Ariana Grande, Tame Impala, Childish Gambino To Headline Coachella

(Christopher Polk / Getty Images for Coachella) – Ariana Grande
Joins Kygo for a surprise appearance at Coachella 2018

Ariana Grande, Tame Impala and Childish Gambino will headline this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival set for April 12-14 and April 19–21 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA.  Tickets for the 20th edition go on sale this Friday (Jan. 4) at 11 AM PT at coachella.com, though first weekend GA tickets, which went on advance sale last year, are all sold-out.

Promoted by Goldenvoice/AEG Live, Coachella regularly tops Pollstar’s Year End Worldwide Festival Grosses chart, with 2017’s setting a record of $114,593,000 (2018’s gross has yet to be announced). Coachella has held the No. 1 spot since Pollstar began releasing its festival grosses chart in 2012 with the exception of 2016, when the festival fell to second place behind Goldenvoice President Paul Tollett’s own Desert Trip. 

2017, which was headlined by Radiohead, Lady Gaga and Kendrick Lamar, grossed $20,375,000 more than 2016’s event (topped by LCD Soundsystem, Guns N’ Roses and Calvin Harris).  Part of that increase was due to a  jump in capacity as Coachella increased its size from 99,000 per weekend in 2015 and 2016 to 125,000-capacity in 2017, for a total of 250,000 tickets sold over the two weekends – an increase of 26.26 percent. General admission tickets were then priced at $399 and VIP passes were priced at $899.  This year’s GA passes start at $429 and VIPs at $999. The festival has consistently sold out since 2010.  

This year’s Coachella headliners represent something of a younger generational shift with Grande at 25-years-old, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker at 32-years-old and Childish Gambino (a.k.a. Donald Glover) at 35 and few if any of the thus-far-announced 165 music acts representing music from ’60s, ’70s, ’80s or even ’90s (with Aphex Twin and Weezer perhaps the most notable exceptions).

Last year’s headliners were led by The Weeknd, Beyonce and Eminem. 

(Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella). – Beyonce at Coachella
2018

Other major acts announced for this year’s Coachella include, Janelle Monae, Solange, the 1975, Kacey Musgraves, Anderson .Paak, J. Balvin, Four Tet, Diplo, Chvrches, Khalid, Bad Bunny, Zedd, Bassnecter, Wiz Khalifa, Dillon Francis, Juice WRLD, Playboi Carti, Rufus Du Sol, Blackpink, Kid Cudi and Billie Eilish. 

In terms of this year’s Coachella headliner grosses, Grande has become a solid arena act whose grosses, according to Pollstar Boxoffice reports, include $2.4 million over two nights at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena and $2.06 million gross for two dates at Mexico’s Palacio De Los Deportes with 36.2k in attendance. Her average gross comes in at $695,982.

Similarly, Childish Gambino has also become an arena act, with recent shows including a two-night stint at Madison Square Garden last Sept. grossing $2.65 million and a single night at D.C.’s Capital One Arena which earned $1.2 million.

Australian psych-rock act Tame Impala  has an average gross of $107,507, according to Pollstar Boxoffice reports  and in 2017 toured primarily theaters. In 2018, however, the band headlined a number of festivals including Desert Daze, Pitchfork Festival, Treasure Island and Panorama (also a Goldenvoice/AEG fest) which may have helped convinced organizers and fans they were ready for a prime spot in Indio.

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Coachella 2019 Line-up.

The Complete 2019 Coachella line-up as of Jan. 2 in alphabetical order:
070 Shake
88Glam
Adriatique
Agoria
Alice Merton
Âme
Amelie Lens
Anderson.Paak & The Free Nationals
Anna Lunoe
Aphex Twin
Ariana Grande
A R I Z O N A
Bad Bunny
Bakar
Bassnectar
Bazzi
Beach Fossils
Billie Eilish
BLACKPINK
Blond:ish
Blood Orange
Bob Moses
boy pablo
Burna Boy
Calypso Rose
CamelPhat
Charlotte de Witte
Charlotte Gainsbourg
Childish Gambino
CHON
Chris Lake
Christine and the Queens
CHVRCHES
Cirez D
Clairo
CloZee
Cola Boyy
Dave P.
Deep Dish
Dennis Lloyd
Dermot Kennedy
Dillon Francis
Diplo
DJ Snake
Dusky
dvsn
Easy Life
Ella Mai
Emily King
FISHER
FKJ
Four Tet
Gesaffelstein
Gorgon City
Gryffin
Gucci Gang
Guy Gerber
Heidi Lawden
H.E.R.
Hop Along
Hot Since 82
Hurray for the Riff Raff
HYUKOH
Iceage
Idris Elba
J Balvin
Jaden Smith
Jain
Jambinai
Jan Blomqvist
Janelle Monáe
Jauz
Javiera Mena
Jon Hopkins
JPEGMAFIA
Juice WRLD
Kacey Musgraves
Kaytranada
Kayzo
Kero Kero Bonito
Khalid
Khruangbin
Kid Cudi
King Princess
Kölsch
Las Robertas
Lauren Lane
Lee Burridge
Let’s Eat Grandma
Little Simz
Lizzo
Los Tucanes De Tijuana
Mac DeMarco
Maggie Rogers
Mansionair
Men I Trust
Mon Laferte
Mr Eazi
Murda Beatz
NGHTMRE
Nic Fanciulli
Nicole Moudaber
Nina Kraviz
Nocturnal Sunshine
Nora En Pure
Ocho Ojos
Ookay
Parcels
Patrice Bäumel
Perfume
Playboi Carti
Polo & Pan
Pusha T
RAT BOY
Razorbumps
Rico Nasty
Rosalía
Ross From Friends
RÜFÜS DU SOL
Sabrina Claudio
SALES
serpentwithfeet
SG Lewis
Shallou
shame
Sheck Wes
SiR
Smino
SOB X RBE
Soccer Mommy
Social House
SOFI TUKKER
Solange
SOPHIE
Soulection
Steady Holiday
Stephan Bodzin
Still Woozy
Superorganism
Tale Of Us
Tame Impala
Tara Brooks
The 1975
The Frights
The Garden
The Interrupters
The Messthetics
The Red Pears
Tierra Whack
Tomasa del Real
Turnover
Turnstile
Ty Segall & White Fence
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
U.S. Girls
Virgil Abloh
Walker & Royce
Wallows
Weezer
Wiz Khalifa
Yellow Days
YG
Yotto
Yves Tumor
Zedd