BY DC CUEVA
■ @DC408Dxtr @ TW / IG / YT
In 1999, the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival took its first baby steps at a polo field in Indio, CA, east of Palm Springs and an hour's drive from Los Angeles. Each year, this place where horses, polo balls and chukkers are played each summer becomes the center of pop culture for the Olympics of all things live music, spanning rock, indie, hip-hop, pop and EDM. Art sculptures and installations adorn the concert grounds, while those who can't make it here can get travel there virtually in watching the performances being live streamed on YouTube.
This event has grown substantially from an event formed by promoters Goldenvoice who saw the potential in performing in this area due to the lack of venues operated by major ticket operator Ticketmaster, growing to become an annual festival two years after its one-off first outing. Coachella would eventually expand to two three-day weekends in April to meet enormous public demand, and along with the biggest event in electronic dance music - the Ultra Music Festival in Miami the month before, heralds the start of summer music festival season.
Anyone who is lucky and fortunate to buy tickets that sell out in hours once they go on sale many months beforehand and before the full lineup of artists are even announced can easily become overwhelmed by the size, stature and scope of the most high profile festival of its kind anywhere. Like any Olympic Park, the live music at Coachella takes on several stages spread all around the grounds -- eight of them in total and all taking place simultaneously. Hundreds of acts from all over the music spectrum -- American superstars, overseas artists and those on the rise -- take to this desert oasis for this annual rite of spring with a quarter of a million of their closest friends.
Coachella has welcomed everyone from Coldplay, the Beastie Boys and Prince, to Kanye, Jay-Z and Red Hot Chili Peppers... and hundreds of other acts from across the industry who dreamed of playing on the world's greatest stage and fulfilled their ambition in playing alongside the greats. The past several years alone, Lady Gaga, Calvin Harris, Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Ice Cube have taken the main stage, while Lorde, Zedd, Pharrell Williams, DJ Khaled, Outkast, Sam Smith, Halsey, Sia, The Chainsmokers, G-Eazy and even AC/DC and Guns 'N Roses have also brought their show to the Inland Empire's biggest party.
It's no wonder that Coachella best fits the old saying of it offering something for everyone and to fit every musical taste, and this year's event was no exception.
Friday was headlined by The Weeknd, with SZA with Kendrick Lamar, Super Duper Kyle, Kygo, Jamiroquai, Alan Walker, Alison Wonderland, PVRIS, Skip Marley and Cash Cash also performing as did Miley's sister Noah Cyrus. But most of the other acts were no match to the true star of Day 1 of opening weekend when a country singer who was spotted yodeling at an Illinois Walmart, viral sensation Mason Ramsey, took to the Sahara stage to perform as a surprise guest in a DJ set by DJ Whethan... even the most famous man in the crowd, Justin Bieber, showed his appreciation as everyone lost their minds.
On Saturday, the hip-hop collective who call themselves "America's Boyband," Brockhampton, celebrated their recent signing to major label RCA by taking to their biggest stage yet, while female trio HAIM returned to where they first played five years earlier and where sisters Este, Danielle and Alana have since become one of pop/rock's rising stars. Tyler the Creator also made some buzz as did pop songstress MØ in bringing on Charli XCX and Diplo in her set. And there's Post Malone, as the Syracuse rapper/songwriter would later have a chart-topping album in Beerbongs & Bentleys and single in "Rockstar."
But they also provided the fitting prelude to what was the biggest story of the weekend in one who was slated to perform at last year's Coachella but whose pregnancy put off her engagement for twelve months. A late Saturday night saw upwards of half a million people on YouTube joined the hundreds of thousands on site to watch what was the biggest performance in Coachella history, as Beyonce took the stage, #Beychella trended on social media, a marching band joined her as did Jay-Z, sister Solange and, as expected, Destiny's Child sisters Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. It was indeed worth that wait as this 2-hour set further validated Beyonce as the prominent live performer of our generation.
