Coachella: the unoffcial-offcial start to the summer music festival season. On the weekends of April 12 and April 19, the 20th installment of the festival will commence. The lineup was released Jan. 1 and tickets went on sale Jan. 2. Advance tickets, which went on sale June 11, sold out in two and a half hours, so it was no surprise that people scrambled to purchase regular tickets when they went on sale.
With big-name headliners including Childish Gambino and Ariana Grande, the lineup is also filled with more intriguing acts later down the list such as The 1975, Maggie Rogers, Diplo, SOFI TUKKER, Jauz and Weezer. It is rumored by online influencers that, because of the fact that his last minute request for a different stage was declined by festival promoters, Kanye West was replaced by Australian psych-rock group Tame Impala in the main Saturday headline slot.
“The best description I’ve heard of the Coachella 2019 lineup is that it’s very ‘now,’” said Vanessa Franko, digital director of entertainment for the Southern California News Group. “Ariana Grande is one of the biggest stars on the planet right now. Even the notable throwback act on the bill, Weezer, is having a moment because of the cover of Toto’s ‘Africa’ and the ‘Saturday Night Live’ sketch.”
Franko, who has been covering the festival since 2007, has been able to watch the festival grown into what it is today over the years.
“In the years since, the festival has grown immensely in size in both the number of people on-site and in the number of artists and stages. Also, there are permanent bathrooms now.” Franko said. “In recent years, the increase in amenities, such as food and beverage options, has been a big change we hadn’t seen before. You didn’t have pop-up restaurants from top chefs (before).”
California Baptist University students have not let the lineup release sway their opinion on attending the festival. Rather, they are more excited in getting to be a part of the festival experience.
“I’m mostly looking forward to seeing The 1975, Chris Lake, Zedd and Dillion Francis. They are all some of my favorite artists, so I was stoked to see them on the lineup this year,” said Kaitlyn Statham, senior public relations major and second-year Coachella attendee. “I really like weekend music festivals, and Coachella has by far been the best experience for me.”
For first-time Coachella goer Josh Walters, junior civil engineering major, it is more about experiencing something different from a normal weekend.
“I feel that you pay for the whole atmosphere, in general, and not just the lineup,” Walters said. “The whole (environment) around Coachella and being surrounded by music and having that little escape for the weekend is what I’m looking forward to most.”
