The time is nigh to either relive or newly experience the majesty of Bonnaroo. The DVD is slated for release on October 29 but here's a chance to view the trailer. Before you hit the link though (or after) you may want to read our brief interview with Arthur Rosato who produced the DVD along with Larry Johnson…

Click here to view the trailer

So how did you hook up with the Bonnaroo folks?

AR- I do all the video for New Orleans Jazz Fest so I knew Jonathan [Meyers, Superfly Presents] from New Orleans. He and I have been talking about doing something for a number of years but we were waiting for the right project.

What was your overall take on the event? In addition to Jazz Fest you also work on the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals, so obviously you have a perspective on this.

AR- I’ll tell you, it was just so easy. Everybody was there for the event, there were no politics involved, no pushing and folks didn’t have their own agendas. They came there just to enjoy it which is very rare. I’m as jaded as anybody going back to the original Woodstock and it was just such a pleasure being there.

How many cameras did you have shooting?

AR- We had six on the main stage, three on the second stage and then we had five other cameras roaming around. If we shot something on the third or fourth stages we brought over three cameras.

How much footage did you end up with in the end?

AR- Well over a hundred hours. We were shooting a week ahead of time as the site was set up and then we shot twenty-four hours a day for the whole event over three days. We were rolling tape constantly. It was all Digi Beta so we got the best quality, it was nice.

How long is the finished film?

AR- I think its three hours and fifteen minutes but it definitely holds your interest. It moves from one thing to another.

What are your favorite moments?

AR-If you look at the DVD there’s such a variety of music. The obvious jam band things, Widespread or Trey or String Cheese that’s expected. It’s the other stuff that’s in there that’s exciting to me, like Robert Randolph or the Campbell Brothers. There’s so much energy and for a lot of people it’s going to be eye-opening, flat out killer. There’s gems in there. Virtuoso musicianship- like Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer who pull out the most sensual instrumental that you could imagine. Going back to Woodstock it’s like the Ravi Shankar kind of thing, just a beautiful performance. Or this band Drums & Tuba. You would not know by the name what that’s all about, it’s bizarre and it’s so good. That’s what’s nice about it, the things you don’t expect.

In addition to the performances, how much other footage like backstage stuff did you incorporate?

AR- It’s really music-driven although there are some good bits we used to sew together the performances. Each thing leads into the next. Some of the still photos, the stuff from Danny Clinch is just phenomenal. I used a bunch of his stills and put them together, so they’re almost like a music clip in themselves. You’ll see some real interesting visuals.

Any final, general thoughts on the DVD?

AR- It’s pretty entertaining, one things opens into the next. It’s kind of exciting that way. If you’re a fan of only one band, by the time this is over you going to be fan of a lot of bands.

Click here to view the trailer