‘Desert Trip’ concert won’t return
Desert Trip, a music festival spanning two weekends last year in Indio, Calif., featured a lineup of classic-rock stars including The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan and Neil Young.
Some fans called it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Maybe it was: This week, any lingering hopes for a 2017 Desert Trip were officially shut down.
Goldenvoice, the Los Angeles-based concert promoter behind the event (as well as the annual Coachella music and arts festival at the same location) confirmed to Billboard on Thursday that Desert Trip would not be happening this year.
“We loved 2016 Desert Trip,” said Paul Tollett, Goldenvoice’s chief executive. “Maybe someday in the future we’ll do something similar.”
The event in the Southern California desert last October was a hit, grossing an enviable $160 million. Rolling Stone called it “a celebration of enduring songwriting and vintage zeal in performance,” and The New York Times said performers “played as if they still have something to prove: not just longevity but a die-hard rock spirit.”
Headline artists at last year’s festival had an average age of 72 — some nicknamed it “Oldchella” — and catered mostly to baby boomers with money to spare. A single-day admission ticket went for $199, and three-day tickets sold for as much as $1,599.