Posts by Andrew Gomez40

restlesslynx3 said:It’s definitely not the first or last time I’ve rolled straight from a concert to an exam and absolutely crushed it—and I’m not just talking about easy electives, but some seriously heavy-duty courses too.

Look, either you're hitting up shows that wrap up way too early, or your exams are scheduled for 2:00 AM, which just doesn't make sense.😁

Prices always skyrocket during weekends when they assume there’s some massive cluster of festivals all happening at once. If there's only one big event going down, they don't really have any leverage to "extort" us like that. I'm just speaking theoretically here, obviously.

And honestly, this whole argument about students isn't even true. I could easily have major deadlines landing right on those dates, and even if I don't, spending my time getting absolutely hammered in Central Park a couple of days before a huge exam is just a recipe for disaster. I've bailed on shows plenty of times for that exact reason. Plus, nowadays, professors don't give you a whole month to finish projects anymore; everything is rushed.

Look, I get that organizers have their own headaches and logistical nightmares to deal with, but that doesn't mean everything is sunshine and rainbows for the rest of us. No one can sit there and tell me that scheduling a massive event in the middle of a weekday isn't a total headache for the people actually trying to attend.

Every single daily pass is tied to one specific day. And honestly, don't even sweat it—they never actually sell out.

If they actually had any sense, they’d drop the prices a bit to drive more crowds through the gates, just like every major international festival does over here.
I just can't wrap my head around the logic behind charging nearly as much for a single day as you would for a full weekend pass at 🤔

amberranger said:They aren't here. That goes for both categories, honestly.

So who is it then? Is it just a bunch of fifty-year-olds?

amberranger said:College students in the city aren't exactly the core demographic driving this festival.

Look, college kids—and even those older high schoolers looking for an escape—are always the lifeblood of any music festival out there. I mean, unless you're strictly talking about who's buying all the overpriced burgers and sodas, but we're clearly talking about the people actually buying the damn tickets.

A weekday date is pretty much unavoidable

What do you mean "unavoidable"? Why on earth would that be the case?

Tyler Doyle said:It’s been over a week since it all went down...

Oh, one hundred percent. They’re so obsessed with pushing this whole Antifa struggle agenda that they completely miss the forest for the trees, ignoring the fact that they’re basically driving thousands of students straight into a wall because of those overlapping deadlines. It’s just total mismanagement. Honestly, the whole thing should have been scheduled either a full week later or maybe two weeks earlier to actually make sense.

quietbison86 said:the location could be improved since Central Park is pretty isolated when you look at how the traffic flows in and out, but hey, people make it work

But seriously, what kind of better location are we even talking about here?

Melissa Moore said:Just because we aren't exactly spinning OneRepublic on our daily playlists doesn't mean they don't have 50 million plays on Last.fm or that "Counting Stars" hasn't racked up 750 million views on YouTube. They are a massive band—let’s not pretend they’re some underground indie act just because their sound isn't our cup of tea.

A massive band?! Give me a break. They are the definition of a one-hit wonder. In three years, nobody is even going to remember who they were.

By the way, you really need to watch out regarding what the local government in Šibenik is saying, especially considering how the Austin City Limits organizers are still trying to screw them over. The local administration in Šibenik is incredibly corrupt; you only have to look at the whole Obonjan situation to see what I mean.

What's wrong with Obonjan?
Look, all politicians are greedy liars, but the owner of Austin City Limits is no better. At best, both sides are playing dirty, and you can bet it's not just Šibenik's fault that the festival fell apart.

restlesslynx3 said:Good grief, we're back to this nonsense again, aren't we? I mean, seriously, you’re probably comparing mid-tier rock festivals with budgets similar to Coachella to something massive and something tiny, which just doesn't make sense. 😵
Do you honestly think a BMW and a Lada are the same thing??
Of course they aren't...

It’s pretty obvious they aren't exactly the hottest ticket at the massive festivals, which speaks volumes all on its own.
To be honest, I don't have any real beef with them—they've always been fine in my book—but it feels incredibly silly when they get hyped up like they're some kind of divine revelation or the second coming of Christ. I could wrap my head around it if they were making their big debut...

