Ahead of Coachella’s lineup reveal yesterday, US festivals were looking rather stale. While every festival has its highs and lows, 2024 was looking lopsided: There were festivals with great undercards but weak top lines, such as Bonnaroo and Boston Calling, while others like Hangout Festival suffered from top-heavy lineups (they booked Zach Bryan, so definitely a win for them).
Coachella, however, is notable for attempting to book in a sidewise direction compared to its festival peers. Sure, the regular 2024 festival-ready acts were shoe-ins, but this is also the festival that booked Jai Paul, Blondie and Björk last year, that replaced last-minute headliner cancellations with Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, and Lady Gaga in the last decade. So, when reports arose that the 2024 bill would be topped by Lana Del Rey, Tyler, the Creator, and Doja Cat — combined with Coachella’s latest lineup drop in a decade — something felt incomplete. Would there be no rarity headliner or famed reunion? Who was Goldenvoice head Paul Tollett delaying the lineup for? Or rather, would there be something for everyone topping the bill and not just 19 year-olds?
The answer, as revealed yesterday, was No Doubt. The Southern California rockers will be reuniting for their first live show in nine years — and to make things even more California, Sublime will also be reprising their new lineup with original vocalist Bradley Nowell’s son, Jakob, on the mic. Other highlights include Blur, who headlined Coachella alongside The Stone Roses in 2013, as well as Deftones, Justice, and British cult punk band The Adicts.
Still, even with a few surprises this year, Coachella is looking rather thin compared to recent editions. Read on for five takeaways from the Coachella 2024 lineup.
Editors Note: Read more on how to get tickets to Coachella 2024 here.