Madonna to perform at Coachella

Madonna has done a lot of things in concert -- writhed erotically on a giant bed, appeared with dancers dressed as sex slaves or nuns, performed while strapped into an electric chair, and that’s just the tame stuff -- but one thing she has never done is appear at a music festival. That will change, surprisingly, at this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

A formal announcement is expected today confirming that Madonna is scheduled to perform in a dance tent on April 30, the second night of the massive desert festival that has made its name with cutting-edge rock and electronic acts and reunions of alt-rock pioneers.

It may surprise veteran Coachella fans to hear that a globetrotting pop star and children’s-book writer would be booked in among acts such as Sigur Ros, Hard-Fi, Matisyahu and Wolfmother. And, indeed, Coachella promoters have acknowledged that the booking is one of the riskiest since the festival began in 1999 because they have built the event’s credibility with fans by steering away from the mainstream.

In the end, they say they made the booking because Madonna’s work with well-known dance-music DJs and her identification with the dance scene earns her credibility that is separate from her pop world success. Her set in the festival’s Sahara Tent won’t be a DJ set -- the singer will sing with a band -- but it’s not clear how she will downsize her usual production scope to fit the small venue.

Madonna also is gearing up for a summer tour that is expected to be in arenas.