Unless a person has been living under a rock for the past couple of years, there is no way that he or she hasn’t heard about the three-day music festival, Coachella. Promoter Goldenvoice puts it on every spring in Indio, Calif, to the excitement of music fans from all over the country.
This year, the festival boasts The Black Keys, Radiohead, and Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg as headliners, as well as performances by more than 125 other artists, making it one of the most highly anticipated events of the year.
The enthusiasm for Coachella can even be felt among Pepperdine students, which is apparent to anyone who has been on Facebook recently.
However, for the first time, festivalgoers have the choice between two identical weekends of shows: April 13-15, or April 20-22. This was a gamble on the part of Goldenvoice as the Empire Polo Club grounds — where the festival is held — has a capacity of 75,000 people.
This decision was made to provide the public with more opportunities to see the impressive lineup of artists Coachella has to offer.
“I definitely think it was a good idea to do two different weekends, because it gives us two opportunities to go,” said Annie Nam, a senior who will be attending the festival for the first time. “Previously, I didn’t want to go because it was the weekend before finals.”
“I think the decision to make it into two weekends is great, especially since they’re the same bands,” Gehana Ramchandani said. “I don’t feel like I’m missing out on other bands by choosing one weekend.” The Pepperdine senior attended the festival in 2011 for the first time.
Goldenvoice’s risky choice ended up paying off.
According to the Los Angeles Times, when the tickets went up for sale on the Coachella website last Friday, they sold out completely in record time since the advent of the festival in 1999.
Last year, according to Rolling Stone, tickets sold out six days after the line-up was announced.
This year the tickets sold out in around 3 hours.
The festival also provides the opportunity for fans to buy their tickets in advance, before the unveiling of the line-up. By setting up monthly payments, Goldenvoice made it possible for a wider range of people to afford the tickets, which begin at the $300 range. This is how Nam and Ramchandani got their passes.
“My sister actually bought my ticket last year when they had their pre-sale, with monthly payments,” Nam said. “She did that for me, for my birthday present.”
Ramchandani made up her mind to attend Coachella again after last year’s festival.
“I looked up the website in the summer of 2011 and immediately went on a payment plan for the tickets. I didn’t even know who was playing, I didn’t care, I just wanted to go to Coachella again,” she said.
The festival gained national recognition over the years by featuring headliners such as Roger Waters, Prince, Rage Against the Machine and Daft Punk.
Jeff Leeds of The New York Times called Coachella “one of the first American festivals to combine the rock scene with the electronic music scene,” a tradition that continues with this year’s line-up.
Grammy-nominated artists such as Florence + the Machine and Bon Iver are attending, as well as big-name DJs including David Guetta, Avicii, NERO and Kaskade.
“My favorite band The Black Keys are playing, and I am so excited to see them live,” Ramchandani said.
Nam had her favorites as well. “I’m the most excited to see Florence + the Machine, Childish Gambino and my all time favorite, Avicii, again.”
Websites like Craigslist and Stubhub are already offering weekend passes at around $400 each, and of price increases that is only the beginning. As Coachella approaches, the prices are sure to continue to rise.
One thing is for certain: Coachella-mania is here to stay.
