Hey Reddit! It's Ashley Capps and Rick Farman, cofounders of Bonnaroo. AUA.

Will there be screens added to the tents this year to make it easier to actually see the artists during popular performances? It is especially hard at The Other Tent to see ANY of the stage if you are forced to stand outside the tent and at the top of the hill due to the angle. Also, the screens can be used to live stream other shows occuring in between the acts at the paticular tent. As well as advertising that could offset the price.

I really want to see us add screens to the tents, but we have a long list of things we want to do to improve the Bonnaroo experience. We've spent the last couple of days brainstorming and talking through this list. It's uncertain at this moment whether screens will be added for this year or not, but it's definitely a priority for the near future. - AC

Piggybacking off of this, will y'all have the same outdoors screen we enjoyed in 2010 for more World Cup action?

You bet! - AC

This year will be my 10th consecutive Bonnaroo, my girlfriend's 9th consecutive Bonnaroo, my brother's 8th consecutive Bonnaroo, and his girlfriend's 4th consecutive Bonnaroo.

On behalf of them, and a whole lot of other people, I just wanted to say thank you.

Thank you for the memories

Thank you for the environment that you've cultivated

Thank you for Radiohead (twice)

Thank you for the pit system

Thank you for Superjam

Thank you for that blessed mushroom fountain

Thank you for latenights

Thank you for introducing me to a whole lot of music I might have otherwise overlooked

Thank you for Bonnaroo

Wow...THANK YOU for this! It's all about people like you who create the true spirit of Bonnaroo! - AC

You rock! Thank YOU. - RF

Please tell me you're fixing the ditch between Which and What this year!

Yes we have a plan to fix this! We know this is one of the problem areas with our drainage infrastructure. We've tried a few things over the years to fix it that obviously have not worked that well but we think we now have the solution. That area is where majority of the site drains through so a tough nut to crack. But don't complain that you miss the long jump competition when it's no longer there! - RF

Hey there, I'll be returning for my third Bonnaroo this year, and I just want to congratulate you and your team on putting together what just might be my favorite festival lineup I've ever attended!

So, my question: People keep showing up earlier every year, and by Thursday, there's a very healthy crowd. That's a lot of fun, but with only the three tents (+ the small stages) running, it has gotten very crowded by Thursday evening. Are you considering opening the Which Stage on Thursday evening? It would help a lot with the congestion, especially with those buzz bands like Alt-J or Alabama Shakes that commanded staggeringly large crowds in the last few years.

Thanks for the support of the festival. This is a good thought. We don't currently have any plans to use the Which Stage on Thursday. Thursday has always been about putting focus on the up and coming acts and we don't think that using the Which Stage would work well with that concept. We also like that not having the whole venue open keeps a certain amount of energy in the campgrounds that night but we will continue to think about ways we can make the flow in Centeroo as best as possible to address it for Thursday and throughout the weekend. - RF

I have never once seen a Comedy act at Bonnaroo due to not wanting to wait hours in line just for a ticket, only to have to come back and wait in line again to get in. Are there any plans in the future to change the way the Comedy Tent is ticketed?

I know it's not a perfect system but it's the best we've been able to come up with so far. The right environment for comedy is indoors and in a seated area and we're unable to make the tent any bigger. Because of the demand of comedy at the festival and the space constraints we know that there's frequently going to be long lines to get into the tent. The system we developed was to help prevent people from having to wait in a long line without knowing if they were going to get in so we decided to give out tickets. We know one of the flaws is that people now line up earlier to get those tickets as they get released. We're totally open to suggestions and its one of the reasons we're doing this AMA tonight. - RF

What do you do with all of the archived Bonnaroo footage of performances that is accumulated over the years?

The stuff that we have not released sits in an archive. We hope we'll be able to release more and more of it over the years. In order for us to do so we have to have the cooperation of the artists and their labels / publishers. So it can be a challenge to get everybody on board. We've had success with partners like YouTube and this year, Xbox, to provide us with the resources to make it work for everybody. Fortunately, one of the benefits of producing the festival is that I do get copies of many of the recordings. I really wish it was easier for us to share all of this with you but you're welcome to come by my place any time and check out a set or two. - RF

dinner party at rick's.

First, who's bringing the guacamole? Second, who can help me with a pitch to my fiance that this is okay? - RF

Would you please give us your take on what actually happened during the 2008 Kanye fiasco?

Fingers have been pointed at Kanye, Bonnaroo, and Pearl Jam.

