An amateur picture of Guns N’ Roses performing at Coachella
Twitter, Facebook, snapchat, instagram and every other social media platform was overflowing with Coachella coverage. Whether it was the performances or the fashion, everywhere you looked, someone was saying something about Coachella. I went to Coachella Weekend Two and since this was my first time, I really didn’t know what to expect. Now that it’s been two weeks since I was in the hot, dry desert of the Coachella Valley, trying to set up a tent for the first time, I hope to relive the experience in words.
Coachella really is a whole new world. My friends and I camped – so when we got there we began setting up our home for the weekend. Sleeping in a tent with two of your best friends may seem fun, but the more you realize it’s going to happen the less you like it. That being said, by the end of every night it was nice to be able to leave the Coachella festival grounds and just walk to our campsite nearby. When you’ve been standing and dancing and running around the festival grounds, crashing in a tent is not a problem.
The people at Coachella are also so interesting. There are people who are there for the music and then there’s those who are there for “the scene”. Coachella in it’s entirety is a complete scene, it’s almost like you’re in a movie. There was a couple that was camping by us that drove all the way from Utah. When I was front row for SIA, a high school boy and I started a conversation and he told me he was from a small town in Ohio and had traveled cross-country to attend the music festival. The people are an array of personalities, backgrounds, and ages.
Me and my friend Meghan pretending the heat isn’t making us miserable
The most important part of Coachella, of course, was the music. There were so many great performers that many times my friends and I were deeply conflicted over which acts to see. Coachella is the place where you can enjoy the music any way you want. For example, if you want to be crazy, face the crowds and shove your way to the front, you can do so. If you want to be a little more chilled out, watch the performers from the big screen and sit on the grass while you’re eating the overpriced (but good) food that vendors provide, then you can do that too. Coachella is really designed to be a place where anyone can go and have a good time. No one gives you judgy looks if you’re being a little too loud or a little too enthusiastic.
Enjoying this performance of M83. I must’ve really enjoyed Coachella because I didn’t get that many pics of performers.
I watched a lot of different performers and it was so amazing to see some of my favorite artists performing at such a big event. You could tell that they were as pumped to be performing at Coachella as we were to be attending. The performers (for the most part) were able to hype up the crowd and did their best to make sure everyone was having a great time. The lights, sound, and crowd interaction that the performers provided was outstanding and really allowed Coachella to live up to it’s name. Although I had my favorite performers, which for the most part were headliners, every performance that I saw was really great. You could tell the performers were very calculated and well rehearsed because they wanted to put on the best show possible. As an over enthusiastic music fanatic, Coachella was a perfect place to get lost in the music and really enjoy myself. I caught that music festival bug, and I can’t wait for the next music festival I go to (Outside Lands 2016???)!
Overall, going to Coachella this year was the best first-time experience I could’ve asked for. Even though I was hot, sweaty, dusty, and thirsty it was all in exchange for the insane amount of fun I had. I am now entering a week of finals and papers and long hours working, but the memory of Coachella is able to keep me going. I was able to spend time with friends who don’t live by me and we were able to have a blast and see amazing performers, so I’m totally okay with sounding extremely cheesy. My friends (Meghan and Matt u da best) and I have an extremely fun memory of living through the windy desert for the sake of music, and we have Coachella to thank for that.
Friends who survive Coachella together, stay together. I’m glad this is the case because I love these guys.