Coachella: Victim of its own success?

   

The announcement of the lineup for this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival -- over here on our group blog Soundboard -- seems to have been met with a giant shrug from the Web community.

Indie-focused site Pitchfork declared it "underwhelming," and popular music blog Idolator has begun to question the bookings. And back on Soundboard, many of my esteemed colleagues have begun ripping into the lineup.

But if the lineup -- headlined by Jack Johnson, Roger Waters, Portishead, Kraftwerk and the Raconteurs -- lacks a little punch, it's more because Coachella has become a victim of its own success, not because the lineup is actually lacking in talent.

While it's easy to single out the pleasant but dopey soft rock of Johnson (pictured) as what's wrong with this year's bookings (as those on official Coachella message boards appear to be doing), it's one smudge on a fest that's never once been about the headliners -- and it isn't now. After all, attendees spend all day with the second- and third-tier acts  and an hour or two with the headliners. When Coachella works, it does so by turning people onto new and unexpected music.

And besides, Johnson has played it before (in 2002), and no one should have been caught by surprise, as Coachella has given stage time to the likes of Pete Yorn, Nickel Creek, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Oasis and the indie-approved yet even more dopey Devendra Banhart.

In fact, on an act-by-act basis, this year's Coachella is as solid as just about any year's. And if people are laughing at the placement of Pink Floyd's Waters on the bill, Coachella has always been about connecting the dots between the adventurous music of today and its influences, be it veteran acts such as Iggy Pop or the Pixies or Bauhaus.  Seeing Waters play an hour or two after the space rockers Spiritualized is, in fact, one of Coachella's more inspired moves.

And let's not forget the disappointment last year when the Smashing Pumpkins (or whatever Billy Corgan is calling the Smashing Pumpkins these days) wasn't on the bill. Anyone recall 2006, when Radiohead went to Bonnaroo, those hippies in Tennessee, and Coachella had to make due with Daft Punk and Depeche Mode? That lineup was blasted for months, at least until Madonna and Kanye West were late additions.

Speaking of Radiohead, isn't there a yearly Internet bum-out that Radiohead and My Bloody Valentine aren't at Coachella?  Instead, rumor has it that Radiohead could instead appear on a new, three-day fest in New Jersey booked by Coachella promoters Goldenvoice and AEG, no less.

And this isn't meant to say that the Coachella lineup shouldn't be inspiring conversation. It should, in fact. But let's not forget that Coachella's bookings this year are largely consistent with that happened in the past at the Palm Desert party.

Indeed, there is a more distressing concern: The announcement from Goldenvoice and AEG Live that it would stage a three-day August festival in Liberty State Park. The new fest announcement comes shortly after Lollapalooza's promoters declared it would create the Vineland Festival in Vineland, N.J. (note: Pollstar reported on Jan. 25, 2008, that the Vineland Festival had been postponed until 2009).

Not to mention we already have Lollapalooza in Chicago and Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tenn. And then there's Stagecoach, Bumbershoot, Austin City Limits, Vegoose, Sasquatch and on and on and on. What's more, Billboard reported last month that major fests are in the works for San Francisco, New York, Michigan and Denver.

What's about to happen is a summer touring market that's completely eroded by multiday, hugely expensive festivals. This is a cause of concern to music fans. Bands, it should be noted, don't play a Coachella or a Lollapalooza without forfeiting the right to play a show in that market for weeks before and after the event. Depending on a band's other touring commitments, as well as its budget, the summer festival is sometimes an act's only stop in that particular market for the year.

So let's say you don't want to pay the somewhat outrageous $270 for a three-day Coachella pass, not including Ticketmaster fees, hotel and transportation. Then don't expect to see a host of the smaller, more interesting bands on the bill this summer, artists you could normally see for $10 to $20 at your local club.

Granted, an event like Coachella doesn't cater just to those lucky enough to live in cities with vibrant music scenes. It is, after all, marketed as a destination festival. But Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo are already competing for the same pool of acts, and with each newcomer on the scene, said destination fests start to look an awful lot alike -- a smattering of nominally connected indie acts and a headliner or two.

M.I.A.? My Morning Jacket? Cafe Tacuba? Cold War Kids? I'm From Barcelona? Kid Sister? Spank Rock? They all played Lollapalooza last year. They're all playing Coachella this year.

Let's go further. Toyko Police Club? Kid Sister? Silversun Pickups? Black Keys? Amy Winehouse? Tapes 'n Tapes? Interpol? Blonde Redhead? Kings of Leon? Peter Bjorn & John? LCD Soundsystem? Regina Spektor? Sparklehorse? Lupe Fiasco? Rodrigo y Gabriela? All were on the Coachella and Lollapalooza bills in 2007.

