It was just a year ago that Desert Trip was officially announced to the world. The hugely successful three-day festival (over two weekends in October) featured an amazing lineup of The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Roger Waters, The Who, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young. Flash forward a year later and there has been no announcement about a sequel, the event not happening, or, well, anything. So what’s the deal?
There are a few signs that point to the event happening in Indio and some that point to it not happening (at least in 2017):
Reasons it will happen:
- Desert Trip was the most profitable festival ever. Not having a sequel would leave a lot of money on the table.
- Those rumors about a potential Led Zeppelin reunion as well as potentially convenient October gaps in the tour schedules of Elton John and Billy Joel.
- Goldenvoice invested a lot of money in creating grandstands and luxury suites that they wouldn’t have to do for a second run and those things are going to make any cash just laying around.
- People really seemed to love the festival and losing a year might lose a bit of momentum.
- Skipping a year and coming back in 2018 would be a possibility and not unprecedented as that did take place between the first and second installments of Coachella.
Reasons it won’t happen:
- The lineup. Finding the right acts to perform must be a huge challenge – especially with what would have been a pretty good Desert Trip lineup now locked in to playing Dodger Stadium this summer.
- News about a Desert Trip 2 seems almost non-existent. The L.A. Times released details about the first edition well before the official announcement. Either this time promoters and acts have been really good at keeping their lips sealed or there is just nothing to talk about.
- Goldenvoice has their hands full. In addition to Coachella and Stagecoach, they are behind FYF, Firefly, Splash House, Festival Supreme, and the new Arroyo Seco Weekend taking place in Pasadena in June.
- Some people were kind of upset that they weren’t able to become filthy rich by buying up extra tickets to Desert Trip and selling them for a billion dollars. Sure, it is not really the promoter’s fault – but some potential buyers might feel burned.
So will there be a Desert Trip this October? Or will it be awfully quiet this fall in the Coachella Valley?
Hopefully, we find out soon.
