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I'd really be pissed at Goldenvoice and other festival organizers if they scheduled Childish Gambino to perform in the same time slot as Feist.
First, let's dissect the headliners. No Doubt is a fair prospect. They haven't toured since the summer of 2009 and nobody has heard much from them lately. Does this mean a new album is underway? There's a chance, and Coachella would be a great place for its debut performance. Radiohead has a hefty three-and-a-half-month break in their tour schedule, and they don't have any dates secured for California yet.
This year's release of King of Limbs, plus the fact that they're freakin' Radiohead, have long made one of indie's biggest mainstream bands quite an in-demand headliner for Coachella. Radiohead has headlined Coachella before; that could be viewed as a point either for or against them as a contender for this year's festival.
As for the Foo Fighters, despite their release of one of the best records of the year, they're just too "rock" for Coachella these days. They played there in 2002, but that was when Coachella was a completely different, much smaller monster. And in the words of former New Times music editor Martin Cizmar, "What warped mind would conjure up a scenario in which Foo Fighters headlined over Daft Punk?" He's got a good point; that's so un-Coachella-like. Red Hot Chili Peppers might be more likely candidates for a top spot in 2012. They've released an album this year, too, plus it's very likely that they have additional U.S. tour dates that have yet to be announced.
Share your lineup guesses with us in the comments section. Looks like we'll be holding out for the official lineup announcement, which typically comes in January. Until then, let the Coachella speculation season begin!
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