Coachella is now a festival for the rich

[Sexecutioner]

seriously...$250 (+ ass rape service charge) for a 3 day pass, and thats not including cost of travel, place to stay, and food/drink/party supplies.

GV figured it out. now they can make more money off the same amount of bands by spreading it out. Now its 3 days, and they somehow charge more for each day, even though there are less bands per day, and they make way more money. GV, i thought you were different, but now i see you are just the same as everybody else. good job you blood sucking assholes.

dont get me wrong, i love coachella, but partly cuz it used to me more about quality music and less about the almighty dollar that dominates the rest of the entertainment industry. but now it seems to be evening out. still a great lineup, but way too expensive.

thank god i make decent money or i wouldnt be able to enjoy all this good music. sucks for the hard core music fans that dont have the luxury of being rich (not that i am, but i live comfortably, until april. then i eat top roman for a couple months). not everybody has an extra $500 (at the very least) to go see a good festival. i liked it better when it was 2 days, $75/day, and just as many bands, and i only had to take 1 day off work, not 2.

as a staple of the coachella lineup once said...

"cash in now honey!"

$$$$$$$

[modeux]

hallelujah.

[arbouler]

dont go then...

[fober]

hahahah poor people suck

[tessalasset]

So, at first, as I was reading this, I thought "Damn, he's right. They just spread out the bands and charged us more money." But then I realized....exactly how many bands do we MISS because of overlapping set times every year? The three-day set up actually enables you to see more bands than you would if they were all squished together into two days. Plus, ticket prices usually rise about $5 every year, which is just keeping up with the cost of living. Gas prices get ridiculous and touring becomes more costly for bands, for starters. You're getting pissed because tickets are $12 more than they were three years ago? Hotels are more expensive now because they've finally wisened (is that a word?) up to the fact that tens of thousands of people descend onto their little town at the same time every year. Camping is $11 more expensive than the first year I went (2004), but HAVE YOU SEEN WHAT THEY OFFER? Dude, camping in 2004 was like a wasteland. I swear to god they had a bar there last year. And chairs in the shade with music playing and an outdoor movie and better food... I mean, sure, the prices are higher, but that's just cause GV is giving us better shit every year.

[suprefan]

Yeah camping is awesome, its so amazing now. Everyone thinks a cushy hotel is the way to go but GV has provided everything pretty much on the camp grounds. So free wireless internet, a bar and good food to eat with 24 hour security,showers with hot water and your own festival entrance is not good enough? You are on crack if you dont believe this is a steal and half....

[Sexecutioner]

i actually havent camped, so i dont know what thats like, but im sure its fun, and a good deal for the price. and no, i dont stay in a cushy hotel, my friends and i take an rv every year. the only way to roll!

wasnt it around 75 bucks/day last year though, so its risen 10 bucks per day, with an extra day. i think a 2 day pass last year was around $150 (before service charge) wasnt it? or am i off? assuming i am correct, last year it cost 100 bucks less to see the whole festival with the same amount of bands.

tessa, you make a good point about being able to see more bands, but at the same time, i think last year they did the best job ever at scheduling (at least for my tastes), so i didnt miss much that i wanted to see because of overlap. i am guessing that even though this year is more spread out, im going to see the same amount of music. sure, now there's less overlap, but that means that there is less going on at any one time, so chances are when there's nobody i know, ill be spending the time grabbing a beer, getting food, or just taking a breather. in the past, ive been rushed while doing these activities cuz ive got somewhere to go, but now i can take a little more time during the breaks. sure, sometimes i like to wander and see bands who i dont know, but i feel like there is usually so much stuff i like, that this isnt a luxury. and id rather save 100 bucks and keep it this way.

but whatever, all that being said, ill still be there loving ever second of it like every year, but thats also what pisses me off. GV knows people like us will come no matter what, so they know they can get away with charging whatever they want. argh, id boycott if i didnt love it so much. seriously...best 2 (now 3) days of the year.

[suprefan]

Price was the same last year $85 for single day and $165 for 2 day passes... There was about 93 bands if I counted correctly.

[EZE619]

i couldn't agree with you more. next year it'll probably be a thousand.

[Mystagogue]

I agree that the costs are going to be significant. This year probably moreso than others due to the 3 days thing.

Some of you should be thankful you only have to pay for yourselves...I'm taking my younger brother and sister and will probably pay for everything.

-3x3 tickets...$750 right there.
Rental Car + Fuel from San Francisco
3 Nights Hotel stay
Food
Incidentals

This will be a $2000 trip.

[scoop49er]

bottom line: 250 for 3 days is about right. its called enteertainment at the end of the day and trust me i used to work for concert promoters and the price of promoting shows is insane. its why to see the peppers by themselves is 50 bucks! its why they have golden circle tickets for groups now. hey if people didnt go the tickets would be cheaper right? you can always go to warped tour for 30 bucks. granted its run like 3rd rate farmers market, but u can always do that.