It was a tough act to follow for those who performed on Sunday, but Eminem served as the last day's headliner where he was joined by Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. The big sister of Hennessy - that girl who made her mark on The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars, Cardi B., celebrated a #1 album in Invasion of Privacy and her upcoming entry into parenthood with the help of G-Eazy, Chance the Rapper (who also took the stage with Super Duper Kyle on Friday), Kehlani & ASAP Rocky. The man who hung out with Cory, Syrus and Team AYTO at Spring Break, Lil' Pump, joined fellow rapper French Montana, as did R&B crooner Miguel. And with no rock headliners as in the past Portland's Portugal the Man held up rock's end this year as did fellow Oregonian Aminé.
Anyone who is lucky and fortunate to buy tickets that sell out in hours once they go on sale many months beforehand and before the full lineup of artists are even announced can easily become overwhelmed by the size, stature and scope of the most high profile festival of its kind anywhere. Like any Olympic Park, the live music at Coachella takes on several stages spread all around the grounds -- eight of them in total and all taking place simultaneously. Hundreds of acts from all over the music spectrum -- American superstars, overseas artists and those on the rise -- take to this desert oasis for this annual rite of spring with a quarter of a million of their closest friends.
Coachella has welcomed everyone from Coldplay, the Beastie Boys and Prince, to Kanye, Jay-Z and Red Hot Chili Peppers... and hundreds of other acts from across the industry who dreamed of playing on the world's greatest stage and fulfilled their ambition in playing alongside the greats. The past several years alone, Lady Gaga, Calvin Harris, Drake, Kendrick Lamar and Ice Cube have taken the main stage, while Lorde, Zedd, Pharrell Williams, DJ Khaled, Outkast, Sam Smith, Halsey, Sia, The Chainsmokers, G-Eazy and even AC/DC and Guns 'N Roses have also brought their show to the Inland Empire's biggest party.
Friday was headlined by The Weeknd, with SZA with Kendrick Lamar, Super Duper Kyle, Kygo, Jamiroquai, Alan Walker, Alison Wonderland, PVRIS, Skip Marley and Cash Cash also performing as did Miley's sister Noah Cyrus. But most of the other acts were no match to the true star of Day 1 of opening weekend when a country singer who was spotted yodeling at an Illinois Walmart, viral sensation Mason Ramsey, took to the Sahara stage to perform as a surprise guest in a DJ set by DJ Whethan... even the most famous man in the crowd, Justin Bieber, showed his appreciation as everyone lost their minds.
On Saturday, the hip-hop collective who call themselves "America's Boyband," Brockhampton, celebrated their recent signing to major label RCA by taking to their biggest stage yet, while female trio HAIM returned to where they first played five years earlier and where sisters Este, Danielle and Alana have since become one of pop/rock's rising stars. Tyler the Creator also made some buzz as did pop songstress MØ in bringing on Charli XCX and Diplo in her set. And there's Post Malone, as the Syracuse rapper/songwriter would later have a chart-topping album in Beerbongs & Bentleys and single in "Rockstar."
But they also provided the fitting prelude to what was the biggest story of the weekend in one who was slated to perform at last year's Coachella but whose pregnancy put off her engagement for twelve months. A late Saturday night saw upwards of half a million people on YouTube joined the hundreds of thousands on site to watch what was the biggest performance in Coachella history, as Beyonce took the stage, #Beychella trended on social media, a marching band joined her as did Jay-Z, sister Solange and, as expected, Destiny's Child sisters Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. It was indeed worth that wait as this 2-hour set further validated Beyonce as the prominent live performer of our generation.It was a tough act to follow for those who performed on Sunday, but Eminem served as the last day's headliner where he was joined by Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. The big sister of Hennessy - that girl who made her mark on The Challenge: Champs vs. Stars, Cardi B., celebrated a #1 album in Invasion of Privacy and her upcoming entry into parenthood with the help of G-Eazy, Chance the Rapper (who also took the stage with Super Duper Kyle on Friday), Kehlani & ASAP Rocky. The man who hung out with Cory, Syrus and Team AYTO at Spring Break, Lil' Pump, joined fellow rapper French Montana, as did R&B crooner Miguel. And with no rock headliners as in the past Portland's Portugal the Man held up rock's end this year as did fellow Oregonian Aminé.
