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

HARD Summer Music Festival extends to three days in 2022 with Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Uzi Vert & Porter Robinson atop the bill

Hard Summer Music Festival - 2022 lineup

HARD Summer Music Festival //
NOS Events Center – San Bernardino, CA
July 29th-31st, 2022 //

If you thought Gary Richards was bold after dropping a 2021 lineup for HARD Summer while we were still in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, the HARD founder and CEO isn’t letting up now.

This time, he’s adding a third day for the annual Southern California music festival that returns late July to the NOS Events Center in San Bernardino after moving all around the greater Los Angeles area over the last few years — whether it was Whittier Narrows Recreation Area in South El Monte, the Fairplex in Pomona or Auto Club Speedway in Fontana.

HARD Summer has long leaned in the electronic direction given Richard’s pedigree as a DJ, but it has incorporated more and more hip-hop acts since 2015 and the 14th edition follows in the same vein with Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Uzi Vert and Porter Robinson sitting atop the bill.

Meanwhile, plenty of other big names throughout the undercard are also worth calling out, such as Joji, Alison Wonderland, Chris Lake, Zeds Dead B2B Subtronics, GRiZ, Madeon, Gunna, NGHTMRE, Marc Rebillet, Tchami, Denzel Curry, Jai Wolf, 100 Gecs and more. Peep the poster above for the rest of this year’s roster.

GA, GA+ and VIP passes are on sale this Friday, May 6th at 10 a.m. PT here for fans ages 18 and over, with payment plans also available for one-day or three-day tickets after a $9.95 deposit.

Anyone ready to go HARD this summer?

Coachella reveals 2019 set times

Coachella 2019

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival //
Empire Polo Club – Indio, CA
April 12th-14th & April 19th-21st, 2019 //

It’s officially Coachella week, and we all know what that means: scheduling conflicts galore.

The three-day, two-weekend music and arts festival has revealed the set times for its 20th edition just after 11 a.m. PT (11:04 a.m. to be exact), about 16 hours later than it did in 2018.

Coachellans often have some tough decisions to make as to which artists they should see, and 2019 is no different in that respect. But if you’re headed to the desert this month, take a look at the set times below so you can survive all three days at the Empire Polo Club.

Tell us, though … what’s your biggest conflict this year and which performance are you most excited for?

WEEKEND 1 SET TIMES

Coachella 2019 - Weekend 1 - Friday set times

Coachella 2019 - Weekend 1 - Saturday set times

Coachella 2019 - Weekend 1 - Sunday set times

Coachella 2019 - Weekend 1 - Do LaB Stage set times

WEEKEND 2 SET TIMES

Coachella 2019 - Weekend 2 - Friday set times

Coachella 2019 - Weekend 2 - Saturday set times

Coachella 2019 - Weekend 2 - Sunday set times

Coachella 2019 - Weekend 2 - Do LaB Stage set times

There are a few minor schedule tweaks for Weekend 2, as Big Game takes Friday’s opening slot on the Outdoor Theatre at 3 p.m. for Jimbo Jenkins, who has been moved to the Sahara Tent on Saturday at 12:25 p.m. More Saturday changes include More Fire Mondays replacing Gabe Real on the Coachella Stage at 1:50 p.m., CPTN KIRK taking Fundido’s spot in the Gobi Tent at 12:45 p.m. and Lealani kicking things off in the Mojave Tent rather than Yeti Out at 12 p.m. bright and early (and hot, most likely).

On Sunday, Ugly Primo will now be the first act — instead of Alf Alpha — to take the Coachella Stage at 2:15 p.m. while Subsuelo gets things started in the Mojave Tent at 1:40 p.m., replacing Ericalandia, and Cre-8 has been moved in place of R3LL in the Sahara Tent at 1:50 p.m.

UPDATE (April 18th): Christine and the Queens has canceled her Weekend 2 performance at the Outdoor Theatre, sadly due to her mother’s death. Héloïse Letissier announced the news on Twitter in her native tongue of French (see below).

MAP

A little more than four hours after releasing its Weekend 1 set times, Coachella unveiled this year’s map and it looks fairly similar to what we saw in 2018.

One of most notable differences is the relocation of the Gobi and Sonora Tents, which have traded places with the Indio Central Market and the Antarctica dome, the latter being one of the cooler (no pun intended) experiences that the festival has introduced in the past three years. The Heineken House, meanwhile, has also moved (next to Antarctica) and sits more tucked away from Coachella’s eight other stages than it ever used to be.

Coachella - 2019 map

The Mojave Tent will continue to remain in its same location, with a few new additions to the area, including the Calvin Klein, Pantene and Peet’s Cold Brew tents. Believe it or not, there’s even a designated place where you can pick up your Postmates order. Ah, corporate sponsors … because what would America’s most Instagrammed music festival be without them now?

