.What’s Weird About Coachella’s Lineup

1. Are the Black Keys really big enough to headline a day at Coachella? Somewhere along the way they went from that scrappy band that sounded too much like Cream to a bona fide arena act. They’re playing the Oakland Arena, too. Here is a very involved story from the drummer’s ex-wife, about the rise of the band and the coincidental dissolution of their marriage.
2. The biggest excitement here is for millennial hardcore fans. Reunions from both At the Drive-In and Refused? Everyone I know in their late 20s is shitting their pants. I mean really.
3. Aside from Swedish House Mafia and AVICII, there aren’t a lotta up-and-coming electronic acts. Amon Tobin, DJ Shadow, Atari Teenage Riot, Beats Antique and David Guetta are your dad’s electronic music. (I am a dad.) Where is this year’s teenage get, Skrillex? Who will go see araabMUZIK?
4. Radiohead, Snoop, Dre, Mazzy Star, et al: Total late ’90s / early aughts vibe. Historically, Coahella’s always gone after the ABSOLUTELY NEW AWESOME TOP BLOGGABLE FREAKOUT THING. Then there was that Rage reunion and they must have realized the potential in an old crowd. Or older. Whatever, they’re the ones with enough disposable income to afford this thing, right?
5. Amazing that I looked at this lineup five times before noticing fIREHOSE. A fIREHOSE reunion? Damn.
6. No official press release, and the Coachella official site has been down all day. CSI pal Erik Siebert says it best: “I would be VERY impressed if Coachella only announced their lineup with a whisper, a share on Facebook, and a tweet.” The future is here, people.
7. Acts to cross your fingers and hope they tour through the Bay Area before / after: The Weeknd, Pulp, Death Grips, Jeff Mangum, fIREHOSE, Azealia Banks, A$AP Rocky.
8. I’ve never ever seen a festival book the same exact lineup for two consecutive weekends. Way to maximize profit margin, Goldenvoice!
9. So relieved that M. Ward has escaped the popularity of Zooey Deschanel.
10. I’m still a fan of this Coachella lineup.