Is there one party that shoulders most of the blame or was it just a giant clusterfuck?

It was complicated and there's no reason to point fingers at anyone. There are so many moving parts to the festival and, in this case, a bit of miscommunication and a sincere desire to come up with a solution simply didn't work out the way anyone wanted it to. But we have all moved on. - AC

Hey everyone. Big fan of AMA myself, read them frequently. Excited to be doing this.

Apologies in advance if it takes me a while to respond to certain questions that need lengthy answers. I have a form of dyslexia called disgraphia so it sometimes takes me longer to type answers.

• Rick Farman (RF)

This year's Roo is the 13th Annual.

On Friday the 13th, during the 13th Annual Bonnaroo, there will be a full moon.

What I'm trying to get at is: Will Kanye turn into a werewolf?

So you noticed? It's also the birthday of North West. The werewolf idea is a great one but one of our fellow co-founders may have beat him to it https://www.facebook.com/bonnaroo/photos/a.10151674287930906.1073741895.7891635905/10151674288285906/?type=1&theater

Who is your personal "white whale" of a musical act that you would love to book more than anything?

This is such a difficult question to answer. Led Zeppelin still comes to mind...I haven't given up yet! But also Prince and U2 are some of the big ones. Bonnaroo has been an amazing ride in terms of opportunities to work with and present so many great artists that I love...from Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney to Ornette Coleman and Baaba Maal. Some of my most unforgettable moments of Bonnaroo often take place on some of the smaller stages too and having the opportunity to introduce others to some wonderful surprises is a special pleasure for me. And, yes, Daft Punk, too! - AC

Fortunately we've been able to get so many of our musical heroes to play. The first one we landed that was a "I can't believe we're doing this" kind of thing was Neil Young. Having Phish was a huge deal personally because they were that transformative band for me. Some of the ones that come right to mind are Prince, U2, The Rolling Stones and… Beiber. More seriously though, there's some geeky jazz stuff like Gateway, anything with Jimmy Page, what else…? Lionel Richie is one that after seeing his show at Jazzfest in New Orleans a few years ago it became kind of a white whale get. - RF

It's Ashley Capps here. Really looking forward to answering all of your questions - I do not have a form of dyslexia to the best of my knowledge....but I can still be a bit slow....I will do my best - AC

Hey! As chef and one of the leaders of Camp Reddaroo I'd like to invite you to visit our group camp, we've been the largest camp two years running and should be easy to find... this is last years group pic. Cheers!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjh1983/9080633660/in/set-72157639523932835

That's a terrific photo! I would love to come visit. Will you conjure up brunch for me? - AC

How does one (seriously) go about looking into a career with AC entertainment?

Seriously...this is a hard question to answer. The music business is very relationship based. You need to get out there, meet people, volunteer for street teams or festivals, introduce yourself, share your enthusiasm, not get easily discouraged, create opportunities, work hard, make yourself invaluable. There's no clear path...you have to clear it yourself. But check out our internship program at http://welldunn.org too - AC

Can you speak on how the artist selection process works?

Sure. It can be a lot of fun. There's a small group of us who get together at least once or twice a week and start brainstorming about who we would like to have perform at the festival. We do research to see who's planning to tour, who has a new record or special project coming out...we have bands reaching out to us and we're making inquiries ourselves...we ask the fans what they would like to see...and we're very passionate music fans ourselves, so we have strong ideas of our own. And we start to make decisions and gradually the line up starts to take shape. - AC

What has been the weirdest suggestion that the rest of the group just totally shot down?

I would love to answer this but I do not dare because it may ultimately happen!!! - AC

Can we please have the Sonic Forest back?

The Sonic Forest lives on in all of our collective imaginations… but maybe, hopefully, possibly. I appreciate the thought and we'll look into it. - RF

• obviously the schedule is less than finalized so far but can you guys give us an idea of what your ideas are for Late Night sets this year? speculation is abuzz about the EDM acts taking up all the tents, a metal tent, hip hop takeover, etc. do you guys already have a plan going in or do you wait to see how the numbers on the lineup page add up?

• how have you guys felt about some of the Kanye "backlash" on facebook so far? i'm excited to see him, as are most people who have tickets already, but have you guys felt any financial pinch for it? do you really think there's anything to worry about or is it just the internet being the internet?

• what are your personal favorite acts on the lineup, where do you ideally wanna see them play (stage, LN vs daytime, etc) and who you do dream of adding to the lineup in the coming months?

thanks so much for doing this! #RADIATEPOSITIVITY

I'd like to hijack this to ask for late night jazz club type space for people to chill out instead of raging to EDM.

