When the seeds of Coachella were first planted in 1993, it was intended as a protest against venues controlled by Ticketmaster. Grunge band Pearl Jam were disgruntled over claims that the ticketing giant had been passing on service charges to fans and driving up prices, so they set up an “alternative” concert of their own at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.
Despite being set in a literal desert, the location proved to be fertile ground for future events and so by 1999 a two day festival - Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival - was born. The first Coachella was small, only 37,000 people attended, but successful nonetheless, especially in comparison to the mismanagement (to put it lightly) of Woodstock 99, which was held just a few months prior.
Now, in 2023, things look completely different: Coachella has exploded, impossible to ignore. The festival sees around 125,000 people per day roaming its 642 acres across two consecutive weekends. Headliners have evolved from the likes of Depeche Mode to Calvin Harris, the previously non-existent VIP area has a dedicated Kombucha stand and, to top it all off, tickets are available to purchase on Ticketmaster… for a cool $549 (£442).
It’s not exactly the rage against the machine that it once was (though, ironically the band of the same name were tipped to headline this year). Tickets used to cost $50 and it made the companies behind it pratically no money for years (its creator once referred to Coachella’s early years as “financial suicide.”) But it was little back in its day and most definitely loved.
Around 2014, Coachella reached a level of commercial success that consumed it. Instagram posts of flower crown clad models in crochet bralettes dominated it’s image. Brands latched onto its newfound popularity like leeches and it became the go-to festival for the influencer elite, such as Kendall and Kylie Jenner. Ahead of last year’s celebrations, a poll on Deuxmoi, the popular celebrity gossip Instagram account, asked if Coachella as a “whole is over.” Sixty-seven percent of respondents said yes.
But just as it felt like Coachella was to be forever branded basic, it appears to be making a comeback. The addition of reclusive Frank Ocean to its 2023 lineup has proved hugely effective in regaining the attention of Gen Z, in addition to the presence of other stan-culture faves like Bad Bunny and K-pop group Blackpink, alongside trailblazing icons Björk and Blondie for a heady dose of pop culture nostalgia, and Blink-182 promising a last minute reunion.
Ahead of last year’s celebrations, a poll on Deuxmoi, the popular celebrity gossip Instagram account, asked if Coachella as a “whole is over.” Sixty-seven percent of respondents said yes
Coachella has seen a 145% increase in searches for the event this year, according to online ticketing platform Skiddle, and it’s taking over TikTok before it’s even started, with searches for #Coachella up 205 per cent in the past week. Even a cursive search on Twitter, where you might expect a slew of piss-takey memes, is mostly hype. Generally, tweets including the term “Coachella” are from either eager attendees (“Pretending idgag about coachella day so it will come faster”), or fans of the headliners sharing covert videos of rehearsals. If anything, the undertone of jealousy that once fuelled Coachella’s popularity seems to have returned. Has Coachella really survived the influencerification that sparked a thousand think pieces and millions of memes? Can it be pulled back from the basic brink? I guess only time will truly tell. For now, though, let’s indulge in looking back through all the highs and lows over the years of the most divisive of music festivals...
thinking about all the people that will be attending coachella and seeing frank ocean live just ruined my day
— daymond (@daymondwho) April 11, 2023
Coachella has seen a 145% increase in searches for the event this year
The early years and Anti-Woodstock
Coachella is often weighed up against the juggernaut that is Glastonbury Festival - a comparison sure to make any Brit turn their nose up and scoff. But the juxtaposition between the two is, in fact, how they first attempted to draw artists to Coachella: by handing out flyers at rainy Glastonbury in 1997. “We had this pamphlet... showing sunny Coachella. Everyone was laughing,” recalled Paul Tollett, the CEO of Goldenvoice and co-founder of Coachella, in 2017.
Ahead of the first Coachella in 1999, there was already talk of the festival providing a “high-comfort festival experience,” a level of luxury unavailable at other festivals, as it has come to be known for in current day. You may have assumed that Coachella became Kombuchified around 2014, but even the 1999 event boasted free water fountains, ample restrooms, and misting tents. The acts, however, were considerably less Goop-y at this point: Beck, Tool and Rage Against The Machine headlined. Regardless, it was a huge success, earning it Pollstar’s festival of the year award as well as the label of “Anti-Woodstock", something which was initially meant to describe its success and safety in relation to the dangerous Woodstock ‘99 (the festival was marked by looting, arson and rape) but has stayed weirdly appropriate to this day.
