After feverish day on the web of rumour mongering, pseudo-confirming and pure speculative nonsense, the 12th Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival finally unveiled its lineup Tuesday night.
See here for the full schedule.
The big names are Kanye West, Arcade Fire, the Strokes and Kings of Leon, which doesn’t illicit gasps of amazement, as in “how many money trucks did Goldenvoice need to fill to get them on stage together,” but nevertheless the four acts do make for a solid headlining squad. Incidentally, how ridiculous does that Rolling Stones rumour seem now?
The big surprise for Toronto music fans is tucked away on the second line of the Sunday lineup. Sleaze rock duo Death From Above 1979 is apparently reuniting for the desert bash, despite their less than amicable breakup in 2006. Could it be that after four years of playing cheesy Entertainment District-type nightclubs across the world, Jesse Keeler is turning the power button off on MSTRKRFT and blowing the dust off his bass?
And speaking of electro on the wane, the Sahara Tent hardly seems like the place to be if the Chemical Brothers are its top act. Names like Paul van Dyk and Sasha are reliable desert rave performers as well, but likely aren’t going to draw in curious attendees milling around the polo grounds.
DFA meanwhile isn’t the only locals making an appearance in Indio, California April 15-17. In fact, our city is strongly represented this year, with Broken Social Scene, Crystal Castles, City and Colour, Rural Alberta Advantage and Gord Downie all on the bill. Well done Toronto music scene.
If Coachella allows single-day passes, Sunday looks like the best of the three nights. The time feels right for Duran Duran to get the sort of adulation Depeche Mode received at Coachella ’08, and this Strokes appearance will coincide nicely with the tentative date of their forthcoming album, so perhaps it will be a first glimpse of the new material live.
Although the poster suggests them as co-headliners, expect Kanye West to pull out all the stops to avoid being upstaged by the Strokes. Hopefully, West will put together a stage set up that somehow tops his bizarre Bonnaroo headlining slot a few years back. Whatever the case, he will surely close the festival on a buzzy note.
Three-day passes go on sale this Friday and Torontonians might want to start looking into flights (Air Canada is currently offering a seat sale to LAX for under $400), especially considering the lack of outdoor music festivals around these parts.
