By Robert Kinsler
The lineup for Coachella 2020 reveals that Goldenvoice – creators of the annual two-weekend event held at the Empire Polo Field in Indio – continues to challenge and propel discerning concertgoers into the future with a diverse and exciting cast of artists.
Weekend One of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will be held April 10-12, 2020, with Weekend Two of the event to follow with the same schedule of artists set to perform April 17-19, 2020.
The hard-rocking Rage Against the Machine will headline on both Fridays of Coachella fest while rapper Travis Scott will take the main stage on Saturday nights and hip hop artist Frank Ocean will wrap things up with his appearance on Sunday nights.
Digging deeper, the range of artists set to perform at Coachella ranges from celebrated Radiohead front man Thom Yorke and English indie rockers Friendly Fires to pop singer Carly Rae Jepsen, South Korean K-pop superstars BIGBANG, English synth-pop band Hot Chip and record producer/DJ Calvin Harris. Los Angeles-based quartet Chicano Batman makes an eagerly-awaited return to the event, having last performed in Indio both weekends in 2017.
While Coachella emerged in October 1999 featuring mostly modern and alternative rock artists, the festival has grown into a major showcase of seemingly all genres of music including Americana, world music, funk, neo-soul, EDM, urban, art rock, dream pop, and Latin.
One of the most exciting artists slated to perform this year is famed film composer Danny Elfman, who rose to fame in the late 1970s and ‘80s as the leader of genre-defying rock group Oingo Boingo. In fact, Oingo Boingo was a featured artist at the US Festival on May 28, 1983; the US Festival held at Glen Helen Regional Park near Devore, San Bernardino, was a forerunner of Coachella (staged by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and concert promoter Bill Graham in 1982 and 1983).
Elfman’s unique approach with Oingo Boingo was not lost on Hollywood – and since scoring “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” in 1985 – he has gone on to score more than 100 feature films including “Batman,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Spider-Man,” “Edward Scissorhands” and “Good Will Hunting.” His greatest achievement may well be the songs and score for the Tim Burton-produced 1993 animated masterpiece “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”
In a January 2 post on Twitter Elfman noted: “Past, Present, and Future! From Boingo to Batman and Beyond!” hinting at a set that will truly surprise. With Elfman having retired from performing typical rock concerts following a high-profile concert at Universal Amphitheatre on Halloween night in 1995, his Coachella sets promise to be very special.
For more information on all things Coachella, visit www.coachella.com.
