After several false-alarms and Photoshopped posters, the official lineup for the 2012 Coachella Music and Arts Festival has been released.
For the first time, the festival, which takes place in Indio, California, will be stretched out over two weekends; beginning April 15th-18th and finishing April 20-22nd. This is likely to accommodate for the large crowds (last year the the attendance record was estimated at about 100,000 people) that travel world-wide for the outdoor festival. Each weekend will have identical lineups, so concert goers have a bit more leeway on deciding when to venture out to Indio, or if you’re a die-hard fan, you can shell out the cash and go both weekends.
The Black Keys headline this year, along with Radiohead, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.
Most of the buzz has been given to this year’s headliners: The Black Keys, Radiohead, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.
The first day of the festival is also jam packed with performers, including British-rock band, Arctic Monkeys, and electropop musician, M83. Singer-songwriter, Cat Power, is also scheduled to perform on the first day, as well as Explosions in the Sky, and indie-folk musician, M. Ward. Day two features Bon Iver, who is fresh off a year of critical acclaim for his self-titled album. Meanwhile, The Shins, indie-rock darlings, Andrew Bird and Feist, and everyone’s new favorite rapper/actor, Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) round out day two. Day three’s big news is a reunion performance from At The Drive-In, as well as sets from Florence + the Machine, Beirut, Santigold, and electronic musician, Girl Talk.
As usual, for all the big names being touted on the lineup, there are tons of lesser-known artists and bands to keep the hipsters (such as myself, sadly) happy. Some of my personal favorites performing this year include New York-based rock band, The Rapture, (if you’re familiar with the British superhero comedy, Misfits, they provide the music played in the opening credits), British-rock bands Kasabian and Wild Beasts, and one of my absolute favorite musicians, singer-songwriter, St. Vincent.
Despite the jam-packed lineup, there’s a few glaring omissions this year that have left fans grumbling. No Kanye West or Jay-Z, despite their Watch the Throne album being released this past year. Likewise, no appearance from the year’s biggest seller, Adele, nor the year’s second best-seller, Canadian rapper, Drake. Coldplay is also absent from the lineup, despite releasing an album last year, and dubstep fans will be disappointed to see that Skrillex won’t be appearing, despite receiving huge success (and five Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist) for his 2011 EP, More Monsters and Sprites. I was personally hoping for Sufjan Stevens to make his first Coachella appearance, but I’m still amazingly satisfied with this year’s lineup, and above all, I’m just grateful that Lady Gaga won’t be there.
Coachella: a three day camping trip with awesome music.
A general admission pass costs $335 this year, and includes three-day access to all five stages and performances. Camping passes are available at an additional $85 and allow attendees to camp out in their car or camper right at the site for the weekend. Tickets go on sale on Friday, January 13th, and will be sold through the official Coachella website until they are sold out. Last year, tickets for the festival sold out only a week after they were released, so if you’re planning on attending this year, get your money/vacation hours together quickly and make a purchase before it’s too late. Otherwise, you’re looking at scalpers and tickets being sold on eBay at sometimes twice the cost.
Here’s the full lineup:
Friday, April 13 & 20
The Black Keys, Swedish House Mafia, Pulp, Refused, Arctic Monkeys, Mazzy Star, Afrojack, Explosions in the Sky, M83, Amon Tobin, Cat Power, Madness, Jimmy Cliff & Tim Armstrong, GIRLS, The Rapture, Madeon, M. Ward, The Horrors, Frank Ocean, Horrors, James Alesso, Sebastien, Yuck, Neon Indian, Dawes, Black Angels, Deathgrips, Wu Lyf, Breakbot, Atari Teenage Riot, Feed Me, Givers, Other Lives, Band of Skulls, R3hab, Wolfgang, Midnight Beast, EMA, Ximena Sarinana, Kendrick Lamar, The Dear Hunter, Honeyhoney, Hello Seahorse!, Sheepdogs, LA Riots
Saturday, April 14 and 21
Radiohead, Bon Iver, The Shins, David Guetta, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Kaskade, Miike Snow, Jeff Mangum, Sebastian Ingrosso, Andrew Bird, Feist, Firehose, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, St. Vincent, Martin Solveig, Subfocus, Sbtrkt, Flying Lotus, Manchester Orchestra, Kasabian, AWOL Nation, Azealia Banks, Squeeze, A$AP Rocky, Buzzcocks, Kaiser Chiefs, Destroyer, The Head and the Heart, Laura Marling, Tuneyards, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Black Lips, The Big Pink, Childish Gambino, The Vaccines, Zed’s Dead, Grouplove, Jacques Lu Cont, We Were Promised, Jetpacks, Gary Clark Jr., Borgore, Dragonette, We Are Augustines, Mt. Eden, Destructo, Suedehead, Keep Shelley in Athens, Pure Filth Sound
Sunday, April 15 and 22
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, At the Drive-In, Justice, Florence and the Machine, AVICII, La Roux, Beirut, The Weeknd, Girl Talk, The Hives, DJ Shadow, Calvin Harris, Nero, Wild Flag, Modeselektor, Dada Life, Porter Robinson, Santigold, Flux Pavilion, Dr. P, Gotye, Seun Keti, Egypt 80, Beats Antique, Fitz and the Tantrums, Araabmuzik, Company Flow, Real Estate, Zed, Le Bucherettes, Greg Ginn, The Growlers, Noisia, Morgan Page, Gaslamp Killer, First Aid Kit, Oberhofer, Lissie, Thundercat, Metronomy, Wild Beasts, Housse de Racket, Fanfarlo, Spector, Gardens & Villa, Airplane Boys, Sleeper Agent