Long before heading out to Indio, California for the 4 day trip that would forever change how I feel about music festivals, live music and music in general, I had promised Rhonda and Amanda ( our Daily Duranie blog pals ) that I would blog about it and share the experience. Here I am two weeks after said festival, completely blown away by my time at Coachella, and I've been hesitant to write about it. The reasons for my delay have something to do with time ( finding time to actually sit and write..since my birthday fell almost immediately after coming home and there were activities keeping me busy around that, plus my work is a tad chaotic right now ) but also to do with the fact that my enjoyment of the Coachella experience had (GASP) very little to do with Duran Duran. Shocking I know.
I will admit that Duran Duran was a primary catalyst in our decision to attend Coachella, and I thoroughly enjoyed their set (Lady Gaga covers not withstanding). But unfortunately as these things go, our hopes for prime views and interaction with the band whenever we attend a DD show were as usual, inflated. We were met with some pitfalls that kept us from having the experience we hoped for with our favorite Brits, and while there really is only one man to blame (KANYE) and I do intend to hold a lifelong grudge, I'm at rest with the fact that there was enough to thrill me that weekend to offset my negativity about the DD debacle.
From start to finish the weekend was a whirlwind of great music, searing heat, tired feet, great people, celebrity spotting and new experiences.
Having never attended a festival before, we decided to make the most of it.Since SaintC and I are not really rough it in the mud types, and staying at a hotel and commuting every day in and out of the festival seemed like a giant waste of time, we elected for the Safari Tent camping accomodations. While this comes at a substantial cost, the main appeal is that you get Artist level (backstage) access to the festival for the full three days, plus furnished air conditioned tent accomodations (two queen size beds, fridge, dresser, nightstand, lamp, mirror, electricity), free breakfasts and late night snacks, water and pop in unlimited supply, free massages (a pleasant surprise) and golf cart concierges that drive you to each stage and drop you at the backstage entrances, where you can freely enter. The tent compound is just a brief walk from the grounds, but there is considerable distance between the stages, so getting a breezy ride in the heat versus dirty blistered tootsies was a huge plus.
Our first day, Friday, I was up at 6 am. Too excited to sleep. Took pictures at sunrise and mentally prepared myself. We had a few daytime acts we wanted to catch from early afternoon onwards, starting with Rural Alberta Advantage on the outdoor stage. Highlights for me that day included standing on stage for Cee Lo Green's performance (which he was late for) and seeing Usher show up right behind us to catch the set. We were watching from a few feet away as Lauryn Hill prepared to go on stage.. she looked and sounded incredible. Earlier in the day Cold Cave played at one of the tents and were totally impressive. It was nice to just casually check out bands we had never heard of and learn about new music. A quick break and then we launched into evening .. more celeb spotting including Tara Reid and Paris Hilton. We got started with the Black Keys. We only stayed for a few songs as the stage was on lockdown and the crowd was unruly, but within minutes of leaving the set we saw Paul McCartney coming from a backstage entrance and he gave us a wave (that was completely surreal). Plus I got to chat with Danny Devito during a golf cart ride. We dashed back to our tent to change into running shoes for the Aquabats and Robyn's utterly fantastic set. Her energy was infectious! In between all this activity we somehow managed to scrounge for food and didn't drink anything but bottled water on the fly (strange I know since most people booze it up at Coachella) but there just wasn't time for cocktails and lounging. Too many acts to see! That the next morning SaintC informed me that at the end of the night I was fast asleep before my head even hit the pillow.
On Saturday I met up with some other Safari tent folks for a yoga session in the morning before we headed out. That started the day off properly. This day held the promise of a bit more free time as we had some breaks between sets, and there was less pressure since we weren't as familiar with the acts playing. It was easy to roam in and out of the stages and tents to hear music that was new to us - and in doing so, we were introduced to some unreal acts, Freelance Whales being one. What a unique band. Such an easy listen but so interesting and so many layers to their sound at the same time. It was the hottest of the 3 days and we tried to stick to acts in the tents to take advantage of the shade. Being outside for any period of time was pretty unbearable. It made me appreciate how lucky we were for the perks we had (A/C, free water, golf cart rides) compared to the folks that were out in the blazing sun for every set. That day we also caught a British band called Elbow, that were so awesome I've already bought both their albums. Later we meandered over to the VIP area and had a bite to eat, which also offered some much needed shade, cleaner porta potties, and a ladies only freshen-up lounge where you could use sunscreen, hairspray, etc for the cost of tip for the attendants. Definitely handy. This day we also discovered our access to the Artist's camping area which was great. Tables and lounging areas, lots of artists and celebs wandering around, terrific people watching. Didn't really have the nerve to approach anyone in there until the next day, but I'll get to that. Anyhoo....
