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Coachella
April 25-27
Indio, CA
Click here for Rolling Stone's complete coverage of Coachella 2008
The Lineup: Prince, Roger Waters Performing Dark Side of the Moon, Portishead, Jack Johnson, Kraftwerk, the Verve, the Raconteurs, Death Cab for Cutie, Love & Rockets, My Morning Jacket, Aphex Twin, the Breeders, Spiritualized, Serj Tankian, Gogol Bordello, M.I.A., the National, Metric, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Aesop Rock, Black Mountain, Battles & more.The Cost: Single-day passes are long gone, so anyone looking to go at this point needs a $269 3-Day Pass.
The Skinny: The queen mother of music festivals. Coachella may not be the oldest or the most populous, but its reputation for booking eclectic and high-caliber artists has made it the point leader in the festival biz. Coachella's ace-in-sleeve has been the organizers' ability to convince defunct-but-beloved bands to reform for headlining sets. But when this year's rumors of a My Bloody Valentine reunion proved false, Coachella was left with a slightly lower-wattage (but still pretty awesome) Portishead as its big draw. What to do? Book Prince. The move cost them — some say as much as $5 million. But tickets for Saturday sold out within twenty-four hours of his addition. So what's a little extra green when there's a reputation to uphold?
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Bamboozle
May 3-4
Meadowlands Parking Lot, NJ
Click here for Rolling Stone's coverage of Bamboozle 2008
The Lineup: Jimmy Eat World, Paramore, Panic at the Disco, Snoop Dogg, Coheed & Cambria, Gym Class Heroes, Motion City Soundtrack, Senses Fail, The Academy Is..., The Hush Sound, Thrice, Jack's Mannequin, MxPx, PlayRadioPlay, Tokio Hotel, Cobra Starship, Envy on the Coast and more.The Cost: $49.50 per day; Festival passes sold out.
The Skinny: Where better for the disenfranchised, disillusioned and dejected to gather than a giant slab of concrete just outside a major sports complex? Bamboozle, now in its sixth year, caters mostly to the emo set, offering endless iterations of punk and power pop by countless teenage favorites — along with a number of sets by popular bands playing under fake names. Snark all you want, Bamboozle is also surprisingly good at nabbing the next big thing: Last year's festival featured a mid-afternoon set by a little band called Paramore. This year's lineup is even stronger: Paramore return, opening for irrepressible Jimmy Eat World, who are themselves opening for the even more-irrepressible Snoop Dogg. Night two boasts a headlining slot by recent Beatlemaniacs Panic at the Disco and daytime sets by the Academy Is..., Motion City Soundtrack, the Hush Sound and, inexplicably, Bret Michaels. Every rose has its thorn, indeed.
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Rock on the Range
May 17-18
Columbus Crew Stadium, Columbus, OH
Click here for Rolling Stone's coverage of Rock on the Range 2008
The Lineup: Stone Temple Pilots, Kid Rock, Disturbed, Staind, 3 Doors Down, Seether, Papa Roach, Flyleaf, Sevendust, Alter Bridge, Killswitch Engage, Serj Tankian, Shinedown, Finger Eleven, Filter, Ashes Divide and more.The Cost: Though all tickets are general admission, there are two price tiers. The top-tier two-day passes, which allow access to the field itself, are all gone, but there are still stadium general admission seats available for $99.50. Single-day tickets for Saturday are likewise sold out, but Sunday tickets, with access to the field, can still be nabbed for $64.50.
The Skinny: Think of it as Bamboozle for people in their late-thirties: a bevy of bummed-out rockers — and Kid Rock — revisit the bygone days of nu-metal, making for a bill to thrill fans of big riffs and baritone vocals. Rock on the Range will mark the first official performance of the resurrected Stone Temple Pilots, whose Scott Weiland just split acrimoniously with Velvet Revolver. As ex-pat lead singers go, he's in good company: also playing Rock on the Range are Alter Bridge, a.k.a. Creed minus Scott Stapp, and Serj Tankian, a.k.a. System of a Down minus System of a Down. Surely there's some sort of therapy group for this?
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Sasquatch!
May 24-26
The Gorge Amiphitheatre in George, Washington
Click here for Rolling Stone's coverage of Sasquatch! 2008
The Lineup: R.E.M., The Cure, Death Cab for Cutie, the Flaming Lips U.F.O. Show, the Mars Volta, Modest Mouse, M.I.A., the New Pornographers, the National, Ozomatli, the Presidents of the United States of America, Flight of the Conchords, Built to Spill, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, the Hives, Tegan & Sara, Beirut, Dengue Fever, the Breeders, Destroyer, Okkervil River, Kathleen Edwards and more.The Cost: The 3-Day passes have sold out. Single day tickets cost $66.50 a day until the week of the festival, when they go up to $76.50. VIP Tickets, which are only available until May 9, cost $750 each and offer the usual special seating, free food and air-conditioned restrooms.
