I am standing in the middle of an endless crowd, it is hot, a thermometer reads 100 degrees but it feels even hotter. There is not a single cloud in the sky and the sun is merciless in the desert. To some this may sound like a nightmare, but I am having the best time of my life because I’m standing in the front row watching The Kaiser Chiefs play at Coachella!!!
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, commonly known as “Coachella”, is a yearly event that features some of the best music bands in the world following the tradition of Woodstock in the 60’s or Lollapalooza and Glastonbury fests in the present day. “Coachella” takes its name because it always held in the Coachella Valley, in the city of Indio California; 150 miles east of Los Angeles. It is held at the Empire Polo Field which makes an ideal location for its beauty and its colossal magnitude that can hold over 150,000 people in a safe and orderly fashion. Coachella started in 1999 and has grown bigger and better ever since, with performances by some of the biggest names in the music industry: Moby, Björk, Oasis, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radio Head, Coldplay, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, Madonna and the recent Reunion of Rage Against the Machine in 2007 among so many others.
Coachella is not only about the music, the festival also features art work pieces that are displayed all over the polo field, some of them are mind blowing like the Twin Tesla Coils that generate lightning bolts on a continuing basis or sculptures that erupt fireballs at the sound of a beat. The festival is also “green” — promoting a focus on recycling along with attendants running motivation programs and interactive kiosks.
As the festival grew bigger, it also developed a wider variety of performers. The festival is spicier as the amount of Hispanic / Latino attendants grows considerably from year to year and also by the fact that every year there are famous Latin performers like: Café Tacuba, DJ Mauricio Aviles, Los Amigos Invisibles, Julieta Venegas, CSS, Manu Chau, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Roger Sanchez, Kinky, Seu Jorge and Brazilian Girls just to name a few. There are virtual communities of people, formed and connected through the official website, that gather up at Coachella and some of them are entirely Latin who go see perform and support Latin performers.
Interested in living the experience? Coachella 2008 will take place on April 25, 26 and 27. The 2008 official lineup has already been released and tickets are now on sale. The cost for the 3-day pass is usually around $ 270. This price may sound a bit expensive but it is not when you consider the number of live acts you will be able to see, 60 performers over three days playing on 5 stages; however, you can only be at one stage at the time, so being able to catch up to 25 different concerts, the cost per show is around $10. There is also an option of camping on site at the Polo field which is very inexpensive and the Coachella website offers a lot of information on local hotels, directions and recommendations to improve the experience besides ticket sales and band lineup.
For more information on Coachella check the official website at: www.coachella.com
or you can drop me a line and I can tell you about my previous coachella experience
quepasa2@fa.adm.ohio-state.edu
