Pollstar 2019 Festival Hotstars: ​Moon Taxi Pulls Out All The Stops

Photo by FilmMagic for Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival / Getty Images – GOOD AS GOLD:
Moon Taxi performs at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival June 10, 2018, in Manchester, Tenn.

When the members of Moon Taxi stepped on stage at Bonnaroo this summer they brought the party with them, armed with video walls and a bunch of confetti.  

“I’ve always wanted to have one of those big festival concerts where we really blow out the production and we got four confetti cannons,” bassist Tommy Putnam told Pollstar. “We had two moments where we really wanted to let it rip – one was ‘Good As Gold’ and we blew gold confetti, and at the end of ‘Two High’ we blasted multi-colored confetti.”

He added, “If you’re in the middle of the audience and there’s all this confetti raining down and it’s your favorite song, you’re going to remember it for a long time.”

The June 10 gig marked the third Bonnaroo appearance for the indie/alternative rock band, after starting off with a Thursday set at That Tent in 2012, returning to Roo in 2015 and then in 2018 rocking the Which Stage as the sun set. 

Joshua Wilkins Black – Moon Taxi
Tyler Ritter, Wes Bailey, Trevor Terndrup, Spencer Thomson, Tommy Putnam

Reflecting on the band’s development, manager Dawson Morris of Greater Thinking Music Group told Pollstar, “I think we might have sometimes been the last name on a lot of those posters (laughs) but we’ve scratched and clawed our way up the billing. Through hard work they just keep playing and growing. It’s just tenacity, really.”

The five-piece formed in 2006 while the members were attending Nashville’s Belmont University and released its debut album, Melodica, in 2007. The guys began supporting artists including Matisyahu, Dirty Heads, and Umphrey’s McGee while building their own fan base.  

Last fall, Moon Taxi signed with RCA Records and released its fifth LP, Let The Record Play, in January. 

“We’ve gotten a lot more radio play with ‘Two High’ and a couple other songs than we’ve ever had before,” Putnam said. “It’s been a big boost to all of our attendance around the county. And all these other songs that we’ve been playing for years and built our fan base on, these new people get to experience that and hopefully we’ve got them for the next 15, 20 years of touring.”

Look out for new music from the band in early 2019, along with more festival appearances. 

 “Currently, we’re speaking with all of the major festivals that make sense for the band in 2019,” CAA’s Hunter Williams told Pollstar, noting that the 2018 Bonnaroo set “left everyone talking, which led to other opportunities.” 

He added, “Since the band shines in any live atmosphere, it’s a given that putting them in front of a large crowd at festivals only grows their fanbase. Moving forward, we’re trying to do more with the festival performances in terms of making each special in one way or another.”