Desert Trip is over and, after spending a few quality minutes flushing my sinuses out with a Neti Pot, I am ready to discuss the 3-day music festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.
Some thoughts…
The Setup
I can remember parking just a few feet from the entrance than walking right into the first Coachella festival without anyone even bothering to check my ticket. Oh my, how much these festivals have grown.
The setup for Desert Trip was insane. They built a stadium – A STADIUM! – complete with elevators, luxury suites, and grandstands.
I can’t imagine how much money was spent to build something like this, but it had to be a decent chunk of change – which leads me to…
This is Going to be a Regular Thing Now
There is no way that Goldenvoice spent this kind of coin for a one-time-only event. Sure, the staging and giant screens can be used (hopefully) at Stagecoach and Coachella – the promoters also have bleachers and oh so many chairs now. While the artists and vibe may change from year to year, a two-weekend fall festival sure looks like it is here to stay.
The Who
I enjoyed their set a lot, but I also spent a good amount of time worried about Pete Townsend’s head:
Rock so hard it bleeds cc @thewho @pete_townshend#deserttrip #thewho pic.twitter.com/SuPWQVHmLo
— Noah Lichtenstein (@Noah_L) October 17, 2016
Dude is tough as nails. Never mentioned it at all.
I’m Glad I Don’t Have an Appreciation for Good Wine
$29 for a cup of wine seems about right pic.twitter.com/go709G78cA
— Casey Dolan (@thecaseydolan) October 17, 2016
I just couldn’t stop thinking of all the bottles of Two Buck Chuck I could get for the same price.
Craft Beer
Since we are on the topic of booze, there was plenty of options for craft beer at Desert Trip. The “regular” stands sold Sierra Nevada for just a buck more than Coors Light (a dollar well spent) and the craft beer bars offered up a few dozen selections (mostly from Stone) for $13 a glass – which I justified because 2 glasses of Arrogant Bastard was still cheaper than that one cup of wine.
Bob Dylan
Watching his set was weird. There. I said it.
This setup tho!
Goddamn. Everywhere you look, it is just incredible.
Shuttles
Even as a local, I took the shuttle – which are great. You let someone else deal with the traffic getting into the fest, you get dropped off pretty close to the entrance, and you don’t have to worry about finding your car after.
I feel sorry for any group looking to charter a bus during Goldenvoice festival weekends as there must not be a single one available from here to Ohio.
Paul McCartney
C’mon! Dude is a crowd pleaser and just knows how to bring it. No frills – other than one guest appearance – just a ton of hits and damn, he still sounds great.
Weekend Two > Weekend One
The second weekend had the Stones adding “Paint it Black” and “Angie” along with Rihanna stopping by. Sorry Weekend One, you lost this round.
Ticket Resellers
I am guessing that many people learned a lesson that it is not easy to get rich off of being a ticket scalper. Prices tumbled far below face value leading up to the show. Maybe it is just a lesson for everyone to buy the seats you are going to use from now on.
Neil Young
Free seeds were handed out during his set as some kind of protest about California’s laws pertaining to the transportation of organic seeds. But hey, FREE! Who says you have to pay for everything at Desert Trip.
The Bathrooms
The restroom situation was as good as advertised.
Roger Waters
Seeing people wearing Pink Floyd shirts walk out during “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” – which was just a tad anti-Trump – was just odd. Have these folks never actually listened to Pink Floyd lyrics before?
Culinary Experience
Didn’t go. What, do you people think I am made of money!?!
Went near it though, smelled good. I’ll start saving my pennies for next year.
Damn!
Just another rad bar…that is only built for these two weekends. Amazing.
Rolling Stones
The Stones just know how to put on a show and we should all aspire to have the moves and energy of 73-year-old Mick Jagger.
The Vibe
Desert Trip was a nice change of pace from the constant rush-across-the-field-to-get-to-the-next-band feeling at Coachella and the all-day beer party you feel at Stagecoach. This fest was more relaxed – expected for the average age of those attending – and it was nice to have a little change of pace. Note: this may be just that I am getting old.
What were your thoughts on Desert Trip. Let’s discuss in the comments…
