After we recorded this week's show, we got some news last night about a potential Bonnaroo 2025 headliner. Our own Brad Steiner caught up with Childish Gambino himself, Donald Glover at his show in NYC and asked if he was playing Bonnaroo next year. We got the answer right from the source and wanted to share this as soon as we could.

Be sure and listen to our latest full episode, and The What Podcast will resume in a couple of weeks!

It's "last call" before The What Podcast takes a short break, so the crew gathers to tie up a few loose ends. No special guests, no topics, just Bryan, Barry, and Russ. But first, Barry has a little news to break about the first confirmed booking for Bonnaroo 2025. It's still too early for rumors and speculation, but Childish Gambino is making the rounds as a potential headliner. We don't think that's likely, despite what other people are reporting. What are our other thoughts on the Bonnaroo lineup for 2025?

We then shift gears and look at the rise of EDM in the festival scene, as jam bands are on the decline. Plus, destination concerts and cruises are here. Would you consider going on a cruise to see your favorite artist perform? Finally, we look ahead at other events like South Star in Huntsville, and Burning Man in Nevada, happening as we speak. And Bryan leaves for NYC soon to see Pearl Jam again.

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CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:01:16) Breaking Bonnaroo 2025 News

(00:09:46) Speculating on Bonnaroo 2025

(00:19:20) EDM is up, jam is down

(00:23:18) Future show plans

(00:24:50) Childish Gambino

(00:27:39) Cruise events

(00:38:25) Burning Man

(00:41:44) Bryan headed to NYC

(00:44:52) Outro

Enter our Bonnaroo 2026 ticket giveaway at thewhat.co/win! We've got two tickets to give away with a camping pass!

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The What Podcast theme: "Aquarius" by *repeat repeat, used with permission.

We love to hear from you! Send us an email at [email protected] or call (423) 667-7877 and leave us a voicemail. We might just feature it on the show.

We take a short break from Bonnaroo this week and finally dive into the upcoming South Star Festival in Huntsville, featuring an exclusive interview with Cory Smith, the marketing manager at C3 Presents. Cory, who has experience working on major festivals like Bonnaroo and Railbird, shares his insights on the challenges and excitement of organizing a new festival.

Cory discusses everything from site selection to ensuring a top-notch fan experience, including amenities like flushable toilets and the walkability of the festival grounds. In addition to South Star, we also talk about his band, Boot Scootin' Boogie Nights, that played Bonnaroo this year.

Listen to this episode of The What Podcast here or watch it on YouTube. Do us a solid and also like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you listen.

Talk Bonnaroo and other festivals with us! Join the Discord

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CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:06:08) Interview with Cory Smith

(00:43:11) Outro

Enter our Bonnaroo 2026 ticket giveaway at thewhat.co/win! We've got two tickets to give away with a camping pass!

______

The What Podcast theme: "Aquarius" by *repeat repeat, used with permission.

We love to hear from you! Send us an email at [email protected] or call (423) 667-7877 and leave us a voicemail. We might just feature it on the show.

Imagine preparing for your first trip to Bonnaroo, only to have your wristband stolen before it arrives. That’s exactly what happened to our guest this week, Abbey Sugrue. Rather than letting this setback ruin her festival experience, Abbey turned to the Reddit community for help and reached out to The What Podcast for additional advice and we awarded her a package of Bonnaroo memorabilia from Barry's basement.

Not only was Abbey's first Bonnaroo a success, it gave her a new perspective on life, making it more than just a music festival. Hear her story and her tips for first-timers that will help you max out your experience as well. Plus, Barry, Bryan, and Taco kick things off with the latest festival updates, including the recent soggy experience at Elements Festival in Pennsylvania and what's happening at Outside Lands in California.

Listen to this episode of The What Podcast here or watch it on YouTube. Do us a solid and also like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you listen.

Talk Bonnaroo and other festivals with us! Join the Discord

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CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:02:14) Elements Festival

(00:12:14) Friends in a band

(00:17:54) Outside Lands

(00:19:10) Pod Business

(00:21:18) Interview with Abbey

(01:04:37) Outro

Enter our Bonnaroo 2026 ticket giveaway at thewhat.co/win! We've got two tickets to give away with a camping pass!

