It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
No, it’s not the end of the semester. The semester just started, weren’t you in class all week? Nope, I’m talking about the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (colloquially: Coachella Fest) line-up announcement, perfectly timed for us to make a buttload of playlists to consume ’til April. And yeah, in true Coachella fashion, the internet went bonkers: some are overjoyed, some are bummed the Rolling Stones won’t be showing up as previously rumored, some are annoyed that they can recognize pretty much every name on the line-up (“Oh, what, I’ve heard of them? Ugh, Coachella’s gonna suck this year.”)
But if you’re like me, you’re ready to call Coachella 2013 the Happiest Place on Earth. The two-weekend fest, which has previously had at least one hip-hop act as headliner, takes it back to rock this season with the Stone Roses, Blur, Phoenix and Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Other notable acts include: Modest Mouse, Lou Reed, Nick Cave, the Bad Seeds (still on hiatus but playing Coachella nonetheless) and Wu Tang Clan. Performers from years past, like Franz Ferdinand, Cafe Tacvba, Vampire Weekend and La Roux among others, return to rile up the dirty desert. There are solo projects, like Jamie xx (the xx proper will also be bringing heartbreak this Coachella) and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon in his project, the Shouting Matches. Oh, and Earl Sweatshirt of OFWGKTA and “they shipped him off to Samoa and now he’s back” fame will have a stage to himself.
And for those of you looking for Bay Area music on the set-list, San Francisco garage-rockers Thee Oh Sees and a personal favorite, hip-hop artist Aesop Rock, will represent.
It’s exciting stuff. As a born-and-raised desert rat (I lived about .3 miles away from the concert grounds for several years of my life, got eaten alive by mosquitoes once sitting on my lawn listening to the Killers’ 2009 set), I’m pretty much bouncing off the walls.
Check out the awesome (and totally trippy) trailer trailer.
What acts are you most excited about? Does the line-up live up to expectations? Do you have your “Coachella outfit” (crocheted shorts and ironically detached attitude) picked out? Leave a comment below!
