We’re living in an era of nostalgia, with even the weirdest fads returning full-force. Reboots of 80s movies are bringing in the most chatter at the box office, while bands that were seemingly forgotten a few years ago are currently selling out tours at numbers never thought plausible.
So… it was only a matter of time for the biggest west coast fest to take the bait.
It’s no secret that “going to ‘Chella” has become synonymous with other inane Gen Z trends, like eating Tide Pods and whatever the hell dabbing was. Yet, many remember the fest’s roots… when rock and roll — in all its forms — dominated its rundowns. But it must be noted that ‘Coachella’ has not changed over the years — popular music did. Simply put, the fest has always been composed of Top 40 artists, the likes of which sounded a lot different in 1999 than those of today. This natural transition has spurned a lot of the event’s early-adopters, claiming that Coachella is now a ‘young person’s game’.
Well, with demand comes opportunity.
As mumble rap’s popularity wanes (and Generation A is becoming old enough to ask for concert tickets), festival organizers clearly saw it time for a Coachella changeup, making it clear that the fest is about welcoming all ages and all genres. Sure, those at the top of the 2024 lineup are still of the ‘pop music’ influence, yet a conspicuous change has happened in supporting names — it seems rock and ska are back, baby. And we’re not talking ’21 pilots’ rock… We’re talking The Adicts. Deftones. Blur. No Doubt is reuniting — just to put icing on the ‘OMG, grab your denim jacket’ cake. Speaking of reunions and leading the skank pit, Sublime (no, not Sublime With Rome) is billed, solidifying the return of Bud on drums with Brad Nowell’s own son on vocals/guitar. Absolutely insane.
And that’s not all. The Aquabats and Taking Back Sunday will shake up circle pits, while darkwave lovers get apathetic hours in the sun watching Boy Harsher and Depresión Sonora. Not your jams? Good thing Coachella has all their bases covered — from the funk masters of Jungle to the rock-infused weirdness of Sunday openers, JJUUJJUU.
Now, don’t get us wrong: we’re not trying to bash the more popular musical stylings, as Coachella will still offer a healthy dose of pop, hip hop, trance, and EDM this April. Large Latino artists, like Peso Pluma, also shine at the top of the bill (with multi-cultural inclusion always nice to see). But it’s not just headliners — which happen to be Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator, and Doja Cat, by the way. More spotlight stealers for 2024 include Lil Uzi Vert, Ice Spice, J Balvin, Jhené Aiko, Grimes, Dom Dolla, Justice, Bizarrap, Lil Yachty, and Bleachers are all sure to entertain. Plus the mellow lo-fi musings of Khruangbin sound like just the transformative way I want to end a long, happy ‘Chella weekend.
Of course, the minute that the lineup was announced, you had to book your calendars for presale (which is kicking off today at 11am). If you didn’t mark your calendar, chances are it’s going to be real difficult to get passes, especially for Weekend One. But you know the drill… keep an eye out for resellers, especially on the Coachella site to avoid scammers! Hope to see you at the Ferris wheel this April!
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