Flower crowns, flash tattoos and floppy hats all have one thing in common: they encompass the characteristics of a modern-day-hipster-wannabe girl. Add on over 100 hundred artists and you've got yourself one of the most renown music festivals: Coachella. For 2 weekends out of the entire year, California's Indio Valley is swarmed by thousands of young people looking for a chance to escape their everyday lives.
What sets Coachella apart from other festivals is the variety. During its first year in 1999, Coachella nearly failed, drawing only 10,000 attendees. Just to give you an idea of how small that is: about 579,000 people attended both weekends in 2014. Other music festivals, such as Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, typically stick to one or two genres of music. Without a doubt, they still provide unbelievable experiences, but nothing can quite top Coachella. After all, there aren't very many places you can see Guns n' Roses and Ellie Goulding perform on the same night. Let's not forget Kanye, Prince and Amy Winehouse. Besides the iconic names, you still have the chance to see lesser known artists, giving you a little taste of just about everything.
Rewinding back to 1969, Woodstock was one of the most influential festivals of its time. Maybe it's because of the strong emphasis on the hippie counterculture centered around rock 'n roll, drugs and sex. Maybe people just wanted to hear real music and didn't seem to give a shit about anything else. I'm not one to give you a definite answer since I was not alive at the time, but there are certain aspects of Coachella that mimic Woodstock. Coachella has succeeded in creating a unique, communal atmosphere, giving off the "let's stay young" vibe. With the help of million dollar companies and celebrities, this overarching theme of happiness, peace and love has taken off yet again.
Some of you may be outraged that I am even comparing Coachella to Woodstock, the most psychedelic festival that will probably ever exist. Everything has completely changed since '69. The way we consume music no longer relies on cassette tapes and record players, instead on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Corporations have utilized social media to the best of their ability and suddenly everyone would kill for the chance to go to Coachella. Sadly enough, some people are less concerned with supporting the actual artists and more concerned with posting an Instagram picture in front of the La Grande Wheel.
I'm not saying that every single person who goes to Coachella doesn't care about the music at all. If that were true, then I doubt the festival would still be around. I truly believe that a lot of people out there appreciate the music because it has gotten them through thick and thin. At the same time, there's nothing wrong with just going to have a good time, either.
Coachella will never be Woodstock but that doesn't mean it isn't worth seeing. The unforgettable ambiance transforms the desert into a land of musical wanderlust, producing stories worth telling. I do wish to experience the festival one day, but I'm weary it may not happen because ticket prices are soaring each year. Then again, most festivals aren't cheap and I doubt that will change because of such a high corporate influence. Altogether, I admire what Coachella has done by uniting thousands of strangers through the power of music.
