All Episodes

March 12, 2025 81 mins

In Bonnaroo’s 20+ year history, few controversies stung fans more than the fiery demise of its iconic arch in 2019—replaced by a giant LED monolith nicknamed "The Squarch". In a rare interview with The What Podcast, Tim "Tuba" Smith—C3 Presents' Director of Festivals and Strategic Initiatives—finally tells us the full story. Faced with an aging wooden arch riddled with rot, bees, and safety hazards ("you could hear it creak in a stiff breeze"), Tuba's team prioritized safety, burning the original and hastily designing a modular LED replacement. Beyond the arch drama, Tuba talks to us about navigating Bonnaroo’s COVID cancellation, Hurricane Ida's 2021 gut-punch, and modern upgrades for The Farm like flushable toilets and paved roads. He also dives into C3's mentorship initiatives, including the KU LEAP program that immerses students in festival logistics.

Want to break into the festival industry? Love geeking out over Bonnaroo’s behind-the-scenes magic? This episode is for you! We also cover the latest news about the Who Stage moving to Outeroo. Also, be sure and join The What Podcast for a special meetup and live episode on The How Stage inside Planet Roo at 4:00 PM on Thursday during Bonnaroo!

Listen to the whole story about the Squarch right here, or watch the video on YouTube. And don't forget to like, rate, and subscribe to The What Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

______

CHAPTERS

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:02:23) Moving the Who Stage

(00:07:49) Interview with Tuba

(01:19:28) This week's question

(01:20:57) Outro



______
🎧 LISTEN LINKS
Website: https://thewhatpodcast.com
Spotify: https://thewhat.co/spotify
Apple Podcasts: https://thewhat.co/applepodcasts
YouTube Music: https://thewhat.co/youtubemusic
Amazon Music: https://thewhat.co/amazonmusic

📱 SOCIAL LINKS
Discord: https://discord.gg/zShHTeCYGn
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thewhatpodcast
X: https://x.com/thewhat_podcast
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewhatpodcast/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thewhatpodcast/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thewhatpodcast
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/thewhat.co
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thewhatpodcast
Email: comments@thewhatpodcast.com

The What Podcast theme: "Aquarius" by *repeat repeat

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club

The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

Crime Junkie

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.