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Decent as in his actual live rapping, breath control, etc. He's not Denzel Curry good but he's not Kodak Black bad live either lol Boring in terms of energy
5. I looked at a lot of installation art when I was doing my mocks this year and Yinka Ilori's shit is so good. They really should've had him do something this year.
For real, how in the hell has this artist NOT done an installation at Coachella yet?? It seems to be the perfect fit.
Would also just like to emphasize how big of a miss Max Cooper is every year they don't book him for Coachella. This lineup already seems to have a lot of electronic acts with huge spectacle, but I hope they eventually find room for him. A nighttime slot in the Sahara or Mojave with projected visuals on the roof of the tent would be one of the most impressive A/V shows in the fest's history. Give the man the keys to the Antarctic tent while you're at it!
ironic thing is max announced a goldenvoice show a week after the coachella announcement.
Would also just like to emphasize how big of a miss Max Cooper is every year they don't book him for Coachella. This lineup already seems to have a lot of electronic acts with huge spectacle, but I hope they eventually find room for him. A nighttime slot in the Sahara or Mojave with projected visuals on the roof of the tent would be one of the most impressive A/V shows in the fest's history. Give the man the keys to the Antarctic tent while you're at it!
ironic thing is max announced a goldenvoice show a week after the coachella announcement.
Yeah, it definitely hurts more this year. If they are putting Despacio where Antarctic usually goes, I'd be happy to wait a year if they give him Antarctic though. I'm driving out from AZ for that Fonda show, at least.
1. Bad Bunny - TickleMeElmo said it best -- a headliner that is currently the biggest artist on the planet, a first-time headliner, expands Coachella's international footprint and identity, and is playing one of his only shows of the year at Coachella. A slam dunk in every possible sense. No matter the conflicts, I will at least see some of his show, and I'd like to see the whole thing.
2. Jai Paul - also one that needs very little explanation. A legendarily influential and reclusive artist playing his first live shows ever. More than anything else on the lineup, a HUGE flex, and reestablishes for the millionth time that Coachella is lapping the field and delivers a music experience that just can't be found anywhere else.
3. The billing of the subs/Calvin - nerds like us have been begging them to get more creative with the billing for years to get these kinds of artists back, and Ye insurance/SHM overbilling from last year looks like it may have created a flexible tool for the festival to do just that. Gorillaz/ROSALIA/Bjork are all excellent bookings in their own right, and I'm stoked to see all 3 if I can. But it also bodes extremely well for the festival that they went for it. Between Returning to the Desert and the bigger font size for the headliner-level subs, this greatly increases the chance that Coachella can rebook artists who aren't headliners, or aren't headliners anymore, but didn't want to accept a straight sub slot anymore. It gives them flexibility to add the exact artists they want and feature more big names, and it's not hard to see why they'd want to open the playbook a bit and see where they can go. Excited to see what the next few lineups do with this in the tool belt.
4. The Comet is Coming/Dinner Party/Hiatus Kaiyote - Shabaka Hutchings on his last leg of public live shows playing the sax, Robert Glasper/Terrace Martin/Kamasi Washington/9th Wonder jazz supergroup, Hiatus Kaiyote with intricate grooves. The healthy contingent of jazz/jazz-adjacent acts really add to the depth and diversity of this lineup. These are all excellent acts that would be worthy of a slot on their own merits, but as a unit, are greater than the sum of their parts in adding to the all-encompassing nature of this year's festival. The thought, care, what is likely significant extra expense in bringing these specific acts here -- it's this lineup at its best, and taken together, these acts exemplify the thought with which the poster was put together this year. It's the type of thing that makes Coachella feel like a true, all-encompassing musical showcase.
5. Donavan's Yard - A hyperlocal, extremely influential, popular, dancehall-focused party in LA is the type of thing that hasn't had a place at Coachella in the past, but it's brilliant. To book the party brings with it all the connotations, cultural connections, and ambiance of the party, and lets not only the party showcase itself, but Coachella showcase the party and the subculture that comes with it, rather than "just" the music. I expect to see these bookings establish themselves at the festival in the coming years (look to the 88rising show last year as another very successful example, albeit of much larger stature). It's a really cool idea to pull in examples of unique musical niches from different parts of the country and world, and letting the whole festival as an international community share in them. It's a way to book a whole scene. Arguably this is an idea that grows out of the Sonora's creation, but it's exactly what Coachella should be. Wouldn't be surprised if they pull a huge guest or two at this one to boot (Burna Boy is right there -- another fantastic booking), based on their connections.
