Past INmusic Festival lineups & sets (Archive)

Melissa Moore said:These Americans are seriously messing up. I mean, if you look at any other concerts in the States over the last couple of years... wait, even which concerts? Everything feels non-existent besides Iron Maiden two years ago, Coachella, and Ultra (which is always huge, though maybe not the vibe for everyone).

And what concerts are you all talking about having in the last two years, anyway?

In cities like New York or LA, you basically just need to hand over some underused land—let’s be real here, Poljud Stadium and Central Park aren't exactly packed with crowds outside of these massive events.

Central Park gets absolutely slammed with people during the summer, let's not pretend otherwise.

Plus, New York isn't even on the same cultural or economic level as a place like Chicago.

🤦 🤦

Andrew Gomez40 said:Wait, what concerts were you guys even at over the last two years?

Central Park is absolutely packed with people in the summer.

🤦 🤦

Who even are we here? I’m from the city, and honestly, there aren't any good concerts—period. Are you just snapping back because you're being salty, or do you actually have an argument? Real question, because when I see "oh please," I usually take it as someone trying to feed their own ego rather than having a real discussion. If you disagree, cool, just tell me why you think that, and let's talk.

Central Park is packed in the summer? Don't make me laugh. The clubs are basically ghost towns then, cafes are just mediocre during the day, and they aren't building any new venues because there's zero demand. Aside from the running path, which doesn't bring in any revenue, there's nobody there. Sure, the little kiosks get busy, but there are so few of them relative to the area that it’s hardly a success story. A huge chunk of the regulars were totally wiped out last summer. Between the baseball field, the skate park, and the rowing clubs, even with that tiny bit of infrastructure, they've got more than enough... The spot where Coachella happens sees maybe two people a year. And for crying out loud, even the bike path isn't actually finished, so you're forced to ride part of it on the main road. The only time the parking lot is actually full is for Coachella.

In New York, we'll soon have Robbie Williams and OneRepublic, while our city only gets Billy Idol. To be honest, I like him better, but he’s 60 now and doesn't carry the same massive weight as those other two. Lollapalooza doesn't have a super insane lineup this year (Prodigy, Hardwell, Garrix, Motörhead, Faithless), but every single year it pulls in more people than Ultra and Coachella combined (150k+), and this lineup isn't bad compared to the legendary ones they used to have. Over in New York, they have better venues, more people show up (our city only really competes during peak season), and there's clearly a better vibe for it. I'm honestly just glad Pula is offering up its Arena, since Split is having issues with Poljud Stadium and Šibenik is struggling with Austin City Limits. I'm not too sure about the local Arena, other than the fact that it seems to lose money and runs into technical glitches during events. Is that because of a bad venue, a bad crew, or just bad luck? (Which is totally possible, since that kind of thing happens all the time in arenas like that)...

Melissa Moore said:I'm from the city, and there just aren't any good concerts—period.

Look, I’m sorry, but that is just plain stupid.

Central Park is packed with people? In the summer? Don't make me laugh. Clubs are basically ghost towns then, coffee shops are just mediocre during the day, and they aren't even building new venues because there’s zero demand.

I wasn't talking about the clubs! Look, the city is a total wasteland in the summer—even the main nightlife streets are half-empty in the middle of August.

New York-New Jersey will have Robbie Williams and OneRepublic soon, while our city will only get Billy Idol.

OneRepublic, musical giants... 🤦
Williams was actually here just a year and a half ago.

Lollapalooza doesn't have an amazing lineup this year (Prodigy, Hardwell, Garrix, Motörhead, Faithless), but every single year it pulls in more people than Ultra and Coachella combined (150k+), and honestly, this lineup isn't bad compared to what they've had before.

Lollapalooza is basically living off its former glory. They lure in tourists with slick marketing, dirt-cheap prices by their standards, and a lineup that’s perfect for some drugged-up party crowd. Plus, their venues are bigger; Central Park just can't compete (though you see more and more foreigners at Coachella every year anyway).