As the number of summer music fests increases, expect to see an even greater overlap. There's only so many big acts around, and not every year is there going to be an act ready to reunite.

So, of course, the Coachella lineup is going to look a bit disappointing. Coachella helped create a summer touring season that's becoming increasingly based on festivals rather than actual tours. When the same bands pop up on multiple fests in multiple cities every year,the specialty of the Coachella brand gets diluted.

The end result: A 2008 summer touring season flooded with destination events that will no longer be much of a destination.

There are two losers in this instance. The first being the music fan, the second being the small indie acts rewriting their tours to fit these mega-shows. Those who don't want to drop a few hundred to sweat in the sun for three days will indeed miss out on some of this year's best music, and the band's who agree to shortchange their tours for these fests will miss reaching some of the more passionate fans.

The hope is that a smaller act will gain some cred simply by being on the bill at a major event, but does it really mean as much when Coachella is just one step on the festival circuit?

So those in SoCal complaining that Radiohead isn't on the Coachella bill? Be happy, as now you can see a full set from the band in the setting of its own choice -- and at a price that isn't going to cost you a small vacation, provided you can get a ticket.

(Photos courtesy Los Angeles Times)

Comments

[James Arnold]

They should get the Stranglers or Cabaret Voltaire DAF something keyboard oriented that new audiences would have never heard of

[Brooksie]

Geez dude...talk about taking the negative approach.

First off, Jack Johnson is neither dopey, nor soft rock...the pretension of indie rock doesn't serve anyone very well.

Coachella is three trippy days under the desert sun, checking out dozens of bands we've never seen. For $270 bucks, you get more bands than you could see in an entire year. It works out to a buck a band.

And what's the big deal if bands do a festival circuit? It's a good payday for young acts that puts them in front of thousands of people.

BTW...the Vineland Fest just got cancelled. Get it together LA Times!

[no one important]

It was never about the headliners, but I agree. Why so many repeats, and a lack of music diversity. They should add a metal tent, as SxSW went huge last year with european rock labels. And, how many times can you see Justice? Obviously not enough. Jack Johnson is a real let down as a headliner, not to mention, as he is not edgy at all, even for a retro-act. Wow.

[Michael]

Roger Waters headlining the event is the best thing for Coachella. It wont be lacking any "punch".... I saw him in 2006 and 2007 and Im still in awe from how good the shows were

[Jack Johnson]

the lineup is considered a let down by all but the most brainwashed coachella fanboys because the subheadliners are few and far between, two subheadliers are booked as actual headliners, and most of the acts people actually wanted are not there like aphex twin, radiohead, pj harvey, my bloody valentine, feist, a tribe called quest, kanye west, broken social scene, soundgarden, and so on. if these bands were playing instead of love & rockets, madness, my morning jacket, slightly stoopid or tired rehashes like justice and mia, nobody would be disappointed.

[Bobby]

One thing this article fails to address is that the price of a ticket to see a band like Radiohead, Roger Waters, or The Police, is comparable to the price of a three-day festival pass. The price of these festivals begins to seem much more reasonable when viewed in this context. If you can go to Bonnaroo and see The Police plus 20 other bands for the same price as one ticket to a Police show, what choice are you gonna make?

[John]

Plus, who the hell actually pays to go to a festival, anyway? Just people who aren't smart enough to know you can always get in for free for about 8 hours of easy work.

[nick]

people always whine about the lienup. the "what is daft punk doing on the lineup" turned into "daft punk just blew my mind!!!" within one hour, then a national tour, then a bunch of losers claiming that they 'always liked them.' people are lemmings. let them whine.

here's an idea: go and do your research, because i'm certain that this lineup is going to be unbelievable. it is more dance music friendly, but that is gaining tremendous popularity. the best acts in recent years have all been electronic oriented (including bjork)..

[Jeff]

The festivals are about diversity, hearing new music, revisiting bands you haven't seen in along time, and heaven forbid, actually having fun. Instead of complaining about music you don't like, go find a band you do like. That's the beauty of the festivals. Regarding the price, they are a bargain.

[Pat]

Daft Punk sucks! One More Time will never be a cool song...I don't care how you remix it. The stage show is trippy but, the music is just plan horrible.

Waters will kill Coachella 2008.

[Dan]

Having been to Coachella three times, it's unlikely I'll ever go again, regardless of who plays.

1) Tickets are too expensive -- Bonnaroo and ACL are more affordable and more enjoyable in many ways.

2) Not being allowed to bring in sealed water bottles is unethical and damn near immoral in the 100+ desert heat.

[John]

I was allowed to bring in sealed water bottles last year. Of course it was the third day before my friends told me.

[Susan]

I freakin' HATE festival shows. I'd take a dark, sweaty club over a huge impersonal sunburn fest anyday.