Past INmusic Festival lineups & sets (Archive)

When The National plays in America every year, I don't have a problem with it—that's just part of the circuit—but when you get bands like Franz Ferdinand showing up every few years because they're clearly tight with the Coachella organizers, then it starts feeling a bit repetitive...
It’s funny how people used to talk about them too—calling them trash, saying they were washed up—only for them to end up being voted the most sought-after headliners in the States for two years straight.
This year, they’re actually bringing in a ton of high-quality bands that have so much potential to grow, but let's face it—most crowds still just chase those massive names like The Killers, Coldplay, or The Black Keys, even if they only know one or two songs. And honestly, if they actually managed to book those giants, tickets wouldn't be $300—they'd be well over $167—and then you'd hear the exact same group of people complaining all over again about how expensive everything is.

Andrew Gomez40 said:To make matters worse, the famous Lollapalooza is actually much worse—the lineup is an absolute disaster. Honestly, the only thing somewhat saving them is Motörhead. Every year, they just seem to sink a little deeper into mediocrity.

Lollapalooza hasn't been synonymous with quality music for quite some time now; people mostly go there for the social scene and the general chaos. Not to mention, half the crowd probably doesn't even realize they're at a music festival because they're under such heavy social influence.

restlesslynx3 said:When The National plays in America every year, it feels right—but when a band like Franz Ferdinand shows up every few years, clearly acting as buddies with the Coachella organizers, then we have a problem.

It isn't really the same thing, is it? Having the same headliner at a festival repeatedly compared to a dedicated solo concert is two different worlds. The National will always have their loyal following, but who is Coachella actually going to attract by booking Franz Ferdinand again? People have already seen them—they've done their rounds. They really need something fresh, like The Black Keys did last year.

I honestly feel like there’s really no point in constantly bringing back the same exact bands over and over again, regardless of how great they might be, especially when there are so many incredible artists out there who have never even stepped foot on a stage in America...

restlesslynx3 said:It’s fine when The National plays in America every year, but when FF shows up every few years because they’re clearly buddies with Coachella, then we have an issue.

You know what the actual difference is between The National and FF? Aside from the obvious fact that The National has been consistently grinding and dropping albums for the last 15 years... the real thing is that The National isn't playing out of pure nostalgia; they’re touring to promote a new record. And they’re doing it at their absolute peak. Also, just like someone told you once... The National hasn't played the same festival for the last decade. They play standalone shows instead (except for that one time at Austin City Limits in 2011 and the Super Bowl in 2014), and they hit all sorts of different venues.

They’re bringing in plenty of high-quality bands this year that actually have a future, but yeah, organizers still chase those massive names like The Killers, Coldplay, and The Black Keys—bands people only know two songs by. And if they actually managed to book them, tickets wouldn't be $300; they'd be over $167, and you'd all just complain about the price again anyway.

Statements like that just show you either don't follow the music scene or you're making bad comparisons. Look, I'm not exactly a huge Coldplay fan, but they are total mainstream giants and everyone flocks to them. They sell out arenas and stadiums everywhere. I bet the reaction would be the exact same if they played here in America. Honestly, even I'd probably go, even if I'm not a die-hard fan.
As for The Black Keys... were you even at Coachella last year? Because saying people only know two songs of theirs doesn't match what I saw on the ground. Plus, The Black Keys were there promoting a new album, right at their height, and most importantly, it was their first time ever performing in America.

To wrap this up... I don't really mind them being at Coachella again; they could have just booked them as a friendly favor. But I don't think they're essential headliners since they aren't even relevant in the music world anymore. The lineup is perfectly fine without them... honestly, it's basically the same whether they are there or not.

Personally, I think this year's lineup is pretty solid. For the price we're paying, it's more than fair, and honestly, I'm feeling pretty good about it. That said, I'm still holding out hope for one more headliner. Right now, I see Placebo and FF as the two big names, but I’m really hoping they announce a third 😁 though they might have already locked everything in. Even if they don't, there's no way this could be considered a bad lineup

vividraven7 said:You know what the actual difference is between seeing The National versus Franz Ferdinand? Beyond the obvious fact that The National has been consistently grinding out new albums for the last fifteen years... The real distinction is that The National isn't just showing up on a wave of nostalgia; they’re touring because they actually have new material to promote.

It’s pretty clear you’re a huge fan of The National, which explains why you're championing them so hard. Personally, I find them to be the single most tedious band in the entire universe (though I’d love to catch Franz Ferdinand live, I somehow always manage to skip their sets, so unfortunately, that'll likely happen again this time too—fingers crossed they make another appearance soon! 😁 )

Well, actually—the third headliner is supposed to be Florence + The Machine, isn't it?