I would like that too. Not in the cards for this year but... - AC

While the schedule isn't finalized, it's pretty well mapped out. The late night sets include all that you mention and more. There are some really exciting superjams in the works too. As for Kanye, our first day ticket sales were great, so no backlash there. We've seen the "backlash" on Facebook but believe that most Bonnaroo fans will join us in leaving the past behind. We're excited to see Kanye at Bonnaroo. I'm excited about many of the same artists as everyone, but there are a couple of artists who are so great and so unusual - and the opportunity to see them is so rare - that I have to single them out. One is the Master Musicians of Jujouka, from Morocco, who will perform with Billy Martin from Medeski Martin and Wood, guitarist Marc Ribot and others. The other is this incredible band from Ukraine called Dakhabrakha who I saw at GlobalFest in NYC back in early January. They were just stunning. I still can't believe we managed to book them for Bonnaroo this year. - AC

What's with the Julian Casablanca tease in BLAM?

And for that matter, the Muppets tease as well?

I would LOVE to see a little privacy box built at the top corner of the what stage and have those two make snide comments about who's about to play or who just played and have that play on the screen. At least for one set.

I think they'll be down - RF

Because Julian Casablancas is the coolest… Plain and simple, we liked the joke. With BLAM we're approaching the lineup announcement in a way that's never been done before. Part of that is experimentation. We knew Taran had a funny take on Julian (whom we have nothing but respect for) and decided to give it a shot. We were well aware of the potential for confusion, we took the risk. We got a good laugh out of it, hopefully most of the community did as well. We see Bonnaroo as bigger than any year's single lineup - that's why you saw Ben Folds in the BLAM! SuperJam, though he's not booked for 2014. Some will say the lineup announcement isn't the best place for that. Maybe it isn't, maybe it is. Regardless, we'll continue to take chances and experiment as we go. You're the coolest Casablancas!

re: The Muppets - Statler and Waldorf have always been good friends of the festival and wanted to come hang for the party.

• RF

Why do you all barely book any more jam bands at Bonnaroo? I feel as though the original crowd that enjoyed Bonnaroo has been pushed to the wayside. I saw Widespread Panic at Bonnaroo in 2002 and they absolutely melted my face off... same with Phish in 2009.

We've always booked a diverse line up.Phish played in 2012 too. This year we have Yonder Mountain, Umphrey's McGee, Tedeschi Trucks Band...off the top of my head. When we book our festival each year, our only goal is to keep it fresh and exciting. Music is continually transforming and reinventing itself - and the jam band scene has also evolved and transformed. It's one of the many things that makes music so powerful and exciting. We strive to ride the wave. - AC

Would you ever be open to a documentary crew following along with the booking, planning and everything else that goes along with the production of Bonnaroo? A behind the scenes look.

We've thought about and been approached by a few different legit people doing this kinda thing but we really prefer to be behind the scenes guys. Thats why we're producing events instead of performing at them. We did some of this early on and continue to experiment with documentary-type content but a full look behind the curtain isn't something we're looking at right now. - RF

Hey guys,

Thanks for giving me some of the best days/nights of my life! With that out of the way, I was wondering how you go about setting up the superjams. Do you have collaborations in mind or do you just contact whoever and let them run with it? Also, any chance you can give us any hints on the "?" Superjam?

The SuperJam is probably my favorite part of the festival but organizing it is one of the more challenging and stressful tasks. It does start with us thinking about what players we'd like to see perform together that never have. It usually starts with a core of one or two people like last year with Jim James and John Oates. Then we work with those artists to put the rest of the pieces together. For the "?" SuperJam, it really is a question mark but we have a lot of interest from people that will at least hold par with what we've done in the past. It's frequent that some of them come together really late. Last year we didn't even know if the hip hop one was going to happen until about 2 weeks before the festival. It's a big commitment for the artist to make so it takes a lot of convincing. If you haven't seen the behind-the-scenes of last year's Rock and Soul SuperJam, it's pretty cool stuff: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRtmuDXerkCWT5Jk3UtcYiZrhgj2eyVou - RF

There's rumors that the ex-dead members refuse to play the festival anymore for certain reasons. is there any truth to that?