Saturday's evening set brought an onstage viewing opportunity for Bright Eyes and Mumford and Sons, with 30,000 people in the crowd and us looking down from above, and I have to say it was awesome. The sound quality from backstage was pretty good considering. We had thought it might be bad but we could hear just fine. After M and S we slipped away to see the London Suede in one of the tents, knowing they were going to lockdown the Mainstage for production only, so we weren't in a rush to get back there for the headliners. We made our way back and entered via backstage, intent on heading down to Guest viewing for the Arcade Fire set. However it seemed our friends at security were confused about what wristband allowed what access. So in the melee, we managed to steal a spot in the "media only" pit, at the very front of the stage, surrounded by photographers and their massive professional cameras. I admit I looked like a bit of a tool with my tiny digital Samsung pocket camera, trying to make like I was supposed to be in the photo pit when I clearly had no business being there. Alas, four songs in we were ushered out along with several others that were lucky enough to steal their way in. Arcade Fire's sound was rich, fun, inspiring and just made you feel good and want to move. I was just happy to be there regardless. But as we made our way down the guest viewing area that was barricaded off from the rest of the crowd, I was stopped in my tracks when we walked right into Rhianna and her security crew. Yet another mind blowing star struck moment. We stood right behind her for the bulk of the set and enjoyed the rest of the show. When Arcade Fire dropped 300 massive balloon-type bouncing balls that contained LED lights that glowed and flickered different colors, I was having so much fun that I was almost on another plane. The balls bounced over and around us, and just watching all these massive glowing balls move through and over the crowd was stunning. It was just one of those times where you lose yourself in the chaos and craziness of a moment and just let go and enjoy it like a little kid. That was probably my favorite part of the whole weekend.
On Sunday, even from the time we got up in the morning, SaintC and I were both aware of the pressure. We had cut our teeth in the 2 days prior and knew enough about how things operated now.. we knew there was a good chance Duran Duran's stage would be on lockdown for their set, and that viewing from the stage (which SaintC has always dreamed about) may not be a possibility. Kanye West was headlining. We knew he had the power and was just egotistical enough to demand the stage be locked out a full 4 acts ahead of his set. But we remained hopeful and ventured out for a noontime set. Gord Downie (vocalist for the Tragically Hip, pretty much the most important Canadian rock act ever to exist) had a solo set which was attended by a group of about 50 Canadians. It's still so shocking to me that the Hip have played with the Rolling Stones to sold out sports stadiums in Canada, but only draw about 200 people (mostly Canucks) to small bars in places like Texas, since they just never caught on in the US. Regardless the set was terrific, and Gord was kind enough to stand for photos with us and say hello. Following a short break City and Color was playing, an offshoot of Canadian band Alexis on Fire, headed by Dallas Green. From the stage they sounded fabulous. Gord Downie joined in the set. The only disappointment was the hip hop sounds bleeding through from the mainstage and drowning them out. Dallas's wife Leah, a well known TV host in Canada, came on stage to shoot some pictures and briefly said hello. One of the band members of Cage the Elephant showed up and started chatting up SaintC. It was a great afternoon. But after that the pressure was on.
We knew that we'd need to be back at Mainstage and be ready to take a position for stage viewing for Death from above 1979 in order to have a chance to secure a spot there for Duran Duran, which was starting around 7 pm. So as we started milling about and lingering by the stairs that led onstage (usually you wait in line there and then when production/security says it's ok, they let you up). One of the security guys tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Just so you know, the stage is on lockdown the rest of tonight for production staff only. Each band requires special credentials and you have to have that in order to get on stage. Sorry." With that our hopes were dashed. And what sucked even more is that guest viewing was already crammed with a bunch of people that were just jockeying for position to see the Strokes, which followed DD's set, and didn't even care that DD was playing. We ended up standing beside Simon LeBon's kids for the set (even THEY didn't have band credentials). Our position was lousy, and taking pictures and videos was really tough. However I still rocked out of course. They played a lot of my favorites.. Planet Earth which is a mainstay for me. The Chauffer was played to a big screen video accompaniment which was awesome, and Scissor Sisters even showed up to sing with some songs from ANYIN with them! (Side note - Scissor Sisters had played the night prior, but their set conflicted with Arcade Fire on another stage, so we had to miss it unfortunately) DD wrapped with Girls on Film and a View to a Kill medley; they even included a quick cover of Lady Gaga's Poker Face. This met with mixed reviews but all in all a great performance.