Happy Coachella!

Coachella drops 2019 lineup with Childish Gambino, Tame Impala & Ariana Grande headlining 20th year

Coachella - 2019 lineup

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival //
Empire Polo Club – Indio, CA
April 12th-14th & April 19th-21st, 2019 //

Sorry, Kanye West fans.

Hours after TMZ reported that the rapper would not perform at Coachella due to negotiations over his stage setup falling through, the renowned three-day, two-weekend music festival has announced the lineup for its 20th edition.

Headlining Goldenvoice’s signature event in Indio this time around will be Childish Gambino, Tame Impala and Ariana Grande. While the first two acts had been previously rumored to top the 2019 bill with both expected to unveil new albums in the coming months, the inclusion of Grande comes as somewhat of a surprise (our guess is that she was likely tabbed to be West’s replacement). All three will headline Coachella for the first time, marking the second straight year that the festival has gone in that direction, although Tame Impala have performed on the polo fields several times in the past and as recently as 2015 (on the main stage before AC/DC). And for the record, Grande, at 25 years old, will be the youngest artist ever to headline.

The rest of Coachella’s 2019 roster, meanwhile, includes plenty of other household names, such as Janelle Monáe, Solange, Khalid, The 1975, Kid Cudi, Weezer, Bad Bunny, RÜFÜS DU SOL, J Balvin, Dillon Francis, BLACKPINK, Billie Eilish, CHVRCHES, Anderson .Paak & the Free Nationals, YG, Kacey Musgraves, Juice WRLD, Christine and the Queens, Playboi Carti, Ella Mai, Wiz Khalifa and H.E.R. As you can see, the focus continues to be on hip-hop, pop and R&B while straying away mostly from rock. But unlike in 2018, there seems to be more electronic music once again with Zedd, DJ Snake, Gesaffelstein, Diplo, Aphex Twin, Dillon Francis, Kaytranada, Bassnectar, Four Tet, Cirez D (aka Eric Prydz), Chris Lake, Bob Moses, Gryffin, Jon Hopkins, NGHTMRE, Gorgon City, Nina Kraviz and even 90’s progressive-house duo Deep Dish receiving fairly high placement on the fest’s famed poster.

Coachella’s first weekend is scheduled for April 12th-14th, with its second weekend slated for April 19th-21st. All tickets will go on sale for both weekends this Friday, January 4th at 11 a.m. PT here.

Ready to party in the California desert this April? Relive our five favorite moments, whether it was Jamiroquai or Eminem, from last year’s installment.

Coachella 2018

Splash House 2016: One wet and wild weekend

Splash House 2016 - Weekend 2Photos by Anastasia Velicescu, Jesse Fulton, Jose Negrete & Quinn Tucket for Goldenvoice // Written by Jansen Granflor //

Splash House //
The Saguaro & The Riviera – Palm Springs, CA
August 12th-14th, 2016 //

Now in its third year and hosting its fifth overall event, Splash House combines the pools of The Saguaro and The Riviera for two weekends each summer. We drove from Orange County to Palm Springs last weekend to watch it all go down at the festival’s second edition in 2016.

There were also official after parties on Friday and Saturday night at the Palm Springs Air Museum, which trade pools and bare skin for shorts and shoes with laces for an intimate “dancing under the stars” experience. We spoke with festivalgoers as far north as the Bay Area, as far south as San Diego and as far east as Arizona who all made the journey for two days and three nights of excruciating heat, refreshing pools and unquestionably one of the most talented lineups of underground electronic artists.


Splash House 2016 - Weekend 2

Our weekend began at the Palm Springs Air Museum last Friday night with the weather just below 100 degrees and the excitement building for Australian alternative dance group RÜFÜS DU SOL, who performed at the Santa Monica Pier (read our review of the show here) the night before. It was also the only “live band” set we caught all weekend. A constant breeze provided a comfortable atmosphere we would not experience again until the following evening, as DJ duo Hotel Garuda played warmed up the crowd with remixes of “Ultraviolence” by Lana Del Rey and “Begging for Thread” by Banks, before the night culminated with the Sydney group doling out a number of hits, including “Like An Animal” & “Say a Prayer for Me”. However, for those who used Uber to get to the party, the night inevitably ended on a sour note (see what we mean below).

