2013 Lineup

[Gucci Piggy]

Why does Dre have every chance of being around, have i missed something?

[Mouseboy11]

I think Dre would really need to actually release his album to headline here, he's not relevant anymore. Saying that he'd headline regardless but it would be a lot more enjoyable.

[2rare2die]

He doesn't really, people have just started thinking he will after Coachella. He hardly ever tours England does he?

[Gucci Piggy]

I'm not sure he tours that much full stop, though i may be wrong. It just seems strange that some people suddenly think he's likely for R+L because of a headlining slot at a festival in his home state in America. I really fail to see how the Coachella slot would have any relevance on future UK slots or tours

[2rare2die]

Well he's not more likely really, it just seems a knee jerk reaction. Although it would be cool, haha.

[Martino231]

I'd have literally zero interest in Jay Z headlining Reading.

[MAD HARRY 27]

Just a question, why are people always going on about Dizzee Rascal? And in high positions below great headliners at that

I know he played a few years back, and he's releasing a new single with DJ Fresh next month, but I still don't think it'd be a very impressive booking.

[2rare2die]

I'd have literally zero interest in Jay Z headlining Reading.

[mrtourette]

Just a question, why are people always going on about Dizzee Rascal? And in high positions below great headliners at that

I know he played a few years back, and he's releasing a new single with DJ Fresh next month, but I still don't think it'd be a very impressive booking.

[LondonTom]

Just a question, why are people always going on about Dizzee Rascal? And in high positions below great headliners at that

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

I'd prefer Dre & Snoop over Kanye & Jay-Z, mainly because I already have tickets to see the later & I'm desperate to see Dre at some point, however either would be a fresh booking for R/L & lord knows they need it.

[mrtourette]

They'd both be fairly disasterous bookings as headliners. R&L may need a change somewhere but that's running before you can walk.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

They'd both be fairly disasterous bookings as headliners. R&L may need a change somewhere but that's running before you can walk.

[AcademicPistol]

His pretty big now, he needs perhaps another big hits album such as the last one to make the push onto headliner material. But i'd say right now his in that weird position where his big enough with the mainstream to go up to headline status but needs a festival to take a punt.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

Wireless and or Bestival maybe will do that soonish.

[mrtourette]

How so? R/L has always booked Hip Hop/Rap artists, perhaps not always successfully, but they've always been there. What sort of change would you propose then?

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

You can't just lump all Hip Hop/Rap artists in the same field and say that if they can book one they can book them all. There's a world of difference between booking Dizzee Rascal to play third (possibly sub in the future) or Cypress Hill and Odd Future lower down the bill and giving headline slot to Dre/Snoop or Kanye/Jay Z.

[2rare2die]

You can't just lump all Hip Hop/Rap artists in the same field and say that if they can book one they can book them all. There's a world of difference between booking Dizzee Rascal to play third (possibly sub in the future) or Cypress Hill and Odd Future lower down the bill and giving headline slot to Dre/Snoop or Kanye/Jay Z.

[Dan R]

True, but if you're willing to put them on the line up, why not give it a go & see how it goes with them headlining? I know no two festivals are comparable, but it worked for Glastonbury & even Download booking C&S to sub, goes to show that festivals are having to take risks out side the box to survive.

I think Dre & Snoop would possibly go down better, I could see Kanye getting bottled if he went off on one of his rants as he did at the Big Chill last year. I'm not saying it will happen, just that it would be a nice surprise if it did.

Edited April 24, 2012 by Dan R

[mrtourette]

True, but if you're willing to put them on the line up, why not give it a go & see how it goes with them headlining? I know no two festivals are comparable, but it worked for Glastonbury & even Download booking C&S to sub, goes to show that festivals are having to take risks out side the box to survive.

I think Dre & Snoop would possibly go down better, I could see Kanye getting bottled if he went off on one of his rants as he did at the Big Chill last year. I'm not saying it will happen, just that it would be a nice surprise if it did.

[Frankly Mr Shankly]

Saying that DL booking C&S has worked is definitely jumping the gun there, it's not even happened and they're the most criticised band on the line-up.

The issue is that a lot of people who are big hip hop/rap fans won't be interested in a lot of the other acts on the line-up so wouldn't be willing to pay for a festival tickets, much like how Queen were a poor choice for Soni this year and Kanye for Big Chill last year.

Jay-Z managed to pull it off at Glasto because it's a festival much less focused on the line-up and got a lot of media attention which wouldn't happen now. He also has a lot of crossover appeal to more guitar based music fans, which Dizzee Rascal has (less so than earlier in his career but still). It'd be a risky booking but I can imagine it also being a very expensive one, both in terms of booking cost and ticket sales.

Edited April 24, 2012 by Frankly Mr Shankly

[mrtourette]

But there's not all that much difference in giving a headline slot to Eminem and giving one to Dre/Snoop or Kanye/Jay Z......

Think i'd prefer Jay Z on his own though to be honest, maybe a guest appearance from Kanye, but i think if they're touring The Throne still next year, that wouldn't be likely to happen.

[Dan R]

Eminem did it, on a day with Marilyn Manson, Papa Roach, QOTSA & System of a Down. It can easily be done, fair enough I maybe 'jumping the gun', but hip hop has always been present at R/L from the successful bookings like Eminem, Dizzee Rascal, Cypress Hill, The Streets, Tricky, Public Enemy etc to the unsuccessful such as 50 Cent. Hell Jay-Z himself was booked in 2003, so I see no reason now to suggest why he couldn't play again & headline.

Public Enemy headlined in 92, I'd say that's pretty 'traditional' in terms of Reading History.

[Andre91]

I think that Jay-Z and/or Kanye would go down really well at R&L. The reason being is that the current audience or the festival, well a large proportion of it is the younger people, school leavers, 6th formers, uni students etc etc who will all be familiar with the two artists, because they are two of the biggest artists on the planet. But you also have your older festival goers too. Jay-Z has been around for a long time so they will also most likely be familiar with him in some way too. But like people are saying, would it be a good idea putting them at the top of the bill, would it alienate certain factions of the ticket buyers?

Personally I don't think it would. Hip-Hop and rock are both massively, massively popular and do work well together imo, look at the crossiver artists out there like Limo Bizkit, look at Lethal Bizzle playing download and Dizzee playing R&L, Cypress Hill being popular with rock and metal crowds, even Jay working with Linkin Park in the past. Also, with a large proportion of the audience being younger, your average Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters listeners will be familiar with Jay and Kanye and be maybe fans of both, because they are iust as popular and current as the rockier artists.

But then again I could easily be talking complete guff but I'd be really happy with Jay/Kanye or Dre/Snoop headlining

Edited April 24, 2012 by Andre91

[2rare2die]

We'll have to agree to disagree there. Maybe not nowadays but the way Eminem was seen 11 years ago, who he attracted and what his profile was is completely different from that of Dre/Snoop now (and Eminem now). Back then Eminen was a massive act in the UK who crossed over a lot, had a lot of airplay and had some credibility with the core audience of R&L. Although they are a big act worldwide Dre/Snoop don't really have that here (amongst the festival-goping public) and it would be putting on a Hip Hop/Rap headliner for the sake of it rather than having one that really suited the festival and them naturally getting to that status. Jay Z on his own would be closest but I still don't think he'd get to headliner status.