Coachella 2012: The Lost Photos

Tomorrowland: Coachella on Steroids

Tomorrowland is massive 3-day music festival held in Belgium. It is among Europe's largest festivals, and is known for its strong visual experience and dance heavy line-up. Tomorrowland has been described as a "trippy technicolor fantasy," whose insane art sets it apart from other music festivals.

Tomorrowland has a unique overall fantasy amusement park setting, complimented by amazing art and music for a cohesive dream-like experience. 


Tomorrowland started in 2005 as a relatively small festival, with only 10,000 attendees. It was intended to rival America's incredibly popular Electric Daisy Carnival festival, with its amusement park atmosphere and dance heavy line-up. Over the years the festival has massively, attracting people from all over Europe and the rest of the world. Today Tomorrowland is described as one of the biggest music festivals in the world.

The festival has won many awards including “Best European Festival” and “Best Belgian Summer Festival” as well as being nominated for “Best Global Festival” at this year’s IDMAs (International Dance Music Awards). 


This year Tomorrowland is taking place July 27th through 29th. The 2012 festival line-up features such big name artists as Avicii, Calvin Harris, Alesso, Swedish House Mafia, Skrillex, David Guetta and Steve Aoki. Tomorrowland

Attending Tomorrowland is on the top of my bucket list. The overall ambience is what sets Tomorrowland apart from other festivals. It may be the only festival I consider to be better than Coachella, and that's saying a lot! 

Coachella's Over, What's Next?

It's obvious that Coachella is the best music festival out there, but it's impossible to wait a year to here more amazing music! There are many other festivals throughout the United States, and even abroad, that feature similar artists to those at Coachella. 

Lollapalooza

Lollapalooza is an annual three-day music festival that takes place in August in Chicago, Illinois. This year the festical is taking place August 3rd through the 5th and features many of the same artists as Coachella. This includes The Black Keys, The Shins, Avicii, Santigold, Justice, Florence and the Machine, Miike Snow and many others. Lollapalooza 2012 Line-Up 

Tickets for three day passes are sold out already, but one day tickets are still on sale for $95 each. If you wanna go you better make moves fast! It's safe to say Lolla is the Coachella of the midwest. And as much as I dislike the midwest, I'm a little sad I won't be able to go.

Outside Lands

Outside Lands is much more my style than Lollapalooza, and the proximity makes much more convenient also. It is an annual music festival held in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California, every August. It is much newer festival, with the first being held in 2008. Much like Coachella, the festival is designed to utilize several strategies of being eco-friendly, as well as to educate the public about eco-friendly movements. There are solar power stages, a refillable water program, a waste diversion program, a recycling program, and bike valet parking program. There have also been workshops to educate about organic food and farming.

This year Outside Lands is taking place August 10th through 12th. It also features many of the same artists as Coachella, including Justice, Explosions in the Sky, Santigold and Rebelution. Outside Lands 2012 Line-Up Luckily regular 3-day passes are still on sale for $225! Only an 8 hour road trip away, I might have to go myself!

Band Spotlight: Florence and the Machine

Florence and the Machine is an English pop indie band consisting of lead singer Florence Welch and a collaboration of other artists that provide backup music. According to Welch, "The name Florence and the Machines started off as a private joke that got out of hand. I made music with my friend, who we called Isabella Machine to which I was Florence Robot. When I was about an hour away from my first gig, I still didn't have a name, so I thought 'Okay, I'll be Florence Robot/Isa Machine', before realising that name was so long it'd drive me mad." So the name was shortened and Florence and the Machine was formed in 2007.

The current band members include musicians Robert Ackroyd (guitar and backing vocals), Chris Hayden (drums, percussion and backing vocals), Isabella Summers (keyboards and backing vocals), Mark Saunders (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Tom Monger (harp). They released their debut album Lungs in the United Kingdom in July of 2009. A month after the Album's release it had sold over 100,000 copies and shot up to #1 in the UK and #2 in Ireland. The single "Dogs Days are Over" gained instant recognition.

