Whether this is your first 'Roo or you're a seasoned vet, it's best to go in with some kind of a musical game plan in place. There's just so much going on at any given minute, and you don't want to risk missing a favorite.
This year, the fest's organizers have made formulating that plan easier than ever, between the rumored iPhone app and the ridiculously awesome "Zoltaroo Mind Reader" Facebook page. Still, if you're seeking additional input, or aren't so crazy about the whole mind-reading thing, look no further. Here's our guide to what may be the biggest (and most exhausting) 'Roo yet:
THURSDAY
Thursdays at Bonnaroo have traditionally started slow - even if most of the wide-eyed and still relatively clean attendees hitting the grounds are on a mission to party hard. The two biggest stages don't open until Friday, which results in indie-level tent acts being greeted as rock gods by an audience that's ready to burst.
If you happen to reach Centeroo before 7 p.m., you might as well catch a few minutes of decent indie-pop from Brooklyn's White Rabbits while you deliberate between taking in some retro-roots-rock from Delta Spirit or showing some Music City pride at Erin McCarley's set. Rootsy fare like DS and Portugal. the Man. do battle with The Other Tent's hip-hop triple-header, which includes The Knux, but we're calling Passion Pit as the Thursday night champs. Their shamelessly slick, falsetto-laced dance-pop is currently king of Blog Mountain. To close out the evening, either have good ol' boy Zac Brown sing you a twangy lullaby or hit up the Silent Disco with mash-up masters The Hood Internet.
FRIDAY
You can afford to start Day Two a little late. Try to sleep in (good luck) or get in line for the showers (godspeed), eat a big lunch and then grab your best spot for folk-ravers Animal Collective at 2:45 p.m. You should be able to catch the tail end (get it?) of pop genius St. Vincent en route to Grizzly Bear, or stay put at Which Stage for a solid stretch of quirky rock: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV on the Radio and David Byrne. Late afternoon is also a good time to venture over to the massive What Stage field, letting legendary soul man Al Green lay it down while you find a decent vantage point for Beastie Boys, who are all but guaranteed to be a highlight. But we're far from through: French-rockers Phoenix kick off a party-friendly late-night string that includes hip-hop legends Public Enemy, so-hip-it-hurts dance duo Crystal Castles and Girl Talk.
SATURDAY
Good news, after a late Friday night of dancing: You can start late again today. Helping soothe any Girl Talk- (or libation-) induced headaches are the smooth retro R&B of Raphael Saadiq and the soul-stirring folk of Bon Iver. Bluegrass vet Del McCoury and dance-pop absurdists Of Montreal will kick it up a notch, and then you're faced with the great 'Roo Dilemma of '09: Wilco or Elvis Costello? It may be rock sacrilege, but we're leaning toward the former, as it also gets you in place for an epic three-and-a-half hour set from Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. If you've got any energy left, make your mark in the Gen X/Gen Y divide between Nine Inch Nails and MGMT.
SUNDAY
We know. You're beyond exhausted. But you can sleep the other 361 days of the year, right? Man up and help Nashville gospel rocker Mike Farris get his "Sunday Night Shouts" out over the lunch hour before getting your order for wiry punk filled by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. If that's not loud enough for you, charge into the battlefield under That Tent for a surprisingly brutal lineup of metal acts, including math-loving pummelers The Dillinger Escape Plan. If that sounds like the last place you want to be, retreat to the What Stage's grounds for neo-soul queen Erykah Badu, where you can stretch out and enjoy the extra space afforded by the dwindling crowd.
Afterward, you've got your pick of musical animals: Andrew Bird, Snoop Dogg, Band of Horses and jam figureheads Phish, whose massive festivals inspired Bonnaroo in the first place.
