The Official ACL Blog for like Eight People!
If you want the daily schedule post, look below at those tabs or down and to the right at the September posts. Have fun!
Kick ass electronic music. I don't put him in the EDM bucket with Calvin Harris and Deadmau5, he's more of a DJ who happens to use a metric crapton of bass among his rhythms to make really fun music. Like the heavy metal of EDM. I have no clue how many albums he has - Spotify is just plain confusing to figure out which things are remixes, albums, EPs, compilations, whatever. Wikipedia shows him as having 10 albums, but not all of those are available to hear on Spotify.
The first time I ever recall hearing him was, strangely enough, as background music while on the patio at the Cedar Door. Not normal beer garden music. But I literally came back up to the office and searched for electronic music that talked about causing a frenzy. That led me to the overwhelming, mind-boggling "Cozza Frenzy"
That track came out in 2009 - long before Skrillex became part of my vocabulary. And it just slams the beat all up in your head. So heavy and awesome.
Then, in 2012, Bassnectar was at ACL. I kind of wanted to see him, just based on that one song above (and the similarly wild "Boombox" on the same album). But he ended up being scheduled right before Jack White, and we knew we wanted to get a good spot to see ol' Jack. But what we didn't plan for is that the Bassnectar show would be at the stage right down the hill from Jack White's spot, and the sheer volume and thump of Bassnectar meant that we pretty much got to be there and enjoy it as well. Two things I remember: (1) he used a load of really cool samples in his show - I recall the Beastie Boys, Nirvana, and Beck; and (2) the crowd went abso-freaking-lutely insane down there in front of the stage. It sounded like a fun show.
Despite my pleasure found in Cozza Frenzy, that tune doesn't even make his top ten on Spotify. The most listened-to track is a wobbly, fuzzy, thumping, hand-clappy dubstep thing called "Bass Head"
That one is OK. I'm not going to drop my love for Cozza Frenzy in favor of that thing. But it has 7.9 million Spotify listens, so he's doing something right. And the current most popular track is called "Now" and features the rapper Rye Rye. It is apparently part of the Fast & Furious Soundtrack, and it is ri-damn-diculous.
If that doesn't make you want to bob your head and move, then I don't know what to tell you. Go put your Lawrence Welk records on and play some solitaire for the rest of the weekend.
That being said, listening to this music for most of today has made me feel loco in la cabeza. It is one thing to go jam it in a huge crowd for an hour of good times, but spending 5 or 6 hours wub-wubbing, click-clacking, and thump-thumping takes a lot out of you. As far as I am concerned for the festival, let's do this. [Updated 7/24/15] The new album (Into the Sun) came out in June, and, to this uninformed EDM listener, it seems like a detour from the straight ahead action I've heard previously. he still has some bass crushing bangers ("Speakerbox" and "Science Fiction" stand out to me) but the first two tracks ("Chasing Heaven" and "Into the Sun") are actually kind of pretty. Here is "Into the Sun" for you to hear for yourself.
Even "Science Fiction," which bangs, includes some spacey trip flight music at the end. Oh, and this album has a freaking 1:11:16 long song at the end called "Mixtape 13." Damn, son. I'm basing a lot of this on the sounds of his show a few years ago, but I think it should be a fun one to go see.
Fuzz - Fuzz. This isn't even a new album, but someone on Twitter was making fun of a promotional picture of the players in the band, saying that it looked like Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd, and Chris Gaines (Garth Brooks' weird alter-ego) had made a supergroup.
No disrespect to Ty Segall's band Fuzz but the band photo looks like a supergroup was formed by the lead singers of Nickelback and Puddle of Mudd and Garth Brooks' alter ego Chris Gaines. pic.twitter.com/AKxmMfyAyI
Which was hilarious and perfect. But, I dig Ty Segall, so I thought I'd check out the album, and it absolutely freaking slays. This disc is from 2013 - but its packed full of the fuzziest, grimiest, hard-rocking power chord deliciousness that I need in my life. From the kick in of "Earthen Gate," you can tell that this is a train barreling down the tracks of psych rock mountain. "Sleigh Ride" has some classic rock feel - Cream if they'd been fronted by a sneering ogre instead of Jack Bruce and they were willing to go a little harder than they'd ever gone before. The top track is one that will evoke a classic Pixie's track with the title, but come on like late 60's garage psych, with 7.4 million streams, this is "What's In My Head."