The festival ran on, despite missing a year in 2000 because of a shortage of "available talent", and grew gradually. Headliners were typically rock or indie acts, and Coachella developed a reputation for reuniting bands (Jane’s Addiction in 2001, Siouxsie and the Banshees in 2002, Iggy Pop and the Stooges in 2003, The Pixies in 2004) from an early stage. This would lay the grounds for later reunions like that of Mazzy Star and Pulp in 2012, Outkast in 2014 and Destiny’s Child in 2018.
A resurrected Tupac catapults Coachella into the mainstream
Coachella’s indie-dominated lineup continued for years, with the occasional sprinkling of big name pop, dance and rap acts: Madonna and Daft Punk performed in 2006, Prince in 2008 and Jay-Z in 2010. Popularity was still steadily growing and in 2011 the festival tentatively expanded to two consecutive weekends. Despite worries about demand, Coachella tickets still managed to sell out in three hours.
Then, in 2012, festival history was made, and Coachella earned newfound respect across the board. During a headline performance from Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg, the pair resurrected the late great rapper Tupac Shakur via hologram to perform his songs "Hail Mary" and "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted.” The moment made headlines, spawned intense discussion over how it was made (a very well rendered projection), how it looked so good (it took multiple weeks, a lot of hard work, and an Academy Award-winning visual effects studio), and articles studying how the moment has remained in people’s minds over ten years later. Coachella had a new kind of clout, confirmed by the next year’s ticket sales, when its 180,000-strong attendance in 2013 made it the top music festival in the world.
Send in the flower crowns
The influx of flower crowns can be largely attributed to the impact of one Ms Elizabeth Grant, aka Lana Del Rey, who donned the accessory for her first EP cover, as well as during the music video for her top 10 single Born To Die, released in 2011. It took a while for them to filter down to Coachella, but by 2013 they were present amongst the crowds, and by 2014 Kylie Jenner and Poppy Delevingne had both been pictured wearing them in the desert. This year was also the beginning of the Jenner’s Coachella domination, which helped to usher in other influencers who craved their own artsy Insta shots in front of the ferris wheel, or to be in with a chance of spotting a Pretty Little Liars cast member in the VIP section.
Gladiator sandals, aviator sunglasses, facial jewellery and flowing, crochet cardigans were abound - Coachella had its own sense of style now, and all people wanted was to be in the place where you got to wear it. Oh, and like, maybe see some music, I guess. This also marked the beginning of Coachella moving from festival to full on fashion runway. Within three years, Kylie had swapped out the sandals for heels, a style choice completely at odds with any kind of festival activity. Fashion brand Revolve had also recognised the purchasing impact of the festival’s fit pics, and started paying for influencers (and putting them up in hotels) to attend the festival wearing their clothes. Revolve co-founder Michael Mente himself likened Coachella to Fashion Week, saying, "Coachella, and more broadly festivals, have become the new fashion week for millennials. It’s authentic, experiential; an environment where everyone is expected to have fun and push the envelope with their fashion choices."
As Coachella became increasingly commercial, its cool factor was dialled down. Crowds were criticised for their lack of enthusiasm (i.e being “dead”), first person pieces were penned on how the festival “wasn’t worth the hype”, and performances were criticised for being “optimised for YouTube” thanks to the festival’s live streaming capabilities. While Coachella was also cranking out some sets for the ages (Beyoncé’s two hour long 2018 performance springs to mind), it was attracting more flack than ever. Then it was forced to take a break.
Coachella, and more broadly festivals, have become the new fashion week for millennials
Coachella: The Reboot?
When Covid hit, Coachella became just one of the many casualties of the pandemic’s impact on live events. It was postponed for 2020 and 2021, returning for the first time last year with headliners Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, Swedish House Mafia and The Weeknd. Tickets sold as well as ever, but the festival got off to a bumpy start: Kanye West pulled out just two weeks beforehand, meaning that The Weeknd and Swedish House Mafia had to fill his slot, disappointing many of Ye’s fans. On top of that, there were multiple reports of phones being stolen at the festival. Essentially, everything that could happen to possibly put off an influencer, happened.
Even the fashion of the festival - and the outfits of its trademark celebrity guests - seemed to be in the middle of a vibe shift. The crochet, headgear and boho sandals of Coachella years past were gone and normcore had replaced it, a sign of how Coachella’s aesthetic struggled under the weight of Gen Z’s preference for “ugly fashion”.
But what if Coachella 2022 was simply mid-chrysalis? Change requires transformation after all, some growing pains, and the festival may have simply been shedding its millennial skin. The audience has, crucially, changed. Some of this year’s attendees won’t have seen a pair of gladiator sandals in their conscious memory. Instagram is as old and unimportant to them as Facebook is to us. Given the hype that is already swirling, it doesn’t look like Coachella is going anywhere anytime soon.
