Goldenvoice shares 2023 Coachella sideshows

Goldenvoice Presents: April 2023

Love is in the air as it always is during the month of February, and even if you didn’t have someone special to spend Valentine’s Day with — no big deal! — this year, there’s still plenty of live music in California to gush over less than two months from now. Well, that’s because Goldenvoice has once again revealed Coachella’s annual sideshows throughout the greater Los Angeles area.

The three-day, two-weekend music festival will welcome Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK and Frank Ocean as headliners for its 22nd edition this April, and the concert promoter has lined up a good amount of gigs in a span of less than two weeks. Most of the venues hosting will be the same as in years past, but Sound Nightclub will feature the most — a total of seven — this time with The Roxy Theatre, The Novo and the Fox Theater Pomona right behind that count at five each.

While the festivities across SoCal will officially kick off with a surprise when a TBA act takes the stage in Pomona on April 12th, the following acts will also perform inside LA County:

The Breeders (with The Linda Lindas), Momma, Pi’erre Bourne (with AG Club), Remi Wolf (with Lava La Rue), Kyle Watson, Dennis Cruz and Chris Stussy, Bakar, Benee, FKJ, Cannons, Destroy Boys (with Soul Glo and The Murder Capital), Gabriels, Hiatus Kaiyote (with a DJ set by El Michels Affair), Vintage Culture + Colyn, Angèle, Blondie (with The Linda Lindas), Christine and the Queens (with Lewis OfMan), Ethel Cain, Monolink (DJ set), Mura Masa, Overmono, Willow and Yves Tumor, 2ManyDJs (DJ set), Big Wild + Elderbrook, Bratty + Los Bitchos (with Conexión Divina), Donovan’s Yard and Uncle Waffles, Mathame + Cassian, MUNA, Yaeji (with LP Giobbi), John Digweed and Nora En Pure. See the full list of sideshows in the poster above.

Once again, there will be no special showcase at the Palm Springs Air Museum like there was back in 2017, though this year will see the Greek Theatre get in on the action for the first time when the historic LA amphitheater welcomes Blondie with The Linda Lindas also on the bill. It’s also worth noting that the famed desert music venue Pappy & Harriet’s will not be in the equation for a change after playing a key role previously.

For more than a decade now, Goldenvoice CEO Paul Tollett and his sidekicks have been cashing in off of Coachella more and more with the inclusion of these sideshows. A peak of 62 came in 2017 after 52 were in announced in 2018, and since then the number has dropped considerably with 32 slated for this year, 44 in 2022 and 34 in 2019. It’s safe to say that there’s always an eclectic assortment of both talent and genres, and 2023 will follow suit as the El Rey Theatre welcomes an evening of punk rock courtesy of Destroy Boys that boasts support from Soul Glo and The Murder Capital followed two nights later by Latin-flavored acts Bratty and Los Bitchos.

Other sideshows that deserved to be mentioned include FKJ at the Fox Theater Pomona, Cannons at The Roxy, Hiatus Kaiyote with El Michels Affair (DJ set) at The Novo, 2ManyDJs (DJ set) at The Fonda Theatre and the legendary John Digweed at Sound Nightclub. Meanwhile, the Santa Barbara Bowl will have a couple of top-notch dates of their own not pictured above that includes The Chemical Brothers with Overmono (DJ set) on April 16th and FKJ on April 19th.

Tickets for the sideshows go on sale here this Friday, February 24th at Noon PT over the next three weeks, and fans can also win a pair of Weekend 2 passes to Coachella plus two Golden tickets that grant access to every “Goldenvoice Presents April” show this year. Wishing you all the best of luck!

UPDATE (March 31): Goldenvoice has unveiled who the TBA act will be for Wednesday, April 12th at the Fox Pomona Theater, and it’s none other than boygenius. The indie-rock supergroup comprised of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus will give fans a taste of their new debut LP The Record, which was released today, before heading to the Empire Polo Club for their Saturday sets at Coachella. Tickets to the show can be purchased here, but you will want to grab them fast before they’re all gone!

Goldenvoice

Coachella comes clean with 2023 lineup as Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK & Frank Ocean land headlining slots in the desert

Coachella - 2023 lineup

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival //
Empire Polo Club – Indio, CA
April 14th-16th & April 21st-23rd, 2023 //

It’s that day again when Coachella finally lets the cat out of the bag each year.

Many had speculated the famed California music festival would offer up its big secret this week as it often does once we ring in a new year, and Goldenvoice did just that for its latest installment on the same day Bonnaroo, Boston Calling and Sonic Temple all revealed their own lineups as well.

But after last year saw late lineup changes with Ye (fka Kanye West) — unsurprisingly — backing out as the headliner for Sunday and being replaced by Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd, it appears that Goldenvoice CEO Paul Tollett is prepared should the same sort of scenario happen again at the Empire Polo Club this April.

