Coachella music festival circa 1960s in the Polo Fields
DIEGO LUNA | THE USD VISTA | BUSINESS EDITOR
The Coachella Valley hosts one of the largest music festivals in the world, hauling in almost 200,000 people during two weekends in April. This year’s festival wrapped up this past Sunday, with hundreds of Toreros attending Weekends 1 and 2.
Los Angeles based promoter Goldenvoice is partnering with AEG Live to bring six bands and performers who notably revolutionized popular music and popular culture in the 1960s all in one familiar location. According to the LA Times, The Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, California will be hosting another musical gathering in the Southern California desert over a single weekend in October.
A night of bohemian rhapsody that combines the unequivocal talents of Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Neil Young and Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters is said to be the classic rock concert of the century. These Rock and Roll hall of famers will be grooving, rocking, and fulfilling every classic rock aficionado’s dream from Oct. 7-9, 2016.
Toreros that attended Coachella’s festivities this month have also expressed interest in October’s event.
Junior Christian Batani attended Weekend 1 of Coachella and is an avid concert attendee. He is considering buying tickets for the new concert series in October.
“Coachella was the most amazing weekend of my life!” Batani said. “I would go to the one Goldenvoice is planning in October depending on the times and the weather. It’d be cool to see those old-timers rock out.”
This whimsical gathering will evoke a sense of euphoria to those that are inclined to classical rock. This utopian concert series differs from traditional festivals in more ways than one. Unlike Coachella, these rock stars will have their full stage productions with extended sets, not just a condensed performance.
The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, The Who, and Waters typically put on sell-out concert tours whenever they go on the road. They usually appear in sports arenas and stadiums. In fact, The Stones mesmerized a sold-out crowd at Petco Park for two hours and 15 minutes back in May 2015.
Some of the show’s participants have performed together previously. Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones played in South America in 1998; Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, The Who, and Neil Young all appeared in 1985 for the Live Aid series of benefit concerts, which played across two continents.
According to the LA Times, the new festival is expected to use just a single stage in the northeast corner of the polo field’s grounds. Perhaps it would be among Goldenvoice’s most-attended music festivals. Currently Goldenvoice has seven festivals they promote including Stagecoach, FYF, Firefly, Hangout Music Festival, Camp Flaw Gnaw Festival, Panorama, and the iconic Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
These 1960 music icons once again have the opportunity to enthrall the faithful Goldenvoice attendees this fall. Specific details of this concert series have not been disclosed yet. However, the buzz about the festival is beginning to excite dedicated fans.
There are some Toreros that have shown an immediate interest in this concert and would have no problem gathering on a chilly October weekend to witness six of the biggest names in rock. These musical mavericks have influenced the lives of previous generations and have ultimately worked their way down to the USD community.