“You look at some of the artists in that group, like Zac,” Capps says with a chuckle, “and you say, ‘Well, maybe I want to be last, too.’”

Indeed, though Brown may be the most famous person in that list of 15, he’s certainly not its only success. Strangely, Toots & the Maytals were the last band on the 2003 Bonnaroo poster, after having served as reggae icons for four decades. Warpaint became the ninth official afterthought in 2010, months before the four-piece released its Rough Trade debut. Among the other acts with this peculiar distinction, there’s erstwhile old-time standouts the Biscuit Burners and mash-up progenitor Z-Trip, affable Malaysian singer Zee Avi and peripatetic troubadour Willy Mason.

But there are a few acts for which a Bonnaroo postscript remains a pinnacle, the crown on what may have, at that point, seemed like promising careers. British alt-rock group Your Vegas played in 2008, two months after releasing its one major-label album and two years before breaking up altogether. Though former frontman Coyle Girelli seemed eager to be interviewed, being the last band at Bonnaroo wasn’t a topic he wanted to entertain (upon learning about this piece’s focus, he soon stopped responding altogether).

Likewise, the New York electronic-pop duo Tiny Victories held that final slot in 2012 and are now on hiatus. Singer Greg Walters, however, talks about his Bonnaroo experience with great enthusiasm and detail. Months earlier, Tiny Victories released its first EP and were surprised by the amount of attention its emphatic, colorful little tunes earned. And then, days before Bonnaroo began, an email arrived asking the band to make the half-day drive to Tennessee for a last-minute, late-night set on a tiny stage for those fans who weren’t ready to go to bed after the headliners were finished. As 80,000 people dispersed, Tiny Victories would give them one more chance to revel.

“We started setting up in the middle of the night, in the middle of the main square, where all these people would walk past to go back to their campgrounds,” Walters remembers. “We were the last band on the bill, but goddammit, we had one of the best slots.”

Just before Tiny Victories were about to play, however, rain began to fall. The ad hoc stage included a lot of high-end electronics but no basic cover overhead. “It was the only stage at Bonnaroo that was not ready for bad weather. They had a great sound system, but they did not have a tarp. And we’re an electronica band, so we can’t just unplug,” Walters says. And so, Tiny Victories took the loss. “We had barreled down to get there and taken time off from our jobs for this one show,” he recalls. “But we got back in the van and drove back to New York City.”

Because Tiny Victories hadn’t actually performed at Bonnaroo, organizers asked them to return next year. They accepted and advanced four slots to the right on the 2013 poster, where they led the final line rather than closed it. That distinction went, instead, to Nashville guitarist William Tyler. “I wasn’t aware that was my spot,” Tyler says now. “This makes me wonder if it’s better to be the last four lines in the NCAA Tournament or the first four in the NIT.”

Still, the opportunity had a profound impact on Tyler’s musical trajectory. When Bonnaroo reached out to Tyler’s booking agent, festival organizers asked if his full band could play. To date, though, the longtime Lambchop sideman had only issued three albums of solo guitar instrumentals. He had no band, but the offer sounded like a welcome challenge. For Nashville musicians, playing the massive festival to the east seemed like a necessary rite of passage.