Rolling Stone is taking a stab at who would be a good fit should there be a second Desert Trip this October in Indio, California.
While the magazine says they are just speculating, they do say, "Here's a look at 13 acts that are probably at least under consideration, if not actually under contract at this very moment. (A rep for Desert Trip told us they had 'no info' about the status of Desert Trip II.)"
1) Fleetwood Mac - Why They'll Play: "They've indicated that another tour kicking off late this year is in the works. What better way to start it if off than at Desert Trip II?"
Why They Won't Play: "Things are a little rocky in Fleetwood Mac world at the moment. Stevie Nicks says she doesn't want to record a new album, leaving Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie to create one as a duo..."
2) Eric Clapton - Why He'll Play: "Health problems kept him off the road through much of 2016, but he's playing a series of major gigs in New York, London and Los Angeles this year that he's saying could be his last... What better way to wrap up everything than in front of 80,000 diehards on the Coachella grounds?...
Why He Won't Play: "He might want to end his performing career at one of his own gigs, not as part of a broader festival where he isn't the focus."
3) Aerosmith - Why They'll Play: "They're going on a farewell tour this year they're calling Aero-Vederci Baby! As long as Steven Tyler and Joe Perry have breaths in their bodies, Aerosmith will probably continue, but that is a great way to sell tickets to a tour. It's also a nice excuse to get them a primo payday for Desert Trip II."
Why They Won't Play: "This will likely be a very, very long farewell tour and this year may focus exclusively on overseas markets. That may push off a Desert Trip appearance until 2018." (Premiere can report exclusively that Aerosmith is touring the U.S. in the fall.)
4) Elton John - Why He'll Play: "Presuming this is indeed a show centered around '70s acts, they don't come much bigger than Elton..."
Why He Won't Play: "The biggest reason we can see this possibly not happening is if he's got a conflict of some sort, but as of now October is totally clear on his schedule. Beyond that, the organizers might want to book an act that doesn't have a regular gig just a short drive away in Las Vegas. It may not quite feel unique and special enough."
5) Billy Joel - Why He'll Play: "He likes big, historic events like Last Play at Shea, so Desert Trip seems like something he'd dig."
Why He Won't Play: "The organizers can only fit so many acts on the bill. Maybe they scored some huge reunions and are gonna save Billy for another year. Also, they might want to book an Elton John–Billy Joel evening, but the artists' ongoing rift may make that difficult."
6) Led Zeppelin - Why They'll Play: "Goldenvoice/AEG won't want this year to look like the B list. To accomplish that, they need to do something huge and historic. There's no better way to do that than booking Led Zeppelin..." (Zeppelin turned down an offer to reunite for last year's festival.)
Why They Won't Play: "Robert Plant has made it abundantly clear that there's no amount of money in the world that will get him to play with Led Zeppelin again. Besides, in the highly unlikely event that he changes his mind, they could just do their own show. Why share the glory?..."
7) Pink Floyd - Why They'll Play: "This is the only possible reunion as big as Led Zeppelin. It alone would make this a bigger deal than the original Desert Trip, which had Roger Waters singing Floyd songs on his own."
Why They Won't Play: "David Gilmour. They can't do it without him for obvious reasons, and he's in the same school as Robert Plant..."
8) The Kinks - Why They'll Play: "Desert Trip II needs a big reunion to seem like an historic event... Their first show in 21 years would truly be worthy of a primo spot on the Desert Trip II lineup."
Why They Won't Play: "Resurrecting the Kinks after all these years is a major undertaking and it just doesn't seem like either Ray or Dave Davies are motivated to make it happen.
9) Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band - Why They'll Play: "Bringing him in for the second incarnation seems like a no-brainer, and if it's his only U.S. show this year with the E Street Band the faithful will pay any price to get in. And it'll certainly not be cheap."
Why They Won't Play: "Bruce isn't one to play big shows when he's not in tour mode, and he also avoids events with high ticket prices and VIP sections..."
10) U2 - Why They'll Play: "They're hitting the road in a big way this year, even playing Bonnaroo. Capping it off with a triumphant set at Desert Trip may finally make everyone forget about the iTunes auto-download fiasco."
Why They Won't Play: "Bonnaroo is a big exception. They don't play big festivals, no matter how much money they get offered."
11) The Police - Why They'll Play: "They haven't played since the final show of their 2007-08 reunion tour. It would be a huge get, and a chance for the trio to play one final time."
Why They Won't Play: "Sting is currently promoting a new solo album. He said over and over that the reunion tour was a one-shot deal. It's hard to see him going back on that, even for a ridiculous payday."
12) Tina Turner - Why She'll Play: "She may be 77, but Tina is an unstoppable force of nature... Desert Trip shouldn't go another year without a female headliner. Who better to break the boys' club than Tina?"
Why She Won't Play: "Breathing in desert dust as she dances around to 'Proud Mary' for the 10,000th time probably isn't her idea of a good time just three years away from her 80th birthday.
13) Simon and Garfunkel - Why They'll Play: "A $15-million paycheck might be enough to convince them to start speaking again, at least for two weekends in October."
Why They Won't Play: "Goldenvoice/AEG might have to give them the whole $160 million in order to have a chance." (The duo were reportedly offered $50-million to reunite for the first Desert Trip. Paul Simon said no.)
The inaugural Desert Trip featured Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, The Who, Roger Waters and Neil Young.