Predicting ACL 2024: Other Music Festival Posters

I used to be a lot more snobby about which festivals I believed to be the top tier festivals (ACL, Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza) and which ones I looked down on as not nearly as cool or big time.  Now, I get a new festival lineup in my social feed daily and sometimes even the unknown ones have absolutely sick lineups.  And I wouldn't go watch Coachella's lineup if you paid me.  Good lesson for me to relax when the snobbish prick inside wants to be freed.

I wanted to try to come up with a collection of the artists who are appearing more frequently on these other posters, to see if we might come up with some folks who are "on the circuit" this year and therefore might pop by Austin in October.  A long time ago, Rob Harvilla made a killer spreadsheet that listed all of the lineups for the other festivals out there.  After 4 minutes of fruitless googleage, I guess no such thing still exists.  So, I found a Thrillist listicle thing that has a bunch of the posters from around the world, and I'll just piece this together with my own eyeballs.

Folks I have already talked about and won't belabor: Chris Stapleton (Innings, Jazz Fest, Railbird), Dave Matthews Band (Innings, Bourbon), Nicki Minaj, Rolling Stones (Jazz), Zach Bryan (Hangout, Bourbon), Pearl Jam (Bottlerock)

Folks who wouldn't come back to ACL so quickly: Noah Kahan, Foo Fighters, Hozier, SZA, RHCP

Folks with only one spot - Doja Cat, Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, etc.

I don't see anyone who is just plastered all over all of the posters.  I would bet that there are several in the smaller type - this year's up-and-coming thing running as fast as they can - but none of the major headliners appears to be doing the super festival attack.

• Turnpike Troubadours (Innings, Railbird, Under the Big Sky).  I don't see it just because they are already headlining the Two Step in April.  Nah.
• Post Malone (Rolling Loud, Governors, Bonnaroo).  Personally, not my jam.  I know he is massively popular, and he would be an actual new addition to the ACL lineup historically (unless he was in small print one year and I don't recall), but I don't have to like it!  His super jenky website shows that he really has no tour happening right now, just six Festival gigs between March 9 and June 14.  He definitely has the time and space to be a part of ACL.  Sort of makes sense to me, as he'd be the big pop/rap on the poster for sure.  Sure.
• Lana Del Rey (Coachella, Hangout).  I feel like I do this every year, and yet she's never on the list.  Like Mr. Malone up above, she is not actually out on tour.  Just a handful of Festival dates from April 12 through August 25.  She's busy during Lolla though, with something in Milan, Italy called I Days.  For me, that makes her a no.
• No Doubt (Coachella).  I was trying to only do folks with multiple Festival dates, but it is a big enough deal (to me maybe) for No Doubt to pop back up on a poster, I wanted to look in to this one.  People on Reddit are convinced that they are exclusive to Coachella.  And maybe something called Riot Fest in September in Chicago.  Gwen Stefani, herself, is playing a few fests but nothing after early May.  Nah, not feeling it.
• Neil Young and Crazy Horse (Jazz Fest, Bourbon).  I would love to hear them just play Ragged Glory from start to finish.  But no, they'll be in Austin on May 1 at the Germania.  So, not happening!
• Vampire Weekend (Jazz Fest, Kilby Block Party, Hinterland).  NOPE.  They'll be here both on April 8 for the outrageously priced eclipse show but then again on October 17 (the week after ACL) for the Moody Center.  Booooo!
• The Killers (Jazz Fest, Boston Calling, Governors).  Man, I hope not.  I don't mean that to be rude, I have enjoyed the shows I have seen, but I'm just kind of over it.  Looks like they are doing a London run and then a Vegas residency that goes through early September.  I guess that leaves space for Austin in October, but I'm just not feeling like there would be any excitement at all about that.
• Queens of the Stone Age (Shaky, Rockville, Bottlerock).  They swung through the Moody Center relatively recently, but I missed out on the show (was supposed to be out of town or something).  Love them though!  Current tour ends in late August, so they've got the space to hit Austin.  Not feeling like something vital to add to the poster though.  Not feeling it.
• My Morning Jacket (Beachlife, Bottlerock, Bourbon).  The last time I saw them play was transcendent.  Truly love seeing them play their music live - it affects me like no other band I can think of.  Unfortunately, there is not a real tour going on here, they are just scheduled for a few festivals ending with Bourbon & Beyond on September 22.  So, they've got the time and space to roll back through for ACL.  I'd love it, but I don't see any real strong reason to predict it.
• Postal Service (Kilby, Just Like Heaven).  Funny that they would still be getting recognition.  I thought their one album was rad as hell, but not something that needs more tours 20 years later.  They are in Portugal with this tour at the end of August, so they have time to come to ACL.  Not feeling it though, I don't see the point or the interest.
• Ed Sheeran (Bottlerock, Boston Calling).  This would be an interesting one to me.  I mean, while he is one of the biggest pop starts on the planet, he just never really feels like it.  Interestingly, his tour ends on September 8, 2024, so he totally has the time and space to be in Austin at the start of October.  On the one hand, would be fun to get a totally new face to Zilker, but it also wouldn't really be my top choice.  He wouldn't be able to do Lolla though, he is in Lithuania then.

So, I think all I get from this is Post Malone.  The rest doesn't smell strong enough for me to give it a yes, yet.