But whatever, I'll give them a shot.
Regardless of how it plays out, I really hope they can actually surprise me for once.👍

rustyharbor2 said:Look, what I was getting at with the whole Europe thing was just a simple comparison—it’s about the value proposition, you know? People are out here hunting for that specific vibe, looking for exactly what you’d find at a massive festival like Lollapalooza, yet they’d be perfectly happy to pay ten times less for it if they could just find the right spot. It’s like they want the premium experience but they're stuck trying to bargain for a discount ticket at a local dive bar.

But then you look at Lollapalooza, and they’re charging ten times as much—though if you ask me, I think they really went overboard with the ticket prices this year. There's just no comparison between those two festivals, other than the location, which, like I’ve already mentioned before, is a whole different story entirely.

I totally agree—it wasn't exactly great, and honestly, there are so many areas where they could have stepped it up if they actually cared. I mean, is there even any direction being taken here? Look, I’m definitely not an expert on event planning or anything like that, and frankly, I can't even begin to wrap my head around how much work goes into organizing something of this scale, but even from the outside looking in, you can tell when things aren't clicking.

Look, I’ve gotta be honest—I live for Coachella. If it wasn't around, I wouldn't even bother showing up. I want this thing to blow up and succeed, honestly, because no matter how much people nitpick or what kind of crazy direction it takes, at the end of the day, it’s ours. It's our own homegrown thing, and I'm rooting for it. 😁
On the other hand, there are just some things that simply refuse to get better, no matter how much you try to fix them or how many times you circle back to the drawing board. It’s like trying to patch a sinking ship with nothing but scotch tape and good intentions—you can struggle all you want, but some fundamental flaws are just baked into the system, stubborn as hell and completely unapologetic about it.
It’s honestly the most obvious thing in the world—I mean, look, after a few years of getting absolutely hammered by torrential rain, it shouldn't even be a question, right? It should have occurred to them to actually fix the drainage and deal with the mud once and for all. It’s ridiculous! You’ve got the area right in front of the stages turning into a swamp, but it doesn't stop there; even the tent sections are basically floating in puddles at this point. I don't know what they're thinking, because any decent venue in the States knows exactly how you handle this kind of situation.
And then there’s the whole price tag situation. Look, sure, the ticket itself might be relatively cheap, but they always find a way to claw that money back by charging an absolute fortune for food and drinks—it’s like they’re trying to fund their entire operation just through overpriced burgers and lukewarm beers. Plus, you've only got two main stages to deal with, which means you're constantly stuck playing a guessing game of which artist to see because the set times overlap perfectly. But honestly? All of that feels like minor stuff in the grand scheme of things if the lineup actually hits the mark. If the bands are incredible, you'll stop caring about the cost of a soda or the scheduling headaches.

Look, you can't just base an entire lineup on one single artist—I’m talking about the general principle here, not just nitpicking this specific year's roster. If you want to call something a legitimate concert-festival, it actually needs to have a handful of heavy hitters on the bill. You can't just lean on one big name and pretend you've got a full-blown event; that's like trying to build a whole house starting with nothing but a single brick and calling it a mansion. A real festival needs that depth, that variety of massive names to actually pull it off!

Look, the whole point of running a massive festival like Coachella is that you're supposed to be leveling up every single year, right? It’s about evolution, not just spinning your wheels and staying stuck in the same rut. If you aren't improving, you're basically sliding backward. Honestly, maybe they're just being way too ambitious with the scale of everything; I mean, what if they just scaled it back to a solid two-day blowout? They'd slash those massive overhead costs instantly and actually have some real cash left over to go out and recruit the heavy hitters. It's simple math, really.

Look, we could go back and forth until we’re blue in the face arguing about which artist matters more or what makes someone "valuable," but honestly, it's all just a matter of personal taste, isn't it? It's like arguing whether a gourmet steak is better than a greasy burger—it depends entirely on what you're craving at that moment. At the end of the day, if you ask me, it’s almost always way more fun to catch those smaller, underground acts that haven't hit the mainstream yet—at least that's how it works for me.