The Skinny: It's an aging alt-rocker's dream — and that's not a bad thing. R.E.M., the Cure and the Flaming Lips are the fest's three headliners, and all of them are well-versed in the art of the stellar live show. The other acts are also decidedly left of the proverbial dial, making this a fest that first Seattle's progressive reputation. The festival is located at the Gorge Amphitheatre at the base of the Columbia River, making for a view that's nothing short of breathtaking. As if that's not enough, the Festival is also hosting the premiere of the Flaming Lips oft-discussed, seldom-believed movie Christmas on Mars. And what better place to watch a movie about Christmas than in the middle of a steamy gorge in Seattle?
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Bonnaroo
June 12-15
A 700-acre farm in Manchester, TN
Click here for Rolling Stone's complete coverage of Bonnaroo 2008
The Lineup: Pearl Jam, Metallica, Jack Johnson, Kanye West, Chris Rock, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Phil Lesh & Friends, My Morning Jacket, the Allman Brothers Band, the Raconteurs, Willie Nelson, Death cab for Cutie, Tiesto, BB King, Sigur Ros, Levon Helm & the Ramble on the Road, Ben Folds, O.A.R., Cat Power, M.I.A., Umphrey's McGee, Talib Kweli, Mastodon, Against Me!, Solomon Burke and more.The Cost: Bonnaroo sells only full-festival passes. The first two price tiers have already sold out, which makes all remaining tickets priced at a still-reasonable (for four days of music) $244.50
The Skinny: This one-time haven for jam bands and the people who love them has diversified over time, evolving gradually into a mind-blowing musical smorgasbord. The lineup for the festival's sixth year is no exception: the festival is a like a primer in pop music where artists and genres of every stripe are welcome; Bonnaroo 2008 has got a bit of everything, from blues to bluegrass, from O.A.R. to M.I.A. The urge to diversify extends beyond the music: Bonnaroo 2008 also boasts comedy sets by David Cross, Janeane Garofalo and Zach Galifanakas (among others), an outdoor market and a cinema tent for that fest-romance first date.
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Rothbury Music Festival
July 3-6
Double JJ Ranch, Rothbury, MI
The Lineup: Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic, John Mayer, 311, Phil Lesh & Friends, Primus, Thievery Corporation, Snoop Dogg, Modest Mouse, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Gov't Mule, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Gogol Bordello, Drive-By Truckers, Medeski, Martin & Wood, Of Montreal, Gomez, Secret Machines, Jakob Dylan & the Gold Mountain Rebels, Bettye LaVette and more.
The Cost: A standard weekend ticket goes for $244.75; VIP tickets, which get you access to prime camping and viewing locations, are a bit more expensive: $475. And if you're not buying all that hogwash about a "recession," you can spring for the Good Life package: $1,423, which gets you "unrivaled VIP amenities."
The Skinny: There are many, many music festivals this summer, but only one promises to be a "Musical Festival Revolution." That's not just glib ad copy: Rothbury, in its first year, dovetails its bill of mostly jammy acts (plus Snoop Dogg) with thoughtful discussions about climate change at the festival's Think Tank and theater and interactive demonstrations. Accordingly, the Festival aims to be 100 percent green, from stage power to waste disposal. If all that's not enough, the festival is hosted on the 2,000-acre Double JJ ranch, which boasts nature trails, lakes and beach views. Those sports arena music festivals aren't looking so good anymore, are they?
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Rocklahoma
July 10-13
Catch the Fever Campgrounds, Pryor, OK
The Lineup: Bret Michaels, Sebastian Bach, LA Guns, Enuff Z Nuff, Triumph, Lita Ford, Extreme, Warrant, Cinderella, Trixter, Kix, Pretty Boy Floyd, Tesla and more.
The Cost: The best seats are already long gone; those remaining are $350.00
The Skinny: For anyone who was old enough to wear hair mousse in the 1980s — or just wish they did — this is the only summer festival worth talking about. The young and the hip may scoff, but imagine this same lineup playing twenty years ago, and you'll get a rough idea of why so many are so excited. Lita Ford returns to the stage after a fifteen-year performing hiatus, along with Poison (and Rock of Love)'s Bret Michaels, Sebastian Bach of Skid Row, Extreme, Triumph and Tesla. As if that's not enough of a draw, the fest also features a reunited Cinderella and Warrant so the curious can see if Jani Lane's stint on Celebrity Fit Club 2 had lasting impact.
