Even with six months to go for both the festivals, The Sherp couldn’t help itself but dissect the lineups of Coachella and Governors Ball.
When it comes to music festivals the world over, Coachella and Governors Ball are not just undisputed royalty, but are two of America’s biggest festivals. Their war over New York notwithstanding, the festivals are also two of the most visited musical events of the year, with every performance and every moment at the festivals making it to pop culture discourse.
And much like fashion, both festivals have released their lineups much in advance, open to fawns and applauses. And because both festivals are often pitted against each other, The Sherp reckoned that it could compare the two lineups to find out which one slayed the other. This would be mighty helpful, should you be wondering which one is worth attending.
Lineup overview
Coachella has always been the festival to feature a more extensive lineup, with a heady mix of commercial and indie acts. This year, especially, the festival will play host to the reunion of the ever-feuding legendary rock act Guns N’ Roses, and electronic rock act LCD Soundsystem after their 2011 farewell tour. Along with these two acts, the festival features some regulars such as Calvin Harris, Jack Ü, Sia, Ellie Goulding, Sufjan Stevens, Of Monsters and Men, Foals, CHVRCHES, A$ap Rocky and Major Lazer.
This year’s Governors Balls lineup is equal parts surprising as it is predictable. With Kanye returning to headline the festival after his 2013 performance, it’s names like The Strokes, The Killers, Beck, Robyn, Courtney Barnett, Death Cab for Cutie, CHVRCHES, Of Monsters and Men, HAIM, Father John Misty, Eagles of Death Metal and Jamie XX standing out, making it a lineup that is balanced and diverse.
Coachella has the holy reunions
With Slash and Axl Rose generously dishing out burns toward each other, rock fans have been hoping, not so optimistically, for a Guns N’ Roses reunion that never seemed possible until the New Year announced the actual possibility of the band getting together. And what better than the original lineup taking to stage at Coachella – a festival known for its ardent rock base. Same can be said about rocktronic act LCD Soundsystem with their loyal fan following, coming back together after their unceremonious 2011 goodbye.
For fans of both these acts, Coachella is undoubtedly the place to be.
(Source: rollingstone.com)
Governors Ball brings back Kanye
You may like him, or sign petitions seeking his removal from festival lineups – but there is no ignoring the force of nature that Kanye West is, in contemporary music. The brilliant producer and otherwise average rapper did receive a lot of hate ere his Glastonbury 2015 performance, but who can forget his groundbreaking 2013 Governors Ball performance, where he did not only debut a few songs off Yeezus, but also spewed some serious perspective and wisdom.
Bringing back Kanye as headliner might lead to some major reactions, but let’s admit that Yeezy can be an absolute livewire on stage. Especially with the release of his new album Swish in February, there will be a lot of new music to look forward to.
(Source: stereogum)
Common artists aplenty
Every year, the festival season is wont to seeing a few artists that manage to perform at every festival, much like Tame Impala and Belle & Sebastian last year. This year’s Governors Ball and Coachella too share a few artists like Of Monster and Men, CHVRCHES, Miike Snow, Courtney Barnett, Matt and Kim, among others. So should you be a fan of any of these acts, then you’re best bet would be include them both.
CHVRCHES (Source: carpenocturne.net)
(Source: playbuzz.com)
Coachella takes the beaten path
While one cannot discount the cumulative power of the headliners at Coachella this year, one can safely agree that the lineup, otherwise, is largely underwhelming. Names like Disclosure, Jack Ü, Major Lazer, Calvin Harris, while major commercial draws are hardly experimental headliners. 2016 has Coachella taking a far safer route than one has come to expect of the festival. But despite that, the festival has packed in names of veritable indie cred.
Governors Ball : Compact but impactful
Governors Ball 2016 lineup might be a lot smaller than Coachella’s, but it manages to pack in a curation that is diverse and will easily appease every kind of a music fan there is – from the hip hop lovers to rock fans to electronic enthusiasts, making it the more experimental lineup of the two.
Governors Balls : Kanye and Beck moment
Who can forget the cringeworthy Kanye and Beck moment from Grammy Awards 2015, when the former did once again hit the station to plead the case for his forever, Beyonce? Well, Governors Ball would let you catch both the stellar musicians on the same stage, albeit not together. But one can always hope right?
(Source: REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson)
While Governors Ball does look more promising at the moment, a festival is only as good as the festival does. So we cannot wait to see how these two mega events will unfurl.