Have festival lineups become boring?

Have festival lineups become boring?

11 May, 2011 | 3.58AM

• Written by: Ellie
• Filed under: Music News: armin van buuren, bestival, coachella, creamfields, festivals, glastonbury, global gathering, matt hardwick, mauro picotto, mysteryland

Across the world, festival season is either in full swing or fast approaching. But with lineup announcements that read the same year in year out, long gone are the days when you waited in anticipation to see whether your favorite artists would appear on the bill.

Large festivals like Glastonbury, Coachella and Global Gathering are often criticized for their predictable rosters, and with superstar DJs now casually flitting around the globe, it’s inevitable that many of the same acts end up headlining all the big festivals worldwide.

But is this such a bad thing?

Using the same big headliners to attract crowds guarantees money from ticket sales, which in turn improves production, meaning a much better party for everyone.

And with an increase in the number of festivals nowadays, there are so many specialist, genre-specific events popping up all over the place that there will always be something to suit everyone’s tastes. When we spoke to Mauro Picotto about his Alchemy Festival recently, he said:

“I’ve been to every big festival in the world and it’s always the same names and talents on the lineups. Creamfields, for example, is always great, but there’s always some problem with the sound system and the focus is on the number of people attending rather than on the music, so you get lots of people who don’t really know who’s playing or what’s going on. With my festival I want to attract people who are really into their music. I’m always looking for something new and fresh, so Alchemy will be a high-quality, underground event.”

However, when festival organizers do attempt to freshen up their bills with a surprising headliner, it’s not always well received. Like when rapper Kanye West played Global Gathering one year, enraging many dance music fans who felt that he didn’t belong at the festival.

And let’s face it, there’s nothing more disappointing than when your favourite DJ’s name doesn’t appear on the bill. At Glastonbury this year, the only trance DJ playing the dance arena is Matt Hardwick, and Armin Van Buuren’s name doesn’t even make an appearance on Global Gathering’s line-up.

There are other ways for festival organizers to rejuvenate a festival. Just look at the likes of Mysteryland and Bestival, who, with their massive production values including humongous fireworks displays and impressive stages, offer more than just a predictable lineup and focus instead on the overall experience.

Then again, does it even matter if the same DJs play the same festivals every year? It’s not as though they’ll be playing the same records each time is it?

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