Coachella, that blissful musical Bacchanal in the desert of California, has made a habit of nabbing headliners that speak to a specific generation’s unrequited, nostalgia-fueled desires. Who else would know we were itching to see the Pixies make a comeback (as they did to rave reviews at Coachella in 2004) or glimpse the triumphant return of Gang of Four (2005)? Who else sensed our silent longing to see Tool (2006) play live again, or watch Iggy crawl around onstage with the Stooges (2003)? This year is no different: after a seven-year absence from the spotlight, the Zack De La Rocha-led agit-prop band Rage Against the Machine (who played Coachella’s inaugural weekend in 1999) will headline this year’s expanded three-day fest.
Let’s pretend that you had the power to make the rock & roll dreams of music nerds everywhere come true: Who would you tap to headline the next installment of Coachella? To keep things focused, the band or artist you choose needs to have experienced its heyday between 1977 and 1994, and must have either broken up or not toured extensively in at least four years. Here are some of our picks:
- Minor Threat
- EPMD
- B-52’s
- The Smiths
- The Jam

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- Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.