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Mile High
July 19-20
Dick's Sporting Goods Park, Denver, CO
The Lineup: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Dave Matthews Band, The Black Crowes, John Mayer, the Roots, OneRepublic, O.A.R., Steve Winwood, Spoon, moe., Andrew Bird, Josh Ritter, Citizen Cope, Flogging Molly, Martin Sexton, Leftover Salmon and more.
The Cost: A 2-day pass costs $150; a 2-day VIP package, which includes better seating, air-conditioned bathrooms, a gourmet food tasting and some measure of free beer and wine, is $495. Single-day passes come in at $85.
The Skinny: No, this isn't about what you think it's about. With headliners like Tom Petty, Dave Matthews, Steve Winwood and the Black Crowes, the Mile High Festival is definitely shooting for a slightly greyer demographic. But that doesn't mean it's fully square. Welcome curveballs like Spoon, Andrew Bird and the always-astonishing Roots save this from being a long, hot spin through classic rock radio playlists.
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Pemberton
July 25-28
Pemberton, BC, Canada
The Lineup: Coldplay, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Nine Inch Nails, Jay-Z, the Flaming Lips, Serj Tankian, Death Cab for Cutie, Interpol, N.E.R.D., My Morning Jacket, Metric, Matisyahu, Black Mountain, Vampire Weekend, Sia, Kathleen Edwards and more.
The Cost: Early-bird tickets are gone, baby, gone, leaving only regular 3-day passes, which cost $259.50 Canadian — or about $255 American. VIP Tickets, which boast better seating, can be had for $599.50 Canadian, or about $588 US.
The Skinny: As if Coldplay, Tom Petty, Jay-Z and Nine Inch Nails weren't enough to convince you: the Pemberton Festival is located at the base of 8,300-foot Mt. Currie, a breathtaking view when you're not too distracted by the breathtaking views on stage. Pemberton seems specifically engineered for the "hip" thirty-plus-year-old, so edgier — but still friendly — fare like Vampire Weekend and Interpol rub shoulders with decidedly cheerier acts like Sia and, um, the Tragically Hip (Well, it is a Canadian festival).
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Lollapalooza
August 1-3
Grant Park, Chicago, IL
The Lineup: Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Kanye West, Wilco, the Raconteurs, Love & Rockets, Gnarls Barkley, Bloc Party, The Black Keys, Cat Power, Broken Social Scene, Lupe Fiasco, the National, G. Love & Special Sauce, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings and more.
The Cost: The early-bird price deal has flown the coop; as of right now, buyers can still score an Advance 3-Day Pass for $190. Once those are gone, the $205 Regular 3-Day Pass will be the only option.
The Skinny: The original alternative, Lollapalooza may not travel anymore, but this resuscitated fest godfather still features a lineup that proudly sticks to the boundaries of pop music. Like the Virgin Mobile Festival, the top-tier of Lollapalooza skews curiously Nineties: Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine and Nine Inch Nails all score top billing, making it seem as if maybe the next three additions will be Blind Melon, the Spin Doctors and Collective Soul. All kidding aside: the songs on In Rainbows were practically custom-built to be played outdoors, and if Rage performs even a fraction as well as they did at last year's Rock the Bells tour, this year's Lolla will surely live up to the fest's grand legacy.
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Points West Festival
August 8-10
Liberty State Park, NJ
The Lineup: Radiohead, Jack Johnson, Underworld, Kings of Leon, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Cat Power, the Roots, the New Pornographers, Animal Collective, Andrew Bird, Secret Machines, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Metric, CSS, Girl Talk, Chromeo, the Go! Team, Amadou & Mariam, the Black Angels, Sia, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, Grizzly Bear, the Felice Brothers, K'Naan, Jason Isbell, Alberta Cross, the Virgins, Mates of State, Duffy, Rogue Wave, Forro in the Dark, Nicole Atkins, Earl Greyhound, Juana Molina, Little Brother, Neil Halstead, Your Vegas and De Novo Dahl.
