u/thewhatpodcast

Is Hulaween everything Bonnaroo used to be? We put the question to John, our EDM and jam-scene correspondent, and his answer says a lot about how both festivals have changed.

John makes the case for Hulaween, String Cheese Incident's own festival at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park, where the daily lineups just dropped. We get into what makes it different from Bonnaroo: the jam-forward lineup with an electronic edge, the six-hour String Cheese / My Morning Jacket / STS9 runs, and the secret sets where anyone might sit in: Goose turning up to play with Cheese, that kind of unplanned magic. It leads to a real conversation about whether Bonnaroo's special moments have started to feel scheduled instead of spontaneous, and John doesn't hold back, including some honest thoughts on this year's very EDM-heavy Thursday.

Plus: John recaps his own Bonnaroo 2026 (great, but different, and quieter than years past), we looks ahead to ShoalsFest October 3-4 in Alabama, CaveFest at The Caverns October 10-11, and take a look at the surprisingly free EDM lineup at our own River Games in Chattanooga.

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

How has Bonnaroo changed over the years? We asked someone with a rare vantage point — Elizabeth Thorpe, festival photographer and our West Coast correspondent, who's been going to Bonnaroo since 2004 and now shoots it from inside the photo pit.

Beth walks us through what the festival experience is really like from behind the lens: the "first three songs only" rule, why the pit is her happy place, and how Bonnaroo has evolved from a freewheeling field party into something bigger, busier, and more produced.

We also get into her recent run of festivals beyond Bonnaroo: Wilco's Solid Sound in Massachusetts (with a Mermaid Avenue set featuring Billy Bragg and a surprise Natalie Merchant appearance) and Pickathon out in the Oregon woods. Beth covered both for The What Podcast, and shares her photography throughout.

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

What do Bonnaroo fans actually want from a podcast? We surveyed our listeners — and 89% agreed on the answer. In this episode of The What Podcast, Barry, Bryan, and Russ break down the results of our listener survey: where you're really listening (YouTube is running away with it), how you found the show, and what content you want more of.

We also catch up on a busy stretch of festival season: the rain that hammered Lollapalooza and Hinterland, the pull of Pickathon out in Oregon, and a remembrance of Glen Hansard. Plus: which festivals YOU want us to cover next (Shaky Knees, Bourbon & Beyond, and a few surprises made the list), and a look at the flood of vintage Bonnaroo photo galleries taking over Reddit.

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

The What Podcast took over Bonnaroo Radio in 2026! We present a two-hour special that aired during the festival, bringing together Noah Kahan, RÜFÜS DU SOL, String Cheese Incident's Kyle Hollingsworth, and the people who built and shaped Bonnaroo. Produced and packaged by u/stoneonair, and now collected here in full.

Spanning six years of interviews from 2019 through 2025, it's a cross-section of the show's history and how it's evolved — from Noah Kahan on songwriting to the origin story of how Bonnaroo launched, a conversation about sobriety at the festival, the wild backstory of Dancing Man Chris, and Kyle Hollingsworth on String Cheese Incident and his new solo record. Originally aired on Bonnaroo Radio, WFTZ 101.5 FM The Rooster.

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

We had the chance to sit down with Keith Richards this week. Not that Keith Richards — let's get that out of the way early. Our actual guest is the newly-named Head of Festivals at Ground Control Touring, an independent booking agency representing artists from Waxahatchee to Japanese Breakfast to Manchester Orchestra. He was named to the role this past January, Ground Control's first-ever Head of Festivals, and he joined us to pull back the curtain on how a festival lineup actually comes together.

We get into the questions we've always wanted answered: do artists really make more money at festivals versus arena tours? Is there a "cookie-cutter lineup" problem, or is that a myth? Why is developing a true headliner one of the hardest jobs in the industry right now? Keith also walks us through what it was like being on-site at Bonnaroo 2026 during the storm evacuation, riding it out alongside Bonnaroo's own team, and drops a list of up-and-coming artists he thinks are worth watching heading into next year.

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

Bonnaroo puts out an official music census every year asking fans what they want to see next — so this year, we sat down together to answer every single question. We walk through it all: genres, headliners, comedy acts, late-night programming, the future of That Tent's new location, Bonnaroo Radio, and more. What do we agree on? What do we disagree on?

