By Taylor Trujillo (taytrujillo on Instagram and Twitter)
I’M BACK YALLLLLL!!!! I think it’s only fitting that my second review on VWA is for my soulmate in festival form, Coachella :). If you’re someone who isn’t the biggest fan, I’m sorry to say that this post probably isn’t for you because I’m about to go about as sappy as can be for this review…so buckle up folks.
For the last 4 years, I’ve packed up my car on the second weekend of April to make the four-hour drive to Indio, CA to spend 3 glorious days frolicking through the Polo fields with all of my best friends and a few of my favorite artists. Coachella signals the start of the heavy festival season and easily sets a precedent for all other major festival lineups for that coming year, and for good reason. I know the last couple of years, Coachella has gotten a bad rep for becoming the “Influencer Olympics” and as much as I want to debunk this, I’d be lying if I said taking fire Insta pics wasn’t also high on my list of to-dos. It’s all about balance though, and I think that’s something super important to remember.
ARRIVING
Alright, confession time friends…I have never camped at Coachella. I know some people might roast me for that, but camping just isn’t for me. So I, unlike most people, do use a shuttle pass to get to the grounds every day. I have zero complaints about the shuttle system. Goldenvoice has really figured out what they’re doing here and I think other festivals with shuttles should take notes. We never waited to get on a shuttle in the afternoon and at night the most we ever waited was 10 minutes. Even security lines were super smooth this year making the longest part of getting into the festival the walk from the shuttles to the main entrance.
STAGES, MUSIC, THE GOOD PART
I could talk for pages about the production level of this festival but that would be pointless because with a company that produces such large scale festivals, is that even surprising? This year Coachella made some much-needed updates to some crowd favorite stages: Heineken House, DoLab, and Sahara (I know Sahara was last year, just hear me out on this one). Heineken House was notorious for being WAY TOO SMALL. The line to get in was almost always half a mile long, but people waited because it was worth it. This year, HH was much larger, in a new area, outdoors, and did I mention larger? Be sure to check it out (if you’re 21+ of course), these changes were perfect. Now, if you know me, you know DoLab holds a special place in my heart, and that love grew, even more, this year because, again, THEY MADE IT BIGGER. So much more room to dance, and you could actually be under the tents instead of standing on the outskirts this year, which made all the difference. Now, Sahara was updated last year and kept the same layout this year but I can’t talk enough about how much better this layout is. The stage itself is larger, which makes for insane stage production (Jaden Smith on a Tesla that hovered above the crowd, or Jauz who had a rotating stage that lifted up and down), and overall the sun doesn’t cook you like some cookies in an oven when it’s going down. That alone is reason enough to keep it this way. Also, the Beer Garden near Sahara is perfect for watching a set and sipping on your favorite alcoholic beverage.
OKAY OKAY TIME FOR THE MUSIC! So, I narrowed down my top 3 favorite sets – which wasn’t easy because everyone brings their A-game for Coachella… I literally didn’t see one set I didn’t absolutely love. But here they are, in no particular order!
Ariana Grande – admittedly, I haven’t always been the biggest Ari fan but after the release of thank u, next there was no way I was missing this performance. This chick has been through it, and it shows in her music which I think is so dope. She doesn’t hold back and her voice! She sounds incredible live, for sure a can’t miss performance from this queen.
Billie Eilish – okay, hold on while I fangirl real quick. Not only is she just a dope person with style unlike any other and the voice of an ACTUAL angel…SHE IS FREAKING 17 YEARS OLD. I’ve been a Billie fan for some time now, and this performance solidified me as a stan for life. I would love to spend a day in her mind just to see what it’s like. I can’t even explain her set to you, you’re going to have to watch videos for yourself or just go see her to understand.
Kacey Musgraves – while I am a huge Kacey fan, I was not expecting to like her set as much as I did. Guess that just proves why she won a Grammy and an ACM for her album though. She captivated the crowd with her voice and pulled off one of the better trolls I’ve seen of a crowd in a long time. I really think that even if you don’t love country, you’d like Kacey and I highly recommend catching her set if you have a chance to see it… and just make sure she actually says Yee before you all say Haw.
Honorable Mentions that still absolutely KILLED it – Jauz!!!!!!!!!!!!, Gryffin, Anna Lunoe, Khalid, Fisher, CHVRCHES.
Coachella is 100% what you make it. If you choose to focus on all of the negatives you are literally never going to have fun. Let those preconceived notions go, take everything in, see as much art as you can, take pictures (or don’t), go to every stage at least once, drink a beer (if you’re of age), and for sure eat the popsicles. If I’ve learned anything in my 4 years of attending, it’s that Coachella is filled with magical moments all over the place. The icing on top of all of those magical moments isn’t the celebrities you’re going to see or what outfits you wore, it’s going to be the people you surrounded yourself with and the artists you chose to spend the time to dance to.
It’s been so special to be able to see this festival grow and adapt these last 4 years and I can only hope to continue to experience everything this festival has to offer for as long as I can.
Until then, see you at the Polo fields 🙂
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