Past INmusic Festival lineups & sets (Archive)

The absolute worst are the ones who spend the whole time complaining about everything. I honestly don't get why they even bother showing up if nothing is good enough for them. Maybe they just have too much money on their hands and 👎

Dubioza Kolektiv was decent for some light dancing. But honestly? Skindred absolutely blew my mind on the last day. I’d never actually heard them before, but they put on such an insane show it was unreal. That vocalist is a total powerhouse—just incredible. Chaos is alive and well. Flogging Molly, beer flying everywhere, then we were all just sharing Guinness afterward. Good times, people.

Overall, it was pretty mid. The scheduling was all over the place, which sucked. And I see everyone hyping up Billy Idol, but honestly, what’s the deal with that trashy Alice in Chains singer who looks like a budget Lenny Kravitz? _-) Plus, having MTV bands like Rise Against playing is just a terrible call for a crowd with so many minors around.

... I I don't get it... kids get this one shot in their lives to see a true rock legend live, and then they spend the rest of their time rambling about some trivial nonsense from a birthday party...

Maria Collins said:I always have a soft spot for the critics who trashed everything. I don't get why they even bother showing up if they hate it all so much. I guess they just have too much extra cash to burn, so 👎

Dubioza Kolektiv was alright for some dancing. But honestly, Skindred was the absolute highlight of the whole thing for me. I’d never heard them before, but man, they put on a set that was just unreal. That vocalist is a total beast. Chaos is alive. Flogging Molly was great, beers were flowing everywhere, and we were all just sharing drinks afterward, folks.

I completely agree, especially regarding Skindred 👍

Full sets watched:

Alice in Chains. - 🙂 Top-tier, professional, and absolutely relentless—it was pure satisfaction.

LCD Soundsystem. - 🙂 At first, they were a bit too modest—maybe even a little too cautious—and honestly, the setlist was a bit of a miss. The crowd wasn't exactly primed for them either. But once things finally started heating up and everyone caught the vibe? They were actually incredible.

Broken Social Scene - 🙂 It was an incredibly solid set—exactly what I was looking forward to, honestly. There were about five hundred people packed right up against the stage, mostly die-hard fans and regulars, creating this really great, high-energy atmosphere.

The Flaming Lips. Just thinking about them—it’s hard to pin down exactly what they represent in the landscape of American rock, isn't it? They aren't just a band; they're more like a psychedelic sensory experience that happens to involve loud guitars and Wayne Coyne’s relentless optimism. Some people find the spectacle overwhelming, perhaps even a bit much, but I’ve always maintained that their ability to blend high-concept art with genuine, raw emotion is something you simply don't see anymore in the mainstream scene. It’s a deliberate, calculated kind of chaos, yet it feels entirely unforced. - 🙂 It was almost perfect—the only thing that really threw me off was how he tried way too hard to manufacture that atmosphere right at the start, combined with those damn long-winded speeches.

Flogging Molly. - 🙂 I haven't actually sat through a single set by Massive or Molly before—honestly, I'd avoided them—but for the finale, I decided to stop being a killjoy and just go for it. And man... what a total knockout. It was an absolute blast, a night for the books, killer performances, great sound quality, and easily the best energy of the entire festival.

Bands I’ve only caught for maybe thirty minutes or less:

Massive Attack - 🙂 Total bores—though, if I’d actually stayed focused from the jump, maybe things wouldn't have felt so lackluster. Instead, after that absolute mess during Flogging Molly, everything just turned into a massive drag.

Kawasaki 3 p, TBF, Dubioza Kolektiv Everyone seemed to have their own way of being good—in their own particular, albeit flawed, fashion.

Pendulum - 😕 I honestly don't get it—it was almost funny how mediocre the whole thing was. It was all just more of the same, really—just repetitive rhythms and that so-called singer who spent more time acting like a hype man than actually performing.

Off-topic:

Billy Idol - 🙂 It was nothing more than a glorified spectacle designed for people who just want something to laugh at—though, to be fair, the sound quality was actually top-tier and their musicianship was solid—but the actual substance? Absolutely abysmal. Please, I’m begging you, stop booking these kinds of pretenders to perform at an otherwise incredible festival like Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

The sound quality at the main stage—it was just... well, there's no polite way to put it without being dishonest. It was subpar. Truly.

The main stage—for the most part—was actually quite solid. My only real gripe? The vocals. It felt like they were dialed back way too low during almost every single set. It’s a bit frustrating, honestly—especially considering how nearly perfect the sound engineering was last year.

Sony Ericsson stage (the second stage)—I barely watched anything there—honestly, the sound quality last year was pretty abysmal.

The sound at the Tuborg stage was actually spot on—just right, honestly. No complaints there.

