Two days ago Coachella released the lineup of acts playing this year’s festival. While there are a ton of great artists and bands who will be taking the stage in California over two weekends in April, there were several that jumped out at us as being particularly exciting:
Outkast: For the first time since going on hiatus in 2007, Andre 3000 and Big Boi are getting the band back together, the latest such reunion to take place at Coachella. Considering how big Outkast was in the early- to mid-200s, this is big news and we, like everyone else, are hoping more comes of it than just a one-off show.
The Replacements: Speaking of reunions, Paul Westerberg and crew continue to bring their act to festivals across the country, much to the delight of not only everyone who memorized their lyrics in their 90′s college dorm but also now a whole new group of fans hearing their guitar-driven pop songs for the first time.
HAIM: This band of sisters has taken the music world by storm over the course of the last year and always puts on a great live show. We expect this to be no exception to that rule.
Motorhead: Because as Steve Buscemi said in the classic comedy Airheads, “Lemmy *IS* God.”
The 1975: The band’s debut was one of the strongest records of the year and, while we wait for whatever comes next from them, we’ll look forward to seeing them perform “The City” and other tracks live.
Beck: Few artists have done more to really challenge what it means to have a rock hit in the last 20 years than Beck. Not only does he always make intensely interesting records, but his live shows are always a treat, full of unexpected moments and Coachella is a great venue for him to pull out something special.
Lorde: She’s one of the biggest stars on the planet and has defied the usual trappings of stardom. Aside from all that she’s a magnificent singer and we can’t wait to see her in front of a festival crowd.
Skrillex: Try to go to a club these days and *not* hear a Skrillex song. Just try. We can’t wait to hear his incredibly infectious beats along with a few thousand of our closest friends.
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion: Festivals like Coachella are a perfect place for bands like this, that are all about getting crowds worked up into a frenzy with their guitars and attitudes.
Broken Bells: With a new album on coming out between now and the festival, it will be a perfect time to see this band as they break out not only the songs fans already love but also likely some new tunes that are being road-tested for the first time.