Honestly, there are so many honorable mentions on here it's outrageous:
Blondie is a fantastic inheritor of the "introduce a legend to the kids" slot, in keeping with Danny Elfman/David Byrne, and someone who is going to crush the festival just like they did;
The Breeders are a fantastic inheritor of "this festival is still for you too, old heads" booking;
The Chems and Underworld also fit that description, but with (dare I say it) more gravitas & a different kind of crossover appeal that is closer to where the present of music is and are up higher accordingly;
boygenius is a sensational booking and in a prime billing that continues to show Coachella is committed to guitars;
holding onto Frank and getting his debut after so many struggles with headliners in recent years is a big win for the festival and would be widely heralded if we hadn't been waiting for 3 years to see if he was actually going to play/knowing that if he wasn't on the lineup, something had gone wrong (rather than being a huge coup for getting the first shows in 6 years of an artist who has only played a couple dozen shows ever);
BLACKPINK is honestly a good promotion, one that makes a lot of sense for GV and the prominence of the festival given their history here, and a booking that will probably look genius in 5 years (and at worst, will be better remembered than, like, Phoenix);
the Sonora continues to be amazing, forward-thinking, and occupies an alt/punk/DIY niche in the festival that not only creates space for a whole category of acts Coachella could have easily left behind, but actually heightens many of the sets in there that otherwise would've been enjoyable but overwhelmed & maybe a little outgunned in the afternoon Gobi.
The list goes on and on and on. I think this will be remembered as a top 3 lineup for the festival all-time; I'd put it over 2013 and behind 2006 and 2008. It's easily the best North American festival since FYF 2017, and I think pretty easily better, which is no mean feat. Stoked to be able to make it happen this year.
5 Dumb
Before I launch into this, many of these are graded on a curve. I understand why all these acts are here, and I think there's even a decent to good case for booking most of it. This list is influenced by my taste for sure.
1. Rae Sremmurd - a washed-up, gimmicky act that no one was asking for and no one is particularly excited about. Something might change in the next couple of months, but this feels like a pretty clear-cut miss. Every year they book a bunch of stuff I know I'll never get near attending, but usually I can see why they did it. This one, I don't.
2. The Yuma - man, the Yuma has just really gone downhill. The stuff they're booking in there is super popular, so I get why. But Sound appears to have totally surrendered to the lowest common denominator in techno. I wish they booked it closer to 2017/2018 still, where it was a more even mix of forward-thinking acts and big names in techno and tech house (hell I'd even take a 66-33 split). But the big names are the same big names as 5 years ago, and instead of Avalon Emerson or Omar S, they book stuff like Camelphat. The best example of what the Yuma has become is that they've booked Gordo as an up and comer, the total shithead formerly known as Carnage but now rebranded to play Joseph Capriati-ass tech house. It's a shame. The Yuma has been one of my favorite places in the festival in years past, and the past couple of editions I've barely gone in there. I wouldn't be surprised if I never go in there this year, and 5 years ago I don't think I could've imagined that. The Yuma isn't leading the way in anything anymore, it's just giving the crowd what they want. I'm sure this is how the Coachella goer of a decade ago felt about the Sahara -- nothing new under the sun. But I still think it's dumb.
3. Lewis OfMan/Jan Blomqvist/Monolink/all the playa tech with live elements - Sort of related to the Yuma stuff, I understand why all of this is here. And there's definitely a healthy fanbase and audience at Coachella for these acts. But they all sound the same to me, and this is flavor of the month stuff that will be gone from the musical zeitgeist sooner than later. Another place where Coachella is doing what they don't normally do: following rather than leading.
4. Porter Robinson - I like Porter a lot. I like Nurture a lot. I think they would've been a lot better waiting for the first show of Porter's next phase than booking the final Nurture shows. I'll still see it if I can, although I don't expect to given how stacked the lineup is. But this one feels a bit miscalculated, and reads like a second-best solution to having wanted to book him awhile back before the pandemic messed everything up.
5. Sleaford Mods - Another act I like well enough that I just don't think anyone was asking for. Feels like an attempt to recreate the Viagra Boys success of last year. Not a miss really, just a slot that feels like it could've gone to better use. Sometimes it feels like Paul books certain things to win an argument in his head about not having forgotten his roots, and to maintain credibility in music circles that scorn what they perceive Coachella to represent. This feels like one of those bookings.