No. We have a Ratdog show at the Tennessee Theatre in the next month or so and we've had several discussions with Phil Lesh and / or Further about coming back to Bonnaroo as well. No truth to the rumors. - AC

Do you know (or care) who "Insider" is? Is it all part of your master plan to have her leak artists from the lineup beforehand?

Who killed JFK? Where is Jimmy Hoffa buried? Did men really land on the moon? I am the walrus. - RF

I have a sneaking suspicion it's CAPP DOGG but he's not admitting anything. - RF

What's the biggest disaster or potential disaster you've ever faced with Bonnaroo?

The main thing that comes to mind was when traffic was backed up 20 miles on the interstate the first year of the festival. We had major problems getting artists and equipment into the festival as a result. I remember a particular moment backstage where I though we completely messed up the whole thing and everyone was going to think it was a disaster. Luckily we had the best fans in the world. Everyone was patient. And it all ended up working out. It wasn't until Saturday night when Widespread Panic was playing and I ran into my brother who told me what an amazing time everyone was having that I realized it was going to be okay. Since then, luckily, we've been able to build the exit off the interstate and make tons of other traffic improvements that today result in very limited wait times. Probably no more than getting into the parking lot of an NFL game. - RF

This was a super fun three hours everybody. So much so that we just realized how much time had passed. Thanks so much for all the questions! Reddit - you're a great place for us to have an open dialogue with our supporters and we look forward to becoming more involved with this community and coming on to do more AMAs in the future. See you on The Farm! - RF & AC

Do you ever read inforoo?

Every now and then when I have some quackin' time. It's pretty cool and flattering that we have a fan forum that's so active. Reading it provides us a great opportunity to get unfiltered feedback. - RF

Yo CAPP DOGG, I'm dying to know, who are these babes? Is this what that festival life is like full time? Better CALLLLLL SOMEBODY

Shhh...take this down! Don't tell my wife! - AC

How bad do you want Daft Punk and was it close at all this year?

We would absolutely love to have Daft Punk play but since they aren't touring or doing any live shows yet I suppose it was really close this year. Maybe next! - AC

Hey guys, thanks for doing this! I've been going to Roo since 07, and I've also done a few other AS events, like Vegoose 07, Big Ears '10, and every Moogfest/MOEMS. As a native Knoxvillian, I really appreciate all you do!

My big question is- and I've been saving this one forever!- will you be selling more of the Tennessee state flags with the Roo "triple-O" symbol replacing the stars in the center this year?? I want one so badly, but they've been sold out before I get there the past two years! If not, you should put some up on your website!

Thanks a ton, guys!!

We'll relay that to our merch team and see what we can do! - RF

Spicy Pie or Amish Donuts?

Tough call but Amish donuts FTW! - RF

Has anyone big every dropped out right before the lineup was released? And if so, what did you do about it?

Fortunately no. The closest thing to that was the Mumford & Sons situation last year and we were really lucky Jack Johnson just happened to be coming to the festival to hang out. He stepped in last minute to save the day. It was one of the coolest things we've had an artist be willing to do for us. Jack is the man. - RF

[deleted]

I don't blame you for being frustrated about this. I've been really disappointed in this myself, particularly the backup last year. It's something we can do better and we're working towards that. We assigned a team internally to focus on this. PArt of the problem is just sheer volume at those peak times when everyone wants to enter but we already have a few fixes we feel confident will improve the situation. - RF

Have you considered adding larger art installations?

I've been to a ton of music festivals, including every Roo since 07, but the one thing that blew me away about my first Coachella experience in 2012 was the magnitude of the art installations. On Sunday morning there was a 60 foot tall dinosaur that stood where a similarly sized flower had been the day before. On top of that, it moved! Every few hours it was in a different position. Something of that nature would be really cool on the Farm!

Thanks, guys!

Yes. Absolutely. We are working on a few things for this year along these lines. Since we own the property, building more monumental art is a big part of our long term plans. A bunch of us have been going to Burning Man over the last few years where we've been getting inspiration for that. We've even been talking with the Burning Man organizers about collaborating on projects. - RF

Whose idea was it to book die antwoord? I love them and somehow I just did not see that one coming

I don't remember really. We all love Die Antwoord. I saw them in NYC a few summers ago and have been trying to book them ever since. - AC

Any idea when Frank Ocean will play? I'd hate it if he closed the Which the day Kanye headlined What. Seeing Frank vs. seeing Kanye from a good spot is a bad scenario for me.

Frank Ocean will be playing Saturday late night. - AC

Thanks for doing this and for putting together the best festival in the country! What goodies are going to come with the tickets this year?

