Lollapalooza India, Stagecoach unveil 2025 bills
Lollapalooza India has unveiled its 2025 lineup, including a host of top international names set to perform in the country for the first time.
Headliners Green Day, Shawn Mendes, Louis Tomlinson and Glass Animals are all scheduled to make their Indian debuts at the event’s third edition, alongside the likes of John Summit, Aurora, Wave to Earth and Big Boi.
Acts such as Zedd, Nothing But Thieves, Cory Wong and Alok have also been confirmed for the 8-9 March festival in Mumbai.
With many categories already sold out, remaining tickets are priced 9,999 rupees (€108), with VIP packages costing up to 47,999 (€519).
More than 60,000 fans gathered over two days at Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Racecourse back in January for this year’s edition, headlined by Sting, Jonas Brothers, Halsey and OneRepublic, which was produced by Lollapalooza co-founder Perry Farrell, Live Nation’s C3 Presents and Indian ticketing giant BookMyShow.
The inaugural Lolla India took place in 2023, featuring performances from artists including Imagine Dragons, The Strokes, AP Dhillon and Cigarettes After Sex
BookMyShow’s chief of business, live entertainment, Owen Roncon said the festival was projected to break even by its upcoming third year – in line with expectations.
The inaugural Lolla India took place in 2023, featuring performances from local and international artists including Imagine Dragons, The Strokes, AP Dhillon, Cigarettes After Sex, Divine, the F16s, Jackson Wang, Imanbek, Greta Van Fleet, The Wombats and Diplo.
Meanwhile, in the US, Zach Bryan, Jelly Roll and Luke Combs will top the bill at Goldenvoice’s country music extravaganza Stagecoach in 2025. The festival will run from 25-27 April next year at Indio’s Empire Polo Club – the home of Coachella – in California. Passes go on sale this Friday (13 September), priced $579 (€526).
Also confirmed are the likes of Lana Del Rey, Brothers Osborne, Sturgill Simpson, Nelly, Midland, Sammy Hagar, Goo Goo Dolls and Ashley McBryde.
And in Europe, Finland’s Provinssi has also showed its hand early, announcing Electric Callboy, Flogging Molly, Haloo Helsinki! and Lorna Shore for its 2025 festival, which will be held in Seinäjoki, Törnävänsaari, from 26-28 June. Regular one-day tickets are available for €139, while three-day super early bird tickets cost €199 (or €299 VIP).
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Stagecoach booker talks country music’s evolution
Goldenvoice booker Stacy Vee has discussed country music’s growing influence on the wider music scene ahead of this weekend’s Stagecoach Festival.
Launched in 2007, the sold-out Californian gathering returns to Indio’s Empire Polo Club – the home of Coachella – from 26-28 April.
The genre has reached new audiences outside its traditional heartland in recent years with the advent of streaming and events such as Europe’s Country to Country, while pop superstars such as Beyoncé and Kylie Minogue have released country-tinged albums, with Lana Del Rey set to follow.
“Obviously it’s ushering in so many new fans, but also new voices,” reflects Vee, speaking to the Los Angeles Times.” People who never thought they’d make a country record are making a country record. New people are giving Nashville a chance, and in Nashville, people are giving other things a chance.
“A lot of artists are embracing it and putting their own interpretation on it. That’s something I’ve been intentionally focused on with Stagecoach, giving it its own identity, a California sound and my own interpretation of what country music is.”
“I’d love to think that we’ve been a pioneer in ushering in new voices”
Headlined by country icons Eric Church, Miranda Lambert and Morgan Wallen, Stagecoach will also feature the likes of Post Malone, Diplo, the Beach Boys and Nickelback.
“I’d love to think that we’ve been a pioneer in ushering in new voices,” says Vee. “I really rolled the dice booking Diplo for the first time. I didn’t know what Stagecoach fans would think of something like that, but he was just wildly embraced. And in 2022, I booked Nelly, and I’m like, ‘What are people gonna think about this?’