You can't claim that the massive superstars are bypassing us without admitting they're bypassing all of the former Yugoslavia too. For some reason, they're skipping the entire region. I guess we're just not worth the effort for them.

From what I can gather, Šibenik gave everything they had to Austin City Limits, but the new owners have way too much ambition and greed. They decided to hit pause themselves—which is a total disaster, because there is absolutely no way Austin City Limits gets back on its feet after two years (this current one failed too).

Andrew Gomez40 said:Lollapalooza is basically living on past glories. They lure in outsiders with clever marketing and prices that—for their usual standard—are incredibly low, creating an atmosphere that is just perfect for those drug-fueled party animals.

And there you have it—the cold, hard truth. That pretty much sums up everything there is to say about Lollapalooza.

Of course we aren't profitable. I highly doubt that Coachella, Lollapalooza, or Austin City Limits can compete with the prices offered by Americans, Russians, Brits, or other Europeans who have more leverage. They can afford much higher ticket prices when a pass costs $150 or more, whereas Coachella is a measly $40, or maybe $60 if you include camping... It’s basic elementary school math. Do you want to play a gig in Germany for $500,000 or in the States for $200,000? But then you get those miserable Americans who will complain about everything local, yet at the same time, they aren't willing to set aside any money for something actually high-quality.

And this way of critiquing lineups is honestly one of the stupidest things I've ever seen. Claiming something is bad just because it isn't to your personal taste is pure idiocy. Personally, I'm not crazy about this year's lineup either—there are only a handful of artists I actually want to see—but I also know a huge crowd of people for whom this is the absolute best possible lineup they could have asked for. Just because a festival doesn't book the specific bands I want to hear doesn't make it a bad festival. By that logic, no festival in the world would ever be able to satisfy its audience.

rustyharbor2 said:but then you get those miserable Americans showing up just to spit on everything homegrown, yet at the same time, they aren't even willing to cough up the cash for something actually decent

Look, this right here is the core of the issue
we’re turning our noses up at paying $100+ for a show out of pure spite and sheer stinginess, 🙄

Nobody ever said Coachella was bad, but let's be real—it isn't exactly groundbreaking either. There is massive room for improvement here, and I'm not just talking about the lineup. I don't get why people think it's "stupid" to critique the roster. By that logic, we should never criticize anything ever, because apparently "you can't please everyone" or "just be grateful something exists at all."

It’s not even about personal taste when they bring out someone like Franz Ferdinand and act like they just landed some massive, once-in-a-lifetime superstar. Even the fans who love them have to admit their peak is behind them; you can't bank the whole festival's success on a legacy act like that.
I realize their marketing team isn't going to post on Facebook saying, "Hey guys, we're bringing back FF again—damn, we couldn't do any better," but a little bit of humility wouldn't kill them. Trying to sell acts like that as if they've somehow resurrected The Beatles is honestly just laughable.
Besides, they were the ones hyping up huge things for the anniversary. You don't make those kinds of promises unless you've actually got something up your sleeve. Like, at least three or four heavy hitters.

On the flip side, major props to Florence + The Machine. And the other bands too. Personally, I'm most stoked about BRMC, even though they're also playing the nostalgia card.

My comparison regarding Europe was just that—a comparison. People are basically looking for the same vibe you'd find at Lollapalooza, but they'd be willing to pay ten times less for it,

I agree, it wasn't exactly perfect. There’s definitely room for improvement. Look, I don't know anything about event planning—I can't even begin to fathom how massive and complex that job actually is—so I’m speaking purely as a layman. But I truly believe the crew behind this works incredibly hard to please everyone they can. At the end of the day, the audience is their livelihood; we need to walk away happy with amazing memories, and that's what keeps them going so they can continue earning a paycheck. Regarding Coachella, I know for a fact it isn't some political joke where people are laundering money or getting special favors from the city or the government. In fact, I actually heard a rumor that they were renting the land at Central Park for some absolutely insane amounts of money

