The sweet cocktail of dry heat, greazy hipsters and adventurous tunes better known as Coachella announced its line up today. Last year was the tipping point for the weekend long getaway festival- there were about 15 of these suckers, from Coachella to Bonnaroo to Lollapalooza to, um, actually there were so many of them that I can’t remember their names. I imagine the combination of the economy driving the porcelain bus will cause a scaling back of these events, which is for the best. I went to Bonnaroo last year, which was an absolute blast, largely because probably 98% of the people in attendance were music junkies who traveled from all over the country to converge on Manchester, TN. There was a communal atmosphere of “hey, we’re all in this dirty sweaty mess together so let’s all enjoy it” that you aren’t going to find when people can take a short train ride from their apartment to a site just outside the city.

The problem for the big festivals like Coachella is they are constantly having to at least maintain if not exceed the line up they produced in year’s past. Being beholden to big headliners leads to desperate decisions and is what killed the first incarnation of Lollapalooza. I believe Metallica was the moment that annual tour jumped the shark. As much of a Beatles freak as I am, I wonder if Paul McCartney could be Coachella’s shark. I’m puzzled by Paul these days- why release your latest album as a side project called The Fireman? I realize it’s more adventurous than anything you’ve done in years and years, but if you release it as a McCartney album fans and critics will be impressed by your musical ambition instead of just scratching their collective heads.

But I digress. The line up for Coach09 is solid but I wonder if it will get those fringe music fans to pack up their SPF 45 and embarrassing floppy hats to head to the desert when dollars are tight. I think to combat the economy they might’ve needed to throw sick ducats at someone huge (U2 comes to mind) to ensure a sellout weekend. The festival promoters are not stupid, I’m sure they tried but hey, ducats are tight for them too. Here’s the line up for your perusal.

COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL 2009

PAUL MCCARTNEY, THE KILLERS, THE CURE

MORRISSEY, AMY WINEHOUSE, FRANZ FERDINAND,
MY BLOODY VALENTINE, LEONARD COHEN
CONFIRMED FOR
APRIL 17, 18 AND 19

TICKETS ON SALE

FRIDAY APRIL 17: Paul McCartney, Morrissey, Franz Ferdinand, Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Beirut, The Black Keys, Girl Talk, Silversun Pickups, The Ting Tings, The Crystal Method, Ghostland Observatory, Crystal Castles, The Airborne Toxic Event, We Are Scientists, N.A.S.A., Patton & Rahzel, M. Ward, The Presets, The Hold Steady, A Place to Bury Strangers, Felix da Housecat, Buraka Som Sistema, Ryan Bingham, Bajofondo, Peanut Butter Wolf, Noah & the Whale, White Lies, The Bug, Alberta Cross, Los Campesinos!, Craze & Klever, Molotov, Switch, Gui Boratto, Steve Aoki, The Aggrolites, People Under the Stairs, The Courteeners, Cage the Elephant, Dear and the Headlights.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18: The Killers, Amy Winehouse, Thievery Corporation, TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, MSTRKRFT, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Atmosphere, Mastodon, TRAV$DJ-AM, Henry Rollins, Crookers, Turbonegro, Hercules and Love Affair, Superchunk, Glasvegas, Dr. Dog, Drive-By Truckers, Booker T & the DBT’s, Amanda Palmer, The Bloody Beetroots, Surkin, Para One (Live), Calexico, Liars, Bob Mould Band, Zane Lowe, Electric Touch, Blitzen Trapper, James Morrison, Drop the Lime, Glass Candy, Thenewno2, Gang Gang Dance, Billy Talent, Ida Maria, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Zizek, Cloud Cult, Tinariwen.

SUNDAY, APRIL 19: The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Throbbing Gristle, Lupe Fiasco, Paul Weller, Peter Bjorn and John, X, Antony & the Johnsons, Roni Size, Public Enemy, Jenny Lewis, Groove Armada, Paolo Nutini, Christopher Lawrence, Lykke Li, The Kills, Okkervil River, M.A.N.D.Y., Clipse, Sebastien Tellier, Fucked Up, Perry Farrell, The Horrors, Late of the Pier, K’naan, Junior Boys, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Supermayer, No Age, Vivian Girls, Shepard Fairey, Themselves, Gaslight Anthem, The Knux, Mexican Institute of Sound, The Night Marchers, Marshall Barnes.

http://www.coachella.com/