An event in the works for this October in the California desert could be a Woodstock for a new generation of classic rock fans.
Six venerable rock acts—Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, the Who, the Rolling Stones, Neil Young, and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters—are slated to perform in a three-night music festival in October, the LA Times reports, citing unnamed sources “with knowledge of the plans.” Negotiations have not yet been finalized, the Times reports.
AEG Live, the company that orchestrates the Coachella festival every year, is reportedly organizing the collaboration, which will (if all goes well) take place at Coachella’s site in Indio, California. AEG had not replied to our request for comment at publication, but we will update this story with any response.
If this concert comes together, it would be monumental for several reasons. For one, it’s the first time all these giants of 1960s rock—though some, sadly, without their bands—would come together on one billing, spread over three days.
For another, the show may well end up having one of the highest bills in concert history: The top headliners on the schedule will probably net as much as $7 million each, according to Billboard.
Why mount such a costly festival? Probably because of the potential profit to be had. Coachella’s revenue has been climbing every year, reaching a competition-killing $84 million in 2015. And with music festivals becoming more abundant and homogenous, a truly unique show—with a killer performance list—could draw unprecedented levels of interest. It’s unclear what the ticket price would be, but everyone involved is betting that true classic rock fans, now older and presumably wealthier than they were in their concert-going youth, will shell out any amount of money for such a once-in-a-lifetime event.
“It’s so special in so many ways,” said Young’s manager Elliot Roberts. “You won’t get a chance to see a bill like this perhaps ever again.” And that’s precisely the point.