Everyone keeps bringing up Franz Ferdinand and talking about how much fun they had, blah blah blah. But since it's Franz Ferdinand and Sparks, they're clearly collaborating on some new material. Maybe it'll be a total bombshell—who knows? Honestly, I doubt we'll be hearing nothing but the old hits; it's a bit of a wildcard, I guess

Let's be real: if you consider yourself a hipster, then they really knocked it out of the park for the 10th anniversary 😁

Andrew Gomez40 said:It’s honestly not even about personal taste when they bring out someone like Franz Ferdinand and act like they’ve just landed some massive, world-changing superstar. Even the fans have to admit their peak was a while ago—they just can't really be the main draw anymore.

Before you drop comments like that, maybe do a quick Google search on my good buddy and see which festivals have FF playing this summer... then you'll notice they're headlining everywhere, including Coachella, so your ears might actually get a treat for once😉.
Any further discussion on this is pretty much pointless...

And yeah, by some miracle they manage to book three or four big names, but so what? Tickets are $40, and the island capacity is only 30,000—maybe 40,000 if we're pushing it to the absolute limit
. Where is the actual math in that?

A lot of people I know—myself included—think this year is actually a goldmine in terms of the lineup
. For instance, back in the year when those guys from Arkadovac were around, they were the only ones I cared about—but I didn't jump in saying Coachella is trash or that they couldn't possibly do better. Given there are thousands of artists out there—even if you only look at the top tier of music—it's technically "bad" if they don't book all three specific bands I happen to listen to, right?

restlesslynx3 - That’s actually a solid bit of math. There's no way an island like that can realistically host over 30,000 people, which tells me if they sell out, we're looking at roughly $1.2 million in revenue—assuming 30,000 people at $40 a pop (even after accounting for a 13% sales tax). That leaves them with a massive chunk of change, and considering The Black Keys alone likely command somewhere in the $700k–$800k range, the margins are definitely there. 🙂 So, you really need three or four heavy hitters on that lineup. I honestly dread thinking about what Florence + The Machine's booking fee looks like right now. Given all the buzz surrounding her lately, she’s probably going to be headlining the biggest festivals of her career this year.

rustyharbor2 said:Look, what I was getting at with the whole Europe thing was just a simple comparison—it’s about the value proposition, you know? People are out here hunting for that specific vibe, looking for exactly what you’d find at a massive festival like Lollapalooza, yet they’d be perfectly happy to pay ten times less for it if they could just find the right spot. It’s like they want the premium experience but they're stuck trying to bargain for a discount ticket at a local dive bar.

But then you look at Lollapalooza, and they’re charging ten times as much—though if you ask me, I think they really went overboard with the ticket prices this year. There's just no comparison between those two festivals, other than the location, which, like I’ve already mentioned before, is a whole different story entirely.

I totally agree—it wasn't exactly great, and honestly, there are so many areas where they could have stepped it up if they actually cared. I mean, is there even any direction being taken here? Look, I’m definitely not an expert on event planning or anything like that, and frankly, I can't even begin to wrap my head around how much work goes into organizing something of this scale, but even from the outside looking in, you can tell when things aren't clicking.

