Shortly after the news of Coachella 2020’s cancellation broke, the festival’s famed organizer, Goldenvoice, struck up a conversation with the city of Indio to discuss the possibility of hosting a new event in the area in October. Indio Mayor Glenn Miller recently revealed that the city and the AEG-owned brand have been working together to potentially deliver a two-day or two-weekend event similar to Desert Trip.
Desert Trip was a one-off event that took place over two consecutive weekends in October 2016. The rock festival witnessed Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, The Who, and more take the stage during its six day run. Over the years, the festival has frequently been referred to as “Oldchella,” due to its Indio base, similarly mature lineup, and Goldenvoice-backed production.
Miller expressed his optimism that Indio and Goldenvoice will be able to jointly bring a Desert Trip spinoff to fruition in a recent interview:
“We’re working with Goldenvoice now to see what we can do about hopefully having another concert in October, [a bit] like a Desert Trip…to help with the economy not only for the city of Indio, but [also] for the whole Coachella Valley and the state of California.
We have a great relationship with Goldenvoice and the Empire Polo Club and I believe we will be able to pull this off.”
It’s safe to assume that strategies to recoup the tourism funds that Coachella’s and Stagecoach‘s 2020 installments would have generated is a top priority for Miller, considering that both festival cancellations are cumulatively expected to cost the city $4 million. An event akin to Desert Trip could be lucrative for Indio, Coachella Valley, and the state of California at large, given that Desert Trip grossed $160 million during its first and only run four years ago.
H/T: KESQ News Channel 3
Featured image: Coachella