Noah Hall98 said:You’re always talking about The National, so you obviously overhype them. To me, they’re basically the biggest bore in the universe (and honestly, I’d love to catch FF live, but I always somehow manage to skip them. So, unfortunately, it’ll be the same this time—fingers crossed they show up again soon! 😁 )

It doesn't matter how much I like The National (which isn't much!), that wasn't the point, nor was I trying to hype them up in my comment. I was just stating the reality: The National (whether you dig them or not) are touring to promote new albums and playing standalone shows because there's clearly enough demand for it. Meanwhile, Franz Ferdinand is coming to the same festival for the fourth time, even though they haven't really produced anything worth hearing since those first two albums. I’m saying this as someone who actually listened to them, liked them, and went to their shows. But come on, don't give me that crap... They aren't some legendary cult band where we feel obligated to book them for the fourth time at the same festival just because they're "iconic" headliners. They're simply not.

Alright, everyone keeps bringing up Franz Ferdinand, but what about Sparks?

A lot of people haven't really had the chance to catch Franz Ferdinand live, and honestly, that’s perfectly fine—it keeps the magic alive, I suppose... But here, we're looking at introducing a whole new project—something a bit different, a fresh direction. You know, there are always those folks who don't make the trek to Coachella with us every single year, and they'll just say, "Hey, I've already seen them, why bother going again?"... which is fair enough, I guess...
I remember the last time they played in Chicago—it was the exact same story as now... everyone was tearing them apart, just constant criticism, only for them to end up putting on one of the absolute best shows of the year... truly remarkable how that happens...

vividraven7 said:You know what the real distinction is between The National coming through versus Franz Ferdinand? Beyond the obvious fact that The National has been consistently grinding out incredible new albums for the last fifteen years... there's a deeper difference. The National isn't just showing up because people are feeling nostalgic—they’re actually here on tour, promoting a brand-new record. And honestly, they're arriving right at their absolute peak... It’s also interesting—as someone mentioned to me once—that The National hasn't just been playing the same single festival for the last decade. They tend to book their own standalone shows in different cities instead... though I suppose they did play Austin City Limits back in 2011 and hit the Super Bowl stage in 2014... but otherwise, they really make an effort to move around...

Look, I honestly feel like all these arrivals trace back to Škugor—I mean, if Austin City Limits hadn't fallen apart and if Škugor had just stayed on as director, we’d probably be heading back there again and again...
It’s honestly just a bit much—I mean, since you’re such a massive fan of The National (and look, I personally love them too, don't get me wrong)... you’re elevating them to this almost untouchable level... it feels like you've lost all sense of objectivity and aren't really looking at the bigger picture...
I wonder how much we all actually liked FF—or didn't—and whether their albums were truly great or just... okay. But this upcoming project they're about to show us? It definitely puts them in the league of true headliners. I mean, if we look at it through your criteria, hardly anyone would qualify to be the main attraction at Coachella... for instance, Iggy Pop is basically living off the remnants of his glory days, yet he still landed a headlining slot, just like Billy Idol did...

vividraven7 said:Regarding The Black Keys... were you actually at Coachella last year? Because if so, I have to disagree—I don't think it's fair to say the crowd only knows two of their songs, since what I witnessed definitely didn't match that description... Besides, the band was essentially touring to promote the new album, arriving right when they've hit their peak popularity—and most importantly, it was their very first time performing here in America.

If I were being totally honest—and looking at how a huge chunk of people reacted (not even counting the die-hard fans)—the general consensus was that they were just underwhelming... kind of lukewarm, really, and left a lot of folks feeling pretty disappointed. If you don't believe me, just go ahead and dig through some comments online... though, I’d say those critiques mostly come from people who only know Lonely Boy and maybe one other song or two. Honestly, if they actually knew their catalog, they’d understand what their live energy is supposed to feel like...

swiftmoose20 said:Lollapalooza hasn't been synonymous with high-quality music for a long time now; people mostly head there for the crew and just to mess around, not to mention half of them probably don't even realize they're even at a festival because they're under some kind of influence.

I only brought it up because they keep picking it over and over again as the best festival in all of Europe.

Honestly, I’d love to catch FF live myself since—by some miracle—I haven't been living under a rock lately (What, have you been living under a boulder?! 😁 ), but vividraven7 is spot on here. I mean it, I sign off on every single word they said.

restlesslynx3 said:It’s honestly ridiculous that you, as such a massive fan of The National—and look, I actually like them myself—are putting them on this pedestal. You're being incredibly biased and just aren't looking at things objectively.
How much we actually liked FF, or whether their albums were any good, or if this new project they’re rolling out will land—honestly, they belong in the headliner slot. Based on your logic, hardly anyone would qualify to be a main act at Coachella. I mean, Iggy Pop is basically running on fumes at this point, yet he was a headliner, just like Billy Idol.

