Even some of the most dedicated music fans don't know that one of the premier gatherings in popular music is celebrated nearby in Indio, Cal. -- the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
This past April, the Festival was for the first time divided into two separate weekends, and the 80,000--85,000 fans easily broke last year's record attendance. With a wide range of performers from different genres of the current music scene, it's no wonder fans of all ages and from all countries are among the sea of humanity covering the field of green grass in the middle of the desert.
Sensory overload
With 45 performances in just the first day and a total of 137 performances on five different stages over three days, attendees must prepare mentally and physically to endure endless hours of dancing, mass sing-alongs and the occasional brawl-like stampede between one stage and the next.
Even though ticket prices ranged from $335 (General Admission) to $699 (VIP) and the festival was held twice, tickets still sold out within the first week. This enthusiasm could be attributed to the killer lineup that included bands like British sensation Florence + the Machine, the Black Keys, Bon Iver, Arctic Monkeys and talented Mexican artists like Hello Seahorse and Ximena SariÒana.
While past iconic performers such as Paul McCartney, The Cure, Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kraftwerk, Nine-Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Daft Punk, Madonna, Prince, Roger Waters, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Duran Duran leave gigantic shoes to fill, every year the lineup never fails to live up to expectations.
With attendance numbers so high and popular locations like Palm Springs just around the corner, celebrities are often seen at the festival site. Cast members from Glee, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and Twilight have been spotted either in the VIP area or mingling with other fans in the vast green grass of the Empire polo club.
Scattered throughout the field are colorful and oftentimes interactive art displays, merchandise booths and signing tables with scheduled times for the artists to take pictures with their fans. Food tents range from all-vegan cuisine and Greek pita wraps to very expensive (though plain) pizza.
Some old faces
The event coordinators always make sure to have at least a couple of surprises. So fans were ecstatic to hear that the legendary Swedish hardcore punk band Refused, which had been broken up for 14 years, would be reunited on the first night of the festival. Similarly, members of At the Drive-In, the famous post-hardcore band from El Paso, Texas, were reunited on the third night of the festival after being broken up for more than 10 years.
Closing the second night was the iconic English band Radiohead, who played for two hours straight and earned two encores from exhilarated fans. They played through their standard catalogue as fans sang along to classics like Karma Police and Paranoid Android as well as new material from their latest album, The King of Limbs.
Closing the third and final day of the event were Rap superstars Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, who invited surprise guests artists to the stage, amongst them hip hop giants Eminem, 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa and, most surprising of all, Tupac Shakur, brought back from the dead in jaw-droppingly realistic holographic form.
The Festival is a great way to start spring any year, not just for music enthusiasts but for anyone who wants a different and exciting cultural experience. Whether it's taking in the amazing view from the top of the Ferris wheel, having a beverage with friends and strangers from all over the globe or jumping up and down screaming your lungs out like a maniac at your favorite band, it's an experience of a lifetime that you're going to want to keep scratching off your bucket list year after year.