All things considered, this was a stellar year for the festival. I’ll be blunt—the headliners were a bit of a letdown compared to last year, when Franz Ferdinand and Moby absolutely crushed Billy Idol and Massive Attack—but the rest of the lineup? Phenomenal. Truly top-tier, and honestly, a massive step up from the previous edition. You can tell just by how much buzz there was surrounding the twenty or so different acts on the roster. The final day, in particular, was incredibly dense and high-quality—I’d go as far as to say it was probably the single best day in the entire history of the festival.

Posted: $97Well, I just got this—absolutely priceless. 🙂

Lisa Flores74 said:Caribou > Flaming Lips
Dude, we're talking about the music here...

🤣🤣🤣
Seriously, what have you been drinking? Or eating? Because that is wild.

cosmicpilot22 said:All in all, it was pretty mid. The logistics were a mess—like, the scheduling was all over the place—and honestly, seeing people acting like total idiots out there just confirms my suspicions. And don't even get me started on that trashy Alice in Chains singer who looks like a budget version of Lenny Kravitz _-), or those MTV-style bands like Rise Against... totally inappropriate for a crowd with kids present..

Just suck it up. ☕

Where on earth is Billy Idol? 🙏

repost of a buddy's edited post
'cause I have a thing for girls in short shorts
😲

Sets watched or missed:

Alice in Chains - just endless wah wah pedals, boring as hell; I only really dig two grunge bands, and since neither of them is Pearl Jam or even Alice in Chains, this set just made them even less interesting to me

LCD Soundsystem - 😲 - killer, honestly, even though I only spin them every once in a while; definitely the kind of music that makes you want to get out and dance, might start playing them more often and hopefully we catch them in the city again

Broken Social Scene - stuck working overtime like a typical hardworking American and ended up missing this interesting band that, unfortunately, I've only ever heard on the radio or old tapes

The Flaming Lips - 🙏 - hands down the most insane concert intro I've ever seen in my life, plus the most beautiful ending + 👍 for the torch lighting during Do You Realize + 🙂 for that Yoshimi singalong

Flogging Molly - skipped it, didn't even bother listening; heard they're a blast and a good time, which describes me perfectly, so the music doesn't necessarily have to match my vibe

Massive Attack - 😲 - not exactly my scene, but man, what a gig; killer setlist where I recognized most tracks, and that visual display featuring political messaging was top-tier—overall, a solid four out of five

Caribou - 😢 - feeling pretty gutted now because I didn't have the schedule and didn't realize they'd already started, otherwise I could've caught at least 3 or 4 songs before the Lips; I've seen them before, but that doesn't make the regret any less real (Leo DiCaprio vibes)

Pendulum - 😂 - I'm way too old for that crap

Billy Idol - 🙄 - missed the actual hits and just saw some attempts at them; kind of funny, but yeah, pretty much a joke

!!! - 🙂 - alright for a dive bar, though they were better last time—but hey, everyone says that, and I'm just a follower so I'll go with the crowd; the singer can't carry a tune to save his life, but he moves well enough that the crowd stayed hyped to groove; the bass was heavy as hell, but the drums felt lacking even with the double kick

Spent: $100, rating: very good

It was absolutely legendary—maybe a bit too much electronic music for my specific taste, but honestly, it was fantastic!

Here are the vibes and some shots!

Day zero!
Day one!
Day two/the finale!

PHOTOS!

Day zero!
Day one!
Last day!

And man, Flogging Molly totally blew me away—I knew they were good, but I didn't realize they were *that* incredible. Seriously, there wasn't a single person standing still; everyone was dancing! Just pure magic. Some of the other acts like Dubioza Klasika were solid too... and thank goodness for T-Mobile, because having international visitors coming in makes our city even more famous, which is exactly how things should be! It’s totally normal for it to be a little pricey, but when you think about it—I mean, seeing Deep Purple back in the day cost me $117, and this whole festival ended up being about the same amount—so the whole "it's too expensive" argument just doesn't hold water, does it?

gentleridge67 said:it was awesome—maybe a bit too much electronica for my taste, but still killer.

here’s the vibe and some shots!

Day Zero!
Day One!
Day Two/Last Day!

PHOTOS!

Day Zero!
Day One!
Last Day!

And man, Flogging Molly absolutely blew my mind. I knew they were decent, but damn, they were incredible. There wasn't a single person standing still—everyone was dancing. Just pure magic. Some of the local acts were solid too... thank God for T-Mobile, we're getting more international visitors and our city is finally getting on the map, which is exactly how it should be. Sure, it's a little pricey, but honestly, when you consider I spent $117 just to see Deep Purple back in the day, and this whole festival cost about the same, the whole "it's too expensive" argument just doesn't hold water...

