Bonnaroo 2022 Artist Spotlight: Bleachers

Bonnaroo Artist | Bleachers
Bonnaroo History | 2015
Stage & Time | Friday | That Tent | 8:15-9:30pm || SuperJam | Saturday | This Tent | 6:30-8:00pm

Like we’ve been doing for many years now, we’re making it our mission to help you get acquainted with many of our favorite acts from Bonnaroo‘s 2022 lineup. And, for the first time in three years, we finally feel confident that there definitely will be a Bonnaroo this year, after a postponement then cancelation in 2020 due to Covid, and an unfortunate rainout of last year’s would-be September event. Returned to its traditional timeframe of June 16-19, this marks Bonnaroo’s 21st summer and 19th installment, and features a largely new lineup for the festival’s much-anticipated return!

As we dig through the entire schedule, we’ll highlight a spread of performers spanning across genres and stages, big and small, new and old, to bring you some of the most interesting, lesser-known, and most highly-recommended among this year’s crop of artists. And as our time at ‘Roo approaches, we’ll also be bringing you some special features and full list-style daily lineup guides, to help you plan your weekend ahead of the fest. While these previews won’t span every artist, and might omit some more obvious must-see acts, we hope they’ll serve as a way to help you navigate Bonnaroo’s gargantuan lineup, and to make the most of your busy weekend on the farm!

Grab your tickets right here if you haven’t already, and read on for our Bonnaroo Artist Spotlight!

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Though, undoubtedly, Jack Antonoff’s introduction to many came thanks to his role as 1/3 of breakout indie pop outfit fun., the prolific New Jersey artist’s career dates back much, much further. Antonoff cut his teeth in the Garden State’s rich punk scene, dabbling in a variety of projects before forming Steel Train, his first group to achieve widespread attention, while still a teenager. Over three albums and constant touring, which overlapped with the start of fun.’s career, the folk-tinged indie group flexed Jack’s range as a frontman, though after the unprecedented attention of fun.’s sophomore effort, Some Nights, Antonoff’s role as guitarist and co-writer for the band briefly became his apparent sole focus. Created first in secret, Bleachers began as a solo creative outlet, the most undiluted taste of his solo artistry of any prior project, for Antonoff while on the road with fun., and debut LP Strange Desire was largely recorded throughout 2013 before the project was formally unveiled, following a few initial festival announcements, in early 2014. By the time Bleachers’ sophomore effort, 2017’s Gone Now arrived, building on the slick, retro, indie/synthpop sound of the project’s debut, and packing in the huge hooks, unabashed love for anthemic pop, and indie rock cred that quickly made the band so beloved, fun. had announced an open-ended hiatus, and Bleachers had become Antonoff’s primary musical outlet. Though, more recently, Jack has also become one of music’s most in-demand producers, working with huge artists like Taylor Swift, Lorde, Lana Del Rey, St. Vincent, Clairo, and The Chicks, he’s still carved out time to keep making music of his own, returning last year with Bleacher’s most cohesive, grand, and nostalgic record yet, Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night. A stellar live performer with an incredible backing band, Antonoff returns to ‘Roo not only to perform on Friday, but also to host Saturday’s “1984” themed SuperJam.

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