The Jarvis Lounge

With Coachella just a few weeks away, I’m devoting three separate posts (one for each day) to what is still considered the most popular music festival. First, a few general things about this lineup.

• As I write this, Weekend 2 of the festival still has not sold out. As someone going that weekend, I’m looking forward to less people. But I’m willing to bet Goldenvoice isn’t too thrilled about it. On the other hand, this has opened the door for other generational/genre based fests (Just Like Heaven, Power Trip)
• The rumor was that Rihanna was their original planned headliner for Saturday (confirmed by festival insider Festive Owl), but Coachella was not able to close the deal. With her not being on the lineup, it appears that they may have bumped up BLACKPINK to the headliner spot. This reminds me of 2019, when rumored headliner Ye was replaced by Tame Impala when he alledgedly wanted a dome built in the middle of the field. This is not to be confused with Ye dropping in 2022. The larger issue here is that Coachella is having a tougher time locking down headliners, for whatever reason. Still, the festival maintains exclusivity with this year’s trio of headliners, and getting Frank Ocean is huge.
• I thought Bad Bunny would have been enough to help the festival sell out. But given his massive touring last year, people just aren’t willing to drop the money to see him at a three day festival.
• Speaking of Frank Ocean, he would be making his first live appearance at a festival since 2017 (which is when I saw him – R.I.P. FYF). Even with the festival just weeks away, people are still worried that he may not show up. Some fans are speculating that Calvin Harris is on there as insurance, similar to how Swedish House Mafia (w/The Weeknd) ended up replacing Ye last year.
• While headliners typically drive sales for a festival, Coachella has a massive undercard, and is the main reason I’m going for my third time. That, and the festival, stages, and sounds are pretty awesome too.
• Over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to devote some time to highlighting certain artists worth checking out. I won’t get to all of them, since I’m aiming to see at least ten a day. Additionally, Coachella announced today that both weekends would be fully streamed on YouTube (see link below). Sometimes seeing the acts livestream is better than being there, given the large crowds (e.g. Doja Cat last year). And you can’t beat the price of “Couchella.”

The JarFIVE (Coachella Day 1 Edition)

1. The Chemical Brothers – I’ve had them on my Coachella bingo card for the last few years, but never really expected them to be on the lineup. The electronic legends last played in 2011, and were part of the original Coachella lineup in 1999, so this makes this a fairly rare appearance at the festival. While younger festival goers may not know who they are, those of us that grew up in the 80’s and 90’s remember their impact on a genre that’s eventually found its way to the mainstream. Here’s a link to their most recent single out, showing how they’re still putting out quality cuts.

2. Gorillaz – At the risk of still sounding dated with my second act, I’m going with a group that I’ve already seen twice, including last year at the Barcelona edition of Primavera. Gorillaz are fantastic live, and will no doubt have a whole array of guests joining them on stage. (While Bad Bunny is a guest on their new album, it’s more likely that Damon Albarn joins the headliner for his set). Their headlining set at Outside Lands in 2017 (link below) is one of my favorite headlining sets ever. And they’re a sub-headliner here at Coachella this year.

3. Wet Leg – I’ve been meaning to catch Wet Leg live for almost a year and a half now. I missed their set at the Echo back in 2021 because of work, and I didn’t go to Outside Lands last year. Now that the world knows who they are (culminating in a couple of Grammys earlier this year), I’ll definitely catch their set at Coachella this year. Below is the single that put the indie band on everyone’s radar.

4. Tobe Nwigwe – I first heard one of his tracks during the film “Wakanda Forever,” and I get the feeling that he’s an artist who’ll come out of this year’s Coachella edition, with people buzzing about him. In a lineup lighter on hip hop than usual, he’s definitely one to watch.

5. DOMi and JD BECK – Here’s another act that played at the Echo in LA last year, and another act I didn’t get to see. I first learned about the jazz duo from following Anderson .Paak, after he started working with them. Their music is a trip, and while I love jazz, it’s not common to see jazz acts drawing attention at major music festivals like Coachella. Stoked for this earlier-in-the-day set.

AND FINALLY…

Since I’ve been binging “The Wire” over the last week, I think it’s worth reminding people that Idris Elba is back at Coachella for a DJ set. If this is news to you that he DJ’s, he last appeared at Coachella in 2019 (I wasn’t willing to stand in line, but apparently he was great). Here’s a clip of the once Stringer Bell.

Format Festival Lineup – Year 2

Released today, the second installment of this Arkansas festival again offers a unique experience, mixing music and art. I’ll go over this festival more in a later blog.

Blue Note Jazz Festival – Napa, July 28-30 2023

This lineup was also just released this morning, and is really good. Price point is high (GA starts at $550 before fees), but there’s a lot to like up this lineup. Review of artists to come later.