Things that Coachella 07 did right

[Courtney]

There are a lot of threads on this message board complaining about shit gone wrong. This is my list of appreciation for the stuff that Coachella did right this year.

1. Awesome music, as is true every year. This goes without saying.

2. 10-for-1 recycling!!! This was the shit. There was so much less trash on the ground this year because of it, and I saw a lot of people taking advantage with bags of empty bottles.

3. Better water refilling stations. The lines seemed a lot shorter this year.

4. Bathroom cleaning staff. Not once did I use one of the bathroom trucks between the Mojave and Sahara tents and not see staff there cleaning it. Those bathrooms stayed remarkably clean all weekend.

5. Good merch designs. I love my t-shirt.

6. Good assortment of food vendors. I was very pleased with the selection this year. Even my veggie friend was a happy camper with the Indian bowls.

7. Awesome art! I especially liked that solar-powered glowing lights thing.

8. The flashing sign displayed as you were exiting the venue into the parking lots to direct you to the right or left for the various lots. It was good.

9. Ducat King presale.

10. Democratic spirit; lack of visible VIP-only areas and such. I appreciate that Coachella is a festival mainly for the people, and that the front stage area isn't only for VIPs or something.

[Shyeviolett]

The Do-lab water/shade area. Dancing in the sprinkler was one of the greatest things ever at Coachella.

Recycling rocked.

Lockers kicked ass.

Art was amazing.

bathrooms at festival werent that bad.

Lines werent bad (exept will call)

3-days rocked.

no horrible cattle herds at the end of the night.

[chrislasf]

good call shey. thank christ they re-thought the exit strategy.

[gaypalmsprings]

BEST THREAD EVER

[bassmintpdx]

Really? What did they do this year?

Last year in a weird way it was kind of fun storming out to the parking lot in a herd of 10,000s of people, after the rush of such a great day. Just kind of seemed like part of the experience to me.

[RickeyinLA]

Everything above, but especially they brought Justice.

[chrislasf]

No fucking way. It was 60,000 people trying to squeeze through one 10 foot hole in the fence. While a PortaPotty truck tried to drive through in the opposite direction.

[cashew]

it took me around 5-10 minutes each day to enter the festival... which is a huge change from the last few years. in 2004, it took like an hour in the sun (thank god for the guy who sprayed us with water).

so...

- better entrance time
- much better exit time
- good food
- improved shirt designs, with a varied selection
- faster merch booth
- a lot more art than the last few years, which i enjoyed looking at
- recycling water bottles (there were far less bottles on the ground at the end of each day)

the best change i thought was the fact that they were a thousand times laxer about ending at midnight. the bands i saw ended half past midnight and people were allowed to sit on the grass afterwards, watch some of the other entertainment, etc. just a lot more relaxed compared to sunday last year when art brut were yelled at and threatened onstage for going on past twelve.

[JustSteve]

12:30am WAS the official cutoff time this year. maybe that's why they started the shows a little later in the afternoon, to get that extra 30 minutes at the end.

[cashew]

12:30am WAS the official cutoff time this year. maybe that's why they started the shows a little later in the afternoon, to get that extra 30 minutes at the end.

oh, i didn't know that. i just noticed they changed the poster from 11:59 to END a bit before the festival started. that's cool.

[mountmccabe]

I agree that the 10 for 1 water bottle thing was great. I never had a bag with me and quickly realized that I wasn't going to carry around ten bottles myself so I would just hold my empties until I found somebody collecting them. I think I only threw away two bottles all weekend.

Also yes, three days was nice.

I had not been in the AT&T Blue Room before but I don't think it was new. It was still nice to go in a dark, cool place. Also there were bands being broadcast if the fest was going on. I saw some of the Noisettes (delayed) and Kaiser Chiefs (live or maybe ahead of time.)

I arrived before the first artist started playing each day so the lines in were short to non-existant. I can't comment on the general exit situation because I didn't use the general exits.

Other than a few Outdoor Theatre exceptions I think things ran on-time pretty much all festival.

[chrislasf]

How did you exit, Jonathan?

[mountmccabe]

To whom are you speaking, Chrissy?

[chrislasf]

Whoa - who told you to call me that? Have you been talking to fucking Greg?

I was talking to you John John.

[thefunkylama]

John cheats.

[mountmccabe]

Whoa - who told you to call me that? Have you been talking to fucking Greg?

I was talking to you John John.

No but I have been fucking to talking Greg. I brought my digital audio recorder and made CDs. His voice is wonderful for... you know, I'll stop.

Twice through VIP, once by the restrooms between the main stages.

[cashew]

I saw some of the Noisettes (delayed) and Kaiser Chiefs (live or maybe ahead of time.)

kaiser chiefs' set was pretty much live--i was watching it at home and a friend called me on their mobile. the webcast was roughly 20-30 seconds slow.

[ewiggy]

John left with Greg Gillis.

also - the perpetual art machine was awesome. so was the mist dome by the main stage. perfect place to watch from afar while cooling off.

[chrislasf]

No but I have been fucking to talking Greg. I brought my digital audio recorder and made CDs. His voice is wonderful for... you know, I'll stop.

Twice through VIP, once by the restrooms between the main stages.

He calls me Chrissy and knows I hate it. Probably like you hate Jonathan.

Oh thats right you were staying on Farmer Cletus' land or something, I forgot. Can just anyone exit through those exits or did you have hot VIP bracelet action?

[mountmccabe]

I was gonna call you Christopher but your name is probably actually Christopher. My name is not fucking Jonathan. My name is not Jon, there's an h.

No one is really supposed to exit through those exits except artists. They stop caring as much once the crowd is massing towards the standard exit. I had no bracelets. Saturday I just pretended like I was with Greg Gillis and walked out with his group. Etc.

[Courtney]

- better entrance time
- much better exit time
- faster merch booth

Yeah, I agree with this. Less lines all-around. Woooo

[Courtney]

Saturday I just pretended like I was with Greg Gillis and walked out with his group. Etc.

You're a rock star. I want to try this next year.

[PC-2 Violence]

You're a rock star. I want to try this next year.

Last year I snuck backstage and was pretty much free to walk around all I wanted to. I walked right up to the stage side stair set while Tiesto was playing and watched the rest of him standing on the stage side. On Sunday I snuck in the whole festival (even tho I had a ticket) just to prove a point. I spent the rest of that day standing on the railing during Paul Van Dyke and stood stage side for Air. I was downstage for RATM cause you had to have a special sticker to get stage side, but you know I tried.

[Boourns]

lol @ bumping ancient threads
infinite lolz @ watching Tiesto

[breakjaw]

Gogol
























Bordello


(Bloody Marys and Justice close runners-up)

[rage patton]

Breakjaw speaks the truth!

[Boourns]

Somehow making it worth Jarvis Cocker's time to actually play America for the first (and unfortunately most likely last) time in 100 years or so.

[suprefan]

(Bloody Marys and Justice close runners-up)

Juice Teece!!!!

[Memorial_07]

This is an amazing thread.

Good things:
10 for 1 water bottles (Genius)
Food Vendors (I loved how they were set up depending on nationality)
Fast to get in (Friday was longest at 10 minutes)

[goodgrl]

BEST THING-
The toilet trailers!
Oh yeah, the music too.