Pearl Jam wins '15 Fantasy Firefly poll

It seems that Dave Grohl's performance last year at Firefly Music Festival with Foo Fighters only whet our appetites for a taste of '90s grunge rock.

Pearl Jam – the alternative rockers that grew from the same Seattle-area alternative rock scene as Grohl and Nirvana – has won The News Journal's annual fan Fantasy Firefly poll.

A record number of submissions, nearly 200, came in through e-mail, Facebook and Twitter, giving us a peek into what dream acts are dancing in the minds of Firefly fans headed to The Woodlands this summer when Firefly returns to Dover June 18-21.

Some of the names are familiar. After all, Pearl Jam won last year's poll and this year's second place winner, Mumford & Sons, won it in 2013. But there are also a few new faces, like soulful Irish singer/songwriter Hozier and the re-activated No Doubt featuring Gwen Stefani.

With Firefly's 2014 line-up announced in mid-January, festival fans have been busy playing guessing games about which acts will be lured to Delaware this summer. And the announcement of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival line-up this week has only stoked the gossip mill.

Coachella, which was founded by Goldenvoice, a new partner of Firefly organizers Red Frog Events, announced rapper Drake and rockers AC/DC and Firefly alum Jack White as its trio of headliners. Fans should expect some Firefly/Coachella line-up overlap, although it's unknown if any of the headliners would play both festivals.

Even with speculation running wild, Firefly spokeswoman Lauren King isn't budging on an exact announcement date, only revealing that fans can expect it in "early February."

Last year's fantasy poll netted a few winners that ended up being summertime Firefly performers, including acts like Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys, The Lumineers and OutKast.

With that in mind, here's a look at the Fantasy Firefly '15 winners with some of our insight about whether each dream could become a reality.

First place

Pearl Jam. With two years of Fantasy Firefly wins to its name now, Pearl Jam is unofficially the most-wanted band at Firefly Music Festival. But does that mean we'll see Eddie Vedder make his Dover debut? At this time last year, it wasn't possible because the band already had a European tour announced to support 2013's "Lighting Bolt." This time around, the band has zero gigs on its 2015 tour calendar. Fresh from last year's busy schedule touring and promoting the band's latest album, how much we will see PJ on the road is yet to be seen.

Second place

Mumford & Sons. Don't call it a comeback. After winning the first Firefly Fantasy poll in 2013 and being totally shut out last year, Marcus Mumford & Co. are back in a big way. The English folk rock quartet has been busy recording its new album, which is expected to be released sometime this year, according to NME. With no live dates on the schedule yet for this year, Mumford fans will have to stick with Mumford's contributions to the recently-released "The Lost Basement Tapes" and keep fingers crossed for a Delaware visit.

Third place

Coldplay. After last year's "conscious uncoupling" from wife Gwynth Paltrow, you might think Chris Martin would jump head-first into work. And you might think right. Coldplay's seventh album, "A Head Full of Dreams," is due later this year, although an exact release date has not been unveiled. With Martin publicly stating that the band will tour behind "Dreams," it's not a matter of if the band will hit the road, but when...and where.

Incubus. Brandon Boyd and the rest of the '90s alternative rock act Incubus are poised to hustle in 2015. After more than a year away, the band performed together for the first time at KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas last month and the band's first album in four years is due sometime in 2015. All this activity has Incubus fans ready to rock. But at Firefly? The festival has proved its not afraid of '90s alternative rock acts (Third Eye Blind, The Wallflowers) and there's certainly some demand to see Boyd belt out "Drive" across the highway from the Dover International Speedway.

Fourth place

Arcade Fire. Oh, to see this Canadian seven-piece boil over into an 80,000-person-strong sing-a-long in Dover. Known for knock-out live shows, there's a reason Arcade Fire has been a top vote-getter in our poll since the beginning. However, this doesn't seem to be the year for Firefly and Arcade Fire to collide. Fresh from touring heavily last year thnaks to 2013's "Reflektor," frontman Win Butler is releasing a solo album, "Policy," on March 16. He will embark on a 15-date tour throughout March, including a show at the Boot & Saddle in Philadelphia. Does this mean there's no chance Arcade Fire plays Firefly? No. Does it hurt our chances? Most likely.

No Doubt. With No Doubt working toward a 2015 release for its first album since 2012's "Push and Shove," the ska/punk hybrid is poised to tour heavily this year. With the band already announced to perform at the first Rock in Rio USA in Las Vegas in May, it could just be the first of many festival gigs for the band, including Firefly.

Hozier. Bouyed by his hit "Take Me to Church," the 24-year-old Irish singer is already booked for Coachella and seems like a prime target for Firefly. However, Hozier's European tour runs from late May to June 14 – four days before Firefly kicks off. Will Hozier's next move be a stateside trip to play fests like Firefly? Perhaps.

Muse. These English alternative/progressive rockers have no problem taking charge of a headlining festival set. After all, they've been doing it for years at this point. But there won't be any Muse in Delaware this summer: The band is touring Russia while Firefly will be in full swing.

Fifth place

Bruce Springsteen. While The Boss has no tour dates on the docket, it's only a 2-1/2-hour drive from Springsteen's Monmouth County home in New Jersey to Firefly's festival grounds. And with rumors of an appearance swirling on Springsteen fan blogs like www.blogitallnight.com, there's reason to believe that a Bruce-in-Delaware night could become a reality. After all, it's been 40 years since Springsteen sang "Spirit in the Night" and other favorites on a rainy summer night at the Stone Balloon in Newark in 1974. It's time for a long-awaited encore.

U2. With Bono still smarting from injuries suffered in a New York bicycling accident (and even writing that he many never play guitar again), it's hard to predict what that means to the U2 empire. The band is scheduled to return to the road May 14 in Vancouver and play in Montreal on the two nights ahead of Firefly. With a week off before the band re-starts its tour in the United States June 24, it's possible U2 could squeeze in a festival gig, but unlikely, especially given Bono's health considerations.

Sixth place

Green Day. Newly announced as inductees at April's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, Green Day is about to have the best year ever. But what does that mean for fans wanting to see the California pop punk act? No one's quite sure. No shows are booked and Billie Joe Armstrong has only hinted at 2015 plans by posting a photo to Instagram showing the number "15" with the hashtag #greenday15. So will Green Day make the most out of its Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction and hit the road hard this year? And will that include festival appearances? Only Green Day knows and they ain't talkin'...yet.

Prince. OK, let's be honest. The day Prince shows up in Delaware and performs a concert is the day minds begin to explode all across The First State. The man doesn't tour very often in the U.S. and when he does, it's usually not at big ol' festivals. So even though we all have the same purple dream, we just don't see Prince at Firefly any time soon.

Honorable mentions: Metallica, Eminem, Radiohead, Haim, Bastille, Of Monsters and Men, Alt-J, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran and Kid Rock.

-- Ryan Cormier, The News Journal. Facebook: @ryancormier. Twitter: @ryancormier. Instagram: @ryancormier.

STAFF PICKS

Ryan Cormier, News Journal reporter: Spoon, A$AP Rocky, Pearl Jam

Sarika Jagtiani, 55 Hours editor: Spoon, Florence + The Machine, Bruce Springsteen

Margie Fishman, News Journal reporter: Pink, Sia, Armin van Buuren

Kyle Grantham, News Journal photographer: Coldplay, Kanye West, AC/DC

IF YOU GO

What: Firefly Music Festival

When: June 18-21

Where: The Woodlands, Dover International Speedway, 1131 N. Dupont Highway, Dover