Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd replace Kanye West as Coachella closers
In the wake of Kanye West pulling out of Coachella, Goldenvoice has tapped Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd—who by no coincidence share Sal Slaiby as manager—to replace the rap superstar as Sunday’s main stage closer for both weekends. The move checks all the boxes as Coachella’s most viable audible play—The Weeknd may never come down from his perennial upward trend, while a highly anticipated Swedish House Mafia performance was already on the books for this spring’s Indio affair. What’s more, the two industry titans have already joined sonic forces twice since Swedish House Mafia’s return from a near decade-long hiatus. “Moth To A Flame” was the most high-profile single on the trio’s upcoming Paradise Again LP that lands April 15, and “Sacrifice” is putting up the biggest streaming numbers on The Weeknd’s lauded Dawn FM album. This is the first time the two will share a stage together—up against the backdrop of Empire Polo Fields’ iconic palms might be the most fitting place for it to happen.
What’s to come is almost certainly a preview of Swedish House Mafia’s Paradise Again set that will be featured on their upcoming tour of the same name. We’ll wager an educated guess that with The Weeknd’s inclusion as co-headliner, we might not see the full unveiling of the Paradise Again set until the tour officially commences in Miami at FTX Arena on July 29, though in exchange, we’ll get a grip of chart-topping jams courtesy of Abel Tesfaye, and that seems like an entirely fair trade.
Featured image: Luciano Picazo