The first sweet musical notes of the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival will ring out on Thursday, June 12, 2008 in rustic Manchester, Tennessee, kicking off four days of entertainment and fun on a 700-acre farm. First launched in 2002 as a showcase for jam bands, the festival has grown in popularity and broadened in scope in the years since, and this year's acts include musicians Willie Nelson, Jack Johnson, Solomon Burke and Pearl Jam; comedians Louis C.K. and Janeane Garofolo; and a range of inspiring and eclectic art exhibits that fall under the banner The Art of Such N Such. Perhaps the most beautiful art of all, however, is the striking view of sunset from this southern paradise. As far as the name is concerned, Bonnaroo comes from a Cajun slang term popularized by R&B artist Dr. John that means "a really good time." I thought it sounded kind of Australian at first, but apparently I was mistaken. The farm is just an hour's drive from the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel.
