Artists and fans from across the globe will descend on Indio, Calif., Saturday (April 28) for the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Staged by Southern California concert promoter Goldenvoice, the event returns with an eclectic lineup after a one-year hiatus. Coachella will feature just the second performance in four years from Jane’s Addiction, DJ sets from the Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim, and Paul Oakenfold, hip-hop luminaries such as Mos Def, the Roots, and Gang Starr, and rock veterans such as Weezer, Dandy Warhols, and Iggy Pop.
Billboard.com spoke to some of the event’s top acts to get the scoop on what they have in store for this sure-to-be high-energy day of music. Click here for a full Coachella preview, and check back on Monday for a review of the festivities.
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Billy Idol is the latest addition to the May 6 Fan Nation event at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, Calif. Idol joins Third Eye Blind, Counting Crows, the Wallflowers, the Go-Go’s, Eve 6, and Uncle Kracker at the all-day event, which is being promoted by SFX, and sponsored by Los Angeles radio station Star 98.7, and ARTISTdirect.Fan Nation will offer fans a closer look at the artists on the bill inside its Ultimate Star Lounge pavilion where, following main stage performances, the artists will stage Q&A sessions with fans, as well as play acoustic sets and sign autographs.
For Idol, the appearance follows a handful of East Coast dates and an appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman.” Last week, VH1 premiered a “Behind the Music” episode about the artist, who also recently taped an episode of “Storytellers” for the network due to air in the near future. In March, Chrysalis/Capitol released Idol’s 16-track “Greatest Hits” set.
— Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.
The second Alice Cooper’stown sports/rock n’ roll theme restaurant will be established in Denver. Not unlike the original outlet in Phoenix, the Denver version will feature sports and entertainment memorabilia, a bar/lounge, and a stage for local and national talent. Scheduled to open at the end of May, the site is located in the city’s LoDo section, near Coors Field (home of baseball’s Colorado Rockies) and the Pepsi Center arena.