Given its position as heaven for those wanting to escape the second largest metropolis to the east and the unprecedented winter weather of this year, 250,000 people headed into Indio, CA for this year's festival, again setting records and dominating all the weekend buzz, even with reports that later emerged of sexual harassment cases taking place in the crowd. And given that MTV has been on a hot streak the past year, some of the channel's most notable new family members, a couple hosts and a few who were ready for their closeup were given reason to come to Indio for Coachella 2018.
This event served, in a way, the baton passing of sorts from one MTV Trifecta host to another, with both AYTO Season 6 host Terrence J. and the man who is helming Ex on the Beach, Romeo, in the Coachella crowd. The ladder's fellow castmate on Freeform's Famous in Love, Bella Thorne, went with Romeo to Coachella, while the Safeword host got to hang with America's Best Dance Crew judge Teyana Taylor and Angela Simmons.
With the premiere of their new show Ex on the Beach being less than a week away, singles Jasmine, Chase and Chris came to the Valley and the Bachelor Nation alums were joined by two of their fellow alums of the show as well as someone who saw what it's like to live The Simple Life all those years ago: Nicole Richie. Another Bachelor alum, Josh Murray, also joined them for Coachella weekend after we saw him make the final on the last Champs vs. Stars earlier this year, as did EOTB exes and exes in waiting Joe, Chelsko, and Shanley.
Two other AYTO alumni - Cameron's ex Mikala, the girl Shanley went after the night of that chaotic Truth Booth Simone, and Season 6 castmates Keyana and Shad also attended this year's proceedings. And we can't forget Cheyenne, Jasmine from AYTO Season 2, and for those who might remember some MTV history, several-times Challenger Adam King, Real World Paris roommate Simon, and Brittini from Real World Hollywood and Challenge Duel II.
Below, a few of these Postcards from Instagram...
When week two of Coachella ends, it doesn't mean the stages get broken down. Another festival takes place on the same grounds the weekend after the rock, hip-hop, pop, dance and indie artists leave, and in comes country fans and their trailers for the Stagecoach Festival. Goldenvoice also puts on this multiple-day festival which, though it doesn't draw nearly as many fans as its more mainstream counterpart Stagecoach, nonetheless continues the musical vibes radiating from the Inland Empire. Florida Georgia Line, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Kacey Musgraves, Garth Brooks, Trisha Yearwood and the timeless Kenny Rogers took the stage to delight those who made the trek from Nashville to California.
Witness to that whole weekend were two who knows what it's like to be on the opposite ends of the emotional spectrum caused by last year's two Are You The One? seasons. Carolina & Keith revealed themselves as a couple on the AYTO Season 6 reunion after he one-upped the Season 3 cast by barely making the 11 lights they needed for $1 million in an epic comeback, and after she had her heart broken not once but twice in her Season 5 cast losing and her perfect match pulling a Bananas steal on her in Australia. Since then, their social media followers have followed their newfound romance which brought the two to Stagecoach.
With the summer music season now just beginning, fans would be satisfied in getting the chance to see one of their favorite artist perform live. But you'd be lucky to be one of those who would chalk up enough money and a fortune to check out not just a few but most of your favorite artists from all genres for either a one- or three-day festival weekend... and in the case of this event put on by one of the world's preeminent live music firms it's three in a single month.
That's exactly what all of these people got to do along with upwards of a quarter million who packed through the turnstiles to a place that feels quaint and serene for 11 months a year in a place that becomes hot as the top of a toaster oven every year. But when several stages and art sculptures start to go up in late March to lead into this rite of Spring, it becomes the epicenter of music, pop culture and everything celeb. That's what we have every year with Coachella and Stagecoach.
- I AM DC
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