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The Great Bonnaroo Debate: SuperJam ft. Pretty Lights or Bassnectar?

June 5, 2015 By Halina Wilusz

SuperJam Lineup 2015

The details of Bonnaroo’s always highly anticipated SuperJam surfaced last week in the form of an insane, futuristic, old school dance party featuring one of our favorite artists missing from the Roo roster, Pretty Lights. A “Pretty-Nectar” dream coming true…could it be we would be graced with the presence of both Bassnectar and Derek Vincent Smith this year on the farm?

Insert a set overlap that would make a grown Basshead cry.

Superjam Set Conflict

Actual footage of when we realized the conflict….

And also trying to ignore that Flume is at the same time.

During these two hours emotions will run high. Crews will be divided, true characters will emerge, and men will be left behind. It’s going to get real people, and we’re here to help you rationally prepare to navigate through this epic evening.

Simply stating that the SuperJam is a once in a lifetime collaboration that will never happen again doesn’t make the decision any easier for a Basshead. So what if I just saw him three nights last weekend at Red Rocks, I still want to see him again next week…and the weekend after, and so on and so forth for the rest of eternity. Picking anyone at all over Lorin is a life-altering decision, who no one can really come close to interfering with….except Derek.

A quick fix solution might be to try and hit a little bit of both sets. For starters, stage-hopping at Bonnaroo is not recommended. Precious listening time will be cut into trying to get from A to B, and all in all you’re going to end up throwing away one amazing memory of a set replaced with one filled with the mayhem and tension of trying to scramble to both sets.

If you think you’ll be satisfied with only a small taste of Bassnectar, and when the clock strikes 1:45 a.m. you’ll be ready to teleport massive out of there, then by all means give it a go. You’ll be able to brag that you caught both sets, and by the time you arrive at the Other Tent the SuperJam will be in full force.

Bonnaroo - Photo by David Barnum

With Nectar’s new Into the Sun LP releasing shortly after Bonnaroo, you can be sure that he will be dropping new tracks to look out for in his set at the Which Stage. Lorin has also announced that there will be no tour dates in 2015, so this is another major factor to take into account regarding your decision. If he won’t be coming from miles around to a fest or special event near you again this year it might be worth immersing yourself in his full set, and with no one scheduled after him there’s always a chance he’ll throw down past his time slot.

Lorin’s festival sets however are always wildly unpredictable, landing into Trapnectar territory at times, so if you’re going in hoping for a spring tour experience you’re best off sticking to the SuperJam.

That Throwback SuperJam Dance Party though….Pretty Lights, Run DMC, Chance the Rapper, Rob Trujillo from Metallica…it’s going to get wild. The talent packed onto that stage will make for a legendary display of improvisation and artisanship that will be hard to compete with this festival season. This isn’t even accounting for the special guests that are bound to hit the stage.

Imagine Derek’s work with his live band and substitute a handful of the world’s most talented artists – Karl Denson, John Medeski, Robert (Sput) Searight (Snarky Puppy), Oteil Burbridge (Allman Brothers). The potential for greatness is too much to bear. Pros and cons stacked against each other, knowing that FOMO will occur despite any decision, the only sure thing is that not exploring the SuperJam would truly, really be a travesty.

Tickets are still available for Bonnaroo, going down June 11-14 in Manchester Tennessee.

Bonnaroo 2015 Lineup