I feel like I’m shouting from the bottom of a well here because nobody seems to get what I'm saying. Like I already mentioned in my previous comment, it doesn't matter that I'm a fan of The National. I'm not exactly out here worshiping them in these comments (not on their own thread, anyway). 😬I wrote this completely true statement once before, and I’ll say it again since maybe some of you will finally get my point: The National only comes to the States when they're pushing a new album. For instance, when they started touring their latest record, they were among the first ones hitting the road here. Meanwhile, Franz Ferdinand only showed up because, well, they had two decent albums under their belt. Honestly, why are we even comparing a band that has played six standalone shows across the country to a group that exclusively plays at the same festival?

If I were you, I’d say a massive chunk of the crowd—not counting the die-hard fans, obviously—felt they were just bad. People were saying they were lukewarm, totally underwhelming, a letdown. If you don't believe me, just go look at the comments online. Honestly, the only people saying otherwise are the ones who only know "Lonely Boy" and maybe one other track. If they actually knew their style, they wouldn't be surprised by how the live show went down.

I was actually the first one on their thread to say that concert was a letdown. And honestly, it’s not even because I only know a couple of their songs. It's just obvious they were having an off night. From what I've seen on YouTube and what people who have caught them live tell me, they’re usually incredible performers.

Yeah... what kind of nonsense is that? If Franz Ferdinand isn't the headliner, then nobody is. And honestly, I can't believe you even brought up Billy Idol. That delusional old fossil who’s supposed to show up at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival? He’s worth nothing these days; it’s actually painful to watch him. Iggy Pop, though—he’s still Iggy Pop. He actually showed up when he had something new to offer.

If you ask me, a headliner should either be some legendary cult band or someone who’s actually blowing up right now. But honestly, some people just don't get it... though I guess you know a festival is actually going to be good when the headliners are total flops. 😉

Well, the man was the headliner, what more can I say? Hehe...

But I don't think you're quite right about FF—the last time they played, they were actually out there promoting their new album before it even dropped, playing all those fresh tracks... you know, something totally new.
This time around, they’re coming with a whole different project under their belt, which basically means—once again—something fresh and a bit different.
And honestly, I'm just really curious to see how everything shakes out this year... 🙂

vividraven7 said:If you ask me, a headliner should either be some legendary cult band or someone who is absolutely blowing up right now. Though, I guess some people have this funny way of looking at it... you know, thinking a festival is actually better when the headliners are mediocre... 😉

Oh, I think you're exaggerating just a little bit—no offense intended—but that’s not really how things work in practice.
For instance, back at Coachella 2013, the headliner was Phoenix, who weren't exactly "of the moment" then, and to make matters worse, they had just dropped one of the weakest albums of their entire career. Meanwhile, you had Two Door Cinema Club playing much earlier in the lineup, even though they were absolutely tearing through the US and Europe over the last few years...

Three years ago they rolled out some new tracks that landed with the exact same impact as the album... which was to say, absolutely nothing.
I mean, here’s Franz Ferdinand... what can I even say? ☕
Personally, I'm just gonna wait for Florence + The Machine.

vividraven7 said:Three years ago they played some new stuff that went down just like the album... completely irrelevant.
Well, here we go with Franz Ferdinand again... what can I even say? ☕
I'm just going to wait for Florence + The Machine.

It seems like you're impossible to please—first you claim they aren't playing anything new, then once you realize they actually are, suddenly it's not good enough, and so on...

We're all waiting for Flo 😁

restlesslynx3 said:There's just no winning with you. First you claim they aren't bringing anything new to the table, then once you realize they actually are, suddenly they just aren't any good either.

We're all just waiting for Flo 😁

I never said they weren't doing anything new. I just said they haven't released anything actually relevant or significant in years. Honestly, you really need to work on your reading comprehension. 😛 Look at my comment:

vividraven7 said:This band hit their peak ten years ago and hasn't produced anything meaningful or important since then.

See... once Flo drops the new stuff, you and I will be best friends.🙂

Everyone keeps talking about FF... But we're specifically talking about FF performing with Sparks here, and those are two very different things. 🤔

They have a premiere in Chicago, and I think it could actually be pretty interesting. Even though I’m not exactly a huge FF fan, I am curious to hear how this sounds. 🙂

George Doyle11 said:Everyone keeps talking about Franz Ferdinand... but we're specifically looking at Franz Ferdinand paired with Sparks, and those two things aren't exactly the same thing. 🤔

They’ve got their premiere in the city, and I guess it might actually be worth checking out. Not that I'm a huge Franz Ferdinand fan myself, but I am curious to hear how this lineup sounds. 🙂

Honestly, Franz Ferdinand with Sparks feels like beating a dead horse. But whatever. We'll talk after the show. 😁

Possible 😁

But look, since it's the premiere, I'm genuinely curious 😛

Everyone is waiting for Florence + The Machine 🎉 😁