Before the census, we catch up on recent local trips, and break down the newly finalized Hulaween lineup. Plus: Billy Strings opens Chattanooga's newly renovated Tivoli Theater, and Reddit's already buzzing about 2027 Bonnaroo mock lineups.

📢 NOW TAKING OUR OWN LISTENER SURVEY!
How did you find the show? What do you listen to us on? What do you want to hear more of? Take 2 minutes and help shape what we cover next: https://thewhat.co/survey

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

Meet the man who's become a Bonnaroo legend, one signature at a time. Caleb Arias, creator of the Bonnaroo Yearbook, joins us for the third time to break down how his passion project exploded this year. What started as pitching strangers to sign a notebook is now three-hour lines, sold-out printed editions, and fans hand-crafting custom trinkets just for him.

Grab your own copy of the Bonnaroo Yearbook at https://bonnarooyearbook.com and use code THEWHATPODCAST for 50% off!

We get into the wristband smuggling caper, the moment Caleb revealed Bryan might have the most beautiful signature in the entire book (calligraphy pen and all), and what it's really like becoming a recognizable figure at a large music festival: including the sacrifices, the boundaries he's had to set, and why he stayed sober the entire weekend just to protect the project. Plus: a sneak peek at a possible Bonnaroo children's book starring his bearded dragon, Trogdor.

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

Bonnaroo 2026 might have been the best one yet, and we are here to break down the entire weekend for you! We recap a festival full of serendipity: a surprise wedding in The Grove, an unforgettable run-in with singer-songwriter Jesse Wells on Shakedown Street, Bryan's first-ever Roo Run, and the Noah Kahan set and fireworks that closed it all out.

Looking behind the scenes, we also go deep on how Bonnaroo pulled it all off. After the rain, the mud, and a Thursday-night power outage, we've got details on all the improvements. 2,700 yards of mulch, new French drains, sump pumps and generators, and more! Plus a music rundown covering Wet Leg, Geese, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, GRiZ, Mount Joy, The Strokes, The Chats, and Blues Traveler, and a moment to remember Oliver Tree.

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

We're back from The Farm! First, Barry and Russ give a quick recap of an unforgettable Bonnaroo 2026 (our full deep-dive recap is coming soon!). Then we bring you our live panel from the Planet Roo stage, where we sat down with the nonprofits behind Bonnaroo's charitable mission: Kelsey Dewald (Planet Roo / Bonnaroo Works Fund), David Conover (Grundy County Food Bank), Emily Torgrimson (Eat for Equity), Anna Sampson (We Are Neutral), and Nancy Tarr & Deborah Dunn (Well Dunn Foundation). From a $100,000 grant for local school mental health to rescuing 25,000 pounds of food a year - here's how Bonnaroo gives back, and how your ticket does so much more than get you through the gate.

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

It's Bonnaroo Week! We all got together at Lo Main in Chattanooga to get hyped, swap stories, and run through our last-minute tips before we all head to the farm. Joining us: Austin (aka Squeegee Guy), Tara, and Cassie.

We get into going VIP, counting up our Bonnaroos (the math is harder than you'd think), taking family to the farm, staying safe out there, the shows we can't wait to see, and our final tips before we leave.

SEE US LIVE AT BONNAROO 2026!

The What Podcast is going LIVE at Bonnaroo 2026 on the How Stage inside Planet Roo, Thursday at 4PM. Come see us on stage with special guests and giveaways.

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

You packed for weeks. You made a list. And you're still going to forget something — everyone does. This week we sat down with Brendan from Mr. B's Festival Needs General Store, who's spent nearly 20 years watching festival-goers realize they left the most important thing at home. Toothbrush, pillow, tent poles, stakes, a power bank — Brendan's seen it all, and he tells us what people forget the most and how to make sure a missing item doesn't wreck your weekend.

