“im really disappointed by this lineup. not the same festival i went to in ’05 and ’06. probably wont be making the trip. too bad, i LOVED the fest the last 2 years.”
“Im not one to usually hate on line-ups, but wow, thats a bad line up. so far at least.”
Such were typical reactions at Phish fansite phantasytour.com to Monday’s reveal of the first 19 confirmed acts for 2007’s Vegoose festival, scheduled for October 27 and 28 at Sam Boyd Stadium’s Star Nursery Fields (and, possibly, inside the stadium itself). Meanwhile, over at the Coachella Music & Arts Festival message board ...
“Holy f--king shit, that’s actually good! What happened to the jam bands? DAFT PUNK? Wow. Now I have to go!”
“The initial lineup looks great ... I’m definitely in.”
Whether the preliminary announcement excites or dismays you probably largely depends on whether you wake up each morning lamenting Jerry Garcia’s 1995 death or perusing Pitchfork. It appears Vegoose 2007 will de-emphasize the jam scene that birthed the fest in 2005 (only Umphrey’s McGee, STS9 and, to some extent, Michael Franti & Spearhead represent that camp), while loading up on acts with current indie cred, such as Muse, The Shins, Blonde Redhead, Thievery Corporation, Gogol Bordello, UNKLE, Battles, Ghostland Observatory and co-headliner Daft Punk, whose 2006 Coachella performance stands as one of the most revered festival sets in recent memory (revisit part of it at youtube.com/watch?v=9a5dBJDz2vs).
Hip-hop is also well-represented (by Public Enemy, Ghostface Killah, Cypress Hill and Pharoahe Monch), while co-headliner Rage Against the Machine, Queens of the Stone Age and Iggy & The Stooges—who are scheduled to perform seminal 1970 proto-punk album Fun House in its entirety—will give harder-edged rock a notable presence.
Will those participants—along with additional late-night sets from Thievery Corporation, Umphrey’s McGee, Franti & Spearhead, STS9 and The Shins—attract enough So-Cal hipsters to help Vegoose rebound from 2006’s lackluster ticket sales? Or will the festival sacrifice its hippie base, and with it its footing in Las Vegas? Check back for the answer in three months.