On June 13, the rain was coming down on the farm in Manchester, Tenn., where Bonnaroo is held — and things weren’t looking great for the 2025 edition of the festival.
Hours after sending out an evacuation order to its tens of thousands of attendees, Bonnaroo canceled the rest of its 2025 edition entirely due to a weather forecast that — as the festival said in its announcement — called for “significant and steady precipitation that will produce deteriorating camping and egress conditions in the coming days.”
It was a heartbreaking situation for all involved, from the event’s producers — who in their announcement said they were “beyond gutted” — to the fans who’d trekked to Tennessee to the many artists who were slated to play.
Among the latter group was Remi Wolf, who had been selected to perform at Bonnaroo’s fabled Superjam — an annual set that brings a fleet of artists together on stage. (Past Superjam leads include Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Skrillex.) Wolf had spent nearly a year preparing for the Saturday night show, formally titled “Remi Wolf’s Insanely Fire 1970s Pool Party Superjam,” recruiting fellow artists including Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Mt. Joy.
With the festival canceled, Wolf and her team were committed to making the show happen elsewhere. So on the night of June 13, Josh Mulder, the director of A&R at talent agency TBA, which represents Wolf, jumped into action, getting on the phone to secure another venue for the concert. After many phone calls, Mulder and the team locked in Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl, where Wolf performed the following day alongside Williams and a host of other guests, performing songs like Chaka Khan’s “Sweet Thing” and “Tell Me Something Good” with Rufus, Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and Hall and Oates’ “Rich Girl.”
Here, Mulder talks about pivoting from the farm to the Bowl.
When did it become clear that the Superjam at Bonnaroo wasn’t going to happen?
Looking at the weather all week going into the festival, we all knew we were in for a wet weekend. All day Friday, we were in close contact with [AC Entertainment’s] Steve Greene and his team on what was happening. He called me while I was at dinner in Nashville on Friday night, saying the show was coming down and explained the situation. I then spent the next hour outside of the restaurant on the phone gathering information and updating our teams to make our next moves.
Did you and the team even make it on-site? If so, how was it looking?
Remi and her band made their way through rehearsal in Manchester with the guests on the show on Friday. TBA had people on the ground at the festival on Thursday and Friday, sending constant reports that it was absolutely dumping rain on site, and it wasn’t looking great. We were actively working through an initial wave of weather-related cancellations on Friday afternoon, with the Live Nation team trying to figure out the best course of action for those artists to make the most of their time in Tennessee for the fans.
What do you recall about the moment the festival was canceled and how you and the team responded? Was it immediately obvious that a relocation would be possible?
My first call was to Remi’s management team. The word was getting out, and the consensus from us and directly from Remi out of the gate was that we had an obligation to save the Superjam. It was an important moment for Remi, but equally such an important moment for the guests who we have been working with for months. It was a tornado of information being shared as quickly as possible regarding what was happening on site and how the fans were affected as well, which informed how we responded.
How did you pivot to Brooklyn Bowl? What calls had to be made, and was it the first venue you sought out?
Immediately on one of those first calls, we started exploring options to relocate the show in Nashville. Through that conversation, we asked about a handful of rooms, and after clicking through a few options, we all came to the conclusion that Brooklyn Bowl was the best space available. Before pushing the go button and officially confirming the venue, we needed to figure out how many of our guests were actually able to join, so we knew if we had a show or not. Hats off to Josh Roth from the Bonnaroo team, as well as Remi’s management. It was a tag team effort to circle the wagons and reconfirm these amazing artists to round out the show with Remi.
Remi Wolf
Patrick Maciel
How did ticketing work? Do you have any sense of how many attendees were people who’d had to leave Bonnaroo?
Right from the start, we were all aligned on making this an affordable option for fans and realized the level of devastation that everyone was feeling, given the news of the festival canceling. We landed on a $35 ticket, which just felt right given the scenario. We announced the show with no guests around 11 p.m. on Friday night, with an on-sale time of Saturday morning at 9 a.m. The show sold out in about one minute, which we anticipated happening but was also a big relief.
From my understanding, there were many fans who were able to make it off the site before the show and ended up coming to Brooklyn Bowl. The crowd was electric and brought that Bonnaroo flair with them to the room. All night long, the conversation was about how amazing it was to see their spirit continue there, which was complete with many pool floaties and more usual ‘roo style.
Did all of the special guests slated for Bonnaroo make it to the Nashville show?
Naturally, given the situation, we were prepared for a few acts to not be able to make it. But we held most of the lineup together with Hayley Williams, Mt. Joy, Gigi Perez, Grace Bowers and Brian Robert Jones. Then we were able to add Grouplove and Medium Build at the last minute, which of course ended up being incredible moments in the show.
What were the highlights of the event for you?
Anyone who knows me knows I am personally such a huge Paramore fan, so I’d have to say Hayley Williams. Seeing Remi and Hayley on stage brought some tears of joy to my eyes. Just such a special moment.
How did you and the team celebrate after it was finished?
There were many hugs and beverages shared in the green room after the show. Spirits were very high, and it was just such a special moment to share with everyone there.
