Rick Farman
Rick Farman is not only co-founder of Superfly Productions but also a decidedly cool, collected individual. Over the phone, his voice bears no sign of stress or even much excitement over the fact that the 10 year anniversary of Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is approaching.
If the company name rings a bell, it’s probably because Superfly (along with AC Entertainment) co-produces the Manchester, Tenn.-based festival, and has for the previous nine years.
A decade’s worth of Superfly’s sweat has gone into the event and involves Farman’s organizational hand and publicity know-how, both of which developed in his early days promoting concerts in New York. With a group of some of his closest friends, he hatched the idea for Bonnaroo. The festival is kind of his baby, and his baby has evolved from a primarily jam band festival to an immersive musical and cultural icon.
Bonnaroo, set for June 9–12 this year, is essentially a Woodstock in the South and offers film and comedy in addition to a musical gamut now vast enough to accommodate the taste of most individuals.
Ten years ago, Farman and his Superfly colleagues wished for a music festival that wasn’t.
“We realized there was really a lack of large-scale camping events similar to events in Europe like Glastonbury, and we also realized there was a particular scene of artists in the jam band world. Those bands and their fans were looking for a destination type of event that they could rally around and make their own,” Farman says. “That was sort of the initial concept. It’s really evolved to be a great American rock festival with a whole slew of genres represented, but the initial genesis was to create this all-encompassing camping event.”
Eminem will appear at the tenth installment of Bonnaroo
Farman is used to having both hands in music events, be it JazzFest or the Life is Good Festival, but Bonnaroo is something of an exceptional event. For one thing, the festival is stationary, an aspect Farman particularly values. For another, variety continues to grow both in terms of music and additional attractions, whether it’s yoga classes or The Silent Disco (where folks gather to dance to beats blasted through headphones).
And since the festival organizers purchased the land the fest is on in 2007, it’s safe to say that Bonnaroo is becoming that festival Farman hoped fans would be able to “call their own.”
“Bonnaroo was the first major large-scale festival my company ever did. It was certainly a flagship event and on top of that, it’s really an experience because everyone’s living there on site for four days,” Farman says. “It’s different from other festivals where you may go home at night. The feeling the audience and the artists generate by actually being out of a normal daily life makes for, I think, an incredible environment to consume music and art.”
Those consumers last year totaled just over 75,000, but the immensity of Bonnaroo hasn’t presented Farman with greater challenges. On the contrary, he says, the operation is only getting easier.
This year marks the first that Bonnaroo will use an upgraded identification system to keep some of the freeloaders out. Each wristband carries a uniquely coded RFID chip which is scanned for authenticity as individuals enter the festival. The use of this technology is not just to stay ahead of the curve, as Farman says, but also to “protect fans’ investment in Bonnaroo and the artists.”
Mumford and Sons
While 2011 attendees camp out, soak it up and try to stay hydrated, the stages will be supporting a rather motley group of artists. Among the top names: Eminem, Loretta Lynn, Buffalo Springfield, Robert Plant & Band of Joy, Girl Talk, Bassnectar, Arcade Fire, Old Crow Medicine Show, Wanda Jackson, Mumford & Sons and Bootsy Collins & the Funk University.
It’s either the perfect lineup or one that pales in comparison to previous years’, depending who you ask, and such is the nature of Bonnaroo.
Farman says that in retrospect, the change in the nature of the lineups was gradual, though Radiohead’s 2006 appearance was poignant for the festival.
“I will say that 2006 when we had Radiohead really felt like a turning point for the festival. That was a moment when we kind of evolved in, I think, most people’s eyes from being sort of a jam band event to being a great rock festival.”
The Bonnaroo Buzz Tour is underway, a sort of preview tour to expose people to the festival. The tour features a few festival acts including Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Futurebirds and comedian Julian McCullough and will finish with one last show in Charleston before heading to Manchester.
Bonnaroo Buzz serves only to pique interest, however; the festival won’t travel, as Farman feels that would defeat the purpose of Bonnaroo.
The Black Keys
“What Bonnaroo is is an incredible weekend camping experience. You can’t just replicate that in one night at an amphitheater. We don’t want to do anything to dilute or water down the brand. We think what we got is very special and don’t want to do anything that doesn’t feel authentic to what it is,” Farman says.
When asked if there is anything that would make him stop doing Bonnaroo, stop working with the festival, Farman laughs at the question.
“No. No, I don’t think so.”
It’s not that Farman doesn’t sound excited—though he can’t name just one, he mentioned he’s really looking forward to seeing Buffalo Springfield—it’s just that he and the rest of Superfly Productions have gotten wiser. And Bonnaroo, as a result, is running smoother.
“My partners are some of my best friends in life,” he says. “My staff is like family, so it’s fortunate to be in that situation. We’re doing something that the end result is a lot of people having a great time.”
