Las Vegas Weekly

January 30, 2009 · 9:09 AM

No recession for Coachella’s ambition

By Spencer Patterson

The Killers.

Thought Coachella might cut costs to combat the sagging economy? Think again. The Southern California music festival's 2009 lineup has been unveiled, and it looks pretty darn pricey from here.

Paul McCartney. Morrissey. Leonard Cohen's first U.S. performance since 1993. Franz Ferdinand, Conor Oberst, Girl Talk, ex-Las Vegans The Crystal Method, The Hold Steady, Mike Patton & Rahzel. And that's just some of what's slated for day one of the three-day extravaganza, scheduled for April 17-19 at Indio's Empire Polo Field.

The Killers are set to headline day two, holding down a coveted Saturday slot previously occupied by, among others, Radiohead and Prince. Amy Winehouse, TV on the Radio, Fleet Foxes, Mastodon, Superchunk and Bob Mould,

Atmosphere and the Drive-By Truckers are among the Las Vegans' undercard.

And on day three, The Cure top the bill, which also features the recently reunited My Bloody Valentine, rarely seen industrialists Throbbing Gristle, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Public Enemy, X, Peter Bjorn and John, Lupe Fiasco, Paul Weller and one-time Las Vegan Jenny Lewis.

Throw in a proclamation from Coachella's message board moderator ("Psychic Friend") that the event's full dance-tent lineup has yet to be announced, and this year's fest looks to be another can't-miss installment for serious, Southwest-dwelling music fans.

Tickets ($271 for three-day passes or $100 per day) go on sale today at 9 a.m., as do camping passes ($55 per person). And for the first time in its 10-year history, Coachella will offer a layaway purchase option for both tickets and camping passes. Seems the economy has had some affect after all.

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