BEYONCÉ, EMINEM TO HEADLINE COACHELLA

For the first time, the festival’s main attractions will not have rock acts, but performances from other genres

Beyoncé, Eminem and The Weeknd will headline Coachella, the promoters announced, marking the first time that no rock act will be among the main attractions at the leading festival.

Coachella, which has turned into one of the world’s most lucrative and influential festivals since its debut in 1999, takes place in the desert of southern California over two successive weekends in April with identical lineups for each.

The festival, to be held this year between April 13 and 15 and then between April 20 and 22 — marks Beyoncé’s first appearance since the pop superstar had twins in June last year with husband Jay-Z.

Beyoncé was to headline the festival in 2017 but was replaced with Lady Gaga after her doctors advised her not to perform so late into her pregnancy. She promised at the time to come in 2018 instead.

Coachella, whose promoters are fond of splashy headliners, is also the first full concert for Eminem since the top-selling rapper in history released his latest album, Revival, last month. Canadian R&B singer The Weeknd, whose profile has quickly grown in the past few years with hits such as ‘Can’t feel my face’ and ‘I feel it coming’, will be headlining Coachella for the first time.

The development comes amid growing signs that traditional rock bands are losing their cultural dominance in the United States. For instance, hip-hop, for the first time, made up the majority of nominations for Album of the Year in the latest Grammys. Despite the headliners, Coachella, at other set-times will feature plenty of rock acts, including The War on Drugs, Alt-J, Haim and Portugal. The Man. The festival will also see the Coachella debut of French electronic icon Jean-Michel Jarre, whose extrava gant light shows rank among the largest concerts in history, but who toured the United States for the first time last year.

Other prominent performers include Talking Heads legend David Byrne, who has indicated at his plans to release new music in 2018, and Cardi B, the New York rapper who scored a breakaway hit in 2017 with

Bodak Yellow.

BEYONCÉ, WHO WAS SCHEDULED TO PERFORM AT THE CALIFORNIABASED MUSIC FESTIVAL IN 2017, HAD THEN WITHDRAWN AS IT WAS TOO LATE INTO HER PREGNANCY.

PHOTO: EVAN AGOSTINI/INVISION/AP