On the evening of the first night of Southern California music festival Coachella, the promoters behind the supersized festival announced plans for a concert event. This is not just any concert, but an event that could easily rival the Coachella Valley Music & Arts festival in terms of cultural impact. If what Goldenvoice has planned is able to be pulled off, it would be a major coup for the company and perhaps the greatest night in the history of classic rock. The company is proposing a three-night concert that includes Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, The Who and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd on the bill. The event is scheduled to take place October 7-9 at the location of the Coachella Festival, the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, CA.
According to the LA Times, Goldenvoice, which is an arm of the entertainment giant AEG, would not give a comment on the planned concert due to performer negotiations being finalized. However, the publication was able to get a quote from a “person close to the project,” who stated that these would not be truncated festival sets, but full-blown stage productions. An official announcement is expected to be released in the coming weeks.
The schedule would look like this. Friday, October 7, Bob Dylan would play opener to the Rolling Stones. The next night, on Saturday the 8th, Neil Young and Paul McCartney would perform back-to-back sets. Finally, on Sunday evening The Who would perform a set followed by Pink Floyd’s frontman, Roger Waters.
As Goldenvoice has grown from an upstart punk promoter in the Southland and grown into the influential giant of music promotion with Coachella, they have moved away from alternative music and paid an increasing eye on classic mainstream rock (Guns ‘N Roses headlining spot tonight at the Coachella Festival is a perfect example). There have been rumors of a “Fall Coachella,” and perhaps this is those rumors in their tangible form.
These six artists represent the biggest names in music, even decades after their heyday of the 60s and 70s. The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Roger Waters and The Who are among the biggest names in terms of gross revenue from their tours – and that is performing on their own. If Goldenvoice can pull it off and bring these massive names together for one weekend, it promises to be a revenue stream of massive proportions for the company.
UPDATE (04/21/2016): The Who have confirmed their participation in the concert, according to vocalist Roger Daltrey. He made statement to the Toronto Sun, stating “I mean it’s a fantastic idea for a festival. It’s the greatest remains of our era. I’m glad we made it.”
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