In an unusual move, the organizers of California's Coachella [ tickets ] Valley Music & Arts Festival have tapped Paul McCartney [ tickets ] to headline the three-day event's first night.

The annual indie-rock extravaganza, known for its edgy lineup, also has The Killers [ tickets ] and The Cure [ tickets ] headlining the main stage. The April 17-19 fest is scheduled to take place at Indio's Empire Polo Club, where Coachella debuted in 1999, and feature more than 130 acts.

Other confirmed artists on the bill include Morrissey [ tickets ], Amy Winehouse [ tickets ], Franz Ferdinand [ tickets ], My Bloody Valentine [ tickets ], Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst [ tickets ] and the Mystic Valley Band, Thievery Corporation [ tickets ], TV on the Radio and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The complete lineup is listed below.

McCartney's performance will mark his first-ever US festival appearance, according to a press release. The set will feature the live debut of material from Electric Arguments, the new album released under the Fireman alias he shares with producer/musician Youth.

"I have heard that Coachella is one of the greatest festivals in the world," the 66-year-old music icon said in a statement. "I'm really excited to get out there and rock!"

The Los Angeles Times questioned whether McCartney's participation could hurt the credibility of the cutting-edge festival, but Coachella mastermind Paul Tollett doesn't seem to be worried.

"This is a Beatle. That's huge," Tollett told the Times, adding that a significant number of return customers ignore the main stage anyway.

Besides that, Tollett and company easily got away with including Madonna at the 2006 event.

Tickets for Coachella went on sale this morning (1/30) through all Ticketmaster outlets (Ticketmaster is LiveDaily's parent company). Three-day weekend passes cost $269 plus charity and facility fees, and single-day tickets run $99 plus fees. For the first time, festival promoter Goldenvoice is offering a couple of layaway plans for the three-day packages. Details can be found at Coachella's website.

Coachella lineup:

April 17:
Paul McCartney, Morrissey, Franz Ferdinand, Leonard Cohen, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Beirut, The Black Keys, Girl Talk, Silversun Pickups, The Ting Tings, The Crystal Method, Ghostland Observatory, Crystal Castles, The Airborne Toxic Event, We Are Scientists, N.A.S.A., Patton & Rahzel, M. Ward, The Presets, The Hold Steady, A Place to Bury Strangers, Felix da Housecat, Buraka Som Sistema, Ryan Bingham, Bajofondo, Peanut Butter Wolf, Noah & the Whale, White Lies, The Bug, Alberta Cross, Los Campesinos!, Craze & Klever, Molotov, Switch, Gui Boratto, Steve Aoki, The Aggrolites, People Under the Stairs, The Courteeners, Cage the Elephant, Dear and the Headlights.

April 18:
The Killers, Amy Winehouse, Thievery Corporation, TV on the Radio, Band of Horses, Fleet Foxes, MSTRKRFT, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Atmosphere, Mastodon, TRAV$DJ-AM, Henry Rollins, Crookers, Turbonegro, Hercules and Love Affair, Superchunk, Glasvegas, Dr. Dog, Drive-By Truckers, Booker T & the DBT's, Amanda Palmer, The Bloody Beetroots, Surkin, Para One (Live), Calexico, Liars, Bob Mould Band, Zane Lowe, Electric Touch, Blitzen Trapper, James Morrison, Drop the Lime, Glass Candy, Thenewno2, Gang Gang Dance, Billy Talent, Ida Maria, Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, Zizek, Cloud Cult, Tinariwen.

April 19:
The Cure, My Bloody Valentine, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Throbbing Gristle, Lupe Fiasco, Paul Weller, Peter Bjorn and John, X, Antony & the Johnsons, Roni Size, Public Enemy, Jenny Lewis, Groove Armada, Paolo Nutini, Christopher Lawrence, Lykke Li, The Kills, Okkervil River, M.A.N.D.Y., Clipse, Sebastien Tellier, Fucked Up, Perry Farrell, The Horrors, Late of the Pier, K'naan, Junior Boys, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Supermayer, No Age, Vivian Girls, Shepard Fairey, Themselves, Gaslight Anthem, The Knux, Mexican Institute of Sound, The Night Marchers, Marshall Barnes.