Paisley, Aldean drive Stagecoach

Bestselling acts Brad Paisley, Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton lead the newly announced headliners for an expanded 2012 Stagecoach Festival. First mounted in 2007, the "Country Coachella" will grow from two to three days -- Friday-Sunday, April 27-29 -- on Indio's Empire Polo Club field next year. Earlier this year, AEG's Goldenvoice unit, which co-produces Stagecoach with the Messina Group, announced that its Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival would grow to two consecutive three-day runs in 2012 (Daily Variety, June 1). Next year's rock mega-fest will take place at the Indio site on the two weekends preceding Stagecoach. In 2008, Stagecoach briefly expanded to three days to accommodate a Friday appearance by the Eagles. Fest has played two days only all other years. The 2012 Stagecoach lineup will also include such country luminaries as Alabama, Martina McBride and Kenny Rogers. Contemporary country newcomers include the Band Perry and the Eli Young Band. Traditional bluegrass will be repped by Ralph Stanley & His Clinch Mountain Boys, the Del McCoury Band and Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers. The Jayhawks, Dave Alvin and the Guilty Ones and Elizabeth Cook will represent the alt-country end of the spectrum. Stagecoach tickets go on sale Oct. 28 at a dedicated website. Three-day passes start at $149 (up from $99 for the two-day fest this year), with a layaway option. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com