                                    

Welch said she wanted her next album to be a better version of Lungs with a "more dark, more heavy, bigger drum sounds, bigger bass, but with more of a whole sound." She succeeded with the album Ceremonials, which was released in October of 2011. It reached the number one position on the UK Albums Chart in its first week of release and number six on the US Billboard 200. 

Florence performed Sunday night at the Outdoor Theater stage at Coachella. She was definitely among my top five favorite performances of the weekend! Her voice is absolutely unreal, I got chills. The massive crowd sang along as Florence and the Machine performed all their most popular songs. Just two years prior I saw Florence perform during the day on the smallest Coachella stage, and seeing her transformation to the outdoor theater was amazing. Florence and the Machine has gained so much well-deserved popularity, and will forever remain one of my favorite bands.

                                     

Sunday Funday

So by Sunday I hadn't showered in 3 days, my hair had transformed into dreadlocks, and I was attempting to function off 4 hours of sleep. But I didn't have a choice, I had to persevere. I mean Sunday had the best line-up by far!

Since it was the last day we had a massive BBQ and grilled literally anything and everything we could find in our ice chests. It was actually unreal how much food we cooked, and even more unbelievable that we actually finished it all...


We started the day off with some Santigold. Laying on the grass before the main stage, soaking up the sun and listening to amazing music. It really doesn't get better than that. Naturally we headed over to the Sahara tent next. The #1 rule of Coachella: No one in particular you wanna see, fill the time dancing in the Sahara!


Justice was one of the artists I was most excited about seeing all weekend, and they definitely didn't disappoint!

Once again our giant group came together for Justice, and it was amazing. After Justice we headed back to the Sahara for Calvin Harris, who had Rihanna come out as a guest star!! Such a great surprise, she was amazing. After Calvin was Avicii, who I have been waiting to see forever, and he absolutely killed it. He is probably one of the most talented DJ's I have ever seen. The Sahara was more packed than ever and the crowd was going wild.

Sunday night's headliners were Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre. Who knew Wiz Khalifa, Fifty Cent, Eminen, and Tupac (wait what...) would all show up. With three guests stars and a Tupac hologram, its easy to say it was the performance of the weekend. I couldn't have asked for a better way to end the best weekend!

                                      

I've been attending Coachella for four years and 2012 was definitely the best one yet. Until next year, goodbye Coachella. 

Sunny Saturday!

Not trying to sound like a diva or anything, but camping just really isn't my style. There's nothing appealing about sleeping on the floor, using porta-potties, or showering with water bottles. But in the name of Coachella I did it, and I did it well.

I was awoken by the blazing sun circa 7 a.m. I ventured out on the mile long walk to the porta-potties.... No exaggeration, literally one mile. I was forced some boys we were camping with to light up the BBQ, and after making a vegetarian hotdog we headed into the festival. Saturday started off on a perfect note with Childish Gambino. He's a young up-and-coming rapper who is incredibly talented. 

                                    

After Gambino we headed over to the sahara tent where we danced to some techno like it was nobody's business. I was rolling with a legit crew. My sister, my best friend, and over 20 kids from my town that come together every year for Coachella. Regardless of where everyone lives or goes to school, Coachella rolls around and it's as if we never left Redlands. With such a large group of people it's hard to stay together all weekend. But there are those few very special bands we all come together for, and on Saturday it was Radiohead. 

Not necessarily a great photo of any of us.... but that was the crew. And during Radiohead we danced, we laughed, and we cried. I have dreamed of seeing Radiohead play live since I was 12 years old, and when it finally happened I couldn't have been happier. I was with all my favorite people, at the happiest place on earth, listening to one of my favorite bands live. 

                                   

It was the perfect end to the perfect day.

Friday: Let the Fun Begin !

It was quite a rocky trip home.... Typical, considering I have the absolute WORST luck with flights. After a six hour flight filled with turbulence and nausea I finally arrived in San Francisco! Where my flight was delayed due to intense thunder and lightning storms.... COOL. So I finally landed in LAX at midnight and waited for my luggage for an hour. Of course it never showed up. But honestly at that point I couldn't care less, Coachella was tomorrow!!!