5 Missed
It's really hard to complain about anything being missing from a lineup this stacked. So again, this is all graded on a curve:
1. Playboi Carti/second-line rap - This is the only major head-scratcher of the lineup. We know why it's not there (Rolling Loud, etc.), but feels like an area where they should've pushed harder to keep a couple of these acts in the mix. It would've gone a long way for their sales, and I would've loved to see Playboi third on his day somewhere. But if there were 3 more prominent raps names on this, that whole crowd would've had a core group of acts to hang their attendance on, and created a mutually-reinforcing dynamic similar to what the jazz acts did, albeit on a much larger scale.
2. Braxe + Falcon - This is an individual miss that is a bit heartbreaking to me. I really really want to see these guys play while they're active, because I don't know how many chances we'll get. They don't tour too much, especially in the States, and Coachella felt like the place that would get them. Despite what people made of Justice's booking (and it was indeed an awesome show), to me this is the closest we'll ever get to seeing Daft Punk again. Complete legends, should've been booked, have to imagine they were asked and just said no for some reason. As much as it is possible to be disappointed with this lineup as a music nerd, Braxe + Falcon not being here was bitterly disappointing to me. (after Googling around, there had been reporting that they were going to release an album in April of this year, but a September 2022 interview says it's not done yet and they don't know when it's out, so maybe Coachella is waiting for the LP to book them. hope is kindled!)
3. Black Thought - one of the best hip hop albums of last year, with Danger Mouse producing, and one of the best MCs doing it right now, both live and on record. Wouldn't have taken a big billing. Thought this is one they should've had. He's played the Heineken House before, wouldn't be shocked if he ended up there again. But he should be on the poster and burning down a tent.
4. Alvvays - one of the best rock albums of last year, decently well-established band getting a well-deserved breakthrough. Guessing they're on Primavera LA, and I can understand Coachella thinking the juice was not worth the squeeze to outbid for them. But an end of third line billing for Alvvays would've been appreciated and gone over well. They have a history with the festival too, and that's the kind of glow-up they've historically wanted to highlight/indirectly take credit for by booking again. I thought they should've done it here.
5. pinkpantheress - another one I assume is on Prima LA, but an indisputable miss. One of the acts at the musical vanguard of electronic music right now, and poised for a blow-up. I can't say I was shocked they weren't here, since Coachella can sometimes be a year late on this kind of electronic artist, but it's still a major miss (or what passes for a major miss on a lineup this good).
Last Edit: Jan 28, 2023 14:16:35 GMT -5 by cshenton: little format things that would've annoyed me to no end - Back to Top
I actually think Rae Sremmurd is fine given they aren't really over billed like an A Boogie. They have a lot of nostalgia hits that'll be a fun time. They stick out more just because of the lack of options for the genre this year
2. The Yuma - man, the Yuma has just really gone downhill. The stuff they're booking in there is super popular, so I get why. But Sound appears to have totally surrendered to the lowest common denominator in techno. I wish they booked it closer to 2017/2018 still, where it was a more even mix of forward-thinking acts and big names in techno and tech house (hell I'd even take a 66-33 split). But the big names are the same big names as 5 years ago, and instead of Avalon Emerson or Omar S, they book stuff like Camelphat. The best example of what the Yuma has become is that they've booked Gordo as an up and comer, the total shithead formerly known as Carnage but now rebranded to play Joseph Capriati-ass tech house. It's a shame. The Yuma has been one of my favorite places in the festival in years past, and the past couple of editions I've barely gone in there. I wouldn't be surprised if I never go in there this year, and 5 years ago I don't think I could've imagined that. The Yuma isn't leading the way in anything anymore, it's just giving the crowd what they want. I'm sure this is how the Coachella goer of a decade ago felt about the Sahara -- nothing new under the sun. But I still think it's dumb.
Interpol & The Walkmen 11.23 I Am Morbid/Suffocation 11.26 King Diamond 11.29 Sadistic Intent/Massacre 11.30 70K Tons Of Metal 2025 Hell's Heroes 2025 Sick New World 2025 Maryland Deathfest 2025
Coming from BC where the entire electronic scene is bass house, I have a hard time being upset with the Yuma no matter who is playing in there. Just such a welcome change from literally everything that is popular up here.