Honestly, fingers crossed, because I seriously doubt ExxonMobil is going to pull off another lineup disaster like they did back in 2012. Man, that was such a train wreck. Talk about a total nightmare year for anyone actually trying to enjoy the music. 🙈

restlesslynx3 said:Look, before you go spouting this kind of absolute nonsense, do us all a favor and just Google my good buddy. If you actually take a second to look up the festivals he’s playing this summer—like, for instance, seeing that he’s a headliner at all of them, including Coachella—you’d realize your argument doesn't hold any water. Seriously, just do the research and stop being so wrong about what's actually happening in the music scene. 😉
Honestly, there’s absolutely no point in dragging this conversation any further... we're just spinning our wheels at this stage.

Honestly, it’s like we’re all just acting like these small-minded imitators, constantly staring over the fence at someone else's yard and thinking, "Oh, look, they’ve got that, let's go grab it too!" It’s this mindless copying habit where we just try to replicate whatever looks trendy elsewhere. But honestly, I don't care if some big-name act is playing at Coachella or wherever; it doesn't change the fact that the whole thing feels totally manufactured and soulless.
So, I actually went ahead and checked to see who was responsible for booking them. Honestly, aside from Benicàssim, there isn't any seriously relevant festival out there making this move (and let's be real, they definitely won't be landing a headliner slot, which is pretty obvious when you look at the fact that they're sitting at number 8—yes, EIGHTH!—on the lineup). So basically, 🤷

rustyharbor2 said:but then you get those miserable Americans showing up just to spit on everything homegrown, yet at the same time, they aren't even willing to cough up the cash for something actually decent

Look, this right here is the core of the issue
we’re turning our noses up at paying $100+ for a show out of pure spite and sheer stinginess, 🙄

Nobody ever said Coachella was bad, but let's be real—it isn't exactly groundbreaking either. There is massive room for improvement here, and I'm not just talking about the lineup. I don't get why people think it's "stupid" to critique the roster. By that logic, we should never criticize anything ever, because apparently "you can't please everyone" or "just be grateful something exists at all."

It’s not even about personal taste when they bring out someone like Franz Ferdinand and act like they just landed some massive, once-in-a-lifetime superstar. Even the fans who love them have to admit their peak is behind them; you can't bank the whole festival's success on a legacy act like that.
I realize their marketing team isn't going to post on Facebook saying, "Hey guys, we're bringing back FF again—damn, we couldn't do any better," but a little bit of humility wouldn't kill them. Trying to sell acts like that as if they've somehow resurrected The Beatles is honestly just laughable.
Besides, they were the ones hyping up huge things for the anniversary. You don't make those kinds of promises unless you've actually got something up your sleeve. Like, at least three or four heavy hitters.

On the flip side, major props to Florence + The Machine. And the other bands too. Personally, I'm most stoked about BRMC, even though they're also playing the nostalgia card.

Melissa Moore said:I'm from the city, and there just aren't any good concerts—period.

Look, I’m sorry, but that is just plain stupid.

Central Park is packed with people? In the summer? Don't make me laugh. Clubs are basically ghost towns then, coffee shops are just mediocre during the day, and they aren't even building new venues because there’s zero demand.

I wasn't talking about the clubs! Look, the city is a total wasteland in the summer—even the main nightlife streets are half-empty in the middle of August.

New York-New Jersey will have Robbie Williams and OneRepublic soon, while our city will only get Billy Idol.

OneRepublic, musical giants... 🤦
Williams was actually here just a year and a half ago.

Lollapalooza doesn't have an amazing lineup this year (Prodigy, Hardwell, Garrix, Motörhead, Faithless), but every single year it pulls in more people than Ultra and Coachella combined (150k+), and honestly, this lineup isn't bad compared to what they've had before.

Lollapalooza is basically living off its former glory. They lure in tourists with slick marketing, dirt-cheap prices by their standards, and a lineup that’s perfect for some drugged-up party crowd. Plus, their venues are bigger; Central Park just can't compete (though you see more and more foreigners at Coachella every year anyway).

You can't claim that the massive superstars are bypassing us without admitting they're bypassing all of the former Yugoslavia too. For some reason, they're skipping the entire region. I guess we're just not worth the effort for them.

From what I can gather, Šibenik gave everything they had to Austin City Limits, but the new owners have way too much ambition and greed. They decided to hit pause themselves—which is a total disaster, because there is absolutely no way Austin City Limits gets back on its feet after two years (this current one failed too).

