What Does The Future Hold?: Coachella 2011 Line-Up Reaction

So here it is, the official line-up for Coachella 2011.  Here are the bands that I predicted/wished for in my previous post that actually made it:

Interpol, Crystal Castles, Flogging Molly, The Aquabats, Arcade Fire, The New Pornagraphers, Gogol Bordello, Cage The Elephant, Jenny & Johnny, Mariachi El Bronx (The Bronx, technically), Kanye West, The Strokes, Best Coast.

It is merely a fraction of what I guessed that turned out to be true.  But whether or not I had a low percentile of correct guesses is beside the point.  The point of Coachella, in my eyes, is to surprise the concert goer with acts that you'd never think of.  This year, for the first time in my 7 years of going to Coachella, I find myself dispassionate about the line-up in a sad way.

Now I'm the type of person that would go to Coachella no matter what.  It's the experience as a whole (camping, cruising the art exhibits, checking out new talent, quality time with great friends) that I look forward to each year.  Most of my favorite memories of the festival happen in the campgrounds; meeting people from all over the world, drinking endless cups of water each morning to hydrate properly whilst shooting the shit with my friends.  I hate it when I read passive-aggressive comments on Facebook or the Coachella message board expressing, "Maybe next year...".  Unfortunately, I find myself feeling this way this year.  But instead of just saying bollocks to the 2011 line-up and leaving it at that, I'll try to explain myself as best I can.

First I'd like to say that there are definitely more than a handful of bands that I want to see, aside from the groups I previously predicted.  My biggest surprise upon my initial viewing of the 2011 list was to see Ms. Lauryn Hill!  I thought she dropped off of the Earth.  She'd be great to see, but I have a feeling she might play a Sly Stone and bail on her sanity at the last minute, wasting everyone's time and dashing hopes.  Big Audio Dynamite is another group I would love to check out.  For those of you that don't know, this is Mick Jones' project after The Clash's break-up.  Quality tunes that explored what could be done with music in the early 80's.  And I'd really dig seeing One Day As A Lion.  This is Zach de la Rocha, from Rage Against The Machine, and Jon Theodore's, formerly of The Mars Volta, two man project.  It's heavy hip-hop with synth samples and it's pretty cool.  Of course, The Aquabats; they put on the most fun shows I've ever been too!

Even though experiencing these acts would be great, there are so many artists playing Coachella 2011 that I have all ready seen, some multiple times, and some multiple times at Coachella.  Kings Of Leon, Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Flogging Molly, Gogol Bordello, Animal Collective, Cee-Lo Green, Cage The Elephant, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez.  All killer bands,but it seems like a rerun.  There are also other groups that I haven't seen that are playing Coachella once again.  Kanye West, Bright Eyes, Interpol, Sleigh Bells, She Wants Revenge, Scissor Sisters.

To me, it seems like this Coachella was made for people who have never been to Coachella before.  It's like a greatest hits of Coachellas past.  For the promoters to keep selling more and more tickets, they chose  a ton of bands that are more mainstream to attract the just-above-average music fan.  These names are more familiar to a wider audience, thus selling more tickets.

2011 had a tough act to follow.  Coachella 2010 was one of the best years I've seen put on, second only to 2007, the year Rage Against The Machine did their reunion show (Still the best show I've ever been to. Period).  I am only omitting the 2004 festival featuring the Pixies reunion and Radiohead because tickets sold out for that one before I had a chance to claim my own;  I can only assume that that Coachella was as awesome as I thought it was.

Back on track:  Coachella 2010 had multiple astounding reunions - Pavement, Faith No More, Sunny Day Real Estate.  And the headliners were huge - Jay-Z, Muse, LCD Soundsystem, Them Crooked Vultures, and the first show in the US since the Demon Days tour by Gorillaz.  It was jaw-dropping to see that many great bands on the same bill.  I never thought I would see Pavement , Faith No More, or Gorillaz EVER!!  And my dream to see Dave Grohl playing the drums was fulfilled with TCV.

This year's line-up didn't do any of that for me.  I assumed that The Strokes and Arcade Fire would play; the Strokes release an album in late March, and Arcade Fire is the biggest band in the world right now and has an incredible history with Coachella.  When what I assume ends up happening, especially with bands I've previously seen, the wind is taken out of my sails.

There is a minute chance that I will still attend Coachella 2011.  The depending factor lies on who will be playing Bonnaroo this year.  I think I need a change in festival scenery if the one I've been dedicated to every year of my adult life is getting stale.  I've never been to Tennesee.  I'm ready for a new adventure, and with this being the 10 year anniversary of the Bonnaroo festival, I have a feeling that it'll be a party to end all parties.  Who knows who will be there?!?!

Coachella, I have not lost my faith in you.  What does the future hold for you and I?  For a festival that's about to be held for the 12th time, your track record is stellar.  But I can also accept that they can't all be winners.  I'm just spoiled for attending every year like clockwork.  If this had been my 3rd or 4th Coachella, I'm sure I'd be more psyched.  This line-up is not bad in the slightest, as far as talent goes; but for someone like me where Coachella has been like a second Christmas each year, I feel like Santa gave me the same gift twice.