Despite Bonnaroo's cancellation this year, fans persevere and call in to share what makes the festival so special: freedom, life-changing connections, and more. But first, The What Podcast crew celebrates a big milestone. Thank you for 2,000 YouTube subscribers! Fresh off last week's in-depth interview with Brad Parker and Cory Smith about Bonnaroo 2026 plans, we dive into the heartfelt listener voicemails, reflect on the 2025 shutdown aftermath, talk transparency, programming changes, and more. Want to share your own thoughts with us? Call our voicemail line at (423) 667-7877.
We also head into the off-season by spotlighting a few recent trips to The Caverns for a last-minute Drive-By Truckers show, and a visit to Dave's Little Magic Bar in Johnson City. Stay subscribed to The What Podcast for an upcoming interview with Kyle Hollingsworth from String Cheese Incident and some upcoming fall festivals we're covering, too!
Listen to this episode here or watch it on YouTube. As always, subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you get podcasts for weekly updates on Bonnaroo and festival news!
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CHAPTERS
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:02:41) YouTube milestone
(00:06:36) Recapping last week's show
(00:34:53) Russ' bus trip
(00:41:30) Bryan at The Caverns
(00:44:58) Hinterland Update
(00:46:39) Listener Voicemails
(01:06:56) Previewing next week's show
(01:08:32) Rock is dead, part 2
(01:15:45) Outro
LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Bonnaroo 2026: Brad & Cory from C3 Answer Your Questions
The Real Roo Bus Joins The What Podcast
The Bonnaroo Yearbook: Capturing Festival Memories
How The Caverns Became Tennessee’s Premier Music Destination
Bonnaroo Community Spotlight: How Church Boners Became a Festival Family
Inside Hinterland: Sam Summers on Festival Challenges and the 90-Degree Guarantee
How Bonnaroo Changed Manchester Forever: Live from Planet Roo
Is Rock Dead? The Bonnaroo Music Census and Remembering Ozzy Osbourne
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🎧 LISTEN LINKS
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The What Podcast theme: "Aquarius" by *repeat repeat, used with permission.
Other music provided by Midist and used with permission.
We love to hear from you! Send us an email at comments@thewhatpodcast.com or call (423) 667-7877 and leave us a voicemail. We might just feature it on the show.