Headlining will be Bad Bunny, BLACKPINK and Frank Ocean, and while two of those artists check the box that we referred to in 2022 when it comes to the fest featuring more international acts, this year’s Day 3 headliner — whose set was originally announced for the 2020 edition but was pushed back to 2023 as the COVID-19 pandemic sent Coachella on a three-year hiatus — is also one who has been known to cancel his performances.

If Ocean does this time, Tollett and company will have Calvin Harris waiting in the wings and ready to step onto the main stage after 10 p.m. much like SHM did in 2022 (with some help from The Weeknd). He could even elevate sub-headliners Gorillaz, ROSALÍA and/or Björk to the No. 1 spot since two of them have headlined Coachella before. Either way, the man who has been organizing the three-day event — which expanded to two weekends in 2012 — for more than 20 years now certainly has his share of options after locking down Harry Styles and Billie Eilish to lead the charge a year ago.

We should note that it’s not clear yet which day Harris will perform if all goes according to plan, but the five-time Grammy-nominated DJ/record producer has headlined once before in 2016 and was included as a sub-headliner in 2020 before it was ultimately canceled. We will provide updates about his status below whenever we have more information.

Given those contingencies, the roster for Coachella’s 22nd year has a lot to consider below the top line for all three days and there are plenty of names that stick out among the undercard. And though those receiving high placement on the poster like Burna Boy, Eric Prydz, Kali Uchis, The Chemical Brothers, Porter Robinson, boygenius, Porter Robinson, Kaytranada, $uicideboy$, Fisher + Chris Lake, Blondie, the Kid LAROI, A Boogie, Becky G, Charli XCX, Dominic Fike, Metro Boomin, Labrinth, Jai Paul and Underworld are worth considering, there are others farther down that deserve being mentioned here such as FKJ, SOFI TUKKER, Jai Wolf, Wet Leg, Chromeo, 2ManyDJs, SG Lewis, TESTPILOT, Mura Masa, Weyes Blood, Marc Rebillet, Alex G and Hiatus Kaiyote.

Tickets for Weekend 1 are almost sold out, though you can always jump on the wait list here after three-day GA and VIP passes go on sale here during a presale this Friday, January 13th at 11 a.m. PT.

Coachella 2023

BottleRock goes with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews Band & Stevie Nicks to lead 2020 lineup

BottleRock - 2020 lineup

BottleRock Napa Valley //
Napa Valley Expo – Napa, CA
May 22nd-24th, 2020 //

Coachella has predicated itself on being the first major U.S. music festival to drop its lineup at the start of the new year for quite a while, and now that the three-day, two-weekend festival in the desert has booked Rage Against the Machine, Travis Scott and Frank Ocean to headline its 2020 edition, it’s time to turn our attention north as BottleRock regularly reveals its own roster around this time too.

Because if you’re a fan of rock ‘n’ roll, then the Napa Valley event might be right up your alley.

Celebrating its eighth year this Memorial Day weekend, BottleRock in 2020 will be led by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews Band and Stevie Nicks after putting Imagine Dragons, Neil Young and Mumford & Sons atop the bill a year ago. Of course, those are just your headliners.

The undercard, meanwhile, boasts plenty of big names as well, including Miley Cyrus, Khalid, Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals, Zedd, Brandi Carlile, The Avett Brothers, Janelle Monáe, Maggie Rogers, Blondie, Of Monsters and Men, Maren Morris, Empire of the Sun, FOALS, Tegan and Sara, Jimmy Eat World, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Local Natives and many more.

As usual, attendees will also able to witness live cooking demonstrations between a variety of celebrity chefs, musicians and athletes at the fest’s beloved Williams-Sonoma Culinary Stage.

Tickets go on sale this Tuesday, January 7th at 10 a.m. PT here and start at $349 for a three-day GA pass while VIP goes for $849 (before prices increase). But if you really want to splurge this year, there’s always the three-day skydeck pass for a measly $1,599 or the platinum for $4,350.

TBD Fest brings the heat amid Sacramento’s extended summer

Crowd-TBD_postPhotos by Sterling Munksgard // Written by Molly Kish //

TBD Fest //
The Bridge District (Riverfront Street) – West Sacramento, CA
October 3rd-5th, 2014 //

During last weekend’s sweltering Sacramento heatwave, the inaugural year of the TBD Festival kicked off in a dust-filled blaze of glory. Bringing heavy hitting headliners, an extremely talented undercard and a friendly bill of vendors, artists and local culinary talent, this “little festival that could” superseded its climate challenges and provided festivalgoers with a three-day dance party for the books.