Again, this is not a modern take on psych rock - this absolutely sounds like it could have come out in between Jefferson Airplane's debut and Axis:Bold as Love. The drum break down, before the guitar freakout, in "Loose Sutures" is also scuzzy perfection. The album finale also comes on like a deranged lunatic in a Guitar Center. This disc keeps popping back up, right after I finish another lovely trip through Khruangbin, and its a fantastic kick of adrenaline every time. Stick it in my veins.
Bassnectar - All Colors. I'm not much of an EDM guy, but I've always had an affinity for Bassnectar because of the time I saw him at ACL. This is the type of EDM that pounds you into submission - massive bass and those kinds of build-up-to-drop moments that probably launch all the kids at his shows into orbit. The opening track is actually different though, very spectral, futuristic, space-humping music. And then he slams you in the face with the bass in the "Open Your Mind" next track. "All Colors" is good, but my favorite is one that is more of a rap than an EDM track - "Rewind the Track" which features something called Ashel Seasunz and some Dr. Dre-esque high pitched sounds in the background at times. I would freaking love to jam out to that one in a crowd of 80,000 sweaty teenagers. But, that track is only the second most streamed. The winner is one called "Nice & Easy," which features something called Rodney P. Just over 2 million streams.
I've always been a sucker for big brass horns in a rap song, but this one only really gets rolling when they remove the horns and start banging away with the grimy, smeary synths pounding on you. Several of the tracks on here get my head bobbing as they come along during the day. Solid stuff if you are into this type of music.
The Beths - Jump Rope Gazers. I'm going deep into the ones you've never heard of right here, but if you haven't heard of or listened to The Beths, then I'm here to tell you that you are absolutely missing out. Their last album was a top album of the year contender for me, and I keep spinning it to get myself through the days. This one isn't as immediately top shelf for me, it doesn't jam out quite as hard, but I still love it. These guys just bring an infectious joy to an otherwise relatively basic guitar-rock alternative sound. I think the problem with the album, versus their first one, is that it takes the rocking down a notch. "Out of Sight" tries to ramp it back up, but can't quite decide if it is a quiet burner or a soaring sing-along. "Don't Go Away" has a little bit of a Weezer tone to it that I like. The album opener jams. "Mars, the God of War" does some good work, and alos allows you to shout about hitting backspace on "why don't you just go to hell," which is legit. "Dying to Believe" is the instant top track for me - with the frenetic guitar work, pounding drums, and the harmonic background signers making it sound like we're on a roller coaster. It's also the top streamer at 677k.
That's the shit right there. Silly, rockin', a little confessional - I dig it all. Makes me REALLY wish I could see them at the BMI stage in a month for Austin City Limits. Dammit all to hell. I got to see them play a show at the Container Bar for SXSW a year and a half ago, and had tickets to see them play The Parish this spring, but now everything is horrible and I'll just have to keep jamming the songs in my guest room without seeing them live again. Good stuff, will keep.
Khruangbin - Mordechai. This band came to ACL a few years ago, which is how I found out about them in the first place. They did a collaboration with Leon Bridges called "Texas Sun" that my kids all thought was their mother's favorite song of all time because of how many times we played it after it came out. Very fun, cool, funky, eclectic tracks - some instrumental and some with words - that could frequently act as a very good rap background if someone cool was so inclined. "Father Bird, Mother Bird" has the sound of one of those cool BadBadNotGood tracks that Ghostface Killah used to rap over on that Sour Soul disc. Love this track - smooth as silk and fully laid back. The top track is a great one - "Time (You and I)" with 10.6 million streams (impressive!).
Got that tight wacka wacka action from the guitar, some funky bass machinations, and overall a damn good groove. I just put it in a playlist for my sister the other day - I think it matches her very well. Also, that video is amazing. Keeping this disc around for sure - I need more groovy funk in my life.
