411 on 3 big festivals

411 on 3 big festivals
Here's your guide to South by Southwest, Coachella and Bonnaroo music gatherings
By Kevin W. Smith
KSMITH@AZSTARNET.COM
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 03.08.2007
Red Hot Flaming Stooges Rage Against the Björk Police? Scanning the lineups of 2007's national rock festivals can be dizzying.
Concert promoters have planned multiday blowouts — with reunions of Rage Against the Machine and the Police and quality emerging acts— along with ticket prices that will blow your tax return. And it's not just music-goers who are excited for festival season, either. Malajube will be playing the South by Southwest festival in Austin for the first time. Bassist Mathieu Cournoyer said his band got the lowdown on the festival from another Montreal band that has played it, the Dears.
"They just told us it was going to be a big (expletive) party. It's going to be crazy. . . . Our drummer is a big drinker, but he said he wouldn't drink until Texas just to be ready."
Here's our completely unbiased breakdown of the three national music festivals you must catch this spring — along with the lowdown on how to make the most of your traveling. We have do's and don'ts from festival veterans, festival ratings and some words with local music acts who plan to make the trip as performers and fans.
Also, check out two other festivals that may one day stand with the big ones, and three you can catch right here in Arizona.
Coachella
• What: Three-day music festival in the Southern California desert.
• When: April 27-29.
• Where: Indio, Calif.
• Mileage from Tucson: 362.
• Attendance: Some 55,000 per day.
• Cost: It's mostly sold-out, except tickets for April 27 (which cost $85).
• Genre: The West Coast's answer to East Coast music elitism. Brooklyn, where you at?
• History: It started back in 1999; performers have included Radiohead, Beck, Oasis, Nine Inch Nails, Madonna and the Beastie Boys.
• 2007 potential: Looks to be one of the festival's strongest years, with the reunion of Rage Against the Machine and Björk returning to the United States.
• Trump card: Rage Against the Machine.
• Lineup highs: Björk, Arcade Fire, Manu Chao.
• Lineup lows: Not many, but is there anyone out there who hasn't seen the Red Hot Chili Peppers' new material live yet who wanted to?
• Need-to-know info: You will never be the biggest hipster at Coachella. Someone in a black sweater has been working for years on beating you.
• Don't need-to-know info: How long it's going to take to exit the festival grounds on the night of Sunday, April 29.
• Festival meter: ****
• For more info and full lineup: Coachella.com.
Bonnaroo
• What: Massive four-day music festival in the middle of nowhere . . . er, Tennessee.
• When: June 14-17.
• Where: Manchester, Tenn.
• Mileage from Tucson: 1,679.
• Attendance: Roughly 80,000 in 2006.
• Cost: Basic weekend tickets now running between $184.50 and $214.50 depending on when you buy.
• Genre: Hippyster.
• History: It started in 2002; the festival's popularity has been steadily increasing every year.
• 2007 potential: Coming off a big 2006 with Radiohead and Tom Petty, Bonnaroo cured its hangover with Sting, but Coachella's lineup still casts a large shadow.
• Trump card: The Police.
• Lineup highs: White Stripes, Tool, Flaming Lips, Wilco.
• Lineup lows: Mute Math, Fountains of Wayne.
• Need-to-know info: Don't worry about packing deodorant. There will be far worse scents to compensate.
• Don't need-to-know info: What time Dave Attell's "comedy" set starts.
• Festival meter: ****
• For more info and full lineup: Bonnaroo.com.
South by Southwest (SXSW)
•What: The mother of all multimedia festivals, this 10-day event includes conferences for music, interactive and film.
•When: March 9-18.
•Where: Austin, Texas.
•Mileage from Tucson: 893.
•Attendance: Last year, roughly 11,000 registered participants attended the music conferences, 13,500 hit the music trade show, and nearly 1,500 music acts were showcased in 64 venues, according to the festival's Web site.
•Cost: A badge for all the music activities costs $600 at the walk-up rate. Wristbands go for $160-$175 depending on when you buy (Austin residents get a discount). People with badges get priority for entry over wristbands.
•Genre: It's more of a circle of life: Industry sleaze prey on contract-hungry hipsters, and vultures from the indie-music press circle for smarmy comments to post.
•History: It started in 1987.
•2007 potential: There are so many unknown bands playing that you're bound to catch one before it blows up. You'll have an even better opportunity to catch a band that will become absolutely nothing.
•Trump card: The Stooges.
•Lineup highs: Bloc Party, The Good, the Bad and the Queen, Lily Allen.
•Lineup lows: With the Hacienda Brothers and Digital Leather the only bands officially invited from Tucson, we could have done better.
•Need-to-know info: How many open-bar record-label parties you can hit before your tolerance explodes on a Pitchfork staffer.
•Don't need-to-know info: What you'll do for a record deal.
•Festival meter: ****
•For more info and full lineup: 2007.sxsw.com.