______

The What Podcast theme: "Aquarius" by *repeat repeat, used with permission.

We love to hear from you! Send us an email at [email protected] or call (423) 667-7877 and leave us a voicemail. We might just feature it on the show.

While Bonnaroo news is light this week, the festival scene up north is buzzing. Lollapalooza lit up Chicago, and Montreal's Osheaga was equally vibrant. The crew is amazed by Chappell Roan's skyrocketing success in the pop world, as she wowed crowds at both festivals alongside artists like Noah Kahan, Green Day, and Reneé Rapp.

Closer to home, Chattanooga is set to host a new Bluegrass festival for the next three years, and Bryan and Barry delve into this exciting development for the city. They also explore Huntsville's South Star and discuss some lineup changes at next month's Bourbon and Beyond. Finally, they look ahead to key dates for Bonnaroo 2025.

Listen to this episode of The What Podcast here or watch it on YouTube. Do us a solid and also like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you listen.

Talk Bonnaroo and other festivals with us! Join the Discord

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CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:02:27) New Albums

(00:13:27) New bluegrass festival coming to Chattanooga

(00:30:39) Lollapalooza

(00:36:59) Osheaga

(00:40:20) Upcoming lineup changes

(00:45:51) South Star

(00:49:00) Bonnaroo Dates

(00:51:34) Outro

Enter our Bonnaroo 2026 ticket giveaway at thewhat.co/win! We've got two tickets to give away with a camping pass!

______

The What Podcast theme: "Aquarius" by *repeat repeat, used with permission.

We love to hear from you! Send us an email at [email protected] or call (423) 667-7877 and leave us a voicemail. We might just feature it on the show.

There's no band like GWAR and they did Bonnaroo right. From crew sacrifices to tea parties, these intergalactic warriors partied hard and put on an amazing late-night show, complete with their trademark blood. In this episode we debut our interview with their new guitarist Grodius Maximus.

Also joining us is our campmate Elizabeth Thorpe, a photographer who got to shoot some amazing sets at Bonnaroo 2024, including GWAR while wearing our Never Not Great t-shirt! Later in the episode, Beth and Bryan reminisce about Woodstock '99 since they both attended 25 years ago.

Listen to this episode of The What Podcast here or watch it on YouTube. Do us a solid and also like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you listen.

Thumbnail photo: Elizabeth Thorpe

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CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:02:14) GWAR at Bonnaroo

(00:06:20) Interview with Grodius Maximus

(00:11:19) Beth at GWAR

(00:25:02) Beth's Bonnaroo story

(00:42:09) Bryan and Beth

(00:47:40) Woodstock '99

(01:15:34) Favorite Shows

(01:22:49) Outro

Enter our Bonnaroo 2026 ticket giveaway at thewhat.co/win! We've got two tickets to give away with a camping pass!

______

The What Podcast theme: "Aquarius" by *repeat repeat, used with permission.

We love to hear from you! Send us an email at [email protected] or call (423) 667-7877 and leave us a voicemail. We might just feature it on the show.

The Camp Reddaroo Beer Exchange was one of our most anticipated events for Bonnaroo 2024, and this week we are featuring a conversation we had on the Roo Bus about it featuring some guests you are probably familiar with. Daniel, Evan Bonnaroo, Mitchell, Kevin, and EDM Kyle. Also joining us was Romy Bayhack, who works for the festival.

With Taco out of town this week, Barry and Bryan also talk about what's in store for the future of The What Podcast, and also look back at how the Bonnaroo Music and Arts festival has evolved in its 22-year history from being jam band heavy to what it has become today.

Listen to this episode of The What Podcast here or watch it on YouTube. Do us a solid and also like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you listen.

Thumbnail photo: Evan Brown

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CHAPTERS

(00:00) Intro

(05:08) Bryan reflecting on Dead & Co.

(11:42) Taco's weekend

(14:05) Looking at future episodes

(14:23) Bonnaroo's history of adapting

(27:09) Setting up this week's interview

(37:54) Beer Exchange

(49:09) Outro

Enter our Bonnaroo 2026 ticket giveaway at thewhat.co/win! We've got two tickets to give away with a camping pass!

