Most people shouldn’t concern themselves with having too much lead-time getting to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. The roads of the desert city of Indio aren’t prepared for the massive influx of the concertgoers, which this year topped 160,000 over the three days, the second highest in the event’s 10-year run. Obtaining a parking spot a long walk away is just half of the battle because many attendees need to pick up their tickets, and the lines for the ticket windows were a mess this year. On Friday, lowly hung signs that couldn’t be seen from the back of the lines told who was supposed to be where, yet after waiting a half hour in line, some discovered they were in the wrong place and had to start over. Even the Coachella staff wasn’t much help as I was sent to the wrong line to pick up my tickets. Luckily, my +1 for the day, my tall, high school chum Al, who came along to see Paul McCartney, spotted the sign and got me in the right spot.
After securing our entrance, I ran across one of the few people who should have been concerned about having too much lead-time: a young man passed out and carted away by the EMTs. Who knows what was wrong with the man, but the weather was only about 90 degrees, and in this setting he likely succumbed to the amount of partying he was doing, but damn, it was only four o’clock. Too early in the day to pass out cold and not even make it in the gates. He either partied very hard or had a limited tolerance. Either way, he perhaps learned the valuable lesson of pacing.
The first band we caught was Airborne Toxic Event in the middle of their set on the Main Stage. They had this dark, moody vibe that was odd in the daylight, but still appealing. They brought out a string quartet and played their hit “Sometime Around Midnight,” which the small crowd enjoyed. Because of our delayed entry, we only gave ATE about 15 minutes and headed over to see The Hold Steady, another of the many bands this weekend I only knew by name but wanted to check out.
As we approached the Gobi Tent, I was digging the melodic indie pop that pulled me in. The music flowed in waves that would build big, recede, and then take off again. The crowd was clapping and dancing along. Then I looked at the stage line-up sign and discovered I was actually enjoying Los Campesinos! I was torn about what to do next: should I gamble or stay where I was already happy? Because I find festivals best used to discover bands rather enjoy ones you already know you like, we rolled the dice.
Article comments
1 - El Bicho
Thanks, Josh
2 - Josh Hathaway
No problem, El Bicho. You got to see and hear some great sights and sounds.
When I read about the poor clown who passed out ahead of time, my first thought was, "Fucking students." That's just not a full-share move. You can't go down before the bell in the first round. You just can't do it.
3 - El Bicho
And there's more on the way.
I hope a friend of the young fella at least grabbed his ticket before he hit the gurney and sold it for him.
4 - Mat Brewster
Sounds like a good time El B. That's a lot of rock for one day, I'm surprised you were alive to make it to day two.
5 - Coachella 2009
One of our writers went to Coachella all three days, and loved every part except for someone breaking his car windows and the extreme heat.