11 January 2012
VVN Music
When the lineup for Coachella was announced yesterday, two of the three headliners seemed to be no brainers. Radiohead and the combination of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg both seemed to live up to the name but the third, the Black Keys, appeared a bit out of place.
Not that the Black Keys aren't worthy of a high profile spot. Their albums have been consistent sellers and they are admired by the critics, but it's questionable whether they have yet attained headliner status at such a high profile festival.
On Tuesday, Billboard reported that Black Sabbath was just about to be announced as one of this year's headliners when the news broke that Tommy Iommi was suffering from lymphoma. While the group tried to put a positive spin on the news, saying that he is working closely with doctors to find the best treatment and that they still plan to tour after the release of their new album, the April date of Coachella may have been just too close to risk the booking.
So far, the Black Sabbath camp has not confirmed that they were booked for the festival nor have festival promoters given any indication who got the "bump up" in their place.