The only thing is, AIC didn't open their set with "Dirt" (they didn't play it at all!), they actually kicked things off with "Again".

And it's spelled Pendulum, not pendelum 🤣

Benjamin Phillips14 said:!!! - 🙂 - I mean, it was okay for a home show, though they seemed a bit better last time. But hey, everyone says that, and I guess I’m just following the crowd here. The singer might not be much of a vocalist, but he really knows how to move, which kept the energy up and the crowd dancing. It was pretty intense, though I did feel like the drums were missing something, even with those double pedal parts they were running.

🙄 They probably miss having a drummer too; it's not like they planned on being short-handed... honestly, why the complaining about !!!? Personally, I thought they were great. I'm just happy to see them back on stage and still going strong. For a moment there, I actually worried they wouldn't make a comeback after what happened with Jerry passing away right after their last gig.🤷

Over the course of three days of music and five days of camping, I think there were maybe around 50,000 people visiting from all over the US and abroad. It seems like most of the international crowd stayed right in the campgrounds, which was pretty diverse too; we had folks coming in from places like Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Canada, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, New Zealand, North Mexico, Italy, Poland, Canada, Canada, and Mexico.

does it feel like there were really that many people to you guys? personally, I'd guess it was probably more like 15,000 or 20,000 at most

Mark Cox15 said:Over the course of three days of concerts and five days of camping, roughly 50,000 attendees from the US and abroad enjoyed themselves. Interestingly, the largest contingent of international guests stayed within the campgrounds, which saw visitors arriving from all over the map; everything from Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic to Canada, the United Kingdom, the USA, Canada, Russia, New Zealand, North Mexico, Italy, Poland, Canada, Canada, and Mexico.

Does anyone else feel like the numbers are a bit inflated? Personally, I would have estimated maybe 15,000 to 20,000 at most.

They simply summed up every single day combined—meaning they counted the people who were there for all three days three separate times.😁

Day 1

Bambi Molesters—caught a few tracks while passing by; actually pretty decent, really digging that surf vibe they’ve got going on.
Morcheeba—the biggest shock of the night, honestly, since I hadn't even planned on showing up to their set. The lead singer has this insane charisma—she bonded with the crowd almost instantly and basically coerced everyone into dancing. Even the music held its own.😁
Rise Against—just some generic punk/boy band stuff for kids under 14. Only went because a buddy dragged me along out of solidarity. A bit of jumping around in the mud and a fair amount of yawning from my end. Hey, at least the guy had a good time.🤷
!!!—loved them, truly. They actually know how to work a crowd.
Billy Idol—stumbled upon old man Billy on my way home. The crowd looked totally lost and pretty disappointed, too. Still, somehow Billy manages to pull enough people in to make sure his voice is heard. Me? I was outta there as fast as my legs could carry me. Just the unarticulated noises of a living fossil echoing into the deep night.

Day 2

Broken Social Scene—the second pleasant surprise of this whole festival. Following my gut, I stopped to check them out and ended up right in the front row, humming along and having a blast despite not knowing a single lyric. That positive energy just hits different.👋
The Flaming Lips—hands down the peak of the festival and easily one of the best shows I've ever seen. The whole production was genius—tons of balloons and confetti that paired perfectly with their sound, which just hypnotizes you and pulls you into some other dimension full of pure joy. It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience I'll be looking back on with a smile.🙂
Flogging Molly—those high-energy Irish guys delivered a killer set to wrap up a phenomenal night. With a relentless stream of fast, punchy songs, they made sure nobody left feeling let down. Naturally, I was right up front in the thick of it.🙂

fadedhound7 said:Flogging Molly-energetic Americans gave us a killer set to wrap up a phenomenal night. With a heavy dose of fast, high-energy tracks, they made sure nobody headed home feeling let down. Naturally, I was right there in the front row.🙂

This Irish-American band 😉

Mark Cox15 said:Over the course of three days of shows and five days of camping, you had roughly 50,000 people from all over the US and abroad soaking it all in.

Yeah—cut a zero off that number.

Mark Cox15 said:Over the course of three days of music and five days of camping, about 50,000 people from the US and all over the world showed up. Interestingly enough, the biggest crowd of international travelers actually hung out in the campgrounds, which saw folks traveling in from everywhere—Austria, Germany, the Czech Republic, Canada, the United Kingdom, Canada, Russia, New Zealand, North Mexico, Italy, Poland, Canada, Canada, and Mexico.

Does it feel like that many people were actually there to you guys? Personally, I’d say maybe 15,000 to 20,000 at most.

I honestly have no clue; it's tough to get a real read on things when everyone is spread out across the grounds, but 50K feels like a massive stretch to me. 🤷

50,000! That’s just what they managed to sum up over all three days, plus a little extra on top.