I forgot when I first heard about "Coachella", as the Coachella Music and Arts Festival is now called, but it was a few years ago, and by that point, Coachella had already been reified enough that it is referred to without explanation. The other day, someone posted a meme somewhere on social media: "Your real age is 70 minus the names of these bands at Coachella you recognize." A funny idea, but I also wondered how long Coachella, which now seems to be America's premiere regular music festival, has been going on. I know that Bugs Bunny had tried to go there, so was Coachella a venerable American institution that I had just recently learned about?
But I of course checked E2, and found out that Coachella dates back to the Turn of the Century, and was originally an electronic music fest. You know, just cool underground bros spinning some far out music way out in the desert. And I actually recognize the names above! I also at least recognize some of the names scheduled to headline 2025 Coachella: Lady Gaga, Green Day, and Post Malone. Notice that while Coachella might have started out as an electronics show (dubious, actually, now that I have checked other sources? maybe eclectic since the beginning?), it now seems to feature artists that are just slightly edgier than absolute mainstream. I have nothing against Lady Gaga, Green Day or Post Malone, but this ain't no funky reggae party. And indeed, Coachella doesn't come cheap: general admission seems to start around $600, and if you want to get a tent, that is over $2500. I can only imagine how much any amenities cost for the people stuck in the desert and wonder how much the kiosks or whatever pay for a Snickers Bar.
Okay, okay, you get what you paid for, and I am sure for some people, the weekend is a dream come true. And I am not the type of person who is so snotty that I think every show should be a basement show with exposed pipes and wiring that you barter to get into with a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon, but I don't understand a culture where spending thousands of dollars to see a bunch of pop bands in the desert has become some universally recognized cultural touchstone.
So come on people, lets go back to being COOL.