The Saturday schedule plays out just about as well as I think it could, with the exception of the one worst portion of the entire schedule for the whole weekend, at the 6:30 pm slot. More on that later, but as observed by Joseph in an e-mail to me, the schedule is going to allow for a good back and forth between the Honda and Miller stages from 2:30 all the way until 8:30, which is pretty choice. Looking over at the other side of the park, you could get a similar experience in the pop, EDM, and rap scene, bouncing back and forth between Echosmith, Ryn Weaver, Glass Animals, Misterwives, Twenty One Pilots, G-Eazy, A$AP Rocky, Bassnectar, and Drake. That could be fun, even if the aim demographic for that is about 20 years my junior. But I'm not taking that path, I'm headed to the other side of the park.
Here's some Drake, looking like Oprah and Obama and a handful of other folks, with his friends who have Tourette's of the fingers. Let's hope the new album comes out and is better than this mixtape. For your future enjoyment, here is a playlist for the Saturday bands I plan to check out:
Saturday: The first few hours are pretty uninteresting to me, so we'll just play the early stuff by ear. If we decide to get motivated and out to the park early, I'd go watch Echosmith, maybe San Fermin. 2:30 - Father John Misty. Such a great combination of nice, tight music and well-done lyrics. I'm excited for him to kick off the day. A little bummed to miss out on Sol Cat and Vince Staples, but they don't trump FJM. 3:30 - Game time decision likely. In one corner, you've got the power jam fun of Houndmouth. In the other corner, you've got the raw, feral power of Shakey Graves. I think I'm leaning Houndmouth right now because I figure I can see another local Shakey Graves show later. 4:30 - Sturgill Simpson. Honestly, since I just saw him play, I might have considered skipping him to go see something else, but with the godawful Twenty One Pilots and the uninteresting KOA up against him, I'll just enjoy the chance to sing along with Sturgill again. 5:30 - Walk the Moon. I've listened to their older music a few more times just recently, and it is growing on me even more. Tuneful pop, in addition to the killer "Shut Up and Dance" song. They also cover "Burning Down the House," which is super tight. I am honestly a little sad about missing Unknown Mortal Orchestra, but I'm pretty sure I'll do Walk the Moon. If you don't want to hear pop rock, go hear UMO do their trippy psych thing, it is good. 6:30 - Here, is where the festival model is broken. I am so very sad about the entire slate across this time slot. Two of my top tens, two of my Silver Medals, and I can only realistically enjoy one of them (without traipsing all over the park and hearing a song from each). I'm almost certain I'll go see Alabama Shakes, as their new album has grown on me and I think their show will be solid. But that means dissing A$AP Rocky, Jose Gonzalez, and newcomer Rayland Baxter, all ones that I really wanted to go check out. I'm especially bummed about A$AP. He did a killer show at Fun Fun Fun a few years back, and I'd like to hear the new album tracks live. 7:30 - TV on the Radio. Easy choice, even though Bassnectar would be kind of fun to see. 8:30 - Drake. Part of me wants to go see the spectacle of Deadmau5 and his crazy stage alien ship thing, but I really think I'd be super annoyed and angry about 3 songs in and wish I'd gone to watch Drake croon about his smoothness. Not psyched about either choice, but this is what we've got. As an aside, in my schedule from last year, I said that I would likely go see Lake Street Dive over Hozier. I am a moron.
For years, this has been one of my favorite posts to do, but MAN the Lollapalooza lineup bums me out. I always fear that Festival life is about to pass me by and leave me the bitter old dude still listening to his sound board tapes from the 1976 Dead shows at the Fillmore instead of trying new things. So far, I'm still pretty varied in my musical love, but I am definitely not the target audience of the 2019 Lollapalooza lineup. But still, I love this post. I love the guessing game and murder mystery sleuthing that comes with trying to figure things out. This is a fun game for me. AND remember that last year had The Weeknd as the top artist for Lolla (which was depressing), and we avoided him in Austin! Hooray!
As usual, in my opinion, the Lolla lineup is always the closest indicator of who is coming to ACL in any given year. Both Festivals are booked by C3, and there is always a relationship between the two lineups. In some years, that relationship is conjoined-twin-level close between the headliner-type acts in the two shows. But in some recent years, it isn't that close (especially last year).
