Yes, I am sure you read the title to this article and probably groaned. ‘Oh my god' you say, ‘are we really still talking about this?' you exclaim as your eyes rolls and you think how its a useless topic to debate now that Lady Gaga has taken the missing headlining spot. Well to put it lightly I am incredibly obsessed with Daft Punk. I mean to a level that most people might even consider insane. I have loved their music since I was nine, and watched their every move pretty closely over the years. I guess you could say I have noticed a few things, that in my mind point to something coming. Coachella just happens to be the perfect place to unveil it. This is a lot of info so stick with me here.
The First Pieces of Evidence
There is honestly a lot of signs that point towards a return for Daft Punk in some capacity in 2017. I guess the best way to say it, is well…Guy and Thomas do not do things unintentionally. The duo are known for being meticulous, calculated if you will. Their planning is almost robotic in nature. So that being said the guys behind the masks have been up to A LOT the past few months to just return back to the darkness. Collaborations with The Weeknd, tons of new merchandise, a live performance during The Grammy's and of course the pop up shop where they released signed limited edition posters for the first time ever.
These things add up to one word – momentum. This is the most activity the duo has been up to since the release of their Album of The Year release, Random Access Memories in 2013. This might seem like nothing to some people, but if you truly follow Daft Punk then you know Guy and Thomas are notoriously quiet in between projects.
The Rumor Mill Churns
Yes this has been an undeniable part of the process since Daft Punk awoke from their slumber with the release of ‘Star Boy'. It is clear that a lot of other people have the same idea that I have (including Newton) which is – when Daft Punk is in motion, they tend to stay in motion. There have been an absolute unimaginable amount of rumors and false sites and videos connected to an Alive 2017 tour. If you would like to check out all of those rumors, here you go:
Yeah so as I said. First it was the Lollapalooza archive site, then a false line up announcement for the festival's South American edition. Soon to follow were the Glastonbury rumors, lucky that phase didn't last long as the festival came out and announced that no, Daft Punk were not playing the legendary festival. Then the fake websites, and fake youtube videos. Reddit more or less entirely debunked those as well. But then something kind of weird happened. Playboy got involved.
Playboy apparently had a source close to the guys who spoke at length about how the Robots were ramping up for a spring tour. This rumor was unfortunately published on the same day as Lady Gaga was announced as the Coachella replacement. This in turn had most fans looking at the Playboy article as just another rumor. Then just last week Celebrity gossip site Page Six, went live with a piece talking about the possibility of Daft Punk joining up with Gaga at Coachella. The site left us with many questions…
““They are working out logistics,” a source told Page Six of the DJs Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo.
Another added, “I hear it is possible,” but said nothing’s confirmed.”
Yeah unfortunately just looks like more rumors right? Well here is the thing. Coachella has always been a kind of special place for Daft Punk.
Coachella Acts as a Jumping off Point
Coachella and Daft Punk are intertwined at this point. Mainly because of their debut of the pyramid stage in 2006, which kicked off one of the most famous tours of all time. Still many forget that the robots also used the festival in 2013 to tease their soon to be smash hit single, ‘Get Lucky' and now legendary album, Random Access Memories.
Now let's get one thing straight – Daft Punk did not perform that year, I mean they were most likely in attendance but honestly that video just randomly played at the main stage. So here's the thing – with everything that has been going on the past few months, with all these rumors popping up – Coachella might be the perfect place to announce something. New music? New Tour? 2017 does follow the ten year rule for touring. Well lets review all of the evidence again.
TL;DR – Give me The Highlights of all of that
-Daft Punk are meticulous, they plan things very intensely. They rarely do anything without a lot of forethought. There has been a lot of momentum in the last few months that point to a major announcement.
-2016 and 2017 has shown a ton of activity from the Robots: tons of new merchandise, new collaborations, nationally televised performance, and a giant pop up shop/museum.
-Rumors are everywhere coming from several sources stating that the robots are planning a tour or performance of some kind. These rumors are popping up in uncommon places like Playboy, and now relatively reputable Celebrity Gossip sites. These are not tabloids.
-Coachella has a special connection to the duo with the unveiling of the pyramid in 2006 and the tease of ‘Get Lucky' in 2013. It would make perfect sense for it to again be the platform to announce something gigantic.
Final Thoughts
While this may have brought up several new pieces of evidence or has just been a cruel rehashing of the obvious, a lot has been going on. Most fans at this point are fed up and so desperate for anything that frustration has taken over completely. Skeptics say that Daft Punk have done all of these things in the past few months purely for money. Still – these guys had more money than God before they decided to produce a few songs for The Weeknd. This all points to something bigger. We are only a few weeks away from finding out if I am right, or just another delirious and hopeful fan.
P.S. – It's still happening all over. Just look at this from yesterday.