1. Bad Bunny - TickleMeElmo said it best -- a headliner that is currently the biggest artist on the planet, a first-time headliner, expands Coachella's international footprint and identity, and is playing one of his only shows of the year at Coachella. A slam dunk in every possible sense. No matter the conflicts, I will at least see some of his show, and I'd like to see the whole thing.
2. Jai Paul - also one that needs very little explanation. A legendarily influential and reclusive artist playing his first live shows ever. More than anything else on the lineup, a HUGE flex, and reestablishes for the millionth time that Coachella is lapping the field and delivers a music experience that just can't be found anywhere else.
3. The billing of the subs/Calvin - nerds like us have been begging them to get more creative with the billing for years to get these kinds of artists back, and Ye insurance/SHM overbilling from last year looks like it may have created a flexible tool for the festival to do just that. Gorillaz/ROSALIA/Bjork are all excellent bookings in their own right, and I'm stoked to see all 3 if I can. But it also bodes extremely well for the festival that they went for it. Between Returning to the Desert and the bigger font size for the headliner-level subs, this greatly increases the chance that Coachella can rebook artists who aren't headliners, or aren't headliners anymore, but didn't want to accept a straight sub slot anymore. It gives them flexibility to add the exact artists they want and feature more big names, and it's not hard to see why they'd want to open the playbook a bit and see where they can go. Excited to see what the next few lineups do with this in the tool belt.
4. The Comet is Coming/Dinner Party/Hiatus Kaiyote - Shabaka Hutchings on his last leg of public live shows playing the sax, Robert Glasper/Terrace Martin/Kamasi Washington/9th Wonder jazz supergroup, Hiatus Kaiyote with intricate grooves. The healthy contingent of jazz/jazz-adjacent acts really add to the depth and diversity of this lineup. These are all excellent acts that would be worthy of a slot on their own merits, but as a unit, are greater than the sum of their parts in adding to the all-encompassing nature of this year's festival. The thought, care, what is likely significant extra expense in bringing these specific acts here -- it's this lineup at its best, and taken together, these acts exemplify the thought with which the poster was put together this year. It's the type of thing that makes Coachella feel like a true, all-encompassing musical showcase.
5. Donavan's Yard - A hyperlocal, extremely influential, popular, dancehall-focused party in LA is the type of thing that hasn't had a place at Coachella in the past, but it's brilliant. To book the party brings with it all the connotations, cultural connections, and ambiance of the party, and lets not only the party showcase itself, but Coachella showcase the party and the subculture that comes with it, rather than "just" the music. I expect to see these bookings establish themselves at the festival in the coming years (look to the 88rising show last year as another very successful example, albeit of much larger stature). It's a really cool idea to pull in examples of unique musical niches from different parts of the country and world, and letting the whole festival as an international community share in them. It's a way to book a whole scene. Arguably this is an idea that grows out of the Sonora's creation, but it's exactly what Coachella should be. Wouldn't be surprised if they pull a huge guest or two at this one to boot (Burna Boy is right there -- another fantastic booking), based on their connections.
Honestly, there are so many honorable mentions on here it's outrageous:
Blondie is a fantastic inheritor of the "introduce a legend to the kids" slot, in keeping with Danny Elfman/David Byrne, and someone who is going to crush the festival just like they did;
The Breeders are a fantastic inheritor of "this festival is still for you too, old heads" booking;
The Chems and Underworld also fit that description, but with (dare I say it) more gravitas & a different kind of crossover appeal that is closer to where the present of music is and are up higher accordingly;
boygenius is a sensational booking and in a prime billing that continues to show Coachella is committed to guitars;
holding onto Frank and getting his debut after so many struggles with headliners in recent years is a big win for the festival and would be widely heralded if we hadn't been waiting for 3 years to see if he was actually going to play/knowing that if he wasn't on the lineup, something had gone wrong (rather than being a huge coup for getting the first shows in 6 years of an artist who has only played a couple dozen shows ever);
BLACKPINK is honestly a good promotion, one that makes a lot of sense for GV and the prominence of the festival given their history here, and a booking that will probably look genius in 5 years (and at worst, will be better remembered than, like, Phoenix);
the Sonora continues to be amazing, forward-thinking, and occupies an alt/punk/DIY niche in the festival that not only creates space for a whole category of acts Coachella could have easily left behind, but actually heightens many of the sets in there that otherwise would've been enjoyable but overwhelmed & maybe a little outgunned in the afternoon Gobi.
