Bonnaroo: Lineup rumors include Zeppelin, Phish, Springsteen

With less than a month before the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival reveals its 2009 lineup, to take place June 11-14 in Manchester, TN, music fans are getting antsy. And we all know what happens when music get antsy about lineups: they start rumors. Here’s are some band names floating around so far:

Led Zeppelin: I’ve got four words for everyone: Here we go again. Yes, John Paul Jones played Zeppelin classics with Ben Harper in two separate performances in 2007, and yes, Robert Plant jammed on some of the band’s tunes with Alison Krauss at last year’s festival. But let’s face it, there are Zeppelin-at-Bonnaroo rumors every year. Sadly, the dream of seeing Zeppelin headline Bonnaroo may be nothing more than a fantasy, especially considering Robert Plant’s informal announcement that he will be focusing on other performances for the next two years and recent comments from Jimmy Page’s manager, Peter Mensch:

“Led Zeppelin are over! If you didn’t see them in 2007, you missed them. It’s done. I can’t be any clearer than that… There are absolutely no plans for them to continue. Zero. Frankly, I wish everybody would stop talking about it.”

But fans can still hope, right? The newest rumors indicate that other Zeppelin possibilities for a 2009 Bonnaroo show might include a Page/Jones/Jason Bonham lineup with a singer TBA or the three living members with the Foo Fighters‘ Dave Grohl drumming (apparently he has had his eye on replacing Jason Bonham as the band’s drummer since before the 2007 London gig).

• Phish: This rumor seems the most likely to be true. Not only is Trey Anastasio a four-year veteran of the ‘Roo stage, but it has just been confirmed that Phish will play reunion dates March 6 – 8 at Virginia’s Hampton Coliseum as well as 10 dates in June. Rolling Stone speculated that Phish will headline two nights at this year’s Bonnaroo fest (although Phish reps declined to comment on this rumor). If this is true, then make sure to pack a sturdy stock of necessary supplies (joints and alcohol) for the 3-4 hour sets.
• Bruce Springsteen: Not much on this one yet, but there’s a buzz that this (older) revolutionary rocker will close out the festival on Sunday June 14. Seems to make sense though. I mean, we had Sting two years ago, so why not Springsteen? Bring on the older crowd… I guess.
• My Morning Jacket: After last year’s 3 1/2 hour set that featured an envigorating rainstorm and Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett on the song “One Big Holiday,” it’s only natural the the diehard ‘Roo fans are hoping for MMJ’s triumphant return. Even if they don’t make the lineup, let’s hope Jim James shows up to rock our faces off at least for a little while. MMJ does reside in Tennessee, so would this be too much to ask?
• Kanye West: Just kidding. Let’s hope Bonnaroo is egomaniac-free this year.
• Flaming Lips: I think it’s safe to say that we can all use a nice brain-melting (courtesy of Wayne Coyne and company) every once and a while. Does a body good.

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Photo by Jeff Kravitz via MySpace.