I think it's just the general agreement, although it hasn't been raised above the rumor level thus far, as far as i know.

They are not confirmed, that was a typo, I would edit it if I could, should have been "Tom Petty confirmed, Dave Matthews very likely."

Oh I thought that I had missed something, I am trying to stay on top of this-

What does everyone think about G Love- he is playing with DMB on some dates

Or Cat power?

They aren't headliners but I know they are playing at Bonnaroo

I think any act who has played ACL in the past, is on the road this summer and not already booked elsewhere is a candidate. Both G. Love and Cat Power have played ACL before. G Love has played ACL multiple times.

Nathan

So Radiohead, Dylan, and RHCP are all out, who could fill that third headlining spot? (assuming DMB as a second)

There is a really big hole in the DMB tour schedule!! I hope it's them!!

maybe david gilmour will turn up. that would be awesome.

Cat Power makes sense because they were scheduled to play at the Matador showcase at SXSW but pulled out because of Chan's health problems. I know she's playing Bonaroo this summer.

Does anyone have any ideas who else might fill the Sat. night double set slot? I'm truly hoping with all my might that it is NOT Dave, and just to keep my optimism up, has anyone heard any other rumors? Do you think they might be giving it to Ben Harper? He really doesn't seem like he needs two sets, but who knows?

It is not a given that there will be a double slot.

Pearl Jam.

So it doesn't look like DMB is going to be there as a headliner after all, which frees up the Saturday (double) slot.

ACL 04 had LLB/Sheryl Crowe, the Pixies, Trey Anastasio (double set?) and Ben Harper headlining the end of the festival.

Last year had the Black Crowes, WP, and Coldplay in the three headlining slots.

yeah, it's known by all, but these bands each sort of slide into a formula. Trey Anastasio and Widespread Panic are definite jam headliners, while the Pixies and the Black Crowes represent older appeal. R.E.M. also fits this spot when they played. LLB/Crowe, Harper and Coldplay are acts who have come into their success more recently.

So this sort of formula is likely to be repeated at this year's festival. However, the potential acts are dissapearing fast. Tom Petty fits the LLB/REM/Pixies slot, even though he's still a great act today. However, the jam band and the more modern act are yet to be confirmed at all, and those strongly rumored are dissapearing.

For the jam band, it was assumed to be DMB until their Chicago date came up. CSN&Y hardly fit the mold of a jam band, the Who is something probably pulled out as a prank, and aren't a jam band anyways. Other potential acts, like Trey Anastasio, have headlined before and go against the idea of having different headliners every year.

For the more modern act, both RHCP and Radiohead have both been taken out of consideration. Being honest, this doesn't really leave too many big names on the modern scene for the festival to pull from.

I'm not saying the festival is definitely going to stick to this formula, it just makes sense. However, does this year represent a shift in the headliners from the bigger acts of last year to smaller this year?

I'm not sure. If you can think of possible headliners in those slots this year, or possible headliners period, then it'd be cool to hear of them. My brain is racking for answers rapidly.

A couple of headliners I can think of:

Green Day
White Stripes
Dixie Chicks
U2 (hey...its a shot)
Beck (maybe not quite headliner material, but close)
Rolling Stones
No Doubt
Bruce Springsteen
Steely Dan
Weezer (same as Beck, not quite headliner material, but close)
Pretenders

I wouldn't mind if they didn't have a mega-headliner such as a Bruce or U2, but in exchange, have a really good lineup of mid-level acts (outside of Weezer or Beck, maybe some of the following)

Ben Folds
Fountains of Wayne
Liz Phair
Fiona Apple
Guster
Killers
Kings of Leon
Arctic Monkeys
Glen Phillips
Neil/Tim Finn
Garbage
The Strokes
Joss Stone
My Morning Jacket
Ok Go
Nada Surf