Bonnaroo 2023 Artist Spotlight: Diarrhea Planet

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 2023 lineup. After roaring back to life last summer, after two years off due to Covid and weather, this year marks Bonnaroo’s 20th installment (and 22nd anniversary), boasting not only another great and varied lineup, but also more changes and improvements then we’ve seen in years, with more flexibility in ticketing and camping, a reimagined “Outeroo” campground area, new activations, and further new ways to Roo. Back once again in its usual June 15-18 timeframe, we’re counting down the days until another great weekend on the farm.

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 at the fest!

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

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Formed in 2009 and originally envisioned as something of a joke noise project, Diarrhea Planet, who met at Belmont, morphed into an epic, guitar-driven blend of garage rock, punk, pop, and indie, coming up through the local DIY scene and finding quick, underground buzz for their early efforts, before catching the ear of tastemaking local label Infinity Cat, who released their first record, Loose Jewels, in 2011. With their 2013 sophomore LP, I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams, DP managed to break through to a wider audience, garnering attention from national publications and ramping up their tour schedule to include hundreds of dates each year. Developing into anthemic, arena-primed band with chops more serious than their name might suggest, their four-guitar fronted arsenal and wild, unpredictable live show took them to major festivals, late night television, and tours with acts like The Darkness. Diarrhea Planet’s final full-length Turn to Gold, helmed by Grammy winning engineer Vance Powell, arrived in 2016, maturing their sound, if not quite capturing the same level of buzz as I’m Rich. Still, Diarrhea Planet always existed in a sphere between the youthful energy and lightheartedness of, well, a party punk band called Diarrhea Planet, and what seemed to be more serious, honed, and attainable broader musical aspirations, with their trajectory over their later years suggesting that they could become a legitimately big act. Unfortunately, though, the rockers called it quits in late 2018, and seemed to be done for good until a surprise pair of reunion shows last fall to bid farewell to the outing Exit/In regime. Their future beyond that, still, seemed uncertain, until a few months later they showed on the Bonnaroo lineup, then announced a show at the legendary Ryman just ahead of the fest, confirming that one of our very favorite Nashville bands of all time are really, truly back! Their Bonnaroo debut in 2014 still remains one of the craziest rock performances ever on the farm, and their return should be at the top of your must-see list, particularly since it’ll be after dark.

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