Music is the big draw at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., but there is plenty for fans to see and do during the four-day event that gets underway Thursday.

The big news for fans attending next week's Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tenn., is that supergroup U2 will be there to perform their 1987 classic album "The Joshua Tree" in its entirety.

They headline a lineup that will include performances by nearly 100 other acts, including The Weeknd, Chance the Rapper, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lorde and the xx. It also features a good many acts specializing in electric dance and hip-hop music, which will be showcased mainly on The Other, which was called the The Other Tent in previous years. The larger Bonnaroo stages are named the What Stage, Which Stage, This Tent and That Tent.

Originally known as a jam-band festival, the move toward electronic dance and urban music is an indication of how organizers adapt to change, said Jeff Cueller, vice president of Strategic Partnerships for Bonnaroo.

"We are constantly making tweaks," he said. "What worked 10 years ago, doesn't work today.

"We have also combined the Cinema Tent with the Comedy Tent to bring more programming to more people," he added.

Fans also will find an air-conditioned Bonnaroo Store for the first time and there have been some additions to several of the pods, as the various general camping areas are known.

VIP experiences also have been tweaked because, as the festival has gotten older, so have its fans, Cueller said. That means fans who might have attended the first one today have more money to spend and less desire to sleep on the ground.

New this year is a Platinum Pass, which Cueller said ranks between the VIP experience, which includes things like showers, prepared meals and special access, and the top-tier Roll Like a Rockstar experience. The latter offers a private bus and accommodations for up to eight people, plus other perks like a private lounge, special entrances and concierge service.

Bonnaroo, which runs June 8-11, is not just for megagroups like U2. Playing there for the first time will be local artist Johnny Balik and his band. They will perform on the Miller Stage at 11:45 a.m. Thursday. It's his first time attending or playing, and Balik calls it a huge opportunity.

"I try not to have expectations either in life or my music, but I am excited," he said. "It's not about whether there are 50 people or 200, or however many. It's about that vibe and if we connect. That's what I'm looking forward to."

Bonnaroo organizers bought most of the 700-acre farm, now known as Great Stage Park, in 2007 and have been making infrastructure improvements such as planting trees, grading the land for drainage and adding a few roads.

Last year, water lines were added along with permanent bathrooms, showers and fire hydrants.

"I never thought I would be so giddy to see fire hydrants," Cueller said.

The bathrooms were a big hit with fans, but they stressed the water system through Manchester and Coffee County, so Bonnaroo and the city of Manchester partnered with the county in applying for a $500,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to replace old and undersized lines.

Once that is finished sometime in 2018, more permanent showers, toilets and filling stations will be added, Cueller said.

Since its debut in 2002, Bonnaroo has earned a reputation as being one of the biggest and best festivals in the the country. Along with that has come dozens of new festivals competing for the same bands and fans, and to stay on top Bonnaroo has had to grow and adapt, while maintaining what makes it special.

Bonnaroo — run by co-founders AC Entertainment and Superfly with Red Light Management and Live Nation — is a music and camping festival, meaning most of the nearly 80,000 fans who attend stay in tents or RVs for the entire four days. Over the last 15 years, organizers have made improvements to the site to improve the experience.

"Unlike city events [festivals], we are unique," Cueller said.

"When you are on the farm, you are here. A good 90 percent of the people are here throughout the entire festival. They are living here and not going back to a hotel or Airbnb."

He said that means Bonnaroo campers are looking for everything from entertainment and food to bathrooms and showers around the clock.

Though it doesn't release information on ticket sales, last year's crowd was the smallest since the festival started. Cueller says sales are strong this year.

"We are looking for a solid year," he said. "We continuously build and always pushing ourselves so that fans have those jaw-dropping Bonnaroo moments."

Contact staff writer Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.