The closest were 2012 and 2014, with 7/9 matching at the top of the bills:
2012:
Red Hot Chili Peppers
yes
Black Keys
yes
Black Sabbath
no
Jack White
yes
Florence & the Machine
yes
At the Drive In
no
Bassnectar
yes
Avicii
yes
The Shins
yes
2014:
Eminem
yes
Outkast
yes
Kings of Leon
no
Arctic Monkeys
no
Skrillex
yes
Calvin Harris
yes
Lorde
yes
The Avett Brothers
yes
Foster the People
yes
Third place was 2015, a 6 of 9 year, where we missed out on McCartney, Metallica, and Sam Smith (which almost got fully made up to us last year!)
Paul McCartney
no
Metallica
no
Florence & the Machine
yes
Sam Smith
no
Bassnectar
yes
The Weeknd
yes
Alt-J
yes
Alabama Shakes
yes
Of Monsters and Men
yes
Then 2011, 2013, and last year (2018) show that maybe the relationship isn't as strong as I thought, with only 4 out of 9 matches:
2011:
Eminem
no
Foo Fighters
no
Coldplay
yes
Muse
no
My Morning Jacket
yes
Deadmau5
no
A Perfect Circle
no
Cee Lo Green
yes
Damian Marley & Nas
yes
2013:
The Cure
yes
Mumford & Sons
no
the Killers
no
Nine Inch Nails
no
Phoenix
yes
the Postal Service
no
Vampire Weekend
yes
New Order
no
Queens of the Stone Age
yes
2018:
The Weeknd
no
Bruno Mars
no
Jack White
no
Arctic Monkeys
yes
Travis Scott
yes
The National
yes
Vampire Weekend
no
Odesza
yes
Logic
no
2016 was a little stronger than those two years, but it is kind of an apples to oranges comparison, because Lolla went to four nights last year in order to celebrate an anniversary. But you still get a 5 of 9 matchup (if you ask me), which is still a close link but not that strong:
Radiohead
yes
Mumford & Sons
no
Kendrick Lamar
no
LCD Soundsystem
yes
Major Lazer
yes
Kygo
no
Chris Stapleton
yes
The Chainsmokers
no
Flume
yes
Two years ago, 2017, had the weakest link ever, with only 3 of the top 9 shared between the two festivals.
Chance the Rapper
yes
The Killers
yes
Muse
no
Arcade Fire
no
The XX
yes
Lorde
no
Blink 182
no
DJ Snake
no
Justice
no
In looking at the 2018 link, only having 4 match up seems low, but there is also the fact that the two festivals apparently value people differently. Khalid was the #7 artist on the ACL poster, but only #11 on the Lolla poster. Camilla Cabello was #9 on the ACL poster but was all the way down at #24 on the Lolla poster (which is honestly weird). Chvches was #13 on ACL, but #15 for Lolla. Why are all of our bands worse in the eyes of Lolla? So you can't solely judge off of the top two lines of the poster, even if those are usually the most exciting things to see. First, let's see how I did last year: Wrong on 3 (said yes to Weeknd, Jack White, and Vampire Weekend, but they didn't show) but Right on 6 (said yes to Arctic Monkeys, Travis Scott, The National, and Odesza, and said no to Bruno Mars and Logic). That is also the same level of correctness from 2017, so respect my semi-authoritehhh. So, how likely are we to see the top nine on the Lolla poster for this year? Let's dig in.
Ariana Grande - Sweetener. I already looked at this for the "Critical Darlings" post, but I still can't honestly believe that she is the top headliner for Lollapalooza. The Festival that first featured Jane's Addiction, Nine Inch Nails, and Body Count is now bringing a pop princess to the stage. Honestly just weird, although I know the festival circuit has been trending this way for years as genres melt into each other and no festival really maintains a certain style anymore... Anyway, Grande is playing San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas in May, but skipping Austin (which isn't that surprising, big pop stars like Grande, Beyonce, or Taylor Swift usually skip us). Headlining both Coachella and Lolla. BUT, she's got a pile of dates in Europe right when ACL is happening, and a weight in my heart just lifted. She'll be playing Norway, Finland, and Sweden on and around weekend one, and then Germany and Switzerland in and around weekend two. Definitely not.
