1. Coachella is really white: It's probably not just the programming of the festival itself but also the cost of tickets and accommodation as well as the fact that it takes place in an extremely posh part of the country. Whatever the reason, the throngs of punters in every stage we visited were overwhelmingly young and caucasian. The same complaint could be leveled at indie rock as a whole presumably, but coming from NYC, EMERGE was struck by the conspicuous lack of people of color amongst both the audience and performers.
2. Girls, put on some clothes. In the age of amateur papparazzi, webcasts, youtube and relentless videography of everything, we were pretty surprised by the number of ladies who seemingly left home for the festival in nothing more than a bathing suit, some sneakers (sometimes motorcycle boots), and a backpack. Sure, drunk dudes love you, but your mothers would be appalled. Plus it gets chilly once the sun goes down. (see photos below for more...)
3. While all sorts of hipster publications, from The Fader to Anthem to Flaunt Magazine all threw parties at Coachella, some fared better than others. The Fader and Anthem's day parties got high marks- especially Anthem's utterly bonkers Fiesta De Las Fiestas, the Flaunt events at the Horizon Hotel were marred by noise complaints and an aggressive police presence, which effectively killed the party spirit. In a town of gated communities and tourist hotels, party people need more secluded locations to throw a rager.
Check out the Anthem Fiesta on Last Night's Party (some of this is NSFW!!!)
Posted by James Friedman