______

The What Podcast theme: "Aquarius" by *repeat repeat, used with permission.

We love to hear from you! Send us an email at [email protected] or call (423) 667-7877 and leave us a voicemail. We might just feature it on the show.

On today's episode of The What Podcast, we take a slight detour from Bonnaroo 2024 discussion and recap recent events. Russ went camping (again), and Bryan Stone flew out to Las Vegas to catch three nights of Dead & Company at The Sphere, plus the Hoover Dam.

Bringing things back to Bonnaroo though, we also feature our interview with Happy Landing, who performed on the Who Stage Thursday at Bonnaroo 2024. Andrew, Wilson, Jacob, Keegan, and Matty from the band sat down with us and talked about doing their first Bonnaroo.

Listen to this episode of The What Podcast here or watch it on YouTube. Do us a solid and also like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you listen.

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CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:02:12) Contest Update

(00:04:55) Upcoming shows

(00:07:55) Russ went camping again

(00:11:05) Dead & Co. at The Sphere

(00:49:06) Setting up this week's interview

(00:53:49) Happy Landing at Bonnaroo

(01:08:37) Outro

Enter our Bonnaroo 2026 ticket giveaway at thewhat.co/win! We've got two tickets to give away with a camping pass!

______

The What Podcast theme: "Aquarius" by *repeat repeat, used with permission.

We love to hear from you! Send us an email at [email protected] or call (423) 667-7877 and leave us a voicemail. We might just feature it on the show.

It's been almost a month, and we are still talking about Bonnaroo 2024. This week, we take a closer look at Post Malone's performance, talk about Russ' camping trip to The Other Farm, and start making plans for next year.

This week's guest is Jason Singer of Michigander, who might be the nicest guy in the world. We talked about his first Bonnaroo, writing songs the Nashville way, and more.

Listen to this episode of The What Podcast here or watch it on YouTube. Do us a solid and also like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you listen.

Thumbnail Photo By: Scott Hotaling

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CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:00:57) Russ went camping

(00:11:11) Post Malone show

(00:20:01) Steve-O's tattoo

(00:23:51) Reflecting on Bonnaroo

(00:37:25) Bryan wants a shirt

(00:40:45) Introducing this week's guest

(00:47:02) Interview with Michigander

(00:55:50) Responding to Reddit comments pt. 2

(01:00:33) Planning for next year

(01:02:41) Upcoming shows and events

(01:08:29) Outro

Enter our Bonnaroo 2026 ticket giveaway at thewhat.co/win! We've got two tickets to give away with a camping pass!

______

The What Podcast theme: "Aquarius" by *repeat repeat, used with permission.

We love to hear from you! Send us an email at [email protected] or call (423) 667-7877 and leave us a voicemail. We might just feature it on the show.

As soon as Piya, Nya, and Sabrina of Say She She stepped onto The Farm for Bonnaroo 2024, they instantly saw what made the festival so special. After performing to an enthusiastic crowd on Thursday, the trio sat down with Barry, Bryan, and Lord Taco to talk about their performance, their Talking Heads cover, and how they were welcomed to their first Bonnaroo.

"I had so many friends tell me their beautiful stories about Bonnaroo and being proud of us that we're finally doing it," says Piya Malik, originally from the UK and she instantly saw the parallels to Glastonbury. "We're a new band. No one knows who we are. But the crowd that was there, the support of this, the energy, they welcomed us to their Bonnaroo."

Listen to this episode of The What Podcast here or watch it on YouTube. Do us a solid and also like, review, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you listen.

Thumbnail Photo By: David Bruce

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CHAPTERS

(00:00) Intro

(04:47) Responding to Reddit comments

(22:36) Introducing this week's interview

(31:05) Say She She

(52:46) Outro

Enter our Bonnaroo 2026 ticket giveaway at thewhat.co/win! We've got two tickets to give away with a camping pass!

______

The What Podcast theme: "Aquarius" by *repeat repeat, used with permission.

We love to hear from you! Send us an email at [email protected] or call (423) 667-7877 and leave us a voicemail. We might just feature it on the show.