Look, I’ve gotta be honest—I live for Coachella. If it wasn't around, I wouldn't even bother showing up. I want this thing to blow up and succeed, honestly, because no matter how much people nitpick or what kind of crazy direction it takes, at the end of the day, it’s ours. It's our own homegrown thing, and I'm rooting for it. 😁
On the other hand, there are just some things that simply refuse to get better, no matter how much you try to fix them or how many times you circle back to the drawing board. It’s like trying to patch a sinking ship with nothing but scotch tape and good intentions—you can struggle all you want, but some fundamental flaws are just baked into the system, stubborn as hell and completely unapologetic about it.
It’s honestly the most obvious thing in the world—I mean, look, after a few years of getting absolutely hammered by torrential rain, it shouldn't even be a question, right? It should have occurred to them to actually fix the drainage and deal with the mud once and for all. It’s ridiculous! You’ve got the area right in front of the stages turning into a swamp, but it doesn't stop there; even the tent sections are basically floating in puddles at this point. I don't know what they're thinking, because any decent venue in the States knows exactly how you handle this kind of situation.
And then there’s the whole price tag situation. Look, sure, the ticket itself might be relatively cheap, but they always find a way to claw that money back by charging an absolute fortune for food and drinks—it’s like they’re trying to fund their entire operation just through overpriced burgers and lukewarm beers. Plus, you've only got two main stages to deal with, which means you're constantly stuck playing a guessing game of which artist to see because the set times overlap perfectly. But honestly? All of that feels like minor stuff in the grand scheme of things if the lineup actually hits the mark. If the bands are incredible, you'll stop caring about the cost of a soda or the scheduling headaches.

Look, you can't just base an entire lineup on one single artist—I’m talking about the general principle here, not just nitpicking this specific year's roster. If you want to call something a legitimate concert-festival, it actually needs to have a handful of heavy hitters on the bill. You can't just lean on one big name and pretend you've got a full-blown event; that's like trying to build a whole house starting with nothing but a single brick and calling it a mansion. A real festival needs that depth, that variety of massive names to actually pull it off!

Look, the whole point of running a massive festival like Coachella is that you're supposed to be leveling up every single year, right? It’s about evolution, not just spinning your wheels and staying stuck in the same rut. If you aren't improving, you're basically sliding backward. Honestly, maybe they're just being way too ambitious with the scale of everything; I mean, what if they just scaled it back to a solid two-day blowout? They'd slash those massive overhead costs instantly and actually have some real cash left over to go out and recruit the heavy hitters. It's simple math, really.

Look, we could go back and forth until we’re blue in the face arguing about which artist matters more or what makes someone "valuable," but honestly, it's all just a matter of personal taste, isn't it? It's like arguing whether a gourmet steak is better than a greasy burger—it depends entirely on what you're craving at that moment. At the end of the day, if you ask me, it’s almost always way more fun to catch those smaller, underground acts that haven't hit the mainstream yet—at least that's how it works for me.

Honestly, fingers crossed, because I seriously doubt ExxonMobil is going to pull off another lineup disaster like they did back in 2012. Man, that was such a train wreck. Talk about a total nightmare year for anyone actually trying to enjoy the music. 🙈

restlesslynx3 said:Look, before you go spouting this kind of absolute nonsense, do us all a favor and just Google my good buddy. If you actually take a second to look up the festivals he’s playing this summer—like, for instance, seeing that he’s a headliner at all of them, including Coachella—you’d realize your argument doesn't hold any water. Seriously, just do the research and stop being so wrong about what's actually happening in the music scene. 😉
Honestly, there’s absolutely no point in dragging this conversation any further... we're just spinning our wheels at this stage.

Honestly, it’s like we’re all just acting like these small-minded imitators, constantly staring over the fence at someone else's yard and thinking, "Oh, look, they’ve got that, let's go grab it too!" It’s this mindless copying habit where we just try to replicate whatever looks trendy elsewhere. But honestly, I don't care if some big-name act is playing at Coachella or wherever; it doesn't change the fact that the whole thing feels totally manufactured and soulless.
So, I actually went ahead and checked to see who was responsible for booking them. Honestly, aside from Benicàssim, there isn't any seriously relevant festival out there making this move (and let's be real, they definitely won't be landing a headliner slot, which is pretty obvious when you look at the fact that they're sitting at number 8—yes, EIGHTH!—on the lineup). So basically, 🤷

