The Coachella Experience

by Kstar
Three days full of live amazing music, lots of sun, palm trees, art exhibits, interesting fashion statements, greasy and sugary comfort food, lots of boys… OH YES… welcome to Coachella!  …A little slice of Heaven. 

What a fantastic life experience Coachella is - not only musically but culturally.  You see all walks of life roaming the large Empire Polo Field in Indio, California.

I really don’t have any complaints what so ever about the event itself… well maybe they needed more signs to help pedestrians get to the actual entrance – that might have helped my friend and I out our first day… but other than that, it was well organized.  The bands were almost always on time and there were very few technical glitches considering the heat that the gear had to work in.  The food was all pretty good: you could go greasy or get a fresh organic salad or smoothie and there were plenty of vegetarian options. 

Anyway, lets move on to the good stuff!!

Here are my band ratings: 

F*ckin Awesome:  (in order of awesomeness):

ROGER WATERS – doing Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon.  Also opened and closed the show with some songs from the Wall!

It was literally shocking!!  The surround sound was out of control… I was scared at times because it was soooo loud and clear: Bombs dropping, planes flying just over your head, crazy people voices.  Everything sounded just like it did on the album – it was a time warp really!  You could almost forget what year it was.  The band pulled off everything so perfectly, Waters even hired a band who could do every semi-spontaneous riff and lick note-for-note. AND, apparently, this was the first Coachella set ever to last almost three hours and have a 20-minute intermission!   This show made the $260 three day pass well worth it.

The Raconteurs

Gritty rock and roll.  I can’t help but have a huge crush on Jack White… he’s so f’in talented!  My friend and I liken the Raconteurs to a 21st century Led Zeppelin.  Wicked show!

Gogol Bordello

They pulled a massive crowd to their show and a show is what we got - Non-stop upbeat dancey Gypsy punk music.  Their song “Start Wearing Purple” had us all singing at the top of our lungs and jumping around.

Portishead

Totally moody, amazing sound and perfect for their 9:15pm time slot.  Beth Gibbons has a truly unique voice that gives me the chills. 

Thoroughly enjoyed

Data Rock

Totally fun and dancey.  Just a bunch of kids loving what they do.  It really showed when they finished up their last song and set their instruments aside.  They then put on the Dirty Dancing track “(I’ve had) The Time of My Life” and jumped into the crowd to bask in their complete happiness.  They had a great crowd in front of them.

Death Cab for Cutie

One of my guilty pleasures and it was delightful.  Sweet emo rock J  They even played “Soul Meets Body” – what girl doesn’t love that song?

Cut Copy

Awesome – dancey!

MGMT

Yummy lead singer and a bunch of talented musicians.  You really can’t ask for anything more. 

Meh!

My Morning Jacket

I think I had high expectations for them and was not that impressed or entertained.

The Verve

What happened?  Sometimes it’s best to leave the past in the past.  I did enjoy hearing “Bitter Sweet Symphony”  though - heehee.  That song never gets old for me.

Tegan and Sarah

Talented ladies but they didn’t put on much of a show.  Was a wee bit bored.

Man Man

Crazy bunch of people going nuts in 40 PLUS weather!  Not my cup of tea. 

Fashion

Lots of headbands, out of season boots and 70s style sports shorts.

Tip: Wear as little as possible as it is soooo hot… BUT make sure you bring a warm sweater to the event each day as the temperature drops as soon as the sun goes down. 

I have so much to say and so little space but here’s a crash course on Coachella.  I had never been to such a huge outdoor music festival and feel that I would have loved to get this sort of information before I arrived. 

Brief Overview / Info

Unless you feel you want to tent it up (it’s cheaper and there’s a lot more vacancies), book in advance for a good, clean, hotel room that’s close to the event and also for cheap flights.  I booked my trip mid-January.  Although I don’t consider myself to be a diva, I would not / could not camp at this event.  I need a good clean shower at the end of each day along with a really good sleep.  

The hotel my friend and I stayed at was Indian Palms Country Club, which is the closest hotel to the event.  BEWARE – they advertise they’re walking distance to the event.  They are if you want to spend an hour and fifteen minutes walking in the desert sun to only have to spend another five or six hours in the hot sun walking around the polo field checking out your list of selected bands playing that day. Getting back to the hotel at the end of the day is another story.  My friend and I were absolutely silent our second night walking home after we realized we weren’t going to catch a cab.  I was completely exhausted – I felt like my legs might fall off they were so sore.  We finally drove our final day, which made for a very happy, not so sweaty day.

It was a really nice hotel; they just shouldn’t advertise that they’re walking distance.

Other quick tips:

Drink LOTS of water

There’s no need to drink alcohol, unless you want to die of dehydration.

Get to the show you want to see at least 10 mins in advance to get a good spot in the crowd.

Wear LOTS of sunscreen – it really does work! 

Now have a look at all the fun photos I took while there… Enjoy!  And be sure to go next year, you’ll love it! 

KStar