“We really do approach Stagecoach with a Coachella brain. People are really excited about the things they don’t ask for. It’s really encouraging, and I think that country music fans are much more open minded than maybe they get credit for.”
She continues: “[The Nickelback booking] is taking a chance. And I gave Post Malone a big slot on the main stage. But I don’t think I’ve read one negative comment on our socials about it. Every single person embraced Post with open arms, that he’s stepping his foot into country music. That’s what’s drawing in people like Beyoncé and Lana Del Rey. Everybody’s discovered this country music thing is really fun.”
“We’re focused on creating the country culture of tomorrow”
Stagecoach’s 2024 bill also includes Jelly Roll, Elle King, Willie Nelson, Hardy, Bailey Zimmerman, Carin León, Dwight Yoakam, Megan Moroney, Paul Cauthen, Clint Black, Ernest, Charley Crockett and Leon Bridges, among others. The festival will again be livestreamed exclusively on the Amazon Music channel on Twitch and Prime Video.
Vee, who was promoted to EVP at Goldenvoice last summer, started with the AEG subsidiary in 2002 and oversees the booking department alongside fellow EVP Jenn Yacoubian.
“The approach I take to booking Stagecoach specifically is I want to deliver to every type of country music fan,” she adds. “There are my beloved loyal Stagecoach fans who’ve been coming since 2007. I want the top-streamed, most-airplay acts selling out stadiums. I want songwriting. I want what I call ‘country curious’ people to give me a shot. People who are like, ‘Well, I don’t really like country music, but there’s Wiz Khalifa and Diplo and Post Malone and Dillon Francis and Nickelback, what’s going on over there?’
“We’re focused on creating the country culture of tomorrow. It’s the best part of my job and some responsibility, but it’s also a blast.”
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Goldenvoice unveils new hard rock festival
Goldenvoice has unveiled a new hard rock festival, taking place at the home of Coachella this autumn.
Power Trip will see Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, ACDC, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica and Tool perform at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, from 6–8 October this year.
The promoter teased the festival yesterday (30 March) with a video that had fans declaring Power Trip ‘the hard rock version of Goldenvoice’s 2016 Desert Trip festival’, which featured Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, the Who and Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters.
Goldenvoice signed a long-term agreement with the Empire Polo Club to stage additional festivals on the site
The new festival comes two years after Goldenvoice signed a long-term agreement with the Empire Polo Club, enabling the promoter to stage additional festivals on the site.
Hotel packages and VIP passes for Power Trip go on sale on 4 April, while general tickets are on sale 6 April. Tickets start from US$599+fees for a three-day GA pass, up to the Pit VIP Package for $3448 including fees. For fans looking to sit in the first third of the auditorium, tickets start at $1524 inc. fees.
When it took place in 2016, each Desert Trip weekend accommodated over 70,000 fans, with around 35,000 on reserved seats. GA tickets were $399 with reserved seats from $699. Power Trip is also offering payment plans allowing fans to put just 50% of the cost down when booking initially.
The 642-plus acre desert oasis has been home to Goldenvoice’s Coachella Valley Arts & Music Festival since its inception in 1999, as well as its country music counterpart, Stagecoach, which first took place on the grounds in 2007.
Goldenvoice is a subsidiary of AEG and one of the world’s biggest promoters. The company produces several festivals, operates 14 mid-sized venues and promotes over 1,800 shows per year.
In the past two years Goldenvoice has launched a number of new festivals including California Vibrations, This Ain’t No Picnic and Portola.
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Goldenvoice positions itself for new events at Coachella site
Goldenvoice has signed a long-term agreement with the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, which will enable the promoter to stage additional festivals on the site.
The 642-plus acre desert oasis has been home to Goldenvoice’s Coachella Valley Arts & Music Festival since its inception in 1999, as well as its country music counterpart, Stagecoach, which first took place on the grounds in 2007.
The newly announced deal will see the AEG Presents subsidiary take over year-round operations at the festival site and polo fields, which are estimated to be worth US$80 million, according to local land records.
