Andrew McMahon, Geoff Rickly, Mike Kinsella, More to Play Dashboard Confessional Emo SuperJam at Bonnaroo

An annual and beloved Bonnaroo tradition, the SuperJam is a part of the fest where an artist is appointed jam-leader (Questlove, Jon Batiste, Jack Antonoff, Skrillex, My Morning Jacket, Kamasi Washington, GRiZ, and Cory Wong have headed up some of the jams since we’ve been covering the fest), and a group of performers- a mix of artists from the lineup and special guests- appear over the course of a couple of hours to collaborate, play covers, jam, and celebrate a theme, such as hip hop, Tom Petty, 1984, or a celebration of musical legends. Every year is always surprising and fun, though occasionally it’s absolutely legendary, and after historically being a late night affair, the SuperJam moved several years ago to a more prime time slot, this year taking place on Saturday, June 15 from 8:30-10:30 p.m. on That Tent.

Rather than pulling from a performer on the lineup, Bonnaroo has tapped legendary emo and alt rock outfit Dashboard Confessional (who now reside in Nashville) to lead this year’s SuperJam, which, fittingly, has been dubbed The Dashboard Confessional Emo SuperJam. We’re big fans of the emo revival around here, and given the popular resurgence of the scene, and the amount of themed emo nights, packaged tours, and even cruises cropping up around the genre, it’s not too surprising (though certainly a welcome decision) to see Bonnaroo jump on the emo bandwagon. Per usual, a handful of guests have been announced already (expect some surprises as well, per tradition), and they definitely delivered on the concept. The lineup will incline Andrew McMahon (Something Corporate, Jack’s Mannequin), Anthony Green (Circa Survive, Saosin, L.S. Dunes), ‘Roo performers The Beaches, Derek Sanders (Mayday Parade), Geoff Rickly (Thursday), Ian Grushka (New Found Glory), John O’Callaghan (The Maine, who are also playing the fest), ‘Roo performer and Nashville local Medium Build, Mike Kinsella (American Football, Cap’n Jazz, Owen), Tim Kasher (Cursive, The Good Life), ‘Roo performers Trousdale, and Yvette Young (Covet).

This might be one of the more niche jams in Bonnaroo history, especially as the fest doesn’t tend to book a lot of emo or pop punk, but for those who are fans of the scene, it sounds like it’ll be something incredibly special. You can preview the whole lineup (so far) below, and check out our Artist Spotlight series and more Bonnaroo coverage here, to help navigate the best of this year’s lineup!

DASHBOARD CONFESSIONAL