It’s been over five years since the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Roger Waters, and the Who came together on the Coachella grounds in Indio, California for one of the most gargantuan classic rock events in history. While the official name of the event was Desert Trip by some, others simply called it Boomerstock and Oldchella. The event was held over two weekends and brought in $160 million. However, you would have to mortgage your house to pay for the tickets.
Although rumors of a follow up event have circulated for many years, a new report has been published. Hits Daily doubleThis may finally happen, and Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band could be part of it. “The organizers of classic-rock fest Desert Trip — led by Paul Tollett, who is also wheeling and dealing for the Coachella lineup — are said to be working hard to secure Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, but that booking appears shaky at best,”They said. “The rest of the bill, insiders say, looks like a home run.”
A Led Zeppelin reunion — or even a Page and Plant reunion — is indeed a “shaky” proposition considering Plant has said roughly 10,000 times that he’ll never agree to such a thing. But “home run”The rest of the bill is intriguing. These caveats should be noted. We don’t know if there will be another Desert Trip. Omicron and its 20 other variants could shut down concerts until 2040. A fleet of alien ships could vaporize the planet tomorrow. The future is not known.
This aside, here’s a list of 11 acts that we think were on Desert Trip II. We also give reasons why they might or may not. (Note: Nineties acts like Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters, Radiohead and Phish were skipped because they were too young for the event. Perhaps in ten years at Desert Trip III.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Desert Trip was a show that focused on artists who made an impact in culture during the Sixties. Bruce Springsteen and his E Street Band would be a great choice for a sequel show that focused on later groups. They haven’t toured in five years, and they’d move an absurd number of tickets.
They will:They are the only group that is mentioned in the Hits Daily doubleReports about the show. They’re also supposedly gearing up for concerts in the near future, presuming Omicron makes that possible. They appear to be a safe bet.
Why They Won’t:E Street Band usually plays a few festivals in Europe on their tours, but they are mostly known for playing their own shows in America. They will likely focus their next tour on stadiums. These will be so large events that they may not need Desert Trip.
Crazy Horse and Neil Young
Neil Young performed the original Desert Trip with Promise of the Real in 2016. They absolutely crushed it. For more evidence, see the “Cowgirl in the Sand” sequence from Young’s Netflix movie Paradox.It was enough to earn him another invitation.
Why They Will: Organizers may not want to repeat anything they did in 2016, which is why we aren’t listing the Rolling Stones or the Who here, but the presence of Crazy Horse means this would be different enough to make it justifiable. Young said that he would take the Horse out the barn once the pandemic has ended. This would be an obvious stop for their tour. Nils Lofgren will be very busy if Springsteen performs.
Why They Won’tYoung is very, very reluctant about booking shows while Covid continues to be a problem. He may not want to sign a contract until he’s 100% sure the show won’t be a superspreader event. He may not be able to have that peace of head if the show happens in 2022.
A Paul McCartney/Ringo Starr Double Bill
Paul McCartney played after Young at the Desert Trip’s first. To make this one special, they could book Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band as Paul’s opener. Even though no one would know what it would look like until the show, it would make a reunion between the two surviving Beatles a certain thing. We’re not interested in your fantasies of Dhani Harrison or Julian Lennon performing a Beatles set. Let’s stay in the realm of the feasible.)
Why They Will:Paul and Ringo played many times together over the years. They are close and Ringo has shows booked for this summer. He’s never opened for Paul, but this seems like the perfect chance to finally make that happen.
Why They Won’t: They’ve spent the past five decades ruling out any sort of Beatles reunion. They might be offended by a double bill like this.
A Billy Joel/Elton John Reunion
A set by Billy Joel or Elton John alone wouldn’t seem that momentous since they’ve both toured so heavily over the past decade. But it’s been 12 years since their last Face to Face show. They should bring back the Billy & Elton mashup concert. It would be worthy for a Desert Trip slot.
Why They WillAfter their last tour, they had a bad falling out. They had some heated exchanges with the media over the years, but that was many years ago. Elton is currently on a farewell tour and this may be their last chance for them to forget the past and end their partnership.
Why They Won’tJoel: When Joel and I spoke about this, Joel stated that John had not yet reached out to offer an olive branch. Until they fix their relationship, they probably aren’t playing any shows together.