Splash House 2016 - Weekend 2 - Uber surge charge

Turning to Saturday, festivalgoers slowly trickled into the Saguaro’s pool area before 3 p.m., and two hours later, the place was jam-packed and it was close to being a fire hazard an hour later. Unofficial Splash House resident DJ Viceroy treated those present to the same poolside, “summertime-all-the-time” tunes he normally plays, although one could argue they worked better at Splash House than anywhere else in the world. From there, UK “hypnodance” duo Psychemagik kept the vibe going and transitioned into their remix/rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams”, which proved to be the first of numerous iconic moments that could be attributed to an oldie-but-goodie.

We subsequently made the trek to The Riviera, which had a much larger capacity and created a raw atmosphere with a soundtrack that featured EDM-infused trap, dubstep and hip-hop through the late afternoon and early evening. If the Saguaro was supposed to be the fest’s underground house music stage, The Riviera was the main stage with thumping, big-room bass, as the artists performed right beside the deep end (go figure) of The Riviera’s massive, expansive pool .

Scottish producer extraordinaire Hudson Mohawke had the ratchets grinding to “Pony” by Ginuwine at the end of his sundown set (just another iconic moment of the weekend set to a timeless masterpiece), while British duo Snakehips gave the party new life with a remix of The Weeknd’s “Wanderlust” early on in their headlining slot. Right before 9 p.m., Snakehips played their smash hit “All My Friends” feat. Tinashe and Chance the Rapper, which was a bit of life-imitating art considering the song is about wasting another night with all your friends by getting, well, wasted of course, which was clearly what the crowd at The Riviera had been up to all night.

Splash House 2016 - Weekend 2

Saturday night’s action at the Palm Springs Air Museum featured music from two very busy deep-house artists — Germany’s Claptone and North London’s Chris Lake — playing for what felt like a much smaller audience than the previous night. The 100-degree heat at midnight could have been a significant factor, or it could have simply been the lineup, as one overseer for the venue told us how she loved RÜFÜS DU SOL the night before but could care less about the “techno” that was blaring in the background. As the evening progressed, Lake inevitably dropped his deep-house remix of Calvin Harris’ “How Deep is Your Love”, an absolute banger and an anthem for a sub-genre that has withstood the EDM boom-and-bust over the last few years. As the hottest Saturday in recent memory finally came to an end, Claptone closed with a flawless set that included his Beatport-topping remixes of “Liquid Spirit” by Gregory Porter and “Omen” by Disclosure featuring Sam Smith before finishing with his original track “No Eyes” that foreshadowed a night of much-needed sleep.

On Sunday at The Saguaro’s pool, French record label Partyfine’s funk ambassador Jean Tonique made his appearance, with London’s Marcus Marr following in what ultimately became my personal favorite set of the weekend. Marr brought the funk early and then worked in some dark bass lines before ending with an extended piano-intro version of Prince’s 1979 single “I Wanna Be Your Lover”, which had 99.98 percent of the crowd thoroughly enjoying the last few hours that were left of Splash House.

Over at The Riviera, an absolutely bonkers DJ roster of DFA Records’ The Juan Maclean, LA hometown heroes DJ Dodger Stadium (aka DJDS, who recently worked on Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo), up-and-coming DJ/producer Jesse Rose (who has blessed the LA underground scene throughout 2016), Australian remix champ Cassian (who was a last-minute sub for a sick Chris Malinchak) and festival headliner Gorgon City (who has seemingly played every continent in the world this past year) all took the stage at one point.

Splash House 2016 - Weekend 2

The dedicated partygoers at The Riviera’s pool on Sunday night were not ready to stop when the music was cut off shortly after 9 p.m., which might have been why a $10 impromptu after party was announced by Splash House’s promoters earlier in the day. Coincidentally enough, Sabastion, one-half of LA-based DJ duo Strange Club, told me late on Friday night, “I don’t do the day parties, just the (night parties at the Air Museum) and house parties in the area.” In a way then, it was only fitting that an artist whom Splash House handpicked was the last to hit the decks when it was all said and done.

We also ventured over to “All Day Disco” at The Riviera’s Tiki Pool on Sunday afternoon to catch Alex Harrington, a local DJ who moved to the Coachella Valley area 11 years ago after living in Northern California and was recently recognized as the “Best Club DJ” by Coachella Valley Weekly. Since relocating to the desert, Harrington has seen Splash House grow from a “one-weekend, regionally-known event to a festival that reaches people around the world,” and mentioned that artists are allowed to play whatever style suits them, so he made sure to keep reading the people in the pool to figure out what would keep them moving.

Harrington ended our interview with his own personal hopes that events like Splash House could raise the profile of the area and attract bigger artists in the future, and considering the festival sold out at 5,000 guests per day, all of whom lodged, ate, drank and partied in Palm Springs, we wouldn’t expect anything less than a bigger and better edition in 2017.