The list goes on and on and on. I think this will be remembered as a top 3 lineup for the festival all-time; I'd put it over 2013 and behind 2006 and 2008. It's easily the best North American festival since FYF 2017, and I think pretty easily better, which is no mean feat. Stoked to be able to make it happen this year.
5 Dumb
Before I launch into this, many of these are graded on a curve. I understand why all these acts are here, and I think there's even a decent to good case for booking most of it. This list is influenced by my taste for sure.
1. Rae Sremmurd - a washed-up, gimmicky act that no one was asking for and no one is particularly excited about. Something might change in the next couple of months, but this feels like a pretty clear-cut miss. Every year they book a bunch of stuff I know I'll never get near attending, but usually I can see why they did it. This one, I don't.
2. The Yuma - man, the Yuma has just really gone downhill. The stuff they're booking in there is super popular, so I get why. But Sound appears to have totally surrendered to the lowest common denominator in techno. I wish they booked it closer to 2017/2018 still, where it was a more even mix of forward-thinking acts and big names in techno and tech house (hell I'd even take a 66-33 split). But the big names are the same big names as 5 years ago, and instead of Avalon Emerson or Omar S, they book stuff like Camelphat. The best example of what the Yuma has become is that they've booked Gordo as an up and comer, the total shithead formerly known as Carnage but now rebranded to play Joseph Capriati-ass tech house. It's a shame. The Yuma has been one of my favorite places in the festival in years past, and the past couple of editions I've barely gone in there. I wouldn't be surprised if I never go in there this year, and 5 years ago I don't think I could've imagined that. The Yuma isn't leading the way in anything anymore, it's just giving the crowd what they want. I'm sure this is how the Coachella goer of a decade ago felt about the Sahara -- nothing new under the sun. But I still think it's dumb.
3. Lewis OfMan/Jan Blomqvist/Monolink/all the playa tech with live elements - Sort of related to the Yuma stuff, I understand why all of this is here. And there's definitely a healthy fanbase and audience at Coachella for these acts. But they all sound the same to me, and this is flavor of the month stuff that will be gone from the musical zeitgeist sooner than later. Another place where Coachella is doing what they don't normally do: following rather than leading.
4. Porter Robinson - I like Porter a lot. I like Nurture a lot. I think they would've been a lot better waiting for the first show of Porter's next phase than booking the final Nurture shows. I'll still see it if I can, although I don't expect to given how stacked the lineup is. But this one feels a bit miscalculated, and reads like a second-best solution to having wanted to book him awhile back before the pandemic messed everything up.
5. Sleaford Mods - Another act I like well enough that I just don't think anyone was asking for. Feels like an attempt to recreate the Viagra Boys success of last year. Not a miss really, just a slot that feels like it could've gone to better use. Sometimes it feels like Paul books certain things to win an argument in his head about not having forgotten his roots, and to maintain credibility in music circles that scorn what they perceive Coachella to represent. This feels like one of those bookings.
5 Missed
It's really hard to complain about anything being missing from a lineup this stacked. So again, this is all graded on a curve:
1. Playboi Carti/second-line rap - This is the only major head-scratcher of the lineup. We know why it's not there (Rolling Loud, etc.), but feels like an area where they should've pushed harder to keep a couple of these acts in the mix. It would've gone a long way for their sales, and I would've loved to see Playboi third on his day somewhere. But if there were 3 more prominent raps names on this, that whole crowd would've had a core group of acts to hang their attendance on, and created a mutually-reinforcing dynamic similar to what the jazz acts did, albeit on a much larger scale.
2. Braxe + Falcon - This is an individual miss that is a bit heartbreaking to me. I really really want to see these guys play while they're active, because I don't know how many chances we'll get. They don't tour too much, especially in the States, and Coachella felt like the place that would get them. Despite what people made of Justice's booking (and it was indeed an awesome show), to me this is the closest we'll ever get to seeing Daft Punk again. Complete legends, should've been booked, have to imagine they were asked and just said no for some reason. As much as it is possible to be disappointed with this lineup as a music nerd, Braxe + Falcon not being here was bitterly disappointing to me. (after Googling around, there had been reporting that they were going to release an album in April of this year, but a September 2022 interview says it's not done yet and they don't know when it's out, so maybe Coachella is waiting for the LP to book them. hope is kindled!)
