The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival quickly sold out of tickets for both weekends and once again raised the bar for music festivals nationwide.
Coachella is a three-day festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Traditionally the festival has been held for only one weekend, but this year it was held over two weekends: April 13 through April 15 and April 20 through April 22.
With over 100 acts, thousands of people flocked to Coachella Valley for a weekend of nonstop good music. Many have said that Coachella has become the Woodstock of our generation.
And just like Woodstock, the Coachella lineup has been nothing but legendary. In the past, artists such as Madonna, Prince, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Beastie Boys, Coldplay, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Kings of Leon and Paul McCartney have graced the stages of the festival along with many surprise guests.
This year at Coachella, dance and electronic music dominated the lineup. But it headlined The Black Keys, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kaskade, Radiohead and plenty more on a number of different stages throughout the days. There were also surprise performances by Rihanna, Eminem and even the legendary Tupac Shakur.
You may now be thinking that this is obvious evidence that Tupac is indeed still alive, but you are wrong. The depiction of the rapper on stage was a hologram constructed in his memory. The sight of the legend most certainly drove the crowd wild as he sang “Hail Mary” and “Gangsta Party” with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.
The hi-tech performances and impressive lineups are what have been setting Coachella apart from the other music and arts festivals throughout the United States. For six days over two quick weekends, the Empire Polo Club becomes a small town of its own, supplying the essentials of living to a huge number of people.
Festival attendees have the option of camping on site or finding accommodations off site, where the environment is most certainly reminiscent of a newer, more modern Woodstock. With live music and festivities all weekend, Coachella has become the new “3 days of Peace and Music.”
“It was bliss all weekend,” said Gina Gomez, Skyline student and festival attendee. “It was super amazing to be able to see and listen to some of the best live music I’ll ever get to experience in my lifetime.”
