Bonnaroo brings out the big names from the most varied musical corners, that’s part of what has brought it to becoming one of the premier festivals in America. But if you take a look at the lineup for the first annual Bonnaroo festival in 2002, the title of this post would seem odd, save for the 2 nights recently reformed jam-stars Phish. Having evolved over the past 6 years into an extravaganza of a musical event, Bonnaroo has truly outdone itself this time, with arguably its most eclectic lineup.

Last year Kanye and Metallica. This year: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band (hot on the heels of halftime), the Beastie Boys (who will be re-releasing Paul’s Boutique), Animal Collective, Snoop Dogg, Nine Inch Nails, Grizzly Bear, David Byrne, Al Green, Wilco, TVOTR, and a zillion other artists.

Check out the full (initial) list:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Phish (2 Shows)

Beastie Boys

Nine Inch Nails

David Byrne

Wilco

Al Green

Snoop Dogg

Elvis Costello Solo

Erykah Badu

Paul Oakenfold

Ben Harper and Relentless7

The Mars Volta

TV on the Radio

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Gov’t Mule

Andrew Bird

Band Of Horses

Merle Haggard

MGMT

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The Decemberists

Girl Talk

Bon Iver

Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Galactic

The Del McCoury Band

of Montreal

Allen Toussaint

Coheed and Cambria

Booker T & the DBTs

David Grisman Quintet

Lucinda Williams

Animal Collective

Gomez

Neko Case

Down

Jenny Lewis

Santogold

Robert Earl Keen

Citizen Cope

Femi Kuti and the Positive Force

The Ting Tings

Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Kaki King

Grizzly Bear

King Sunny Adé

Okkervil River

St. Vincent

Zac Brown Band

Raphael Saadiq

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

Crystal Castles

Tift Merritt

Brett Dennen

Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue

Toubab Krewe

People Under the Stairs

Alejandro Escovedo

Vieux Farka Touré

Elvis Perkins In Dearland

Cherryholmes

Yeasayer

Todd Snider

Chairlift

Portugal. The Man.

The SteelDrivers

Midnite

The Knux

The Low Anthem

Delta Spirit

A.A. Bondy

The Lovell Sisters

Alberta Cross

If you’ve made it this far, your probably about to buy your plane/train/bus ticket right now. This bit of info will help you plan your trip:

"Superfly Productions and A.C. Entertainment are excited to announce the initial lineup for the 2009 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. The eighth annual four-day camping and music festival will be held on June 11 – 14 on the same beautiful 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, 60 miles south of Nashville. Every year Bonnaroo seeks to make history by offering unique and exclusive performances by rock’s greatest legends as well as its most significant newcomers. A full list of confirmed acts follows, and more will be announced in the coming weeks. The final Bonnaroo 2009 lineup will total over 120 bands and over 20 comedians performing on 13 stages over four days. Tickets go on sale exclusively through www.bonnaroo.com on Saturday, February 7 at 12:00 PM Eastern."