Also, what time is the Daft Punk secret set?

Daft Punk can play a secret set whenever they want...except during Kanye's set :) There will be a nice surprise with your tickets but its a secret too! - AC

I've attended 10 bonnaroos, it is my only yearly vacation and my 10 year anniversary with the boyfriend. It is definitely the center of the universe and my soul craves it and Bonnaroo always delivers! I've noticed a huge difference in the crowd over the years. The vibe used to be way more positive, everyone picked up after themselves which was unbelievably clean after a show, etc..... Thiis past year my cell phone got stolen out of my bag and the year before our cooking gear was stolen, this was never a threat before. It's becoming more of a spring break instead of how it used to be. Do you notice these same issues and will it ever be back to the way it was? Each year I feel less safe.

Thanks for all your support. It's so awesome for us to hear about people who are as passionate about the festival as you are. Flattering to say the least. One of the reasons the Bonnaroovian Code was officially developed was to help instill in newcomers the ethos of the core scene that was there from the beginning. We hope you've seen some improvement in regards to the energy that many people bring to the event. Hopefully over time and with the support of longtime festival-goers like yourself it will get better and better. At the same time, Bonnaroo is, has been and always will be a big city and there are realities of big city life that even Bonnaroo can't escape. We encourage everyone to be mindful of their surroundings and belongings. If you see something that doesn't look right, say something to a Bonnaroo staff member. We've told them to be responsive to any tips that come their way. Like a good city manager, we are aware of the problems regarding theft and have been working with our security teams to do everything possible to at least limit them. We know that most of the thefts aren't actual Bonnaroo fans but usually opportunistic people from outside the community who prey on the festival. This is an area that local law enforcement has pledged to help us address and at least reduce these instances. - RF

Hi! I want to say THANK YOU for doing an awesome fest. I have been GA three years, and one year was lucky enough to experience it from the Total Access point of view (that was the absolute shit, please let me know if you have any extra infinity passes lying around). Thank you for being a well run festival that is the best ever. I am so grateful. BONNAROO!

..... that being said. My question: Please please explain to me the story behind booking Unchained: The Mighty Van Halen Tribute. We are all still puzzled and amused by this choice, especially with the drama that ensued with the band afterwards and the odd choosing to put them in a late night spot. Any light you can shed on this would be fantastic.

We love puzzling and amusing both ourselves and others. I believe we succeeded with this one! - AC

Is there any truth to the long-time rumblings about The Dead members never coming back after the 08 Kanye debacle? It seems to me that if the Roo community as a whole acn forgive him, then loving people like them should be able to!

There's no truth to this at all. They've been invited back and we've had serious discussions. It only failed to happen because of their touring schedule. - AC

Hi there! What do you think of the scene now compared to the first few years? Are you happy with the way it's progressed? Do ever wish it was a little more of a Grateful Dead crowd?

We were definitely blessed at the beginning to have a instant community based on the jam scene that was part of the fabric of the first bunch of years. It's still really the core of the scene in many ways but of course like that scene ours has evolved over the years. I think over the last few years it's become even more positive and family-like. Everything from the way people have embraced and live the Bonnaroovian Code to high fives at the arch to the missed connections stories that come out after the festival. Just like everything in the world, communities always evolve and change. I'm optimistic that Bonnaroo's culture will continue to be one of great positivity and inspiration. - RF

What is your top 5 best bonnaroo shows ever list? Thanks for putting on this amazing festival. I love roo!! Radiate positivity!

After 12 years, this has become an impossible question to answer. There are so many incredible memories...but one of my first and most vivid remains Neil Young & Crazy Horse under the full moon in 2003. - AC

For a while now, Bonnaroo, Coachella, Lolla, and ACL have been considered "The Big 4" of US festivals....

....In a now completely saturated market, which up and coming or newer festivals do you think also deserve recognition and appraise of being "one of the best"?

Let's see: Outside Lands...Forecastle...Mountain Oasis...Big Ears...we're not biased or anything. Actually, let's give thunderous applause to Governor's Ball...and really to anyone crazy and daring and creative enough to try to launch their own festivals. Mad props to them all! - AC

when do you guys think you'll be able to bring Daft Punk to the farm?

We're waiting on them to tell is when they want to perform live again. - AC

Is AC Entertainment hiring?

Not this evening. - AC

If Bonnaroo had a spirit animal, what would it be?? Thanks!

A kangaroo unicorn… duh. - RF