Fleetwood Mac with Lindsey Buckingham
Desert Trip was such an enormous success, Irving Azoff actually copied the idea and booked his biggest acts at Citi Field in New York City and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles the following summer. This was the last time Lindsey Buckingham performed with Fleetwood Mac in a full set before their split. Although it might seem underwhelming to see Fleetwood Mac perform with Neil Finn and Mike Campbell at Desert Trip II, it would still be an incredible event if it was Buckingham’s return.
Why They Will: Buckingham made peace with Stevie Nicks and all other members of the band. The ex-couple has come to terms with many past feuds and is now set for a farewell tour. RumoursIt might seem impossible to resist the temptation. Desert Trip is the best place to launch it.
Why They Won’t: Buckingham made some sexist comments about Nicks while promoting his solo album. He even compared her with Donald Trump. It may be that there is not enough money for her to get over it.
The Kinks
Reuniting a major band is the best way to get fans of classic rock excited for another Desert Trip. And since Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin are lost causes at this point, they’d be smart to consider the Kinks. They’ve been teasing the possibility of a reunion for the past decade.
Why They Will:Ray and Dave Davies spent a lot time together in the last few years. Much of it has been spent combing through their vault for reissue projects, but they’ve also said live shows have been discussed. If it’s ever going to happen, this is the place.
Why They Won’tDespite all the hype, Kinks never seem to get anything done. Ray Davies hasn’t even gone on a solo tour in 2015. It’s possible they’ve just waited too long and grown too old.
Genesis
Although Phil Collins might not be in the best of physical condition, Last Domino? The reunion tour packed houses wherever it went in 2021. The North American run didn’t go any further west than Chicago. If they want to satisfy all their West Coast fans with a single show, they won’t have a better chance than this.
Why They Will: The band is already touring and have European dates in mind for March. Flying across the Atlantic for one last American gig wouldn’t be a big lift, and it would certainly be worth the effort financially.
Why They Won’tCollins said that the band might disband after their London show on March 26th. Desert Trip is unlikely to be possible, if he really means it. (We’re aware they could bring back Peter Gabriel, but that’s incredibly unlikely as he’s as reunion-phobic as Plant, David Gilmour, David Byrne, and Morrissey.)
U2
U2 completed the final leg of their 2019 tour. Joshua TreeThey were on tour right before the pandemic decimated the global concert industry. They’ve spent the downtime quietly working on a new record, but they’ve hinted that a 30th anniversary Zoo TV tour may be coming. Imagine a complete performance. Achtung BabyDesert Trip II. It would be amazing.
They will: Joshua Tree tour proved that U2 aren’t allergic to nostalgia when presented in the right way. Even if they only do a U2 show, it is still one of their most loved tours. Desert Trip, should they be playing shows next season, would make a good stop.
Why They Won’t: The whole Zoo TV 30 thing may not happen, and there’s no indication that their next album is even close to ready. If they don’t want to play shows until that’s done, we could be talking about 2023 for the tour. They don’t play one-off shows, so it is possible that they won’t be available in time.
Stevie Wonder
Wonder doesn’t play a lot of live shows these days, which means that every one of them is a major event. He did a Songs in the Key of LifeThe tour was phenomenal in 2014 and 2015. Even though there was an occasional benefit show in Los Angeles, things have been quiet since. But, a Desert Trip performance could be a great surprise. If he’s willing, they’d be crazy not to book him.
Why He WillWonder will put together a band and play a set of classics for big events. He did a handful of gigs in the summer of 2019, and he’d have no logical reason to turn down Desert Trip and their dollars.
Why He Won’t: We can’t think of a single good reason.
David Gilmour
Last Desert Trip saw Roger Waters fly the Pink Floyd flag. Gilmour could do the same thing this time. It would be a more memorable event since he tours less than Waters.
Why He Will: It’s the perfect chance to prove he’s every bit as great in concert as Roger Waters.
Why He Won’t: He’s not in tour mode and simply doesn’t play one-offs. He just sold his entire guitar collection. He might never perform again in concert, especially not with such a large audience.
Simon & Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel haven’t played a show together since Jazz Fest in 2010 when vocal problems caused poor Art to have a very difficult night. Their relationship is in a bad place now, and they aren’t really on speaking terms, but their appearance on a Desert Trip bill would go a long way towards making the event feel just as big as the first one.
Why They Will: Both turned 80 in the last few months. Could they be willing to forget all the bullshit and go back on stage in order to make some serious money? Don’t they want to end their nearly seven-decade partnership on a high note?
Why They Won’t: The empathic answer to both of these questions is likely an empathic “no.”