“Roo Clues”

Driving west on I-24 towards Nashville, the site can easily be mistaken for just another farm.  For the tens of thousands who attend the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, however, the site is something sacred, a Mecca of sorts for music fanatics.  Along with the attendees themselves, over a hundred musicians, comedians, and other performers converge in the little town of Manchester, only twenty minutes north of Sewanee, for the annual festival.  Bonnaroo’s Exit 112, the interstate entrance that exists only once a year, will not appear for another four months, but attendees have been speculating about the 2010 lineup since only hours after leaving the 2009 festival.  Both Phish and Bruce Springsteen, the headliners for 2009, were all but confirmed the December before the festival.  This year proves to be a different story.  Bonnaroo co-producers Superfly Productions and AC Entertainment are being extremely tight-lipped about their picks for the lineup.  Even within the two companies, the majority of the staff has been kept in the dark. 

This year’s official lineup drops on February 2^nd, but for many Bonnarooers, the wait is just too long.  Many ‘Roo enthusiasts constantly refresh the Festival Outlook page of the Consequence of Sound website, checking to see new additions to the list of artists who are “expected” to play.  For those who would rather unearth the lineup themselves, both Bonnaroo’s online radio station and Twitter page announce several ‘Roo Clues throughout the month of January.  The answers to these puzzling riddles reveal acts confirmed to play the festival.  At the time this article was written, eleven clues were released:

 

1. The one monkey that was the warmest and his offspring.

2. Buddy when Jolly.

3. A perfect finish to misspelled mill.

4. Two talented acts in one clue, one is rockin, both are "lockin."

5. News that covers important topics.

6. Find this music at Amoeba but not the L.A. location.

7. He was there at the enlarged auditory but not in Jelloland last year.

Z. Before the star hatched is what is two times before I was.

8. Tom And Jerry, without Art. 

9. Tennis shoes can be defeated.

10. Local boys made good, and largely by wood.

Of the eleven clues, only the first three have been solved and confirmed.  User hawking508 on the Bonnaroo message board Inforoo solved the first clue: “I'm starting to think that if Michael Nesmith was the warmest Monkee [of the band The Monkees], either because of being from Texas or that he always wore that [wool] hat, the offspring part may just mean Michael+offspring (son)= Michaelson. Maybe that's the last name of the musician. Ingrid Michaelson?” 

The answers to clues two and three, folk legend John Prine and Malian band Tinariwen, respectively, have similarly complicated explanations.  The rest of the clues have spawned answers from The Black Keys with Alicia Keys for clue four to Neil Young for clue seven.  A few more clues are expected to be released in the next few days, and countless guesses are sure to be made.  Although the first three answers were confirmed by both DJJD, the Radio Bonnaroo DJ, and the Consequence of Sound website, nothing is certain until the official lineup comes out.  For now, Bonnarooers will have to content themselves with solving these word puzzles to see if their favorite bands are playing this year’s festival.