COACHELLA DIMINISHES ROCK N ROLL FROM 2019 LINEUP
Updated: Feb 4, 2019
#coachella #festivals #california #livemusic #rocknroll
Yes, my title may be a wee bit dramatic but please continue reading to see why I disregard Tame Impala and Weezer as enough rock n' roll from the annual music and arts festival in Indio, California.
Coachella has long been known as the festival that encourages the peace & love vibe from festivals past. Everything from the atmosphere, to the fashion are all remnants of festivals from the 60s & 70s, however the lineups have since seem to become more and more pleasing for the generation-z, top 40, streaming kids of today's generation. So let's break down this years line up, shall we?
The 3 headliners, Childish Gambino, Tame Impala and Ariana Grande (the latter who was rumoured as a last minute replacement because Kanye West was being a diva, surprise surprise). Childish Gambino, no doubt had one of the most popular and mainstream songs of the year with This Is America, that has since been nominated for Record of the Year for this year's Grammy Awards. Ariana Grande also saw mainstream success this year with the release of her album Sweetner, along with a string a singles released solely on their own (in true hip hop fashion), & paired with record breaking and meme worthy music videos (to see thank u, next click here). The headliner I'm upset about is Tame Impala. For some time now, Coachella has followed a standard of pleasing all music genres with headliners that range in musical taste. However this years selection to keep the old rock n' rollers happy won't cut it. Sorry, but Tame Impala doesn't count as rock n' roll for me, good music - but far too progressive. And just because Weezer had some internet fame with their cover of Toto's Africa this summer, (here) doesn't mean they will give us the rock satisfaction either. Also - the 1975 may look like rockstars, but they also don't count.
Coachella couldn't even give us smaller, up & coming bands that us old souls still love like, The Glorious Sons or Dorothy. Dorothy (whose first record inspired this sites name, sold here) is literally the most Coachella-esq band that Coachella could have booked but didn't. The band's lead, Dorothy Martin literally looks like Coachella threw up on her (in the best way possible), and with a new record called 28 Days in the Valley out earlier last year, they would have been a perfect side-stage fit. This album is so California, its amazing the albums artwork isn't being used as a Coachella promo poster. We also have the ever so polarizing, 70's rock revivalist Greta Van Fleet, who probably could have even scored an early evening set time this year on a main stage given their recent FOUR Grammy nominations.
Personally I think Coachella blew it this year. Years past included a much better range of artists that pleased more than just those controlling the streaming charts. Check out previous lineups below and let me know if you think 2019 is up to the standards of years past.
2018 - The Weeknd, Beyonce, Eminem (no rock headliners, but we were still happy to see the likes of St. Vincent, Greta Van Fleet & FIDLAR on the bill)
2017- Radiohead, Lady Gaga & Kendrick Lamar (Rock, Pop & Hip Hop? CHECK).
2016 - LCD Soundsystem, Guns N' Roses, Calvin Harris (Rock (kinda), THE BIGGEST ROCK N ROLL REUNION OF ALL TIME & a DJ? check.) (Hip Hop was covered too with Ice Cube, G-Eazy & A$AP Rocky, just not headliners)
2015 - AC/DC , Jack White & Drake ( non headliners included The Weeknd, DJ Snake, Tyler, the Creator & Father John Misty) all genres check, check, check.
2014 - Outcast, Muse & Arcade Fire (including Lorde, Foster the People, Pharrell Williams, Mötorhead & Calvin Harris) ..... everyone's happy.
