Coachella craze continues

Festival goers brave the blazing-hot desert one performer and art installation at a time

Kaia Hubbard / Associate Editor / The USD Vista

To onlookers, or anyone with an Instagram account, Coachella might appear to be one expensive, weekend-long photo shoot. Posed pictures in front of the Ferris wheel featuring unoriginal outfits–think Doc Martens and mesh–flood feeds for weeks. The artists, however, seemed to see through this mirage, asking of their audiences one common thing: get off your phones. 

FRIDAY 

On a nearly 100-degree day, weekend two of Coachella 2019 kicked off with the familiar sight of a sea of people flocking from one stage to another. The Sahara stage lights competed only with the sun as they flashed to the fast-paced, EDM beats. Notably, the crowd shrieked in delight as Jauz played “Baby Shark,” the popular kids tune turned beat-heavy hit. However, the variety of music housed at this festival became evident not too long after at the Gobi stage when 78-year-old Calypso Rose gathered a massive crowd for her slower, rhythmic sound before declaring herself the queen of Coachella. The contrasting sounds didn’t stop there. As one crowd amassed, enthralled by Kacey Musgraves’s melodies and floral backdrop which too often resembled an old Taylor Swift, another group collected to view Jaden Smith’s dramatic ascent into the air in a white Tesla, accompanied on stage by his famous sister and father.

As the festival stretched into the evening, the Coachella stage was faced with its biggest names. Anderson .Paak brought the eager expectations of first-year festival-goers and returners alike to a new level as the sun set over the desert hills. With an excited grin on his face as he drummed and sang simultaneously, a sea of background dancers all dressed in yellow, and perhaps the largest crowd to gather so far that day, the evening was in full swing, and the audience knew it.

Junior Grace Getchell was in attendance, and watched as .Paak kicked the festival up a notch.

“This is a performance,”   Getchell said.

.Paak’s vocal and drum skills might just have been enough, but he built on those too with complex footwork and eventually the moonwalk. Following an incredible trumpet solo, .Paak took a moment to recognize his band, The Free Nationals, and emphasized their 10 years playing together, taking the back seat as the band played one of their own numbers.

The crowd only grew as they prepared for The 1975 to take the stage. Colorful visuals framed the band as they changed the genre completely, yet kept up the lively energy that .Paak had fostered. The lead singer, Matty Healy, arrived on stage shirtless, dancing throughout the night upon a treadmill which often gave the illusion that he was walking briskly through a city, and other times made the dancing a bit more laughable. As their set came to a close, the band played “Love It If We Made It,” as images of violence around the world lit up the stage. The audience took home a strong message as the backdrop featured footage of police brutality, refugee crises, and even Trump behind a passionate rendition of the band’s popular song.

The take-home messages didn’t stop there, as Janelle Monaé arrived on stage. If the lyrics weren’t enough, every costume change seemed to coincide perfectly with Monaé’s desired meaning. First gracing fans with an outfit that resembled both royalty and militancy, she commanded the stage with her voice, wit, and unmatched dancing. No outfit could contend, however, with Monaé’s famed vagina pants. Designed by Duran Lantink in varying shades of pink, the pants will be featured in a museum this fall – they’re that revolutionary. Monaé’s performance quite possibly could have been confused for the headliner with all its flare and success had it not been for her gracious attribution to the next performer of the night for having her on stage.

And still, the crowd grew larger for the first of three headliners – Childish Gambino. To begin, Gambino gave the crowd two rules: the first, not to leave, and the second – something that was repeated throughout the weekend by other artists as well – to get off your phones. This confident start was quickly followed by Gambino’s admittance to being nervous about his performance and the amount of money fans had spent to be there. However, by the end of the night Gambino seemed to forget his nerves among the cheering, adoring crowd.

But that didn’t stop Gambino from keeping the audience on edge throughout nearly all of the performance. With his decision to perform on the catwalk, reaching audience members farther from the front, Gambino confused fans who had eagerly waited throughout the day to stand front row. With his listing of rules, entering the audience to take a selfie, dramatic pausing between songs, and emotive facial expressions, the audience did not get what they were used to. Instead, Gambino challenged the audience through this uneasiness to seek a deeper meaning in his performance and in their Coachella experience. And as the show neared its conclusion, all fans could have dreamed of was hearing the song “RedBone,” and a surprise appearance from Chance the Rapper – and that’s what they were given.  

