Coachella Lineup Announced | What Does It Mean for Bonnaroo?

As many of you probably already heard, popular west coast festival Coachella finally revealed their much-anticipated lineup last Friday. Just like last year, the festival will take place with an identical lineup over two weekends, April 12-14 and April 19-21, in Indio, CA. You can check out the lineup poster below, including Nashville favorites JEFF the Brotherhood and Mona:

As exciting as Coachella is (although this year I’m way more interested in their smaller to mid-sized bands than headliners), the fact of the matter is that it’s a long trek and most of us in Nashville won’t be making it. So, the real question is: What does Coachella’s announcement mean for Bonnaroo?

With a ‘Roo announcement right around the corner, we’ve got some last minute guesses, speculations, and updates based on Coachella’s lineup:

• Coachella and Bonnaroo are two months and two-thousand miles apart, so it’s not uncommon for them to share bands. Rarely do we see the festivals share headliners, however, so we can probably go ahead and rule out a repeat Red Hot Chili Peppers performance at Bonnaroo this year.
• Based on Roo Clues, there are several bands we’re pretty sure the two festivals will be sharing: Japandroids, Tame Impala, Of Monsters and Men, and Purity Ring.
• Also based on Roo Clues, there are bands who could have been Coachella contenders that we now know are exclusive to ‘Roo: Animal Collective, Sleigh Bells (or possibly Pixies), MGMT, and A$AP Rocky.
• At one point The Rolling Stones were considered to be a shoe-in for Coachella. Could Bonnaroo have snagged them instead?
• Next to The Rolling Stones, Daft Punk have been the most commonly predicated Coachella headliner. With an album in the works, could Bonnaroo be in their future?
• No Paul McCartney at Coachella either- he’s long been a favorite rumor for ‘Roo. Same goes for Prince.
• Coachella’s a bit larger than Bonnaroo, so could some of their second-tier headliners make it to Bonnaroo’s main stage? We’d bet on Vampire Weekend, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, or Wu-Tang Clan.
• We’ve already covered the reunion of The Postal Service, and the speculation is that it will extend beyond just Coachella. A full tour might be expecting too much, but another festival appearance? Seems pretty likely!
• With a new album on the way, it seems like a no-brainer that The Flaming Lips will be making festival rounds. Without Coachella in the mix, Bonnaroo is almost inevitable.
• Radiohead/Chili Peppers supergroup Atoms for Peace also have an album on the way and have played Coachella in the past. There’s a really good chance that this year will be Bonnaroo’s turn.
• Bonnaroo has a knack for landing big hip hop headliners in recent years. Since Coachella’s only real high-profile act is Wu-Tang, that leaves Bonnaroo open to any number of possibilites. Our best bet is Eminem though.
• Finally, there’s no David Bowie on the Coachella bill and, until recently, it was kept pretty tightly under-wraps that the singer even had concrete plans to return to music. Is it possible that Bonnaroo’s later date could have benefited their ability to land the iconic singer in time to make the lineup? Here’s hoping!

Coachella’s lineup is by no means disappointing, but it certainly lacks the flair and surprise of recent years. Though the two festivals are distinctly different in origins and focus, both Bonnaroo and Coachella and become increasingly more similar with each year. Could 2013 be the first time Bonnaroo will be able to inarguably “out-cool” Coachella with their lineup? What surprises do you think Bonnaroo has up their sleeve?

Don’t forget to check out our full 2013 Bonnaroo Lineup Rumors post, where we speculate on even more artists that might be showing up in Manchester this summer!