Bonnaroo’s Greatest Country Music Moments
The monster of all festivals lives: Bonnaroo has begun. While A-list rock, pop and hip-hop names like Elton John, Jack White and Kanye West may rule the top of this year's lineup card, the eclectic festival, held 60 miles south of Nashville in Manchester, Tennessee, does showcase its share of country music. Chief among them: Dierks Bentley, a 2007 'Roo alumnus, is slated to burn a little 'grass as part of the Ed Helms' Bluegrass Situation Superjam on Sunday night. As the four days of live music, public intoxicants and increasingly dirty tents roll on, Rolling Stone Country looks back at some of the most memorable country moments — Kenny Rogers jamming with Phish! — that festival-goers are almost certain happened.
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Kenny Rogers and Phish, 2012
An awesomely unusual pairing on "The Gambler": the legendary Kenny Rogers is joined by iconic jam band, Phish, for his classic tune.
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Miranda Lambert, 2010
Lambert performed hits including "Kerosene" and "Heart Like Mine" during her first visit to Bonnaroo.
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Sam Bush & Dierks Bentley, 2007
Bentley released an entire Live From Bonnaroo album, with recordings from his 2007 performance. Lauded musician Sam Bush joined him for the bluegrass-heavy set.
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Zac Brown Band, 2009
Zac & Co. are two-time Bonnaroo performers, fitting right in with the rest of the festival's jam bands.
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Kris Kristofferson and Jamey Johnson, 2010
The two lauded songwriters performed together in 2010, with the audience singing along to every word of both Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and Johnson's "In Color."
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Hayes Carll, 2011
Carll performed hits including "Another Like You" at Bonnaroo 2011.
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Kacey Musgraves, 2013
Musgraves made her Bonnaroo debut with hits from her Grammy-winning Same Trailer Different Park album.
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Merle Haggard, 2009
The Hag got a rowdy response to "Mama Tried" at Bonnaroo 2009.
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Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, 2008
Krauss and Plant played songs from their Grammy-sweeping Raising Sand album at Bonnaroo 2008.
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Old Crow Medicine Show, 2007
Old Crow Medicine Show jammed to "Wagon Wheel" and other hits from their country-bluegrass catalog.
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Del McCoury Band, 2009
The two-time Bonnaroo performers made a live DVD from their 2009 set at Bonnaroo.
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Willie Nelson, 2008
The Redheaded Stranger drew as big of a crowd as any rock band at Bonnaroo 2008.
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Lionel Richie and Kenny Rogers, 2012
The longtime friends surprised Bonnaroo goers with a duet of "Lady," a song Richie wrote for Rogers back in 1980.