Gregory Cooper5 said:The organization felt a little better this year
Honestly, the logistics were a total disaster!
Just to name a few of the "minor" issues—the lines at the entrances, the ticket exchanges, buying tickets, and then, as if that wasn't enough, they put the press accreditation booth right next to the free guest check-in. You’ve got people waiting an hour and a half just to get their damn wristbands because two girls are sharing a single laptop, checking every tiny detail of who is who... It was exhausting. I saw someone standing in front of me before 9 AM—basically a local legend—and the poor guy was soaked to the bone and shivering because he knew he was going to be late for Arcade Fire. All of this just took me back to that first disastrous year, back when it was still the old VIP version of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, and that whole mess with the voucher system... 😵
Then, during the night on the first day, some guys in a tent actually beat up two girls—and it was brutal. Not a single one of those heavy-duty security guards—the ones who are usually ready to toss you into a lake if your wristband is even slightly loose—was anywhere to be found near them.
And don't even get me started on the silent disco—what a massive fail! On the first night, they were swapping out IDs for the headphones, just so people wouldn't walk off with them, and the staff mixed up a huge pile of personal IDs. People ended up having to hang around way after everything finished just to reclaim their documents. To top it off, they set it up in the most idiotic spot imaginable; right around midnight, when everyone is pouring out of the main stage, a thirty-meter line forms for the silent disco, and you just can't get through.
Okay, getting food, drinks, or vouchers was relatively easy, but they seem to have these massive failures year after year... it’s almost hard to believe. 🤷