I excitedly woke up Friday morning after only three hours of sleep (like why cant I do that for class?). So my best friend Kristen and I began our journey, with redbulls in hand obviously! We set up camp and immediately headed into the festival. And since I have the mentality of  a five year old of course I rode the ferris wheel immediately. The view was incredible.

Friday was a mellow day for me, not to many artists I wanted to see. So I wandered a lot, ate a lot of good food, and tanned of course. Grouplove was one of my favorites of the day! They have been one of my favorites for awhile, and they were absolutely amazing live!

                                   

I ended the night on a solid note listening to Friday's headliner the Black Keys. They were out of this world. I have been wanting to see them for years so when I saw this year's Coachella line-up I was beyond excited they were headlining. After the Black Keys Idanced my ass to some Swedish House Mafia! 

                                  

I couldn't have imagined a more perfect day 1 of Coachella. I was with all my best friends in the most amazing place on earth. I was in heaven. 

Coachella Style

Every year one of my favorite aspects of Coachella is seeing what everyone is wearing. Unique trends and styles are prominent across the polo fields as the tens of thousands Coachella-goers sport different outfits. 

This year I'm expecting high waisted shorts, crop tops, crochet tees, and flowy skirts. And of course, fedoras, headbands and overly large sunglasses are always staples. 


This website shows the popular styles from last year, many of which I believe will be making an appearance in 2012 as well!
2011 Coachella Styles

There are so many websites to find affordable Coachella attire, and of course I've already done my shopping! These high-waisted shorts from Urban Outfitters are affordably priced at $44 and perfect for the occasion! 

The simple shorts can be paired with a cute crop top or even just a bathing suit top for a cute and comfortable look.

Another style trend that has really taken off this season is high-low skirts and dresses, which I expect to see a lot of at Coachella this year. These skirts are above the knee-length in the front but flow calf-length in the back for a fun and delicate look.

This high-low dress from Forever 21 can pe paired with a pair of wedges and simple belt for the perfect Coachella look. For only $24.80 you can't go wrong! 

To look for ideal Coachella outfits, check out these sites!

Forever 21

Urban Outfitters

Anthropologie

A Different Breed of People

I'm not normally one to generalize or stereotype, but in the case of Coachella it's hard not to make assumptions about the types of people who go. I would say Coachella goers generally fall into five main categories: typical hipsters, intense druggies, confused foreign folk, the artsy outdoorsy type, and of course the people who are simply too drunk to function.


Typical Hipsters


Bluntly put by urban dictionary, a hipster can be defined as "An unwashed and ungroomed person who hates corporations and everything mainstream, yet still buys Apple products."


Hipsters are the most populated subgroup of Coachella, probably making up about 40% of all Coachella goers. (10% of these may be wipsters- wannabee hipsters, but don't even get me started on those kids.) Hipsters tend to oppose anything mainstream and would jump at any opportunity to protest against the government. They're often a little greasy and expressing some kind of attire that they believe to be "unique." 

This cool kid up here embodies all things hipster. But remember hipsters never acknowledge that they're hipster, cause that'd be too mainstream....


Intense Druggies


The sad thing about the intense druggies is that they basically miss out on three days of amazing music, simply because they're too messed up the whole time. These kids come to Coachella as just another place to roll ecstacy and smoke weed. Some people even do crazier drugs, like this poor guy....

Now he went a little too hard.


Confused Foreign Folk


Not surprisingly, people come from all over the world to go to Coachella. These adventerous people fall under my favorite subcategory of Coachella goers: the confused foreign folk.


A little crazy but always entertaining, most of these people have such a great outlook on life and free spirit. The first year I went to Coachella I met some nice Australian boys! They invited me to play volleyball with them in the grass and hang out. I thought they were pretty great until one of them offered me amphetamines... I politely declined.


