Bonnaroo announced the lineup for this year’s festival yesterday and some people are wondering why Kanye West is on that list, as a headliner, because of his past performance at the festival in 2008. But a Bonnaroo promoter has explained why Kanye is back on the list of performers.
According to Rolling Stone, back in 2008, there was a mixture of production issues and Kanye requested so many delays in his performance that he didn’t come on stage until 4:45 a.m.. He delivered a very disappointing set, and then took to his blog a week later blaming the festival organizers for his upsetting performance. The blog post was Kanye slamming the organizers for giving him a slot that ruined the impact of his glow-in-the dark show. Rumors surfaced that Kanye would be banned from ever entering the festivals campgrounds in Tennesse.
Apparently, all of this is now in the past because Kanye’s name was featured on this years line-up. In a very recent interview with Relix, Bonnaroo promoter Rick Farman explained why Kanye would be returning. “Everyone has moved on, it’s in the past,” Farman said. “We’re happy he wants to come back to Bonnaroo and is embracing this. It’s a great opportunity for everyone to look forward, and we think it’s a great opportunity for the Bonnaroo community to show what it’s made of.”
Farman made sure to comment on how great he believes Kanye is as an artist, and that’s the reason why he will be returning. “First and foremost, we think Kanye is one of the most prolific and groundbreaking artists of this generation. He’s hugely influential. His albums are as great and acclaimed as they can get. He’s also a great live performer. He takes a lot of chances and he’s adventurous with the live space. All those things are what Bonnaroo performers are about. That’s why we booked him.”
Bonnaroo is about having a good time, radiating positivity and all that good stuff. The Bonnaroo committee is giving him a chance for redemption and wants him to show the audience what he’s made of. Farman admits, “We couldn’t be more excited about what we think has the potential to be another historic Bonnaroo moment.”
West will be one of the many hip-hip performers to take the stage at this years festival. Some of the other hip-hop artists set to perform are Wiz Khalifa, Ice Cube, Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper, A$AP Ferg, and Pusha T. The festival will take place in Tennessee June 12-15. The rest of the lineup can be seen here.
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
