The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival happened last weekend. I was there. So was my wallet.
This is one of the greatest of all music gatherings, mixing eclectic up-and-coming bands with established artists. Where else can you see Conor Oberst from Bright Eyes followed by the legendary Leonard Cohen? These types of musical experiences are why I braved the heat and trekked my ass to Indio, Calif.
I wasn’t willing, however, to embrace the overpriced concessions and obnoxious advertising displayed everywhere. I felt like I was in Vegas at times, overwhelmed by heat, Heineken girls and $9 mini pizzas.
It’s a contradiction to throw a festival celebrating artistic creativity, while at the same time shoving corporate agendas down the fans’ throats.
This mentality prompted rapper M.I.A., who performed on the main stage Saturday night, to tell MSN.com that just “cuz [she] did the Grammys doesn’t mean [she’s] gone and sold out.”
Coachella is supposed to be about embracing the counterculture and bucking the corporate system. After seeing an amazing set by the eccentric Aggrolites, I walked out of the Mojave tent and literally bumped into a concession stand that was selling lemonade Slurpies for $5 a pop. That pissed me off.
How can vendors justify these ridiculous prices? I personally paid $150 for a one-day ticket and I’m sure many other kids spent upwards of $500 for all three days.
Factor in several $7 beers, an $8 meatball sandwich — and a few shots of tequila — I spent a total of $300 for my 10 hours at Coachella. During these tough economic times, it seems grossly irresponsible for vendors and promoters to ask these kinds of prices.
I would guess that most of the fans in attendance were between the ages of 18 and 25: If you’ve not been living under a rock for the past year, you know how difficult it is for a young person to earn a steady income these days.
Corporate greed can’t help but rear its ugly head — even at an alternative music festival.
According to The New York Times, “Many fans said they were feeling the economic pinch but had made sacrifices elsewhere in their budgets specifically to attend the festival.”
It’s goddamn offensive that promoters and vendors bled these fans dry, simply because they knew they’d get away with it.
I believe the overpriced food and concessions led to a strangely subdued finale on Friday night. A frustrated Morrissey, one of my personal favorites, asked the crowd if we “could bare anymore.” People were literally spent — much more so from the financial burdens than the heat.
Even the legendary Paul McCartney had problems getting the crowd into his closing set. It’s hard to rock out to “Baby you can drive my car,” when many of the kids in attendance had to carpool in cramped VW buses.
Music heals the soul, but it unfortunately comes with a price these days. What a shame.
Grady Dunne is a senior journalism major and an assistant opinions editor for the Daily Forty-Niner.
No word on the high ticket prices that pay for the performers? I guess its okay for musicians to make boatloads of money but not the guy selling tequila shots who had to pay the promoters like a huge licensing fee to be there. Make no mistake… if artists really want to make it affordable, play for free or for just the cost of bringing their show!