Additionally, the LA-based promoter and live events company is permitted to host two additional three-day events on the site every year, according to Billboard, prompting speculation that Desert Trip may return to the site after its debut in 2016.
“The new long-term lease will assure that the iconic Coachella and Stagecoach will continue for many years to come”
The deal also provides Goldenvoice oversight of the Empire Grand Oasis, a special event property in Thermal, California.
The Haagen Family, owner of the Empire Polo Club, says: “We are pleased to continue our long-term relationship with Paul Tollett and Goldenvoice. The new long-term lease will assure that the iconic Coachella and Stagecoach Music Festivals will continue for many years to come and allow Goldenvoice to expand their vast catalogue of musical acts on both of Empire’s properties. We wish the very best to AEG, Goldenvoice, and Paul Tollett with their future plans.”
Paul Tollett, president at Goldenvoice, says: “Goldenvoice has had a unique relationship with Empire Polo Club for over twenty-five years. It is a privilege to now take over the operations of the venue and we look forward to continuing to build upon the special history that has been established there. It’s immeasurable how much we’ve learned from Al Haagen.”
In August, Indio City Council extended its development agreement with Goldenvoice, allowing Coachella and Stagecoach to take place in the city until 2050. The promoter generates $3.5m for the city of Indio each year, according to city records.
Goldenvoice is one of the world’s biggest promoters; the company produces several festivals, including recently announced California Vibrations, operates 14 mid-sized venues and promotes over 1,800 shows per year.
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Major US festivals reschedule as Coachella cancels
Goldenvoice’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and Stagecoach Festival will no longer take place this April after being issued with a cancellation order by local authorities.
Cameron Kaiser, public health officer for Riverside County, California, tweeted late on Friday (29 January) that neither festival – scheduled for 9–11/16–18 April and 23–25 April, respectively – would be allowed to go ahead in light of the deteriorating coronavirus situation in the state, which passed 40,000 deaths from Covid-19 the following day.
Due to the pandemic, Public Health Officer Dr. Cameron Kaiser today (Jan. 29) signed a public health order canceling Coachella Valley Music and Arts, Stagecoach Country Music festivals planned for April 2021. We look forward to when the events may return. https://t.co/YAIn8uTea9
— Dr. Geoffrey Leung (@RivCoDoc) January 29, 2021
It is the third time the festivals, which take place on the same site in Indio, in the Coachella Valley, have been called off since March 2020, when they were originally rescheduled for October, and then again to April 2021.
Aside from Glastonbury Festival in the UK, Coachella is the biggest international music festival to have cancelled its 2021 event, casting a pall over the summer festival season. It is unclear whether Coachella and Stagecoach, a country music event, will again attempt to reschedule for autumn or aim for a 2022 return.
Goldenvoice owner AEG has already pushed back one festival, the seven-day New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, to later this year: Jazz Fest, which normally begins on the last weekend in April will instead take place from 8 to 17 October.
“If Covid-19 were detected at the festivals, the scope and number of attendees would make it infeasible … to track those who may be placed at risk”
“It’s taking longer than we want, but we’ll all have our celebration when the time comes,” says festival producer Quint Davis. “Your health, along with the health of our musicians, food and crafts vendors, and all of the folks that work to make the magic happen, remains the priority as we plan the return of Jazz Fest.”
Also making the move from summer to the autumn months are a pair of Live Nation events, Bonnaroo (2–5 September) and New York festival Governors Ball (24–26 September), neither of which have announced a 2021 line-up, and Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival, which has applied for an event permit for the weekend of 10–12 September, as opposed to its normal July dates.
The decision to cancel Coachella and Stagecoach was taken over concerns that both festivals could have been super-spreader events for the coronavirus, according to the order linked by Kaiser. “If Covid-19 were detected at the festivals, the scope and number of attendees and the nature of the venue would make it infeasible, if not impossible, to track those who may be placed at risk,” it reads.