After DD we weren't interested in seeing the Srokes and we pretty much decided we were boycotting Kanye West for the rest of our days on earth. So we made our way to the Artist's Compound just in time to see Duran Duran arrive to applause and appreciation from everyone inside. They moved to the back of the compound swiftly so SaintC and I sauntered over to the lounge area by the Lake to sit in the grass and have a rest, and figure out our next move. Lots of great celeb watching from this area. Earlier in the day I'd seen Nick Simmons, as we stood in line for an organic blueberry smoothie. He is tall and skinny but cute as they come. In the compound Kelly Osbourne walked by with a group of friends too. As we reminisced about our day and took a few pictures, we noticed John and Simon walk out, presumably to catch the Strokes set. Then we bumped into another Safari Tent camper and struck up a chat. While standing there consoling this poor camper about her douchebag boyfriend, I saw Roger Taylor walk past with one of his handlers.
Earlier in the day during our morning yoga session, our instructor Blake had told us to put our intentions for the day out into the world. I asked for the courage and confidence to ask for/and-or attempt to obtain what I wanted from the day. Remembering this from a prior discussion, SaintC said to me, "There he goes. What was it you said this morning? You asked for courage and confidence. Go. GO." So I walked behind Roger and quickly caught up to him. I tapped him on the shoulder and asked him if he could take a moment for a picture. He shrugged and kept walking saying, "Sorry we're not doing that right now.. I have to go"... He jogged to catch up to his handler and walked back into the trailers.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed but I couldn't really expect another outcome. It's not always the right time or place to approach a famous person, but I still followed all my rules: He wasn't working at the time, and wasn't with his family, (I knew the woman he was with wasn't his wife) so I took the opportunity to try and get a photo, but came up empty handed. Even still I did speak to him. That in itself was something.
Upon heading to the exit of the Artist's compound we bumped into another Safari camping bunch, Donna and her family. She and her husband had brought their two sons to Coachella from Ontario, who had both managed to make like they weren't with their parents the whole weekend. It became a bit of a joke at the campground about Donna's "secret" kids. They were really great people. We gathered around a big screen TV watching Kanye's set with a few of the other artists and folks hanging around, stayed for a bit to chat, and shared a few laughs about the experiences of the weekend.
From there SaintC and I went our separate ways so she could catch She Wants Revenge at the Gobi Tent, and I ventured over to the Sahara Tent, where rave and dance electronica plays all day and into the night. I cut loose and danced a little bit on my own in the crowd until they shut it down, and then caught up with SaintC at the Gobi tent for the tail end of the last band, which was great. We met up with some fellow Safari Campers there and decided to cap off the night with a few cocktails on the deck chairs in front of our tent. We stayed up and talked with our new friends until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore. The next day I didn't want to leave. I wanted another day, another few days of great music, fun, dancing, relaxing, celebrity watching and general mayhem. It felt like the last day of summer camp.
Coachella has converted me full-on to the music festival experience. I will be back next year and intend to get a Safari Tent again, hopefully with a big group of friends in tow. To be honest I'm not even really concerned with next year's line up. Sure, it would be great to see a band I'm crazy about (are you listening, Airborne Toxic Event?) But it doesn't matter to me who is playing because it will be a chance to see some great bands and people watch, make new friends, and enjoy the sunshine and the mountains of Palm Springs. To me the Coachella experience was pretty magical.. a few days of getaway where you see things you'd never expect (one of the Beatles just strolling past you can be quite overwhelming) and can have the freedom to try something new. Even with Duran Duran being there - who we always fervently pursue, it can be said that their involvement wasn't what made Coachella fantastic for me. It was part of it, but not all of it, and for this reason it's changed my outlook on the music experience from here on in.
And with that, this being the longest blog post I'll likely ever make, it can safely be said I'm forever changed.
ThatGirl