Childish Gambino. Pardon my french, but fuck this guy right off. I was already much less excited than most last year, when he was inexplicably named as one of the top guys on the poster, but cancelling the show was a crap thing to do. I know, he was injured, and I should likely be more charitable, but if Dave Grohl can shred in a big, dumb guitar throne and Yungblud played last year's weekend two despite also having a broken foot, then Gambino surely could have crooned his way through a bunch of weak R&B tracks on one wheel. Look, I'm all for the fact that he is a multi-faceted star, and "Redbone" was a jam, but most of his music is solidly mediocre, and the only reason "This is America" blew everyone's minds was the video. By itself, that song blows. The video, combined with the song, was a revelation. Anyway, there is no way they re-book him, right? Like, can't you burn a bridge in this industry? Well, he's no longer on tour (and I remember a rumor saying he was planning to be done with the music side of his life at the end of 2019), but he is playing Bonnaroo and Lolla, both of which are booked by C3, so it would sure look like he is on a special tour just to make up to the C3 folks. Ugh. Going to say yes.
Twenty-One Pilots. Man. That's three-for-three on things that I don't want to see, but my kids would love. Dammit. But, I think this one is not very likely at all. On the one hand, they are playing some of the International Lollas, now are on tap for the Chicago Lolla, and they made a huge impression a few years ago with their wild show and stage climbing antics. Also, their tour right now ends at Lolla Berlin on September 7, so they have the time to play. Seems like the perfect fit. BUT, they play the Erwin Center here in Austin on June 23 (and apparently haven't yet sold out that show, you can get a side view for only $80(!?!) freaking bucks right now!). Unless the usual rules about headliners playing in Austin too close to the fest have changed, that means they likely will not be named for ACL. No.
The Strokes. Annnnnddddd another band I super don't want to see! Their set a few years ago was not great, and they haven't done any new music that is worth a damn since that debut album almost 20 years ago. Their last album was five years ago, why are we still on them? If their show was tired in 2015, what do we get today? Maybe they're just about to light the world on fire with another fire album of mediocre garage rock with bored-yet-too-cool vocals? I can't find any official announcement, just blogs and sites saying the band plans a "global comeback" this year. They have a handful of festival shows, but no proper tour, so they aren't coming through Texas all year. Obviously playing Lolla, and then their final show currently listed is at something called Ohana in California, the weekend directly before ACL. Which sure seems to point towards them being here in the fall. Ugh. Going to say yes.
Tame Impala. Oh God, please, yes? This is the best thing on this lineup so far, and even then these guys should be on like the third line. Their shows back in 2015 were super dope, both firing me up with some excitement and chilling me out with some relaxation. Loved it. Still love that last album of tunes, and have enjoyed the new single out right now that previews the upcoming album release sometime this year. Playing Coachella, Shaky Knees (C3), Lolla (C3), a bunch of other fests, and then have nothing on tap after mid-August. Nothing on their tour comes to Texas (although it honestly barely goes anywhere except for fests), so they have the time and the space. I'm going to go with my heart and say yes.
Flume. Flume is not actually on tour right now (this is EDM-type stuff, by the way), just doing Lolla and a handful of other smaller festivals, that end in mid-August. I don't guess that EDM guys even really put out true albums now, so I guess he just released a new mixtape thing called Hi This Is Flume, so he could be trying to impress people with those new bangerz. I dunno, I know so little about the electronic world, so I suppose this makes as much sense as any of the EDM guys. Sure.
The Chainsmokers. God. I thought these guys had petered out by now. Is this still a thing? Looks like they are on a Vegas residency right now that goes into the summer, then they start playing some weird-sounding fests in Europe, and then (swear to God) the Iowa State Fair. I mean, if you can book the Iowa freaking State Fair, then you must be pretty dad-gum successful! Thankfully for my eardrums, they are fully booked during ACL, with shows in Detroit, Chicago, and St. Paul in and around first weekend, and Pittsburg, Buffalo, and Columbus during the second weekend. Sweet run in the rust bowl! Oh, also, I just got an e-mail from Ticketmaster trying to sell me a ticket to their "World War Joy Tour" (vomit) with a date in Austin on November 1. Definitely not.
