festivals they want to go to, so the sooner a lineup is announced, the better the odds (if the lineup is good) are in favor of that festival - like Coachella, partly because it's so early, usually April.

Therefore, fest promoters rush to get the lineup out with the hopes that many people will plan to go to their festival rather than a competing festival. Unless you are geographically close to many festivals - say if you live in the northeast or mid-Atlantic - or happen to have a lot of time and money, many festival lovers have to pick and choose. So, getting out a killer lineup means the difference between a profitable fest and a very profitable festival.

In what was a bizarre, and quite frankly annoying effort to some (entertaining to some less) people, Bonnaroo organizers teased fans with a list of riddles and rhythms about the Bonnaroo 2008 lineup.

Listen to past Bonnaroo Festival performances live from archive.org.

From the thread about this on Inforoo:

Clues on Radio Roo.
« Thread Started on Feb 1, 2008, 2:14pm »

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I posted this on another thread but I think it deserves its own. The DJ just came on and said

Clue #1 "For all you lineup lookers....here is a clue: There is more than one Manchester."

Manchester Orchestra
Man Man
Oasis
Verve

Clue #2 20 minutes later she said " Memphis isnt Albany"
Changed to "Memphis ain't Illbany"

"There is more than one Memphis. This is not a clue just an observation."

BB King
Beastie Boys

Clue #3 "Clouds taste this way"

Metallica
Beastie Boys

Clue #4 "Some Herrings are red, Jimmy"

Widespread Panic
Led Zep
Metallica

Clue #5 "Hard Substance, Soft Substance"

Iron and Wine
Mars Volta
Carbon Silicon

Clue #6 "Janis Joplin's preserves will be served"

Pearl Jam

Clue #7 "Rumors are just rumors, but twist them sideways, grow your humor hair and they become a more yen reality. No, this is not about Fleetwood Mac"

Dread Zep
Whigs

Clue #8 "it's not sour, what is sowed in the earth"

Plant and Krauss
Sigur Ros

"Three certain birds, add one"

Counting Crows
Black Crowes maybe with Page
All the Crows including Old Crow
Andrew Bird
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
The Band plus Dylan (use to be the Hawks)

Clue #9 "look to the center of Europe to get the sound, but the band comes form all around."

Beirut
Gogol Bordelo
JUI
Daft Punk
Russian Circles

Clue 10 Here is another clue for you message board people. Open up the church and you will see the steeple. Some of your guesses have been way off but correct for the wrong clues. Now I must cough.

Ani DiFranco
REM lyric from Bad Day

Clue 11 (Feb 4th Monday at 12:20)
"Message board chatter? Yes it does matter. We hear your song requests. So Listen High Listen Low Don't Look Too Hard This Is New Radio Bonnaroo"

1:30 Low of the Hour Daft Punk
2:00 High Hour Ween
2:30 Drive By Truckers
Nadasurf

Clue 12 Charlies imaginary band will not be playing and what he wrote on his hand the last few things he was not saying.

Oasis not Playing ?
Paul McCartney

Clue 13 The Walrus ain't Paul
Sean Lennon
Ringo

Clue 14 alternative language clue
Sufjan Stevens

Clue 15 What rhymes with orange

Nothing
NADASURF

Clue 16 Arizona in Manchester

Tom Petty
Cheryl Crowe
Alicia Keys
Counting Crows
Ludacris

Clue 17

What is in the dessert isn't.

Oasis
Any of the super bowl bands

Clue 18 "The Chairman of the board, after the Birthday Party"

Cake
Nick Cave

« Last Edit: Feb 5, 2008, 2:00pm by zoey

The following is the first list of rhymes (without guesses) that was posted on the Bonnaroo official message boards (and started the flack):


1. "There is more than one Manchester"

2. "Memphis isn't Albany"

3. "Clouds taste this way"

4. "Some Herrings are red, Jimmy"

5. "Hard Substance, Soft Substance"

6. "Janis Joplin's reserves will be preserved"

7. "Rumors are just rumors, but twist them sideways, grow your humor hair and they become a more yen reality. No, this is not about Fleetwood Mac"

8. "It's not sour, what is sowed in the earth"

9. "Three certain birds, add one"

10. "Look to the center of Europe to get the sound, but the band comes form all around."

11. "Here is another clue for you message board people. Open up the church and you will see the steeple. Some of your guesses have been way off but correct for the wrong clues. Now I must cough."

Bonnaroo Tries To Make Lineup Announcement Seem More Exciting Through The Power Of Slightly Infuriating Riddles

Tip to Bonnaroo promoters: Check out some marketing 101 tips for next year and do the shrooms at the festival, not while your planning and promoting it. : p

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