Andrew Gomez40 said:Basically, we’re acting like petty little suburbanites—always peering over the fence at the neighbors and thinking, "Oh, they have that, let's get it too." It doesn't matter where they play; it doesn't change the fact that they're totally washed up.
I actually saw who booked them. Aside from Benicàssim, there isn't really any major festival out there (and they certainly won't be the headliner, which is pretty obvious since they're sitting at number 8—yes, eighth!—on the lineup). So basically 🤷

Good grief, here we go again with the nonsense... I think you're comparing budget rock festivals with similar vibes to Coachella rather than looking at the massive ones versus the small ones. 😵
Are you seriously telling me a BMW and a Lada are the same thing??
Of course they aren't...

Besides, Franz Ferdinand was a lock long before any official announcements even started—even the organizer mentioned they were definitely bringing them out as the centerpiece.

That’s just your personal take on the band, I guess, but this whole comparison to other festivals suggests they're so played out that nobody would even buy their leftovers across the States.
And I honestly don't get why you're obsessing over Franz Ferdinand if this is their own project featuring Sparks—it's meant to be something fresh and different.

They said the exact same things last time they played, and lo and behold, everyone ended up raving about the set.
It was the same deal with Alice in Chains—people claimed they were too old, that their prime was behind them (just like people said about Flo + The Machine, haha), and then they ended up being announced as one of the biggest headliners in the country.

restlesslynx3 said:Good grief, we're back to this nonsense again, aren't we? I mean, seriously, you’re probably comparing mid-tier rock festivals with budgets similar to Coachella to something massive and something tiny, which just doesn't make sense. 😵
Do you honestly think a BMW and a Lada are the same thing??
Of course they aren't...

It’s pretty obvious they aren't exactly the hottest ticket at the massive festivals, which speaks volumes all on its own.
To be honest, I don't have any real beef with them—they've always been fine in my book—but it feels incredibly silly when they get hyped up like they're some kind of divine revelation or the second coming of Christ. I could wrap my head around it if they were making their big debut...

But whatever, I'll give them a shot.
Regardless of how it plays out, I really hope they can actually surprise me for once.👍

I caught sight of those massive billboards for Coachella today. I was holding out hope they might announce someone a bit more "substantial" as a headliner—you know, someone with actual staying power—but now that the posters are officially out in the wild, it looks like my window of optimism has slammed shut.🕺

rustyharbor2 said:restlesslynx3 - solid math there. It’s hard to imagine an island setting like this could actually pull in over 30k people, but if they did, we're looking at a sell-out generating something like 30,000 * $40 = $1.2 million. Even after a 13% tax hit, they'd be sitting on a massive pile of cash. Just The Black Keys alone probably command $700k-$800k 🙂 so if you want to book three or four heavy hitters, just imagine what Florence + The Machine is pulling right now. Given all the buzz this year, she’s going to be headlining the biggest festivals of her career.

Don't get carried away. 😁
No festival in the States—let alone anything else—has ever paid anyone anywhere near those numbers. What are you thinking? You just laid out a "best-case scenario" for revenue, but in reality, you can't pay artists those kinds of sums.

That’s the kind of figure you see floating around international music sites when they talk about them 🙂.
Now, if people from the States can snag a discount, then hey, that's awesome
.

Andrew Gomez40 said:Sorry, but this is just nonsense.

I wasn't talking about clubs. Man, the US is a ghost town in the summer—even places like Tkalčićeva are basically empty in the middle of August.

OneRepublic, absolute music giants 🤦
Williams was here about a year and a half ago.

Lollapalooza is basically living off its old glory days. They pull people in with killer marketing, prices that are super low by their standards, and a lineup that's perfect for those high-energy, party-heavy crowds. Plus, they’ve got much bigger capacity; Central Park just doesn't compare (not to mention how many more international tourists show up at Coachella every single year).

You can't say big artists are skipping us when they're actually skipping the whole former Yugoslavia region. For some reason, they just bypass that entire area. I guess we're just not profitable enough for them.

