Coachella Mania Erupts at CCA

On January 9, Coachella fever once again rocked CCA when concert promoter Golden Voice released the lineup for the 2012 edition of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, held each April in Indio, California.

Within moments of the lineup’s release, CCA students were abuzz with talk of Coachella on Facebook and Twitter, though with mixed responses regarding both the lineup and a controversial change to the festival this year.

After last year’s 75,000 passes sold out in a mere six days, Golden Voice added a second, consecutive weekend to the Coachella experience. Both weekends feature the same artists and all artists are slated to appear in the same time slots on both weekends, says Golden Voice via Twitter.

“A lot of people were extremely mad last year for not being able to go. Now [the second weekend] gives more people a chance,” says senior and two-time Coachella veteran Aran Merati.

Despite the additional weekend, this year’s festival sold out within a few hours. While this may be due, in part, to the increase in the amount of tickets sold through a pre-sale plan, there is no denying Coachella’s rising popularity, which has only increased with this year’s lineup.

“It’s extremely good,” says Merati of the list of artists who will head to the Empire Polo Fields this April.

Both Fridays will be headlined by the Black Keys, who are coming off of their eighth album, the critically acclaimed El Camino, released in December. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney of the Black Keys have become familiar faces at the fest; the duo performed at Coachella last year, where they opened for 2011’s Friday headliner, Kings of Leon, and earlier a

Joining the Black Keys at the Empire Polo Fields on Friday will be the Arctic Monkeys, who released their latest album, Suck it and See, last June, as well as Girls, The Rapture, and Afrojack, to name a few.

Saturday will be headlined by Radiohead, who released King of Limbs last year.

Courtesy of Flickr User sputnik mi amor_

“I’ve been waiting forever for Radiohead to perform all together,” says Merati.

Saturdays April 14 and 21 will also feature Bon Iver, the Shins, the Vaccines, and late addition Jeff Mangum.

In keeping with what appears to have become a Coachella tradition, Sunday will be headlined by rappers; Sunday 2010 was closed with Jay Z, 2011 with Kanye West, and Coachella 2012 will conclude with a set from Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Also performing on these consecutive Sundays are Florence + the Machine, Beirut, and the Weeknd (for more on the Weeknd, check out the last issue of Pulse).

For more information about the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and a complete copy of the lineup, go to coachella.com.