The Cost: $89 per day, or $258 for all three days
The Skinny: Never mind the fact that All Points West Fest actually takes place in New Jersey, in its inaugural year this event is striving to give the Northeast a Coachella of its own (and no wonder: both fests share the same organizing team). The lineup skews indie rock, with top slots going to such lovable pasty-faces as Radiohead, Kings of Leon, Cat Power and the New Pornographers. But APW is more than just another blogger's paradise: its name derives from the fact that immigrants arriving in New Jersey in the 1800s would typically board trains bound for "All Point West." Accordingly, APW's organizers have rounded out the bill with performers from around the globe. Among the unmissable: Mexican metal pair Rodrigo y Gabriela, Somalian rapper K'Naan, and the fiery husband and wife Afropop duo Amadou & Mariam, from Mali.
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Virgin Mobile Festival
August 9-10
Pimlico Race Course, Baltimore, MD
The Lineup: Bob Dylan, Iggy and the Stooges, Chuck Berry, Foo Fighters, Jack Johnson, Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails, Stone Temple Pilots, Paramore and more.
The Cost: TBA. Last year was $97.50 per day, or $175 for both days.
The Skinny: If there is a festival with a sexier name than this, we've yet to hear it. We kid: the festival is the baby of Virgin's Richard Branson, and viewers of The Colbert Report know what happens when the Virgin Brand isn't sufficiently front and center. The big names and brawny riffs make this the perfect festival for folks who still discover new music on terrestrial radio. This year's lineup is still coming together, but the acts already announced, including Foo Fighters, Kanye West, Nine Inch Nails and a recently reconstituted Stone Temple Pilots, are enough to entice. The festival, currently in its third year, is the U.S. counterpart to the U.K.'s V Festival. Even more alluring than the lineup is the food: the Virgin Mobile Fest proudly serves steamed Maryland Blue Crabs from the Chesapeake Bay, along with grilled shrimp, crabcake sandwiches, crab melt pitas (!) and oysters on the half shell. With a menu like that, they can take all the time they need filling out the remainder of the bill.
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Outside Lands Festival
August 22-24
Golden Gate State Park, San Francisco, CA
The Lineup: Radiohead, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Jack Johnson, Beck, Wilco, Manu Chao, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals, Primus, Widespread Panic, Steve Winwood, Broken Social Scene, Regina Spektor, Devendra Banhart, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Little Brother, Nelly McKay and more.
The Cost: A 3-day ticket costs $225.50; a VIP package is available for $695, and includes shaded seating, special restroom facilities and VIP food options.
The Skinny: The Outside Lands festival is in its first year, but it's off to a good start. Booking Tom Petty, Wilco, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson and Widespread Panic makes the tone of the fest skew a bit oaky, but Radiohead and Beck will bring ample eccentricity, and it's Golden Gate Park, for crying out loud. Like many festivals thus summer, Outside Lands is going green: the festival offers bike valet service — which is exactly what it sounds like — and will feature a "recycling store" where attendees can use old water bottles and soda cans to buy goods. Add an extra $3 to your ticket and you can purchase a "pollution credit," which would normally go to a factory or a big business to permit a certain level of environmental pollution.
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Bumbershoot Music & Arts
Festival
August 30-Sept 1
Seattle Center, Seattle, WA
The Lineup: Beck, Stone Temple Pilots, Lucinda Williams, Neko Case, Ingrid Michaelson, Del the Funkee Homosapien, Jakob Dylan, !!!, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Saul Williams, M. Ward, the Walkmen and more TBA.
The Cost: A Standard 3-Day Pass is available now for an astonishing $80 (it goes up to $100 if you wait until after August 16). The Gold 3-Day Pass, which allows access to special seating sections and the air-conditioned lounge (!), plus beer tickets and a poster, cost a just-as-reasonable $195. For $395 you can get a Platinum Pass, which gets you everything the Gold Pass gets you plus even better seats, and access to an ultra-hush-hush "Bumbershoot Music Lounge." (No kidding, the site says it's at a "secret location.") Single-day tickets, with none of those benefits, are available for $35 a day right now, or $40 if you wait until after August 16.
The Skinny: Bumbershoot has been running on and off in different iterations for thirty-seven years, making it one of the longest-running music festival in the biz. Bumbershoot doesn't begin and end with music; like previous years, this year's festival will feature the leading lights of the lit world, along with comedy, film, theater and dance. The lineup is still coming together, but the early announcements — Beck, Neko Case, Jakob Dylan and the reconstituted STP among them — make this year's festival a boon for fans of all things alternative.
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• Coachella (April 25-27)
• Rock on the Range (May 17-18)
• Rothbury Music Festival (July 3-6)
• Mile High Festival (July 19-20)
• All Points West Festival (August 8-10)
• Virgin Mobile Festival (August 9-10)