The Artsy Outdoorsy Type


The people that fall under this category generally come to Coachella for the beautiful sculptures and interesting art. They enjoying camping and not showering for four days, as well as dancing alone and painting each other's faces with strange designs.


They like to stand out and pride themselves on being artistic and cultured, even if they aren't. The artsy ones are generally more independent and don't travel in herds like the hipsters. They like to enjoy the art and music, and dislike the drunk people disrupting them.


Too Drunk to Function


I'll just start out with this perfect example...

When it takes you one minute and 39 seconds to put your shoes on, you have a problem.


Coachella is sponsored by Heinken and Redbull, so people tend to get wasted off beer and Redbull vodkas. And when combined with long days and hundred degree weather it doesn't always end well. As entertaining as it is to see people like this stumbling, losing their friends, or trying to put their sandals on, you have to feel kind of sorry for them.


If you don't fall into one of these five groups, congratulations! You've beat the odds.  

Band Spotlight: Arcade Fire!

Arcade Fire is an indie rock band that headlined at Coachella in 2011. The band comes from Montreal, Quebec, Canada and was started by the husband and wife duo Win Butler and Regine Chassagne. The other band members include Will Butler, Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, Jeremy Gara, and Sarah Neufeld. The band members collectively play more than fifteen different instruments, which contributes to Arcade Fire's extremely unique sound. 

Arcade Fire gained recognition in 2004 with the release of their first album Funeral. The album title and songs were sadly influenced by the deaths of many friends and family members of band members during its production. The band went from playing small clubs to much larger venues throughout 2004 to 2006. With artists like David Bowie and U2 supporting the band, they became popular very quickly.


Two more extremely successful albums, Neon Bible and The Suburbs, followed. The Suburbs received extensive critical acclaim. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in the United States, Canada, and the UK. 

Arcade Fire performed at the 53rd Grammy Awards in February 2011. That year, they were nominated for Album of the Year, Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with a Vocal, and Best Alternative Music Album. Arcade Fire's The Suburbs won the Grammy for Album of the Year, as well as the awards for Best International Album and Best International Group at the 2011 BRIT Awards.

At Coachella, tens of thousands of people swarmed the Main Stage as they played late Saturday night. Giant glowing balls fell from the sky as they performed. It was one of the best performances I have seen at Coachella in the past three years, and one I will never forget.

Coachella.... Wait, like what is that?

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival http://www.coachella.com/ is a three day concert put on by Goldenvoice in April of every year since 1999. The festival takes place on the Empire Polo Club in the Indio, California, located in the sunny and beautiful Coachella Valley. At Coachella there are two stages and three tents set up throughout the polo fields, with five artists or bands playing at all times over the three day festival. The combination of incredible music and art makes for unforgettable weekend.

The event features a wide array of music genres including indie, techno, rock, hip-hop, dubstep, and many others. In 2011, more than 90,000 music enthusiasts attended Coachella, the highest number since it began in 1999. The headliners over the years have ranged from music icons like Paul McCartney and David Bowie to modern artists like Kanye West and Jay-Z. The wide variety of music is likely to please every Coachella-goer.  


Over the years, Coachella has transformed greatly. It began as a Woodstock-esque music festival, and this ideology continues year to year. But with the growing number of fans each year, the high demand has caused Goldenvoice to make many changes. Festival camping began in 2002 after the high traffic congestion caused people to arrive late to the festival in 2001. Now, Coachella-goers can stay in tents directly on the polo fields, which helps with the previous problem. The biggest change however is happening this year, where Cochella will be two weekends instead of one. Tickets have sold out instantly the past two years, so Goldenvoice decided to host the exact same line-up both weekends so anyone who wants to attend has the chance. 

This video is an aerial, sped up view of the three day festival in 2010. Everything from the campground, artwork, bands, and thousands of people is displayed.


In addition to the phenomenal music, the festival also features amazing artwork dispersed throughout the polo fields. Artists from all over the world submit their work to displayed at Coachella, and the result is truly astounding.

Simply, it's a time for people of all ages to come together and listen to amazing music. From personal experience, it's the best three days of your life.