Coachella

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Author: Dean DeChiaro, Arielle Darr and Justin Young

Five minutes before Jay-Z, Coachella’s first-ever headlining rapper, took the stage, the audience was completely frozen with anticipation. After a long wait, one of today’s most influential artists rose from under the stage and shattered the desert air with an audacious set backed by a live band, with guest appearances by Memphis Bleek and Beyonce.

Jay-Z – and Coachella – had arrived. But this was only Friday. Over the course of the three days, 140 of the world’s most critically acclaimed artists performed on five stages at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. The event was completely sold out. An estimated 75,000 people attended the festival each day, bringing with them only the bare essentials: sunglasses, water and weed. It really was the biggest party ever.

Ten Things to Know Before Your “Trip” to Coachella:

By Arielle Darr

1. You can volunteer to work a few hours at Coachella and get a free ticket.

2. If you don’t have a ticket, many Coachella volunteers are happy to give you a ticket for a price; or you can reuse someone else’s bracelet when they’re done (especially good for when you only want to see certain acts on the last night).

3. To get to the front of a packed show, pretend your friend is passing out and needs to exit the crowd. The front of the stage is obviously the most convenient location.

4. Don’t forget to watch people trip on: trash/stages/each other/acid.

5. To get your money’s worth, make a written plan of what acts you want to see and become familiar with the locations of the different stages. Do this beforehand so you’re prepared when you’re not as aware at the festival.

6. Hanging out at the port-o-potties near the stage after a show is the best way to meet your favorite artists.

7. Security is strictest on the first day.

8. If you want to take any contraband into the festival, the most successful place to stash it is in your (or your friend’s) bra.

9. If you want to see celebrities enjoying the Coachella crowds, go to perezhilton.com because you won’t see them at the festival.

10. VIP wristbands are a joke. It’s just as hot, the lines are just as long, the bathrooms are just as disgusting and let’s be real – you won’t remember what food you ate anyway. Save yourself the extra $200 and party with the masses.

Four Coachella moments you should YouTube:

By Justin Young

1. Jay-Z rising from beneath the stage to “Run This Town.” Even if you had been standing in place for over four hours in anticipation, you couldn’t help but throw your diamond in the sky with the 50,000 other rioutous fans.

2. The climax to Flying Lotus’ set. Angelino DJ Flying Lotus has been cultivating a loyal fanbase since his days of making the bumper music for Adult Swim. In a touching moment, FlyLo thanked his bouncing audience for their loyal support in helping him reach his long-time goal of playing at Coachella before launching into his final, looping track.

3. LCD Soundsystem’s “Yeah.” James Murphy topped off his impeccable set with “Yeah,” an energetic fan-favorite with lyrics easy enough for even the unfamiliar to shout along to.

4. Thom York playing “Everything In Its Right Place.” Just when outdoing the first half of his set (featuring Flea on bass) seemed like a momentous feat, the Radiohead frontman performed a solo rendition of Kid A’s first track and, needless to say, did the impossible.

To Camp . . .

By Dean DeChiaro

My home for the weekend at Coachella was a 30×10 campsite that I shared with five friends. There were seven different camping grounds, each holding about 4,000 spots. There were 10 food stands, one solar-powered cellphone charging system and 14 showers – and endless lines for all of it. But the experience was beyond worth it.

Upon arriving on the festival, I instantly realized living at the campground was going to be an exciting time. Within an hour of getting settled, we were offered hash brownies and witnessed two guys snorting drugs off of an In-N-Out tray.The days got hot early – at 8 a.m. – and the scorching sun rose too early to sleep in. Fortunately, the campground amenities made the sleeplessness bearable. Traditional festival food (pizza, burritos, funnel cake), along with some fruit and Clif bars, made for an unusual breakfast. Lunch and dinner were not much different.

The best part of camping was meeting new people. Everyone at Coachella is there for two reasons – the music and the good time – which makes for a non-stop party of a campground.

Or Not to Camp

By Arielle Darr

Although I had planned on camping, I missed the opportunity due to a mixture of apprehension and indecisiveness. Because tickets and camping space sold out early, I was left to find another place to stay. If you are going with a bunch of people, splitting a hotel room is a good option if you book early (once again missed that one). So we stayed with friends who lived nearby, which saved us a lot of money, though we still had to pay for gas. We were also able to come and go from the festival as we pleased, unlike the campers who could not move their cars.

While it was nice to have an actual bed, clean showers and food other than the overpriced options on the festival grounds (4 a.m. In-N-Out run anyone?), the trek back and forth got strenuous by the second day, and exiting the parking lot after big acts took up to three hours. In addition, being on the road with people who were partying all day can be a bit scary. We had no problems with fellow concertgoers, though an off-duty police officer rear-ended us and destroyed our bumper.

If you don’t mind being dirty or uncomfortable and want to maintain the Coachella atmosphere 24/7, I would recommend camping. If you’d prefer more freedom, consider an alternative to camping.

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