3. Black Thought - one of the best hip hop albums of last year, with Danger Mouse producing, and one of the best MCs doing it right now, both live and on record. Wouldn't have taken a big billing. Thought this is one they should've had. He's played the Heineken House before, wouldn't be shocked if he ended up there again. But he should be on the poster and burning down a tent.
4. Alvvays - one of the best rock albums of last year, decently well-established band getting a well-deserved breakthrough. Guessing they're on Primavera LA, and I can understand Coachella thinking the juice was not worth the squeeze to outbid for them. But an end of third line billing for Alvvays would've been appreciated and gone over well. They have a history with the festival too, and that's the kind of glow-up they've historically wanted to highlight/indirectly take credit for by booking again. I thought they should've done it here.
5. pinkpantheress - another one I assume is on Prima LA, but an indisputable miss. One of the acts at the musical vanguard of electronic music right now, and poised for a blow-up. I can't say I was shocked they weren't here, since Coachella can sometimes be a year late on this kind of electronic artist, but it's still a major miss (or what passes for a major miss on a lineup this good).
Braxe+Falcon is the biggest miss in my heart too. The fit for Coachella is frankly too perfect in so many facets. Not sure I agree about the Daft Punk comment, but nonetheless - I’m with you that this would have been super memorable, for people who care anyhow.
Surprised you put Lewis ofMan in the playa tech category tho…. Didn’t realize this was a thing. Is polo+pan considered playa tech now? even if yes, lom’s work has so much more range.
1. Bad Bunny - TickleMeElmo said it best -- a headliner that is currently the biggest artist on the planet, a first-time headliner, expands Coachella's international footprint and identity, and is playing one of his only shows of the year at Coachella. A slam dunk in every possible sense. No matter the conflicts, I will at least see some of his show, and I'd like to see the whole thing.
2. Jai Paul - also one that needs very little explanation. A legendarily influential and reclusive artist playing his first live shows ever. More than anything else on the lineup, a HUGE flex, and reestablishes for the millionth time that Coachella is lapping the field and delivers a music experience that just can't be found anywhere else.
3. The billing of the subs/Calvin - nerds like us have been begging them to get more creative with the billing for years to get these kinds of artists back, and Ye insurance/SHM overbilling from last year looks like it may have created a flexible tool for the festival to do just that. Gorillaz/ROSALIA/Bjork are all excellent bookings in their own right, and I'm stoked to see all 3 if I can. But it also bodes extremely well for the festival that they went for it. Between Returning to the Desert and the bigger font size for the headliner-level subs, this greatly increases the chance that Coachella can rebook artists who aren't headliners, or aren't headliners anymore, but didn't want to accept a straight sub slot anymore. It gives them flexibility to add the exact artists they want and feature more big names, and it's not hard to see why they'd want to open the playbook a bit and see where they can go. Excited to see what the next few lineups do with this in the tool belt.
4. The Comet is Coming/Dinner Party/Hiatus Kaiyote - Shabaka Hutchings on his last leg of public live shows playing the sax, Robert Glasper/Terrace Martin/Kamasi Washington/9th Wonder jazz supergroup, Hiatus Kaiyote with intricate grooves. The healthy contingent of jazz/jazz-adjacent acts really add to the depth and diversity of this lineup. These are all excellent acts that would be worthy of a slot on their own merits, but as a unit, are greater than the sum of their parts in adding to the all-encompassing nature of this year's festival. The thought, care, what is likely significant extra expense in bringing these specific acts here -- it's this lineup at its best, and taken together, these acts exemplify the thought with which the poster was put together this year. It's the type of thing that makes Coachella feel like a true, all-encompassing musical showcase.
5. Donavan's Yard - A hyperlocal, extremely influential, popular, dancehall-focused party in LA is the type of thing that hasn't had a place at Coachella in the past, but it's brilliant. To book the party brings with it all the connotations, cultural connections, and ambiance of the party, and lets not only the party showcase itself, but Coachella showcase the party and the subculture that comes with it, rather than "just" the music. I expect to see these bookings establish themselves at the festival in the coming years (look to the 88rising show last year as another very successful example, albeit of much larger stature). It's a really cool idea to pull in examples of unique musical niches from different parts of the country and world, and letting the whole festival as an international community share in them. It's a way to book a whole scene. Arguably this is an idea that grows out of the Sonora's creation, but it's exactly what Coachella should be. Wouldn't be surprised if they pull a huge guest or two at this one to boot (Burna Boy is right there -- another fantastic booking), based on their connections.