J Balvin. Oh, this guy is on the Cardi B track "I Like It," gotcha. He is playing Coachella, Jazz Fest, Lolla and a bunch of smaller fests, with the end of his tour in late August. So he's got the room to show up here, and it sure would make sense for the Texas festival to include the hot Latin artist du jour. Gut says yes.
Kacey Musgraves. YES. As I said on the Critical Darlings post, She seems like a good fit to come back to ACL again - she's playing Coachella, Bonnaroo, and Lollapalooza, and her tour has a month gap in October after shows in New Orleans that would put her in the neighborhood right before weekend one. Lock it down, yes.
So, if my predictions are right, we'll have 6 of 9 of the headliners here in Austin. That is a crazy close connection this year. Could it be right? I feel very strongly about a few of those picks, but on stuff like J Balvin or Flume, I have no clue at all. Now for other folks on the 2018 Lolla lineup that I wanted to consider (We had a bunch of these last year: Lil Wayne, Janelle Monae, Hozier, San Holo, Bishop Briggs, Japanese Breakfast):
Gary Clark Jr. He's playing a hell of a tour this year, including the new Woodstock and a bunch of festivals all over the world, but then the dates end right at September 29 with a show in L.A. He's freaking coming home to play ACL. Supporting new music, hometown boy, playing Lolla, I say lock it down.
The Revivalists. These guys freaking killed it two years ago - their Tom Petty cover of Refugee was spectacular. They played two sold out shows at Stubbs last weekend (end of March), so you know they can get butts in seats. They're also doing a taping at ACL TV on April 9, which would be pretty awesome to go to. Playing Whitewater in New Braunfels on August 31 (personal note, I should try to go to that thing!). The last show on their schedule is Red Rocks on September 21. So they have the time to get added to the poster and come back to Austin, but I wonder if the New Braunfels date messes with that potential? Kind of like being in Austin, just 30 min. down I-35. Huh. Could happen, but my instinct right this minute is that they were here just two years ago, will be in Austin or the immediate area four times this year, and maybe not. No.
Maggie Rogers. Nooooooooooooo! I got super pumped when I saw her on this Lolla lineup, because her single off of that new album is an amazing tune. But, she's playing loads of shows during out two weekends and then two nights in a row at ACL Live at the Moody. So not going to happen. Sad face.
Fitz & the Tantrums. Playing New Braunfels on July 5. Tour ends August 16, but I don't see why they would come. No buzz. Nothing making me feel this one. No.
Sheck Wes. Immediate instinct is yes, for sure. The guy who raps "Mo Bamba," the ex-star of Texas basketball, coming to Austin to do it in person? Word. But he's playing Jmblya at the Austin 360 in May, which would seem to preclude him from playing ACL. I don't know, still feels right to me, he would be one of the exception guys who plays a May set but still comes back in October. Yes.
Jade Bird. Her tour has a nice, big gap between September 22 and November 12, which would fit ACL just right (well, I guess its a little too big for just ACL, but she can also rent a hotel off of South Congress and make a documentary about making music inspired by Austin that sounds nothing like music made in Austin). Gonna go with yes.
J.I.D. Playing San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston in June. But his website doesn't even mention the Lolla dates yet, so I'm not so sure how trustworthy it is. was all prepared to say yes, but the last show on his website is July 28, so it doesn't seem like he's out there doing anything by the time October rolls around. I'll say no, but it wouldn't surprise me (and he's awesome).
I'm super behind this year! I can't even blame work, I've just been slacking off on the prediction game. I probably have two or so other prediction posts to make, and then I'll need to finish up. We'll have the announcement in less than a month! We take the following out of this list: Childish Gambino, The Strokes, Tame Impala, Flume, J. Balvin, Kacey Musgraves, Gary Clark Jr., Sheck Wes, and Jade Bird. Some of that sounds awesome. Some of it, less so.
Man, I have been terrible at predictions this year! I suck! I literally haven't even really read up on the Lolla lineup, and that has been out for weeks. Slacker! Let's work on fixing that now. But first, some of the usual discussion of the close-knit relationship between these two Festivals.
