It takes more than popularity to play the top spot at Coachella.
Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker on how the psych-rockers brought sci-fi spectacle to the desert.
This story appeared inEntertainment Weeklys special double music issue, which you canbuy here.
Credit: Pooneh Ghana
Kevin Parker needs maracas.
Snagging a headlining slot can mean a lucrative payday and a new fan base with disposable income.
Tame Impala had played Coachella three times before, but 2019 was their first top-of-the-lineup offer.
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Should he rush and finish to make it have fresh material to play?
He decided it didnt matter.
Tame Impala are known for heady live sets filled with lysergic grandeur and piercing synthesizers.
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But Parker realized hed have to up his game for Coachella.
says Parker, laughing.
But [incorporating it] was kind of a no-brainer.
I wanted to do sections of just mind-fery, where were not actually playing anything, Parker explains.
I call them cosmic intermissions.
Tensions were still high.
Of the new songs, Parker only played the already-released tracks Borderline and Patience.
They also helped him attain a career goal.
