LOS ANGELES – Beyonce, Eminem and The Weeknd will lend star power to Coachella, promoters announced, marking the first time that no rock act will be among the main attractions.
Coachella, which has turned into one of the world’s most lucrative and influential festivals since its debut in 1999, takes place in the desert of southern California over two successive weekends in April with identical line-ups for each.
The festival – April 13-15 and April 20-22 – marks the first concert scheduled by Beyonce since the pop superstar had twins in June with her husband, rap mogul Jay-Z.
She was due to headline Coachella last year but was replaced with Lady Gaga after doctors advised her not to perform so late in her pregnancy.
Coachella is also the first full concert on the books for Eminem since the top-selling rapper in history released his latest album, Revival, last month.
The Weeknd, the Toronto R&B singer whose profile has quickly grown in the past few years with hits such as Can’t Feel My Face and I Feel It Coming, has performed previously at Coachella but never as a headliner.
The Coachella announcement comes amid growing signs that traditional rock bands are losing their cultural dominance in the United States. Hip-hop for the first time made up the majority of nominations for Album of the Year in the latest Grammys.
However, Coachella at other set-times will still feature plenty of rock acts, mostly with an indie bent, including The War On Drugs, alt-J, Haim and Portugal. The Man.
