It always feels weird cutting the Coachella wristband off. I trash-binned mine at midnight on Sunday. I was at home. I was not going back. Even if I did, everything would be over. But still, there was a moment when I hesitated because over the previous three days, that thing literally became a part of me. The best part of me. As it was the only part that could actually get me inside the festival.
So as the second weekend comes to a close, here are some random items from Sunday:
1) So here is my unofficial attendance count for the each day of the second weekend of Coachella: Day 1) 60,000 people, Day 2) 120,000 people, Day 3) 7 million people. Who knew there were so many Hans Zimmer fans out there?
I am not sure if there were actually more people at the Empire Polo Club on the final day of Coachella, but it sure did feel like it. Traffic and parking became an issue outside of the festival – and inside lines were a little longer for pretty much everything. The closest I could get to the Hans Zimmer set was about 38 football fields away as his crowd was huge – dammit, I should know have shared how awesome his Weekend One set was! This is on me.
2) There are a lot of healthy food choices at Coachella and I opted for the one that had to be the least healthy of all. Here is the burger I had which came with buns made of deep fried macaroni and cheese instead of bread.
Also note, I chose to add some tater tots on the side, just to make sure my arteries had a good workout.
3) While Grouplove performed (they were awesome btw), I was treated to a separate show on the festival grounds of a woman trying to create the perfect Instagram photo, which I guess was her holding a fake ice cream cone in front of some of the Coachella art.
This went on for a very, very long time as they had to keep checking to see how perfect the photo was.
I am sure the woman with her tongue out in the background of this one is just want they were looking for.
4) In addition to watching Kendrick Lamar, Grouplove, and Lorde, I also got a chance to see Bishop Briggs – mostly because my wife made me – but, I am glad she did. It was a really good set. She is a unique artist with a cool sound. Looking forward to her coming back in a couple of years to play one of the big stages.
5) I think Goldenvoice does a pretty amazing job getting everyone in and out of security checks in a reasonable amount of time and keeping everyone safe. I have one teeny-tiny suggestion though: a couple of “express” security lines for people who don’t bring bags.
6) Even after all these years, I still can’t believe the biggest festival in the entire world happens in our own backyard.
Now on to Stagecoach!
