Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (Archive)

Sam Smith14 said:I arrived around 6:30, so I sorted out my vouchers pretty quickly and got in without any issues. I just don't understand why Dave handles the vouchers this way. Wouldn't it be more logical if all drinks were the same price, making it one voucher per drink?

It isn't 😁

I'm heading to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival today. See you there 👋

Total disaster management. The lines for beer were basically the bread lines from the Great Depression.
My coworkers at the office are still staring at their wristbands like they’ve never seen one before.
It kind of reminds me of those tracking bracelets they used to use back in the day when people were waiting on legal proceedings under house arrest.

Sonic Youth was killer. As for the Happy Mondays, they’re living proof that you can still function even after decades of heavy drinking and drugs. They sounded rough, sure, but if they didn't sound like that, they wouldn't be who they are.
Caught some other stuff on the fly—New York Dolls were the classics, obviously. Róisín Murphy is a stunning British artist, but without Moloka, she's just boring.

So, how’s everyone doing 🙂

Róisín Murphy — honestly, just a nice little warm-up while waiting ten minutes in the beer line. I grabbed enough drink tokens for both days right away—smart move if you want to cruise from bar to bar without the hassle 🙂
The Colored Program — way too cheesy and boring for my taste—really hope I don't have to suffer through them again 🤮
Happy Mondays — such a vibe, they totally hyped me up and kept me smiling 🙂
New York Dolls — unrecognizable. They didn't even give me 25% of what they brought last year when I first saw them. The stage sound was an absolute disaster—they just looked pathetic, exhausted, and totally checked out 😢
Sonic Youth — the whole reason I showed up. Left feeling incredibly happy—easily in my top 3 concerts of all time 🙏
Banco de Gaia — felt like a total fish out of water. Spent about 6 minutes pretending to be an interested partygoer before I realized 🙂
Valetudo — heard enough to know I'm skipping them next time 😕

ran into a ton of great people 🙂

crashed from 3 AM until 7:30 🥳

can't wait to head back out there today 👋

I honestly have no clue what you all are getting at with this whole debate over wristbands and meetings.
Is wearing a festival wristband actually some kind of disgrace or an embarrassment?

And for those of you who were parked out on the grass—did anyone actually get hit with a fine?

Róisín - look, I love her, but she’s nowhere near being on the level of Moloka... by the way, that Moloka show was easily one of my top 10 sets of all time!!!
NY Dolls - felt like waking up from a cryochamber—boring enough to drive you insane (Janis Joplin covers? Seriously? Every single teenage garage band plays those!)
Happy Mondays - upbeat, sure, but tedious... actually, the whole thing was total garbage except for the Black woman performing! Just smelly, pretentious British nonsense!
Sonic Youth - the only act that actually delivered 👍
TBF - they should have just played during the Happy Mondays' era instead 🙂

Sumarum - an absolute organizational disaster... what was with the ticket vouchers?? People spent more time standing in endless lines than actually having any fun. It was lukewarm everything: lukewarm vibes, lukewarm water, lukewarm soda!!!! The only thing cold was the beer. I ducked into that tent where some mediocre dub producer was spinning for a second, but when I saw there were only ten people staring at a black silhouette... honestly, I almost died laughing! A complete fiasco! Washington, D.C. is starving for better festivals, but this was organized like something out of a war zone. If you missed this, don't regret a single thing. Good luck to anyone heading out today—hope you don't get caught in the rain.

It’s not all doom and gloom, though—the real heavy hitters are still coming: Tool, Muse, Ferry, Sylvian, ChCore... 🙂

boldeagle3 said:I have absolutely no clue what you're all talking about regarding these wristbands and meetings.
Is wearing a festival wristband really such a disgrace or an embarrassment?

What, do you work in Santa's workshop or something? 🙂

Sonic Youth were absolutely incredible. There was something so great about watching them jump around and lose themselves on stage. 😍

I missed the indie showcase again. I’m such an idiot. 😢

Everything else on the lineup is irrelevant to me.