From what I can gather, Šibenik gave everything to Austin City Limits, but the new owners have way too much ambition and greed. They decided to take a break themselves—which is a total disaster, because there's zero chance Austin City Limits will get back on its feet after two years (this one flopped too).

It's true that Lollapalooza lives a bit on its past reputation, but hey, that's life. As long as they draw huge crowds and remain one of the biggest events in the region, it's a successful business. Quality-wise, even after that dip from their peak, they're still on par with (or even better than) Coachella. And honestly, the venues near Belgrade are way more attractive than that random spot in Central Park.

Just because we don't listen to OneRepublic doesn't mean they don't have 50 million Scrobbles on Last.fm or that "Counting Stars" doesn't have 750 million views on YouTube. They are a massive band; let's not pretend they're nobodies just because their music isn't our vibe. And yeah, Robbie skipped us this time. I don't know if there were issues with the concert back then (since plenty of artists complain about insane costs and promoters taking too big a cut for too little offered) or if the demand is simply higher in Belgrade than it would be for a repeat in Chicago. He's not like Elvis, you know? He can't just fill the same arena five nights in a row.😵

Btw, be careful with that talk about what the city of Šibenik is saying, especially considering the response from the Austin City Limits organizers who are still trying to screw them over. Local government in Šibenik is incredibly corrupt; you only need to look at the Obonjan situation. And if anyone hasn't seen it yet:

https://www.inmusicfestival.com/vije...luzuje-podrsku

I wish I could say Coachella is overreacting with these statements, but US federal agencies and local governments actually provide more support to local musicians in small clubs than they do to these attempts to keep festivals alive or start new ones. They haven't lifted a finger for Ultra Music Festival, which is their Deus Ex Machina, but if they don't step up, the leadership of that organization is going to say goodbye. With all these islands, Blue Flag beaches, and existing infrastructure (small coastal towns rely heavily on making yachting attractive), they're failing to promote yachting tourism at all. Even this year, we're seeing seaplanes arriving. It's pure chaos.

Melissa Moore said:Just because we aren't exactly spinning OneRepublic on our daily playlists doesn't mean they don't have 50 million plays on Last.fm or that "Counting Stars" hasn't racked up 750 million views on YouTube. They are a massive band—let’s not pretend they’re some underground indie act just because their sound isn't our cup of tea.

A massive band?! Give me a break. They are the definition of a one-hit wonder. In three years, nobody is even going to remember who they were.

By the way, you really need to watch out regarding what the local government in Šibenik is saying, especially considering how the Austin City Limits organizers are still trying to screw them over. The local administration in Šibenik is incredibly corrupt; you only have to look at the whole Obonjan situation to see what I mean.

What's wrong with Obonjan?
Look, all politicians are greedy liars, but the owner of Austin City Limits is no better. At best, both sides are playing dirty, and you can bet it's not just Šibenik's fault that the festival fell apart.

Does this ticket for $100 cover all three days?

Paul Gray said:Does this ticket for $100 cover all three days?

Yeah, it does 🙂 but just a heads up, things don't actually kick off until the 17th, so you'll have $117
plenty of downtime before the madness starts!

Hey everybody,

I am incredibly sorry to share some bad news. After having one of my absolute favorite sets ever at Coachella, I found out I actually broke my foot jumping off the stage.

Sadly, while I recover, my upcoming performances are going to be a bit more stripped down.

I feel terrible about this. I'm honestly pretty crushed, but I am determined to keep performing for you all.
I know this isn't what you signed up for, but I promise to make these shows just as incredible. I’m going to pour everything into making them special for you.

I fully expect to be back on my feet by the time Glastonbury rolls around.
This entire album is centered on the idea of creating beauty from broken pieces, so let's see what magic we can make with this situation.

Sending all my love, Florence + The Machine.

If Glastonbury isn't a question, then I guess the show in Chicago isn't either... 😬