Must-See Bonnaroo Itinerary: Animal Collective

There are over 125 acts playing at Bonnaroo this year. Trying to navigate the overload? Billboard picked ten sets to take you from Friday through Sunday night and give you the most band for your buck without passing out from trying to race from one stage to the next. Just start with number one as we count you through the weekend, and preview the tunes you might hear along the way.

WARM UP:  ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
Friday 2.45-4.00 pm Which Stage | Full Schedule

Baltimore-by-way-of-NYC freak-pop group Animal Collective hits Bonnaroo on a high note, riding in on critical acclaim for eighth album "Merriweather Post Pavilion," released in January on Domino Records.  Chopped-up folk, sunny-day pop hooks, exploratory noise experiments: nearly anything's fair game for the eclectic trio, set to bring its energy to the secondary main stage early in the heat of Friday afternoon.  --Troy Carpenter

Must-See Bonnaroo Itinerary: 1. TV On The Radio

There are over 125 acts playing at Bonnaroo this year. Trying to navigate the overload? Billboard picked ten sets to take you from Friday through Sunday night and give you the most band for your buck without passing out from trying to race from one stage to the next. Just start with number one as we count you through the weekend, and preview the tunes you might hear along the way.

1. TV ON THE RADIO
Friday 6.45-8 pm Which Stage | Full Schedule

Serenading the indie-rockers in front of the Which Stage into Friday night will be critically acclaimed Brooklyn quintet TV On The Radio. The band's organic brand of electro-funk-rock, earning accolades since the stunning 2003 EP "Young Liars" (Touch & Go), reaches new levels of optimism/pessimism and danceability on the group's third full-length, "Dear Science," released last September on Interscope/4AD.   --Troy Carpenter

Must-See Bonnaroo Itinerary: 2. Phoenix

There are over 125 acts playing at Bonnaroo this year. Trying to navigate the overload? Billboard picked ten sets to take you from Friday through Sunday night and give you the most band for your buck without passing out from trying to race from one stage to the next. Just start with number one as we count you through the weekend, and preview the tunes you might hear along the way.

2. PHOENIX
Friday 11.30 pm - 12.15 am That Tent | Full Schedule

Sure, headliners Phish are going to be drawing the big crowds during their late-night (11 p.m. - 2 a.m.) set Friday night, but unlike Sunday, when the veteran jam band is set to close the festival with a four-hour set, there's plenty of other good stuff going on simultaneously.  French rhythmic pop quartet Phoenix will be holding court at 11.30 p.m. in That Tent with a late-night set that will mark their first show on U.S. soil in 2009. The setlist should showcase some of the material from their striking fourth album, "Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart," released in May on Loyaute/Glassnote Records. --Troy Carpenter

Must-See Bonnaroo Itinerary: 3. Public Enemy

There are over 125 acts playing at Bonnaroo this year. Trying to navigate the overload? Billboard picked ten sets to take you from Friday through Sunday night and give you the most band for your buck without passing out from trying to race from one stage to the next. Just start with number one as we count you through the weekend, and preview the tunes you might hear along the way.

3. PUBLIC ENEMY
Friday 12.30-1.45 am This Tent | Full Schedule

Public Enemy is welcoming its status as elder statesmen with feet planted and fists in the air, performing "It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back" in its entirety, joining the Roots for a hard take of "Bring the Noise" on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" and fully re-embracing its role as fierce, fire-branded agit hip-hop godfathers to a nation of aspiring MCs waiting for the torch. Combined with the Beastie Boys, this year's fest offers a convenient glimpse back to near where hip-hop's big bring-the-noise first occurred. --Jeff Vrabel