I always think of Lollapalooza as the sister show to ACL. They get some things that we just saw. We get some things that they just saw. We're linked and its fun. I was very grateful though, that the link between them has been fraying more over the past few years, as their lineup seems to be consistently leaning more towards the pop stuff that I don't want to see. But they are getting the Chilis, Carly Rae Jepsen, Diplo, and some other stuff we just got last year, and I expect that we'll get some crossover from this year's lineup as well (even though last year's link was almost nothing).
I always fear that Festival life is about to pass me by and leave me the bitter old dude still listening to the few rock shows on tiny stages instead of trying new things. So far, I'm still pretty varied in my musical love, but I am definitely not the target audience of the 2023 Coachella lineup - the majority of the lineup leaves me unimpressed.
But still, I love this post. I love the guessing game and murder mystery sleuthing that comes with trying to figure things out. This is a fun game for me. You want to see some of the history? Sure! I still have this stuff around... if you don't care about all of this, then just scan on down past the little charts. The closest were 2012 and 2014, with 7/9 matching at the top of the bills:
2012:
Red Hot Chili Peppers
yes
Black Keys
yes
Black Sabbath
no
Jack White
yes
Florence & the Machine
yes
At the Drive In
no
Bassnectar
yes
Avicii
yes
The Shins
yes
2014:
Eminem
yes
Outkast
yes
Kings of Leon
no
Arctic Monkeys
no
Skrillex
yes
Calvin Harris
yes
Lorde
yes
The Avett Brothers
yes
Foster the People
yes
Third place was 2015, a 6 of 9 year, where we missed out on McCartney, Metallica, and Sam Smith.
Paul McCartney
no
Metallica
no
Florence & the Machine
yes
Sam Smith
no
Bassnectar
yes
The Weeknd
yes
Alt-J
yes
Alabama Shakes
yes
Of Monsters and Men
yes
Then 2011, 2013, and last year (2018) show that maybe the relationship isn't as strong as I thought, with only 4 out of 9 matches:
2011:
Eminem
no
Foo Fighters
no
Coldplay
yes
Muse
no
My Morning Jacket
yes
Deadmau5
no
A Perfect Circle
no
Cee Lo Green
yes
Damian Marley & Nas
yes
2013:
The Cure
yes
Mumford & Sons
no
the Killers
no
Nine Inch Nails
no
Phoenix
yes
the Postal Service
no
Vampire Weekend
yes
New Order
no
Queens of the Stone Age
yes
2018:
The Weeknd
no
Bruno Mars
no
Jack White
no
Arctic Monkeys
yes
Travis Scott
yes
The National
yes
Vampire Weekend
no
Odesza
yes
Logic
no
2016 was a little stronger than those two years, but it is kind of an apples to oranges comparison, because Lolla went to four nights in 2019 in order to celebrate an anniversary. But you still get a 5 of 9 matchup (if you ask me), which is still a close link but not that strong:
Radiohead
yes
Mumford & Sons
no
Kendrick Lamar
no
LCD Soundsystem
yes
Major Lazer
yes
Kygo
no
Chris Stapleton
yes
The Chainsmokers
no
Flume
yes
2017 had the weakest link ever, with only 3 of the top 9 shared between the two festivals.
Chance the Rapper
yes
The Killers
yes
Muse
no
Arcade Fire
no
The XX
yes
Lorde
no
Blink 182
no
DJ Snake
no
Justice
no
Some of the differences come because the two festivals apparently value people differently. For example, in 2018, Khalid was the #7 artist on the ACL poster, but only #11 on the Lolla poster. Camilla Cabello was #9 on the ACL poster but was all the way down at #24 on the Lolla poster (which is honestly weird). Chvches was #13 on ACL, but #15 for Lolla. Why are all of our bands worse in the eyes of Lolla? So you can't solely judge off of the top two lines of the poster, even if those are usually the most exciting things to see. 2021 only shared 3 artists. 2022 shared Billy Strings and Doja Cat, but ZERO of the main headliners. ZERO!!! That is sort of wild. Maybe the connection has been severed?
So, how likely are we to see the top artists on the Lolla poster for this year? Let's dig in.
Headliners:
Billie Eilish. Blurg, I super-duper hope we aren't stuck with her back here again. That would make me very sad. Her current tour is just a string of Festivals, but the last one is in August. So, at least there is not like an appearance in New Orleans on October 1 and then Phoenix on October 18. Not feeling it, in gut, heart, and mind, so saying no and crossing my fingers that I am right.