Mr. B's has two locations in the Bonnaroo campgrounds (Plaza 3 and Plaza 4) plus a spot inside the VIP lounge, open 24 hours from Wednesday through Monday. If you forgot it, they brought it. Even better — you can skip the on-site scramble entirely with Mr. B's Click & Collect: pre-order everything from tent packages to cases of water and pick it up when you arrive. The pre-order deadline is JUNE 7, so don't wait. Order here: https://mrbsfestivalneeds.com/shop-bonnaroo

Plus, before the interview we catch you up on the latest — the Bonnaroo Squeegee Guy clip that's now passed 4 million views, and the weather chatter that has everyone a little nervous (spoiler: don't panic). And don't forget — The What Podcast is going LIVE at Bonnaroo 2026 on the How Stage inside Planet Roo, Thursday at 4PM. Come see us on stage with special guests and giveaways. https://thewhat.co/live

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

The Bonnaroo Squeegee Guy is one of the biggest viral moments to come out of Bonnaroo 2025's cancellation and letdown, and this week we finally got the full story. Austin, the man behind the pool noodle who went viral squeegeeing mud during the Bonnaroo 2025 cancellation, joins The What Podcast to tell us how the video blew up across TikTok, and the unexpected twists that came from it — including how it's sending his mom and aunt to their first-ever Bonnaroo.

Before the interview, we go into the latest festival news like the long lines of fans waiting to get into Griztronics at The Gorge last weekend. We also revisit a little of our interview last week with Bonnaroo's director and marketing manager Shelby and Cory.

And don't forget — The What Podcast is going LIVE at Bonnaroo 2026 on the How Stage inside Planet Roo, Thursday at 4PM. See us live on stage with special guests, and you could also win free giveaways from Lunchbox and an original I Am Bonnaroo print from photographer David Bruce!

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

Join us for a live episode of The What Podcast, on the How Stage inside Planet Roo at 4:00 PM Thursday!

Bonnaroo Amplified: Where Music Meets Mission

Join The What Podcast crew and special guests as they explore the positive work Bonnaroo has done behind the scenes through the years. From sustainability initiatives to the Roo Run, grantmaking, and the Planet Roo experience, this panel and demonstrations goes beyond the music and into the other types of magic enjoyed on The Farm.

We've got some great prizes to give away, including a hydration pack from Lunchbox and an I am Bonnaroo print from photographer David Bruce!

Less than three weeks to Bonnaroo 2026 and we got an exclusive interview with Bonnaroo's new Festival Director Shelby Goodsell and Marketing Manager Cory Smith to give us the most comprehensive inside look at what's changing, what's new, and what to expect on The Farm this year.

We cover the Where Stage move, the campsite changes, the new Bonnie Roo's Sports Bar, Thursday's unprecedented all-in-one programming, the Grateful Dead tribute set, bandanas at the toll booths, and much more. If you're going to Bonnaroo 2026 this is the episode you cannot miss.

Then don't forget, The What Podcast will be LIVE at Bonnaroo 2026 on the How Stage inside Planet Roo, Thursday at 4PM. Come find us, hug and howdy, and maybe walk away with free giveaways from Lunchbox and an original I Am Bonnaroo print from David Bruce!

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.

We're back with a jam-packed episode as Bonnaroo 2026 gets closer by the day. We are now less than 30 days away! First up, The What Podcast will be LIVE Bonnaroo this year! We'll be on the How Stage inside Planet Roo on Thursday at 4PM, and we want to see you there. Then we break down the newly announced Bonnaroo SuperJam lineup headlined by Kesha, and react to Noah Kahan's SNL performance.

Then we sit down with Trevor and Miguel from Wooks Haven: two first-timers who attended their first Bonnaroo in 2024, got completely hooked, came back in 2025, and loved it so much they built something around it. Their story is proof that it doesn't matter how many times you've been, Bonnaroo gets you every time. We wrap things up with a look back at our 2023 interview with Noah Kahan, who just performed on SNL and Tiny Desk and is now headlining Bonnaroo 2026. We had him before he blew up, and it's a powerful interview you don't want to miss!

This episode is also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts! If you struggle with attention span, there are timestamps in the description so you can jump to specific sections and we regularly post short form video clips of the podcast to TikTok and Instagram Reels!

The What Podcast is the longest-running and highest-rated weekly video podcast covering Bonnaroo and the broader music festival scene! Hosted by Barry Courter and Bryan Stone, two music industry veterans, the show started in 2018 as a celebration of everything Bonnaroo. Since then, it has grown to explore North America's festival landscape and the touring industry at large. Join Barry and Bryan each week for insider stories, behind-the-scenes insights, and the latest news from the world of live music.