Since about 2014 when I first witnessed the Youtubers pop up in swarms in the desert with their flower crowns and bohemian outfits, I had a dream to go to Coachella. For years, I’ve watched Fitspo videos, tracked celebrity sightings and felt immense FOMO from not being there.
By some stroke of luck and a lot of saving up, I was able to make my way to the desert this year, and let me tell you, I get the hype. Coachella was hectic, hot, crowded, loud and beautiful in all of the best ways. I loved every moment of it and would definitely go again in the future.
Last year, it physically hurt to see videos from the performances because of my intense FOMO and knowing Harry Styles was headlining and I wasn’t front row. So, when I saw Frank Ocean on the lineup (I know this didn’t age well), I had no choice but to go.
I went the car camping route and if you’re doing Coachella on a budget, I would 10/10 recommend it. The camping portion honestly wasn’t too bad, and any negatives of it were outweighed by the immense energy of everyone there. You could feel the excitement buzzing all around you on the campgrounds, and they had so much available to campers. They had cute lounges to get ready in, hang out and fun games and activities set up throughout. Every day they had wellness activities like yoga, meditation and sound baths.
It also really helped that when you car camped, you were often one of the first ones in the festival when the gates opened because you were right there. It was very convenient when it was time to camp out for an artist you loved.
I spent the first day mainly just exploring the grounds. I took pictures at all of the obligatory spots, such as the Ferris wheel and the rainbow room, had some overpriced tater tots and bought some flip flops about an hour after entering because my boots hurt so much. Around 4:00 pm though, we decided to camp out for Metro Boomin to get a good spot. Best. Decision. Ever.
Because we waited and made friends with people at the barricade, we were able to secure front-row spots. It was an absolutely life-changing experience and now makes me want to go to more concerts and camp out if necessary. He brought out everyone, and I mean everyone. John Legend, Future, Don Toliver, 21 Savage and what really did it for me was the surprise appearance from the Weeknd. That’s right, Abel was there, and I was somehow front row. I will never shut up about it because it was probably the coolest thing ever. He even world premiered his new song.
On the second day, it was more chill. I got to see a lot of artists I didn’t originally plan to and it was honestly so fun. One highlight was definitely Remi Wolfe, she had an INCREDIBLE voice live. We ended the night off with Calvin Harris on the main stage, and he played nothing but absolute bangers. I didn’t realize I was such a big Calvin Harris fan (music-wise) until that night.
And now, let’s talk about the Frank situation. I was determined to get a good spot for his set because it was his first performance in 6+ years. At noon when the gates opened, it was a blood bath comparable to the Hunger Games. People sprinted to the front to get checked into the festival, and I have never seen so many people run so fast in my life. People were sprinting to the merch, sprinting to the main stage and at one point I lost my group.
We started camping out about 30 minutes after the gates opened, and I will say being in that crowd was an experience. We were all dehydrated, trying not to pee and lose our spots and were sitting in 90-degree heat. It was oddly enough, though, so much fun. It was definitely a bonding experience and everyone was just so excited to see Frank come on stage.
The performance itself, well, it was something. He came out an hour late, performed behind large screens that obstructed everyone’s view and had really long and awkward pauses throughout where he would go off-stage. This mixed with the fact he threw in a 10-minute DJ set in the middle of his show and cut it off abruptly with no warning, I can see why people would be upset.
At first, I was a bit disappointed as well, but as I’ve simmered with it, I will say when he did sing, it was beautiful and intimate. He also had intimate moments with the crowd during his speeches. I think it was brave of him to go on the stage, and his intentions for performing were because his brother (who passed away recently), would have wanted to see him perform. Despite the disappointment, I think the performance was beautiful in its own way.
So, Coachella very much was a thing, and I definitely would go again if I had the opportunity. People brought amazing energy and were able to bond over the shared love of music. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.