Melissa Moore said:These Americans are seriously messing up. I mean, if you look at any other concerts in the States over the last couple of years... wait, even which concerts? Everything feels non-existent besides Iron Maiden two years ago, Coachella, and Ultra (which is always huge, though maybe not the vibe for everyone).

And what concerts are you all talking about having in the last two years, anyway?

In cities like New York or LA, you basically just need to hand over some underused land—let’s be real here, Poljud Stadium and Central Park aren't exactly packed with crowds outside of these massive events.

Central Park gets absolutely slammed with people during the summer, let's not pretend otherwise.

Plus, New York isn't even on the same cultural or economic level as a place like Chicago.

🤦 🤦

Let’s give them another month and a half to throw us a curveball and actually surprise us.
But seriously, if they don't announce at least one more massive headliner by mid-May, I am officially declaring this whole lineup a total letdown. I mean it. Let the apologists come for me then—they can spit all they want, but I'll be right here standing my ground.

analogdriver22 said:For a ten-year anniversary, it’s just not enough. If this were just any regular year instead of this massive milestone they spent months hyping up as some huge jubilee special, I wouldn't be complaining, but for the 10th year? No way.

Exactly. Honestly, if they hadn't gone out and shouted from the rooftops about a "fantastic lineup" specifically for the anniversary, nobody would even be breathing down their necks right now. But that's the thing—they did it! They have to realize they're basically prisoners of their own hype at this point. It’s like when a movie studio promises a cinematic masterpiece and then delivers a mid-tier flick; you can't blame the audience for feeling let down. That said, if they decide to slash the prices on beer, I might just find it in my heart to forgive them 😬
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Arthur Anderson75 said:Back when Flo had their first album, nobody even knew who they were, and they were playing shows in Ljubljana five years ago.

And what on earth does that have to do with anything? We aren't talking about Ljubljana, we're talking about the US.
They dropped their first album six years ago and the second one four years ago. If you ask me, they’re actually a little late to the party here. I’m not saying they’re massively behind, but fans have been begging to see Florence + The Machine for years, and now they finally decide to show up? Sure, the timing works out perfectly because they’re dropping a new album, but let’s be real—that’s just pure coincidence. But fine, hey, I guess better late than never.

Arthur Anderson75 said:So you're telling me that today, with two full albums under their belt, they're already at the "peak" of their fame and they're "late" to get to the States!!??

How many albums would they need to release before they hit their peak? Eleven? (And by the way, I wrote something else entirely earlier).

Arthur Anderson75 said:Every single year, there are dozens of bands playing shows across the US with only one album out, and the clubs are half-empty.
Are you suggesting that a lot of bands have already "passed their peak" before they even release a debut album?

Man, you're just talking nonsense... There are plenty of reasons why a concert might be half-empty. The economy. The artist. The timing. The venue. Etc, etc.

Arthur Anderson75 said:And comparing them to Lollapalooza is completely pointless; those two festivals have absolutely nothing in common, except for those one or two years when Coachella was booking acts like Jamiroquai and Radiohead, probably trying to become a mainstream festival.

The only difference is scale—what other major differences are there?

Arthur Anderson75 said:Coachella actually grew up and found its soul, evolving into a legit indie rock powerhouse, whereas you just can't expect to see heavy hitters like TV on the Radio, Alice in Chains, The Flaming Lips, or Death Cab for Cutie showing up at Lollapalooza anymore.

Honestly, I don't see any kind of brilliant or strategic vision behind their booking; they basically just grab whoever is available. If you look at past lineups, it’s pretty obvious they’re often just winging it and have no clue what they’re doing. Look, the lineup isn't total trash, but let's be real—it could be so much better. And this constant whining about running out of cash? It’s getting exhausting. If they didn't charge an arm and a leg for every single drink, maybe fewer people would be getting wasted on cheap booze right outside the gates, which might actually leave them with more money in the bank. They really need to stop with the excuses. The ticket price itself is fine, I won't argue there. But if they try to hike the price up any higher than $17 without actually bringing in some massive, top-tier headliners to justify it, they're going to have a serious problem.

restlesscobra11 said:Look, let’s get one thing straight: these guys are absolutely top-tier, period. They haven't had any massive commercial flops or quality dips to hold them back, and honestly, they've just been laying low for the last two years because they were deep in the studio grinding out a new album. Just because you haven't seen their faces plastered all over every single news outlet or scrolling past your feed every five minutes doesn't mean they've lost their edge. Absence from the headlines isn't the same thing as falling off; they’re still sitting right at the summit, exactly where they belong.