Honestly, there are so many honorable mentions on here it's outrageous:
Blondie is a fantastic inheritor of the "introduce a legend to the kids" slot, in keeping with Danny Elfman/David Byrne, and someone who is going to crush the festival just like they did;
The Breeders are a fantastic inheritor of "this festival is still for you too, old heads" booking;
The Chems and Underworld also fit that description, but with (dare I say it) more gravitas & a different kind of crossover appeal that is closer to where the present of music is and are up higher accordingly;
boygenius is a sensational booking and in a prime billing that continues to show Coachella is committed to guitars;
holding onto Frank and getting his debut after so many struggles with headliners in recent years is a big win for the festival and would be widely heralded if we hadn't been waiting for 3 years to see if he was actually going to play/knowing that if he wasn't on the lineup, something had gone wrong (rather than being a huge coup for getting the first shows in 6 years of an artist who has only played a couple dozen shows ever);
BLACKPINK is honestly a good promotion, one that makes a lot of sense for GV and the prominence of the festival given their history here, and a booking that will probably look genius in 5 years (and at worst, will be better remembered than, like, Phoenix);
the Sonora continues to be amazing, forward-thinking, and occupies an alt/punk/DIY niche in the festival that not only creates space for a whole category of acts Coachella could have easily left behind, but actually heightens many of the sets in there that otherwise would've been enjoyable but overwhelmed & maybe a little outgunned in the afternoon Gobi.
The list goes on and on and on. I think this will be remembered as a top 3 lineup for the festival all-time; I'd put it over 2013 and behind 2006 and 2008. It's easily the best North American festival since FYF 2017, and I think pretty easily better, which is no mean feat. Stoked to be able to make it happen this year.
5 Dumb
Before I launch into this, many of these are graded on a curve. I understand why all these acts are here, and I think there's even a decent to good case for booking most of it. This list is influenced by my taste for sure.
1. Rae Sremmurd - a washed-up, gimmicky act that no one was asking for and no one is particularly excited about. Something might change in the next couple of months, but this feels like a pretty clear-cut miss. Every year they book a bunch of stuff I know I'll never get near attending, but usually I can see why they did it. This one, I don't.
2. The Yuma - man, the Yuma has just really gone downhill. The stuff they're booking in there is super popular, so I get why. But Sound appears to have totally surrendered to the lowest common denominator in techno. I wish they booked it closer to 2017/2018 still, where it was a more even mix of forward-thinking acts and big names in techno and tech house (hell I'd even take a 66-33 split). But the big names are the same big names as 5 years ago, and instead of Avalon Emerson or Omar S, they book stuff like Camelphat. The best example of what the Yuma has become is that they've booked Gordo as an up and comer, the total shithead formerly known as Carnage but now rebranded to play Joseph Capriati-ass tech house. It's a shame. The Yuma has been one of my favorite places in the festival in years past, and the past couple of editions I've barely gone in there. I wouldn't be surprised if I never go in there this year, and 5 years ago I don't think I could've imagined that. The Yuma isn't leading the way in anything anymore, it's just giving the crowd what they want. I'm sure this is how the Coachella goer of a decade ago felt about the Sahara -- nothing new under the sun. But I still think it's dumb.
3. Lewis OfMan/Jan Blomqvist/Monolink/all the playa tech with live elements - Sort of related to the Yuma stuff, I understand why all of this is here. And there's definitely a healthy fanbase and audience at Coachella for these acts. But they all sound the same to me, and this is flavor of the month stuff that will be gone from the musical zeitgeist sooner than later. Another place where Coachella is doing what they don't normally do: following rather than leading.
4. Porter Robinson - I like Porter a lot. I like Nurture a lot. I think they would've been a lot better waiting for the first show of Porter's next phase than booking the final Nurture shows. I'll still see it if I can, although I don't expect to given how stacked the lineup is. But this one feels a bit miscalculated, and reads like a second-best solution to having wanted to book him awhile back before the pandemic messed everything up.
5. Sleaford Mods - Another act I like well enough that I just don't think anyone was asking for. Feels like an attempt to recreate the Viagra Boys success of last year. Not a miss really, just a slot that feels like it could've gone to better use. Sometimes it feels like Paul books certain things to win an argument in his head about not having forgotten his roots, and to maintain credibility in music circles that scorn what they perceive Coachella to represent. This feels like one of those bookings.
