I saw fewer performers than I did last year, but man, they absolutely killed it. (I’m talking about the lineup after 7 PM because, honestly, I didn't feel like showing up earlier for the rest of it.) The White Stripes were definitely the highlight for me. Arcade Fire really gave it their all, though it clearly didn't land with everyone since the vibe felt more like people just sitting around critiquing the music. Drake was a pleasant surprise, too. As for the others, I got exactly what I expected, so I can live with that. Luckily, the weather was gorgeous, which definitely made the whole experience better. All things considered, it turned out much better than I anticipated, even if some of those scheduling gaps meant I couldn't catch a few acts because it was impossible to make it from one stage to another in under 20 minutes.
The beer situation and the entry process were a total mess. The food was predictably overpriced and pretty subpar—I don't expect gourmet dining from fast food, but come on, at least give me some lettuce or extra sauce when I'm paying $12. And honestly, if they're leaning so hard into sponsorships, maybe they should partner up with Coca-Cola and let them handle the drinks. I didn't hit the Silent party this year, but from what I'm hearing about the headphone situation, it sounds like a complete disaster. It felt ridiculous last year having to shell out $5.00 for those covers using some weird non-festival currency, even though they claim the Silent party is included in the ticket price. Also, the festival shuttle running around Santa Monica Pier... it showed up twice incredibly packed and then just missed people. They really need more shuttles or more frequent trips. Hm... and then there was that same old headache again where they ran out of vouchers and soda right after the final headliner finished. I barely managed to use my last bit of credit to grab one last glass of wine before heading out.
I'd love to say I'm hopeful that they'll fix all these issues next year, but if Coachella has taught me anything, it's that some things will be brilliant, some will break, some will get fixed, and others will change unexpectedly... it's always a roll of the dice. At any rate, I'm hoping for at least some solid headliners; so far, it looks like they haven't messed that part up yet.
It’s official: the organizers of Coachella are complete idiots. I don't know how anyone could look at these seven performers and come up with such a garbage lineup.
Roger Newman50 said:Article posted on June 14, 2010, at 1:51 PM... what are you even talking about? 🤷
The guy was asking when last year's lineup dropped. That article (from June 14, 2010, at 1:51 PM) came out right around the same time as the official schedule. I don't have the exact timestamp burned into my brain, but word was getting around back then. It was roughly a week before the festival kicked off.
Justin Wells3 said:Does anyone else remember when they dropped that final lineup announcement last year? It feels like just yesterday. We’re officially less than a month away from the festival now. Time really flies.
I think it was maybe a week or two before the festival started—if my memory serves me right—and I remember looking over the lineup schedule just a few days prior.
Justin Wells3 said:Regarding the chatter about the lineup itself... it seems to me that no matter how little musical knowledge the organizers actually possess, they somehow always stumble upon at least one band that manages to drive ticket sales. Plus, the location and the overall vibe of the festival are so pleasant that plenty of people just grab a pass for the sake of the company. All things considered, Coachella is going to hit a wall one of these years when the tickets get too pricey and the lineup turns stale—hopefully, that’ll finally serve as a wake-up call for them.
Pretty solid rating.
Justin Wells3 said:Look, when tickets are priced this ridiculously cheap—especially compared to what you’d pay anywhere else in the States—you can't exactly expect miracles. But if someone like Mate manages to pull off... $100 If we could just pull together the funding to land two massive acts—I'm talking names like National or La Roux that would basically serve as the headliners for Coachella—and then layer in a solid lineup around them, the whole festival would be on a completely different level. Honestly, if we could make that happen, Coachella would easily outshine everything else we've seen lately.
It really depends on which price bracket you're comparing it to, but honestly, Coachella wasn't exactly cheap on average either. $100 If you manage to snag your tickets early enough, you can actually skip the extra fees. The real difference between the two shows is that Coachella has a massive lineup of sponsors backing them, whereas Mate doesn't have that kind of support. Honestly, it's pretty unlikely that any artist currently working with Terraneo would be headlining a major fest like Coachella anytime soon.
Look, just go watch some TV or something. It’s clear to me that hanging out on this forum is getting way too under your skin—or at least, it’s getting under mine. Believe me, I don't exactly have any love lost on you either, but I'm not quite blunt enough to call you a total jerk to your face.
It seems to me that "Day Zero" depends entirely on whether they've booked someone worth actually hosting a pre-party for. A decision has definitely been made, but the organizers are playing it close to the chest—or rather, they just haven't officially signed anyone yet!
Personally, I think Cypress Hill is totally fine. Even though I'm not much of a hip-hop head, they’re easily one of my favorite acts in that genre because of how they blend it with rock. Plus, there's a bit of nostalgia there; they were my absolute favorites back in my awkward teenage years. XD
I was just sitting here thinking about how Ultra Music Festival keeps missing the mark. Lollapalooza already booked Asian Dub Foundation... would it have killed the organizers to bring them out instead?
Arthur Garcia59 said:That Kraftwerk / Moby / N.E.R.D. lineup was truly one of a kind. 😢
Personally, I felt the Nick Cave and The Prodigy combo hit much harder. I still can't quite wrap my head around why everyone loved N.E.R.D. so much back then, but man, that year was incredible regardless. We also had Franz Ferdinand, YYY, and Tricky on the bill.
David Sullivan4 said:Morgan Palmer2, maybe we should just wait for the organizers to make an official statement?
If this actually happened, it’s definitely not the first time. Back in 2003, Jello Biafra had a spoken word set scheduled at The Fillmore, but his agency—without telling the venue a thing—booked a Jellov show in New York City on that exact same day.
It’s pretty common knowledge that the Coachella organizers don't really step up to speak publicly, especially when the news is bad. 🙂
I think this was the first place the news actually leaked, and looking at it now, it’s basically the same info as your link. It seems pretty clear that Jello just totally blew them off.
coastalfox26 said:I don't think Nick Cave and Arcade Fire belong in the same conversation as Metallica, Iron Maiden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, System of a Down, U2, AC/DC, or Rage Against the Machine... I assume we agree on that (even if I'm not really into RHCP or U2 myself). I just can't wrap my head around why American festivals lean so heavily into the underground. Like, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival goes indie, and then you have others focusing on electronic music... It feels like there's only a niche crowd of a few thousand Americans and Canadians listening to all of that combined. Why not host a massive World Fest? What was missing from the lineups for The Prodigy, Serj Tankian, or Franz Ferdinand? They aren't the absolute pinnacle of the scene, but they're solid enough.
It’s simply because the acts you mentioned wouldn't be able to afford the booking fees, and honestly, why would they bother playing a festival when they can sell out stadiums on their own?
Indie, electronic, reunion acts, or those "tier two" bands—that's just the reality for our domestic festival circuit right now. But I'll say this: it's still a step up. Five years ago, nobody wanted to book shows here. Unfortunately, electronic music isn't huge in the States at the moment, though it was really booming about ten years back. As for indie, plenty of people listen to it, but personally, I find "indie" to be such a broad term that it's almost meaningless, and lately, it feels like it's just becoming the new mainstream.
It’s nothing but cheap plastic swill from those shady resellers who serve up the absolute worst beer imaginable while charging the highest prices you've ever seen!
Larry Morales12 said:There was some chatter earlier about when The Streets would be playing, but now we finally have an answer. They're set for the second day; the organizer posted it on Facebook. If anyone happens to know when Goribor is scheduled, please let me know. It would be great to get the full lineup of confirmed acts sorted out.
The second day? Man, wow. Either they’re gearing up to announce some significantly better acts, or we're looking at two days that are completely unbalanced... I have a feeling it's probably the latter.