Jimi Hendrix

This feels like a pretty moot point, as there isn’t a festival on earth that Jimi Hendrix wouldn’t be able to dominate a headline set at. The man was famous for his live performances, taking to stages around the globe and capturing the hearts of anybody in attendance, and let us explain why we suggest that Coachella specifically would be a great place for him to play.

Jimi Hendrix was born in the rainy city of Seattle, but his music lends itself to the splendour of a California desert, with his shimmering chord signatures, his eccentric solo style, and the soft vocals, just the kind of thing that anyone on a hot night in the desert would absolutely lap up. If he were still with us, there is no doubt he would be the perfect headliner.

Nirvana

There are a lot of things that you want to get with a headliner, it’s a hard spot to fill, as the kind of music that some people like might not connect with, others might not enjoy. If you can have someone with a very specific style on the main stage, just know that there’s a good chance you may well wind up dividing an audience.

One thing that all people have in common when it comes to a good headliner is that they want someone who will get them moving. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a moshpit but just something that gets heads nodding and arms in the air, and no band could be more prepared to do that democratically than Nirvana. With their mix of grunge and rock music, no matter what kind of genre someone is into, this Seattle trio will get them going.

Slash (and friends)

I just know that there are a load of rock geeks ready to point out that Guns N’ Roses have headlined Coachella before, but slow down my friend, this isn’t just a Guns N’ Roses set. When the band originally split up, a lot of people were wondering what each member might do, and Slash took the new freedom he had as a solo artist and ran with it.

His first solo album was filled with special guests from all genres, including Iggy Pop, Ozzy Osbourne and Fergie. He also plays / played in Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver and as part of Slash’s Snakepit. Imagine a show that centred around the prolific guitarist as he welcomed on different guests from different parts of his life and reeled off the hits he’s made along the way? Headliners are always expected to bring out some special guests, so let’s have Slash do a set of just special guests.

Led Zeppelin

There has never been a band like Led Zeppelin, and there never will be again. Jack Black put it best when he said, “Led Zeppelin, the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band of all time […] Better than the Beatles, better than The [Rolling] Stones, even better than Tenacious D.”

If we’re making a list of dream rock headliners for Coachella, it would be remiss to not include some of the greatest minds to ever grace the genre. The mix of heavy songs like ‘Immigrant Song’, softer tracks like ‘Going to California’, and the balance between the two on numbers such as ‘Stairway to Heaven’, would all come together to make the greatest festival set of all time.

Black Sabbath

We had a glimpse of Black Sabbath playing to a live audience a few months back when the group reunited for their last ever show, just a couple of weeks before Ozzy Osbourne’s passing. They sounded amazing then, even though Osbourne wasn’t in good health and each band member was past their prime. If they can rock a sold-out Villa Park as well as they did, one can only imagine what they’d do at Coachella while in their prime.

The band’s unique approach to rock, which brought with it a deep, layered and exciting sound, gave rise to heavy metal, and their music still rings in the hearts of listeners to this day. It doesn’t matter where they play, be it California or on the other side of the world, audiences won’t be able to shake the impact of a band like Black Sabbath.