Fans enjoy the music at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (2013/File Photo)
The 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival lineup has been released.
So far we’ve talked about the diversity of the 2014 Coachella Festival lineup and time traveled back to the 1990s with Beck and Fatboy Slim. Now it’s time take a closer look at the headliners, the reunions and some of the surprises lurking in the fine print.
Muse lead singer Matthew Bellamy performs on the Coachella stage during the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Grounds. (2010/File Photo)
The Headliners
After 15 editions of the festival, finding a new headliner is hard. Kudos to Goldenvoice for the .333 batting average this year. (That’s better than Frank Thomas and he was just voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.)
-Is it just me, or does anyone else really wish that the OutKast reunion had stayed a secret? I’m still incredibly excited about the spectacle that Andre 3000 and Big Boi will bring, but I would have loved for this to be the big Coachella lineup surprise.
-Muse. They had cool lasers the last time they played and that was just as the group turned into an arena-ready act.
-Arcade Fire is always great, but they will have to do something huge to top the 2011 performance with the glowing LED balloons that descended on the crowd.
The Reunions
Coachella is famous for its reunions. (Ahem, Pixies, Rage Against the Machine, etc.) This year includes a really strong crop of them and that’s just at first glance.
-Neutral Milk Hotel was already doing reunion shows, but you know the NMH Coachella set (I’m going to go ahead and pick it as a sunset set for the Outdoor Theatre) might spawn a unicorn or something equally magical.
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The Replacements have reunited. (Twin Tone Records/Contributed Image)
-RiotFest was a mere warm-up for The Replacements. They’re going to be even better at Coachella.
-The Afghan Whigs reunited two years ago. It’s about time they got to Coachella.
-I’m sad that Annette Funicello died because nothing would be sweeter at the Fishbone reunion than their performance of “Jamaica Ska.” (I’m completely serious, it would have been a Coachella moment.)
The Coachella Crowd-Pleaser
-The Knife is one of those bands that everybody talks about every year and since the Swedish duo isn’t known for its extensive tours, this is a get for Coachella and it seems to be the one thing that keeps coming up in nearly every Facebook post in my feed.
The Surprises
Every year, when some poor soul is forced to read me the lineup as I type furiously (in the case of this year, it was Charming Husband), there is always an act or two that make me stop and go “OOOOOH!” This year had a bunch of them.
-Bryan Ferry. Did anyone see that one coming? There’s always an elder statesman that gets his due (Leonard Cohen, Nick Cave), but I didn’t see it being Ferry.
-After the Pet Shop Boys had that show at the Shrine last year, I had an inkling that we might see them at Coachella, but just how many people that have messaged me about their excitement over this is surprising.
-Bad Manners! Coachella never disappoints in the classic ska act department.
-The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is more than a musical act, it’s an institution. Between this set and Trombone Shorty, N’awlins is coming to the desert.
-Even though Coachella leaked Motorhead as part of the lineup on Tuesday night, that booking is a pleasant surprise for those of us who also enjoyed when The Big 4 came to Indio.
-Gabba Gabba Heys. Not to be confused with Yo Gabba Gabba, which came to the fest a few years back, this is actually a Ramones cover band. Can’t say I predicted that one.
What surprised you on the lineup? Tell us below.