Karol G. Not even really on tour. A show in April, one in May, and then Lolla. She was here in 2021, so that is enough of a gap to expect that she could be back on the poster. But I'm not expecting it.
Kendrick Lamar. Are any of the headliners for Lollapalooza actually on tour? He's doing Governors, Bonnaroo, Lolla, Outside Lands, and finally something called Life is Beautiful on Sept. 22. Certainly good timing to be a part of ACL. I'm less excited about this, if true, than in the past after seeing him play live before. I know this will probably not be a popular opinion, but smart rap is just not as fun in a live setting. I still think Good Kid is one of the best rap albums ever! But it is way more fun to get stupid to Brockhampton than to hear someone rap about their feelings or Maya Angelou poetry. But yeah, I feel like this seems likely.
The 1975. They played the Moody last fall, and from what people say about this tour, it is not something you really need to see. Sounds like the lead singer just does weird crap during the set. They are in Europe now, but then come back to the States for Lolla, Outside Lands, and Life is Beautiful. Which sure sounds familiar after looking at Kendrick. So, yeah, this feels legit even though C3 doesn't book those other Festivals (I don't think!).
Odesza. Oh Lordy, another artist claiming this is their last tour ever. That schtick is tiring... But, LOL, they are playing Lolla, Outside Lands, and Life is Beautiful! But, their tour also goes to Arkansas on Friday of Weekend One, and Kansas City on Friday of Weekend Two. So there is a little more interference than with Kendrick or the '75. But yeah, sure, this feels like it could be the big EDM artist for this year.
Tomorrow x Together. WTF is that. Ah, some sort of KPop thing. Huh, they are playing two nights in a row in San Antonio in May. That seems like a good indication that they are pretty popular! Lolla is the last thing on their calendar, so I'm going to go with no on this one.
Red Hot Chili Peppers. Nope!
Lana Del Rey. I feel like I have predicted her so many times in the past, and she's never on the bill. She's doing part of the trifecta I've outlined above - Loll and then Outside Lands (8/11). But without Life is Beautiful right before ACL, I see no good reason to predict that she'll head back out in October. Nah.
Other Top-Line Type folks that I am feeling:
The Revivalists. Are my guys ever going to release another album? Oh, okay, a few new singles recently, that is good news. Playing Jazz Fest, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Bumbershoot, and end with Red Rocks on Sept. 14. That feels like a pretty good setup for them to head to Austin afterwards. They'd be pretty dope to see at Red Rocks! Going with yes.
Maggie Rogers. Lolla and Outside Lands, but no Life is Beautiful because she'll be in D.C. on Sept. 29. Nothing on the calendar after that, so I'm feeling good about her coming to Austin.
[God, I'm old and don't know any of these artists who are supposedly better than The freaking Revivalists]
J.I.D. On a monster tour, hits Lolla and Outside Lands at the end, but then nothing else. I'd like to add him to the poster, as I think he is freaking good, but I see nothing here that really spells that out for me. Nah.
Fred Again. No clue what this even is. Literally never even heard of its existence. Playing lots of Festivals internationally, but the website doesn't even list Lolla. But the Ticketmaster website has that listed as the only US date on their schedule. So, no reason to expect this is happening.
Noah Kahan. Another I've never heard of, and yet he is listed higher than a bunch of really good stuff. And he is playing a sold out Red Rocks in July! He must be something special! He hits something called Ocean's Calling on Sept. 30, and nothing else is on the schedule after that, so he sure sounds like the perfect fit to add to the poster. I better start checking him out! Yes.
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. Just a terrible name. Awful. Almost as bad as the Young Boy Never Broke Again guy. Playing Coachella, but his dumb website doesn't even list Lolla. The Ticketmaster site shows that Lolla is his last show until he plays Wilkes-Barre, PA on New Years Eve of 2031. Which is either very forward-looking or a typo. I see no reason to think he'd stop the tour and then fire up for Austin, so no.
Also of note, I predicted Green Day in my Recent Radio Uptick post, and they were a headliner last year for Lollapalooza, so maybe they are the one that we are trading for the Chilis. Feels even better that we'd get them this year.