It was truly wonderful😍—I am actually changing my mind about festivals; I have to admit, I really missed out on some concerts😍

Sonic Youth managed to cure my fever and runny nose—they were absolutely magnificent. I spent the whole time jumping around to Happy Mondays and didn't see much else. It was just a crowd of dear friends in one big group😘

Highlights from the evening:
- An architect I know who showed up around midnight just to see her favorite performer, Banco de Gaia, and she won't stop talking about it to anyone who will listen🤣 🙏
- A lady at the voucher booth who gave us $433 for $767 vouchers🙏 🙏 🙏 😍

I’m feeling pretty exhausted today myself

Megan Rodriguez44 said:But seriously... THE COPS. They actually pulled us over right as we were leaving Central Park! Right at the exit! Just two innocent girls—well, two girls and a friend—being targeted by three huge guys in front and one more trailing behind us... I mean, what is even the problem here?! They had clearly had a few too many of those cheap light beers 🙄 themselves, but the two of us were stone-cold sober. They harassed us for half an hour straight. My friend was blowing up her phone, the music was blaring from the car, and we were just sitting there getting grilled... Meanwhile, all the absolute maniacs rolling out of Central Park, totally wasted or high as kites—I didn't see them specifically, but I'm certain they were 😁—they don't get stopped by any single blue suit! 😠 And then to top it all off: a parking violation, a $700 fine, and the whole ordeal of deciding whether we’re taking an Uber home or trying to squeeze onto the subway... just...

Give me a break 😲

Gregory Walker15 said:It's just not 😁

But why though?

Kevin Chavez3 said:What exactly is your job description—are you working in Santa's workshop or something? 🙂

Well, I guess... 😛

The organizers deserve a massive kick in the ass 👎

Seriously, waiting 45 minutes in line just for those damn vouchers? Plus, the woman at the register was clearly a missing link from Darwin’s theory, and there weren't nearly enough beer stands or staff to handle the crowd... yeah, basically everything I already mentioned.

Happy Mondays. I mean, Ian Ryder was a pretty pathetic sight, but hey, they played the hits, which was enough for me. 😬

Watched New York Dolls for five minutes; stayed completely indifferent.

But Sonic Youth... 😍 😍 😍

Catch Hold Steady today, then head home for a quiet night. 😁

brightridge19 said:- some lady at the WIC checkout gave us $433 like $767 coupons 🙏 🙏 🙏 😍

😲 😲 😲

how many thirsty people were you buying all that booze for?

🙏 🙏

brightridge19 said:- some lady at the food stamps booth gave us $433 and $767 vouchers 🙏 🙏 🙏 😍

see you all later today 😉

😬

man...

I can barely keep track of the song titles by SY, at least not the ones where they aren't just screaming the same thing over and over in the chorus 😳

which one was that first Lee song, or... 🤔 the third one they played at the concert?

boldeagle3 said:Don't lie to me 😲

I won't. 😁
Actually, our mutual friend went out at the crack of dawn this morning 😉 with two of my buddies to the Harbor to deal with some driver's license stuff. They ended up driving her back to Central Park where we left the car. Both guys had to go because one of them failed to renew his license a couple of weeks ago (though I have no clue why he even bothered going, probably just so the other guy wouldn't be alone 😕 😁 ), and right now they're somewhere grabbing coffee. We have a direct line via text. 😁
We're all going to be walking around like zombies tonight.
See you there. 🙂

p.s. Oh, she doesn't realize it's me posting this, so don't say anything to her. You know what I mean... She only knows me as that other person. 😁

p.p.s. Honestly, I'm being silly. She'll definitely figure it out if she decides to read what's being said about the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. 🤣 Anyway, I shouldn't write such nonsense. 😁 Except for this p.s.

Seriously, your work bracelets are a joke. Just mix 🙄 🤣 .....you grab an orange Tropic shirt with palm trees under a blazer and suddenly the bracelet fits perfectly.

Happy Mondays sucked for me too.....it was supposed to be fast, explosive, wild....but they sang it like some cheesy pop ballad, total bummer, though I guess it didn't stop you from 🙂

SY was actually killer.

The New York Dolls.....idk why the security guard wouldn't let us scream 🤣, I felt like we were just distracting them 😁

Kevin Chavez3 said:Was that the first Lee set, or... 🤔 the third at the concert?

sure 🙂

Back at it again, trying to hunt down tickets for my extended family 😛 ....but seriously, does anyone have a cheaper pass for today 😕 ??????????? if you do, hit me up in the DMs!!!! I don't even care if it's a broken wristband 🙂

😈Yeah, I'm reading...
I'm with you. First, you have to trek all the way into Washington, D.C., then hike for miles around Central Park, and once you finally snag one of those "stunning" wristbands, you can actually get in. Then you sit there for an hour or an hour and a half just waiting to swap your real cash for fake credits. An hour and a half!!!
Looks like everyone is obsessed with SY! I only caught their last song—they were solid, as usual. But honestly? For me, nothing beats when Dolls-i hits the stage.

To each their own!

Is it Iggy today?! More walking... The organizers should just scrap yesterday's vouchers entirely so we can spend more time waiting. And if they really want to mess with us, they’ll issue $20 and $50 vouchers so we can wait in line for three hours!

CHEERS TO GREAT COMPLICATIONS AND TERRIBLE ORGANIZATION😛 !