Kanye West really wants to build and perform in a giant dome, apparently
Kanye West could have headlined the 2019 editions of Coachella and Governor's Ball, but his commitment to a particular artistic vision unraveled both of those opportunities.
West had been locked as one of the Coachella headliners until Jan. 1, a day before the 2019 lineup was officially announced, a new Billboard report reveals. But as the clock ticked down to that announcement, West approached Coachella's promoter with an unusual request.
He wanted to skip his main stage performance, and take his show instead to a giant dome erected in the center of the festival grounds. West planned to have set designer and frequent collaborator John McGuire design the makeshift arena; the rapper would have then performed on a stage located in the center.
Executives from Coachella promoter Goldenvoice told West it was impossible. The entire festival grounds would have to be rearranged in order to honor his request, a process that would include (among other things) finding a new home for a large section of portable bathrooms.
West reportedly grew angry here, Billboard notes, "declaring that he was an artist with a creative vision who shouldn't be spending his time talking about port-a-potties." Then he hung up. So the festival shuffled things around, giving Tame Impala the headlining sets on Coachella's Saturdays and locking in Ariana Grande to replace West on the festival's two Sunday nights.
The call didn't come out of nowhere. West's Coachella deal had reportedly been in the works for "years," and his camp had been pushing Goldenvoice to build the dome. He felt that Coachella's main stage wasn't big enough (Beyoncé might argue that point). In response, he was told that Coachella's stage is one of the largest in North America.
This was apparently not an isolated incident. The Billboard story also notes that West was close to locking in a headliner slot at New York's annual Governor's Ball festival. There again, he came at the event's promoters with his last-minute request for a dome and was turned down. The deal fell apart a day before that lineup was announced as well.
Topics Music
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
