Her Campus American University: When and why did you decide that you wanted to attend Coachella?
Keely Quinlan: I decided last year in May that I would attend [the festival] this year. As a graduation present, I bought my tickets during the advanced pre-sale. I think what made me want to go was that I really loved the whole idea of it. Yes, Coachella has a pretty bad stigma. Some think it’s a superficial gathering of rich white kids from L.A. or a stoners Mecca. Both are kind of true but if you look beneath the surface, there are also really cool people that go for the festival. It’s hard to describe how magical it kind of felt because it was unlike anything I have ever been to before.
HCAU: How was the ticket purchasing process?
KQ: Crazy. Like I said, I was fortunate enough to buy them during the advanced pre-sale so I was able to do a seven-month payment plan on my ticket which really helped but actually purchasing the ticket was a nightmare. I was on my computer at 12 PM when they went on sale, but just trying to get through to the server was crazy. I tried getting Weekend One tickets, but they sold out literally in 30 seconds so I had to switch to the Weekend Two. I waited for about five minutes and then eventually got through to buy my ticket.
HCAU: Who were you most excited to see, and did they live up to your expectations?
KQ: The artists I was most excited to see were Azealia Banks, Ryn Weaver, Father John Misty, FKA Twigs, Marina and the Diamonds, Brand New, and Drake. Azealia blew me away honestly. She’s one of those artists that people either REALLY love or REALLY hate, but I really love her. And her singing voice kind took me by surprise. Ryn Weaver is an up-and-coming synth-pop artist that I discovered awhile ago when she released “Octahate”. She exceeded all of my expectations and she has such a beautiful soul. Father John Misty is one of my favorite artists of all time because of how educated he is. He is truly a unique artist and you can just feel his passion but I saw him a month ago at the 9:30 Club so it was kind of just reliving that concert. FKA Twigs was my favorite performer that I saw. I love her visuals and the way she perceives music is so cool. It’s hard to explain how watching her feels because between the lights, the crazy bass drops that stop your heart and her dancing, I just got lost in her. Marina was so cute, but sonically I wasn’t that impressed. Brand New is a band that I listen to when I’m feeling sad and I need to feel understood, so it was a change of pace from most of the upbeat music I had been listening to. I went to that show by myself and just let myself slip into that kind of raw and vulnerable place that needs Brand New. One of their songs, “Jesus Christ”, just speaks to something so deep inside of me that I started crying while they were playing. That was the realest moment of the entire festival. Drake didn’t live up to my expectations honestly. I was kind of disappointed. He ended really early just as I was getting super hyped.
HCAU: Did you see any celebrities?
KQ: Most people assume that a lot of the celebrities are just out and about walking around. The only celeb I saw actually just walking around was Paris Hilton. But all of the celebs are actually in the V.I.P. section which separates you completely from the general admission festival attendees. I did catch glimpse of Gigi Hadid and Cody Simpson in one of the visible V.I.P. tents.
HCAU: How would you describe your Coachella experience?
KQ: Honestly, it was one of the best experiences of my life. Although there were so many people, it was amazing to watch everyone come together, leave their inhibitions at the gate, and just enjoy the festival. Everyone was excited to be there, and the energy was on another level. Being in the desert with the gorgeous mountains in the background made the experience really surreal. It’s just like the pictures.
HCAU: How did you gear up fashion-wise since fashion at Coachella is a big deal?
KQ: Well since I bought my ticket last May, subconsciously I had been shopping for Coachella since then. I love the flowing desert aesthetic that Coachella is legendary for. I did a lot of shopping at Urban Outfitters obviously and I wore a couple of vintage pieces that tied my look together. The only thing that sucks is no matter how much you love your outfits when you put them on, you will hate them as soon as you get to the festival. Coachella is like a fashion show, and someone will always look better than you, no matter how hard you try.
HCAU: What were the most surprising moments?
KQ: KANYE WEST. This is my favorite moment of the entire festival. I was watching the Weeknd performance, but it was getting really late and I had been on my feet for almost 12 hours. So, a friend and I left to get food. We were sitting down eating, when all of the sudden I could hear “Heartless” in the distance. I looked at my friend and said “Oh my god, that’s Kanye!” He was laughing and didn’t believe me but I kept saying “That’s Kanye”. Then I heard “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and it didn’t sound like the album version, so I knew immediately he was on stage. I jumped up and took off running so dramatically. I threw my food and was shoving past people to get closer to the main stage. Then he started spitting “Black Skinhead” and I lost my mind. Kanye brings a very unique sort of energy to the stage. Watching and hearing him perform is electric, and everyone so in the moment because of how unexpected it was. And he performed “All Day”, so my life was made.
More surprising moments were when Rae Sremmurd came out and performed with DJ Snake. Drake brought Nicki Minaj out for like 10 seconds. I was SO UPSET she did not perform. I’m a huge Nicki fan, so just seeing her in the flesh was a really cool experience but I REALLY wanted to see them do some of their collaborations live.
HCAU: What were the attendees like?
KQ: There were a lot of unique characters in attendance. Every sub-category of style and personal aesthetic was present. And people were really nice! There was not a lot of pushing like there is at a regular general admission show. Most people were so chill and just there to enjoy the scene. If you want to be close, you can get close. People were pretty polite, I didn’t meet anyone that was rude and it’s so easy to start up a conversation with pretty much anyone. When I went to shows by myself, I talked to a lot of the people around me. Everyone was so interesting.
HCAU: Do you think the lineup will be better next year?
KQ: I’m not sure whether or not it will be better, probably just different. That’s one of the thing I love about Coachella. They are able to incorporate so many different music tastes and genres so it is always possible to find something to go listen to or watch.
HCAU: Are you going to attend next year?
KQ: YES.
HCAU: Did anything disappoint you?
KQ: Nicki Minaj. I just wanted to see her perform SO badly. Also, you need to prepare yourself for having to choose between two acts you want to see that go on at the same time. For instance, I really wanted to see alt-J, but FKA Twigs was playing at the same time and I had to choose between ODESZA and Drake.
HCAU: What would you want future attendees to know?
KQ: 1. Phone charging is such a pain. Charging stations are everywhere inside of the festival but it was difficult to designate enough time to wait for your phone to charge, so my phone was dead for the majority of the festival.
2. If you are anti-pot, don’t attend. It’s so easy to get weed into the festival and everyone lights up during the shows. GOOD NEWS: if you are pro-pot, people will share with you.
3. Food is extremely expensive. It’s decent food, and it’s a great festival to go to if your vegan like me. Budget yourself.
4. You should go to the Do Lab at least once. It’s a super cool place to check out if you’re in between sets. They have rotating DJs that play all day and they are all super talented. Plus, they spray water on you so it’s a great way to cool off from the desert heat.
5. One recommendation for camping. If you are going to camp, be prepared. I did not anticipate how cold it would get during the night. You are in the desert and the sun is like a heat switch. It was 50ºF at night, but you can’t sleep past 7 AM because the tent turns into a sauna the moment the sun rises.
6. And stay hydrated during the day. I can’t even count the amount of people I watched pass out from dehydration.