5 Missed
It's really hard to complain about anything being missing from a lineup this stacked. So again, this is all graded on a curve:
1. Playboi Carti/second-line rap - This is the only major head-scratcher of the lineup. We know why it's not there (Rolling Loud, etc.), but feels like an area where they should've pushed harder to keep a couple of these acts in the mix. It would've gone a long way for their sales, and I would've loved to see Playboi third on his day somewhere. But if there were 3 more prominent raps names on this, that whole crowd would've had a core group of acts to hang their attendance on, and created a mutually-reinforcing dynamic similar to what the jazz acts did, albeit on a much larger scale.
2. Braxe + Falcon - This is an individual miss that is a bit heartbreaking to me. I really really want to see these guys play while they're active, because I don't know how many chances we'll get. They don't tour too much, especially in the States, and Coachella felt like the place that would get them. Despite what people made of Justice's booking (and it was indeed an awesome show), to me this is the closest we'll ever get to seeing Daft Punk again. Complete legends, should've been booked, have to imagine they were asked and just said no for some reason. As much as it is possible to be disappointed with this lineup as a music nerd, Braxe + Falcon not being here was bitterly disappointing to me. (after Googling around, there had been reporting that they were going to release an album in April of this year, but a September 2022 interview says it's not done yet and they don't know when it's out, so maybe Coachella is waiting for the LP to book them. hope is kindled!)
3. Black Thought - one of the best hip hop albums of last year, with Danger Mouse producing, and one of the best MCs doing it right now, both live and on record. Wouldn't have taken a big billing. Thought this is one they should've had. He's played the Heineken House before, wouldn't be shocked if he ended up there again. But he should be on the poster and burning down a tent.
4. Alvvays - one of the best rock albums of last year, decently well-established band getting a well-deserved breakthrough. Guessing they're on Primavera LA, and I can understand Coachella thinking the juice was not worth the squeeze to outbid for them. But an end of third line billing for Alvvays would've been appreciated and gone over well. They have a history with the festival too, and that's the kind of glow-up they've historically wanted to highlight/indirectly take credit for by booking again. I thought they should've done it here.
5. pinkpantheress - another one I assume is on Prima LA, but an indisputable miss. One of the acts at the musical vanguard of electronic music right now, and poised for a blow-up. I can't say I was shocked they weren't here, since Coachella can sometimes be a year late on this kind of electronic artist, but it's still a major miss (or what passes for a major miss on a lineup this good).
Braxe+Falcon is the biggest miss in my heart too. The fit for Coachella is frankly too perfect in so many facets. Not sure I agree about the Daft Punk comment, but nonetheless - I’m with you that this would have been super memorable, for people who care anyhow.
Surprised you put Lewis ofMan in the playa tech category tho…. Didn’t realize this was a thing. Is polo+pan considered playa tech now? even if yes, lom’s work has so much more range.
weirdly holding out hope for late adds this year. not sure where it comes from lol, but they'd be at the top of my list.
I don't think Polo & Pan is playa tech. Maybe I need to relisten to Lewis OfMan but I watched a live set and it very much sounded like these other acts.
Braxe+Falcon is the biggest miss in my heart too. The fit for Coachella is frankly too perfect in so many facets. Not sure I agree about the Daft Punk comment, but nonetheless - I’m with you that this would have been super memorable, for people who care anyhow.
Surprised you put Lewis ofMan in the playa tech category tho…. Didn’t realize this was a thing. Is polo+pan considered playa tech now? even if yes, lom’s work has so much more range.
weirdly holding out hope for late adds this year. not sure where it comes from lol, but they'd be at the top of my list.
I don't think Polo & Pan is playa tech. Maybe I need to relisten to Lewis OfMan but I watched a live set and it very much sounded like these other acts.
Maybe I need to check out a live set then!
ha dude, I will lose my shit if Braxe + Falcon get late added. Will certainly add to the overlap pain, but they will rise to the damn near top of must see, if not the top.
Not booking Rebecca Black to showcase her debut full length is a bummer and miss in my book. Album is fire, and everyone who would have shown up to see the "Friday girl" would have been treated to a hell of a surprise.
Coming from BC where the entire electronic scene is bass house, I have a hard time being upset with the Yuma no matter who is playing in there. Just such a welcome change from literally everything that is popular up here.
Gotta agree. The major major clubbing cities for the most part, get healthy doses of techno, but the reality everywhere else in the US is that there is a huge discrepancy between demand and supply.
