Once upon a time, Coachella was a festival rife with acts from all over the rock and alternative world. It was a big deal, then, in 2006, when Madonna was announced for the springtime festival in Indio, CA. Now, some two decades later, she headlines again, but unlike before, there's only so much representation from the rock world, with virtually no nu metal representation to be had.
The closest we get for the upcoming 2027 line-up, which was announced today, is Mike D of Beastie Boys fame, who has a solo set as Mike D 5D on the Fridays of the festival, April 9th and 16th. We've also got K-pop supergroup NCT, who dabble in heavier fare from time to time, but that's a stretch, and that's coming from the one who pushes the K-pop/nu metal agenda on the regular.
There's enough rock and punk rep with acts like La Dispute, The Damned, and Pennywise, sure, but even last year's festivities had some nu to be found in the Valley, with Turnstile, DRAIN, and Fleshwater among the dozens of acts on the bill. Sure, this lineup for the 2027 incarnation is nothing to sneeze at, and I'm sure that any of us among the Agenda faithful could cherry-pick a few acts that we'd enjoy seeing, but it's pretty scant for nu metal come April's two weekends in Indio.
For those still inclined, the festival's tickets go on sale this Friday, November 13th beginning at 12pm PST on the official Coachella website. Just don't say we didn't warn you.