Anthony Fauci, America’s top infectious disease specialist, predicted last month that indoor shows could return “some time” in autumn, depending on the pace of the US vaccine programme.
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Covid-19 restrictions claim major US festivals
Goldenvoice’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will not take place this year, despite being pushed back six months, as the Covid-19 pandemic triumphs over the last few major US festivals still standing.
The news comes days after the cancellation of C3 Presents’ Lollapalooza Chicago (100,000-cap.), the festival franchise’s flagship edition, which was due to take place from 30 July to 1 August, representing some of the final losses of the 2020 US festival calendar. Events including Live Nation/AC Entertainment’s Bonnaroo (24 to 27 September) and BottleRock Napa Valley (2 to 4 October), both rescheduled, are currently still going ahead as planned.
A weekend-long virtual event will take place over the original festival weekend, showcasing archival footage from Lolla Chicago, as well as the festival’s six international editions.
Coachella (125,000-cap.), along with its country music counterpart Stagecoach, had previously been moved from its original dates in April to October in a bid to circumvent coronavirus restrictions.
However, yesterday (10 June), public health officer Dr Cameron Kaiser announced he was “concerned” that Covid-19 “could worsen” in the autumn.
“Given the projected circumstances and potential, I would not be comfortable moving forward [with Coachella and Stagecoach],” said Kaiser.
“These decisions are not taken lightly with the knowledge that many people will be impacted”
“These decisions are not taken lightly with the knowledge that many people will be impacted. My first priority is the health of the community.”
Kaiser also pointed out that mass gatherings such as festivals fall under the “highest-risk” category in the state of California’s four-step reopening plan, and will only be permitted to restart in the final phase “once therapeutics have been developed.
Coachella 2020 was set to feature headliners Rage Against the Machine, Frank Ocean and Travis Scott over two consecutive festival weekends at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Riverside County, California.
Thomas Rhett, Carrie Underwood and Eric Church were among those to perform at Stagecoach the weekend after Coachella.
Dates for the 2021 editions of Coachella and Stagecoach have yet to be announced.
Earlier this week, Goldenvoice parent company AEG announced it would be laying off 15% of its workforce and furloughing over 100 employees, in addition to enacting pay cuts across the company.
Photo: Ben_1/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0) (cropped)
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It’s official: Coachella rescheduled for October
April’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival – traditionally the unofficial start to the festival season in the northern hemisphere – is being pushed back to October, organisers have announced, becoming the biggest music-biz casualty of the coronavirus to date.
Confirming a story first broken by Billboard on Monday 9 March (which reported Goldenvoice was working to reschedule the event), at around 11pm GMT last night the promoter released a statement stating Coachella will now take place on 9–11 and 16–18 October 2020, while country music festival Stagecoach is pushed back to 23–25 October 2020.
Coachella 2020, headlined by Frank Ocean, Travis Scott and a reunited Rage Against the Machine, was original set for 10–12 April (weekend one) and 17–19 April (weekend two) at its traditional home of the Empire Polo Club (125,000-cap.) in Indio, Riverside County, California.
Yesterday (10 March), Riverside County voted to declare a public health emergency in response to the novel coronavirus, Covid-19. At the time of writing, there have been at least 14 cases of the virus recorded in California.
“We take the safety and health of our guests, staff and community very seriously”
“At the direction of the county of Riverside and local health authorities, we must sadly confirm the rescheduling of Coachella and Stagecoach due to Covid-19 concerns,” reads Goldenvoice’s statement.
“While this decision comes at a time of universal uncertainty, we take the safety and health of our guests, staff and community very seriously. We urge everyone to follow the guidelines and protocols put forth by public health officials.”
Coachella and Stagecoach are the third and fourth major US festival postponements due to concerns over the virus, which has now infected around 120,000 people worldwide, following Ultra Miami and Austin’s South by Southwest.
In Europe, where Covid-19 is more widespread, festival promoters are still biding their time – though widespread bans on large public gatherings across the continent appear to signal further cancellations, and many tours have been called off.
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