I kind of see where you're coming from. I mean, look, I actually like them—I really do. She’s great. But honestly? It feels like they’re showing up to the party a few years too late. Not that they missed the boat entirely, but man, if they had just brought them in earlier, everything would have been so much better. It's like waiting for a massive storm to hit when you could have prepared for it months ago; the timing just feels slightly off.

Honestly, aside from Florence + The Machine, this year's lineup is just incredibly weak. I mean, this is supposed to be their big tenth anniversary milestone, right? That’s exactly when you should be bringing out massive, heavy-hitting superstars—think Jack White or Nick Cave level icons—not just one decent band while everything else feels like a total afterthought thrown together at the last minute. It's honestly pretty disappointing.

I am absolutely on the same page here, and honestly, that’s exactly what I’ve been trying to hammer home this whole time!

restlesscobra11 said:Look, let’s be real for a second—Lollapalooza and Sziget are hands down the heavyweights of the entire region. Every single year, they pull in these massive, powerhouse lineups that just blow everything else out of the water. I mean, how can you even put them in the same conversation as Coachella? Coachella brings in maybe one big star, occasionally two if they're feeling generous, maybe three if it's a really big year, but it just can't compete with the sheer scale and muscle of those two giants. It's not even a fair fight.

I totally disagree. Honestly, I feel like the lineup quality at Lollapalooza has been sliding downhill over the last few years—I mean, when you look at how massive the festival is, those gimmicks like the "zero day" thing are just plain irritating. And don't even get me started on EXIT; that one has completely gone off the rails. This year was an absolute train wreck. Hardwell as a headliner?! Clean Bandit headlining?! What are we even talking about here? Is that a band? A solo act? Or just some random nonsense thrown together to fill space?

restlesscobra11 said:Look, nobody is actually sitting around expecting them to just pull the Rolling Stones or Pearl Jam out of a hat and suddenly turn this thing into Glastonbury, right? That’s just not how it works. But honestly, my gripe is much simpler than that—it's about the lineup depth. It feels like every single year we're stuck with maybe one or two big names at the top if we get lucky, rather than having a solid foundation. If they could just bring in three heavy hitters—real, household-name headliners who actually command a crowd—instead of gambling on one superstar and praying for the best, the whole vibe would change. It shouldn't be a coin toss every summer whether the main stage actually delivers or just leaves us hanging. Especially now, when they were hyping up such a brutal lineup for the big tenth anniversary celebration!

Look, this is the absolute bottom line here. This is the crux of the whole damn thing. But let’s be real for a second—it’s all just marketing fluff. It’s that polished, shiny veneer they wrap everything in to make it look like gold, even when you know there's nothing underneath but empty promises and clever slogans designed to grab your attention and keep it.

Alright, look, even if they decide to dump all the big names into one single band, it’s still pretty underwhelming. The harsh reality is that Florence + The Machine isn't exactly at their absolute peak anymore, and let's be real, they're always lagging behind by a year or two, but I guess we've just become numb to that constant delay. Personally, I'm not holding my breath for any massive lineup announcements before the festival kicks off—and honestly, thank God if I'm wrong about that ☕

The only silver lining here is knowing we're still pulling more weight than that overrated Lollapalooza. I mean, come on, those guys are practically nothing compared to us! 😁

It’s not just about having a lake right there, though that's a huge plus; it's the sheer fact that this is one of those rare music festivals actually held right in the heart of the city. I mean, we aren't talking about some dusty field out on the outskirts or some remote spot miles away from civilization—it’s right in the middle of everything. And honestly, the location itself is killer, even if it does feel a bit cramped at times; you can tell they couldn't fit a single extra soul in there without things getting absolutely ridiculous.
To me, Coachella always brings Sziget to mind, and vice versa.

It would end up costing them a massive chunk of their core audience—all those students and college kids who basically make up the heartbeat of the crowd.