SATURDAY 

Though the desert temperatures had slightly declined, the manicured green grass was replaced with dry, dusty ground by day two. Even still, festival-goers quickly returned come late morning for a full day of music, food and beverages, art, and whatever else best suited their Coachella experience.

 And without fail, fans flocked in masses in the evenings to prepare for the bigger names. Maggie Rogers’ sunset show featured a boundless energy complete with authentic and contagious emotions. When Rogers cried tears of joy, the crowd cried too, as the vocalist pranced around the stage carrying a pink scarf above her head which cascaded through the air like a vibrant cape.

So the big names began, all bringing with them an army of devoted fans. Weezer enveloped fans of all ages with classics like “Say It Ain’t So,” “Beverly Hills,” “Island In the Sun,” and “Africa.” Their setlist was punctuated with somewhat outdated jokes and the emphasis of the FIR “a” in Coachella. Nonetheless, their fans sang every word and swayed to the rhythmic tunes of legends.

In a dramatic contrast, the 17-year-old singer Billie Eilish brought a dark presence to the stage, with visuals of spiders and black liquid crawling and oozing, appearing eerily lifelike. Her soft voice, however dark at times, captivated an audience which rivaled that of Ariana Grande’s in size, and consisted of a majority of young people. Fans proved their love for Eilish as they not only knew the words to the entirety of her new album, but also belted them back to Eilish at her request throughout the show. While some have criticized Eilish for romanticizing death to young people, others argued that she had the breakout performance of the festival, and the audience might just have confirmed it.

Just minutes before Eilish finished her set, fans rushed to the neighboring stage to see headliner Tame Impala in action. In a visual-heavy performance that enthralled audience members, the headliner hosted an evening of both fast-paced head bangers and slow swaying. The swirling colors of the giant screens mimicked the windy night on the festival grounds, while lights pierced the dusty air creating illusions of a misty, ghostly evening. The wind seemed most obvious, though, when the confetti hit the air, sending swirls of beautifully vibrant colors down and around the crowd, as if they might never stop swirling. Even more surprising than the burst of confetti was when A$AP Rocky joined Tame Impala on stage, making the crowd go wild. The night came to a close among pools of colorful paper, bright lights, and captivating sound.

SUNDAY

While some woke up early to see Kanye West’s Sunday Service (see page 10), others took the slower route in ringing in the final day of Coachella 2019. There was a visible restfulness throughout the day, as attendees opted for shady spots over sun, sitting over standing, or taking a break from the music for the art and activities.

No matter the fatigue, festival-goers once again arose for an evening of music and dancing. For some, Lizzo was the motivation they needed to conquer day three. With unmatched self-love and an inspirational message, Lizzo brought her audience out of their seats and onto the dance floor for up-beat, sing-along worthy, music. Lizzo drew the crowd in with a cover of “No Scrubs,” sending nearby patrons to flock to her stage. She didn’t stop there, speaking about representation in her industry and the need for young artists to have role models who look like them. As improbable as it was, Lizzo breathed life into a tired festival and motivated people to dance one last time in the heat of the sun. 

The final sunset over the desert hills brought new energy back to fans as they prepared for the music to come. Khalid greeted the crowd with soft, immersive vocals as young fans sang along. Of these songs, most notable were “Young Dumb and Broke,” “Better,” and “Location” among others. “Outta My Head” took the cake, however, as John Mayer accompanied Khalid on stage, guitar in hand.

Ariana Grande was the finale that everyone was waiting for. Her show was the reason people stayed late on a Sunday night and the justification for fighting for an up-close spot all day long. Around 10:30 p.m., Grande was preceded by a giant, dark sphere which resembled a moon on stage before stepping out, dancers beside her, for her opening song “Raindrops (an angel cried),” which previewed her sought-after range and vocal skill. As the song quickly ended, “God Is a Woman” followed, as screaming fans jumped up and down to the familiar tune. The crowd reacted similarly to “Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored,” “7 Rings,” and “Love Me Harder,” but nearly every song was a hit. It wasn’t until the end, however, that the crowd of screaming teens and adults alike took it up a notch at the sight of Justin Bieber, performing for the first time in two years, alongside Grande for “Sorry.” Though fans would have likely been content with the pop ending of their dreams, Grande brought back “Thank You, Next” to close out the festival, in a flurry of light, music, and color.