Moby 1

FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS

Top Set: Moby
For those used to Moby’s ethereal trance and commercially sampled funk beats, catching one of his “DJ sets” should be something immediately pushed to the front of your live music bucket lists. Taking the main stage of the festival after Dillion Francis and Gramatik is no easy feat, but Moby did so with authority.

Moby 3

With the bravado of an arena-headlining rock star, the diminutive DJ unleashed his electronic fury upon the Sacramento crowd, mounting his illuminated decks and demanding the audience to “get the fuck up” while donning an iconic Black Flag T-shirt.

Offering exhilarating, chaotic punk energy, he whipped the crowd into a dance-filled frenzy, ending the first night of the festival with a dirty electronic throw down and unleashing the fired-up 1 a.m. crowd into the quiet, unsuspecting West Riverfront streets of Sacramento. Final thought: “Moby doesn’t Play”.

Memorable Moments:
• MNDR joining RAC on stage for a live rendition of “Let Go” from their 2014 album Strangers
• Carousel’s sing-along cover of Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home”
• Kauf’s impressive festival opening crowd at the Beautiful Buzz Stage amidst the mid-afternoon heat

Empire of The Sun 4

SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS

Top Set: Empire of the Sun
True showmen and the epitome of “fucking rock stars”, Empire of the Sun ignited a heat-stricken, second-day crowd, closing out the night in all their grandeur.

Empire of The Sun 6Hardcore fans came dressed to the nines in their own homemade headdresses and were eventually invited on stage to be part of the production. First-time viewers were dumbfounded by the intensity of the group’s fully immersive, theatrical performance with backing band and dance crew.

The spectacle that is an Empire of the Sun stage show is something that can only be rivaled by large-scale arena tours and Broadway productions.

Blowing the minds of a festival crowd is pretty much a just another day at the office for these two, and they left the Saturday night TBD audience stunned in their wake.

Memorable Moments:
• TASK1ne’s early morning fire-spitting, nearly nude hip hop throw down on the Block Stage
• Metz and Explosions in the Sky delivering guitar-shredding, face-melting sets to an otherwise dance-heavy bill
• The inimitable Danny Brown commanding the sold-out crowd during a late afternoon set on the Lowbrau Stage

Yacht 1

SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS

Top Set: YACHT
Owning the nu-disco slot on this year’s bill, Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans brought their infectious energy and touring band members Jeffrey Brodsky and Rob Kieswetter to the early evening festival main stage.

Yacht 3An all-incorporated amalgamation of dance, punk, performance art, graphic design and party philosophy, YACHT’s conceptual stage show brought a much-needed turbo boost of energy to the festival-weary Sunday evening crowd.

At a crucially pivotal point in the weekend, YACHT mainlined their trademarked set of disco infiltration into the TBD festival audience, prepping them for a final evening filled with back-to-back dance parties spanning throughout the four various stages of the fairgrounds.

Reviving the audience as the night time approached with witty banter surrounding their abstract stage design, relentless energy and charisma, YACHT were the unsung heroes of the final hours of TBD.

Memorable Moments:
• Blondie’s free-for-all, DGAF’s set of brand new material, covers and everything in between — nothing short of the sassy, fierce and fan-blown, mini-skirt flashing Debbie everyone came to see
• Justice breaking all local sound ordinances well into the early evening hours, lighting up the surrounding suburbs with their closing set
• Viceroy’s party-rocking remix set, elevating the Sacramento crowd’s energy tenfold into a stage-wide, sing-along dance party

Flash-Mob-Dancers

OVERALL IMPRESSION

The festival, in the grand scheme of things, turned out be quite a success. Affordable prices, not only concerning tickets but also food and drinks, as well as many free samples and accommodating perks amidst the fairgrounds, made for an enjoyable experience, even amidst sold-out crowds.

The vendors had a great array of local fare, crafts, clothing and services to provide a comprehensive display of Sacramento’s budding independent culture. The art installations, cooking demonstrations, fashion displays and yoga classes were popular attractions to kill time between sets and were something everyone was generally excited to take part in all weekend.

The site and midday attendance were a little underwhelming at first impression, and there were some aspects that failed to deliver or were misleading about the location, including the complete absence of “The Barn” and a grassy park that was promised.

There were also some organizational and functionary issues on the production end of the spectrum:

• Mislabeled program guides, credential confusion and lack of signage for the stages

• Some technical issues cut into key sets, including The War on Drugs’ 45-minute soundcheck/guitar-tuning meltdown

Although with every first year festival there are complications, both anticipated and unexpected, TBD Fest made sure their problem-solving skills were on point and offered quick remedies to any issue that took place within their festival jurisdiction.

Extremely accommodating, well-organized and all in all, a very successfully tight-run ship, TBD Fest will only positively mature and evolve as a festival from this year forward. We definitely look forward to the “to be determined” future.