[scoop49er]

gotta love my spell checking. i suck ass!! lol

[Boourns]

I'm super excited, but I have to admit that these new changes do sound like a way to milk more money out of people, and nothing more. If you removed one of the headliners and a few of the bottom-tier acts, you would have a two-day lineup equivalent of last year's. Things being more "spread out" could be a curse and not a blessing. Maybe, maybe not, guess we'll see. I could be wrong, but it sounds like more time will be spent this year as downtime, not seeing any bands, and that's no fun. For example, last year if you wanted to keep your spot at the main stage for Sigur Ros after Kanye West, you had to wait 25-30 minutes. How long is that going to be this year? 45 minutes? An hour? So it's either sit there bored frying in the sun or get up with everyone else in the crowd as they migrate back and forth between the two stages? Normally there's 4-5 things going on at once, but if that becomes 2-3, those times where nothing at the moment appeals to you are more likely to arise. And the three tents make conflicts unavoidable, anyway. So with the extra downtime, fewer bands, and fewer big names per day, prices really should be lower per day. And what's the schedule going to be like during the early hours of the day? Last year things were as perfect as a festival could be. Awesome band after band, even at noon, logical scheduling so only a few noteworthy acts would be missed (as opposed to half of 2005's), so why fix it if it ain't broke?

Camping really owns, it has come a long way. In 2004 it was pretty hellish, with the local cops being fascists, painfully long lines, limited concessions/conveniences. But now there's a bar with karaoke, a movie screening, and presumably an internet cafe, and the general store and concessions sell a lot more things. And things are much more organized at check-in. 2004 was pretty much everyone for themselves when it came to picking a spot. 5pm seems a bit late to open the campsite, though, because that's around when I arrived last year, and there were already a lot of people already checked in. And I came around 6 in 2004 and waited hours in line to get inside, so I'd hate to see a repeat of that this year. Early bird catches the worm, but only if the worm is available early, yes?

[fober]

The more expensive the tickets, the less dirty hippies I have to deal with.

Win.

[Rezzo]

people love to bitch

[summerkid]

Win at fantasy sports like me that's how I pay for my Coachella trip, if I don't make any winnings in Baseball or Football I won't be able to go ) : so it gives me extra incentive to win.

[randy ricochet]

fuckin' students!

[rsviking39]

Yes, it's most definitely going to be an expensive trip. Made even more so by the fact that I am coming from the midwest (Cleveland, OH) to go. I am not bitching, this is my choice. I have been going to Bonnaroo for four years now and have wanted to go to Coachella (after seeing the DVD). Until now, it made no sense to make a cross-country trip for a two day festival.

However, with it being extended to three days (and some friends relocating to Denver in the past year), I am going to check it out. I expect the same can be said for a lot of people that have held off in the past, three days does increase the price, but makes it more worthwhile for those traveling a greater distance.

I guess I don't really have a good point here, just that its not the money we spend, but the times we remember. You can't put a price on memories. So spend the money (hell, go in debt) and enjoy the experience. If you have a problem with how much its going to cost, don't go, because you are only settiing yourself up to regret it.

....and no I am not rich, I can barely afford to go, I just love music and the festival environment that much.

[Sexecutioner]

The more expensive the tickets, the less dirty hippies I have to deal with.

Win.

haha, well that is one benefit to higher prices i suppose.

[chunk]

$337.00 for tix and camping and service charges.
you can skip out on a whopping $35 if you get them at the glasshouse.
$30.00 minimum for water for the entire weekend.
$30.00 minimum for food. (you have to be a tweaker to spend that little)

it seems like $400.00 is the bare minimum to plan on budgeting for this. $450 better, $500 safe. (if youre camping)

[tessalasset]

You forgot gas.

[Sexecutioner]

$337.00 for tix and camping and service charges.
you can skip out on a whopping $35 if you get them at the glasshouse.
$30.00 minimum for water for the entire weekend.
$30.00 minimum for food. (you have to be a tweaker to spend that little)

it seems like $400.00 is the bare minimum to plan on budgeting for this. $450 better, $500 safe. (if youre camping)

if you budget 400 for this weekend, you're are an idiot that will be pretty bummed when he runs out of money on day 1. or a robot who doesnt need much to live on. if you are a tweaker you need to factor in the cost of the tweak.

[chunk]

You forgot gas.

youre right, but everybody is coming from all over the place. hard to get a general number down for that. these are minimum festival expenses only. no travel or hotel accommodations included in pricing.

[chunk]

if you budget 400 for this weekend, you're are an idiot that will be pretty bummed when he runs out of money on day 1. or a robot who doesnt need much to live on. if you are a tweaker you need to factor in the cost of the tweak.

the words bare minimum are there for a reason. 500 much better.

[Robynkate]

It does seem like a large chunk of change when you first see the prices but i think its fair considering the number of artists at the event. Just going to a couple of concerts where i live would be at least 250 possibly more with just one musician.I think the real rip off is ticketmaster there service charges just seem to be going up up up all the time just one big money grab and for what i don't know half the time there isn't another option for getting tickets ticketmaster has it made a $21.45 Convenience charge is a joke!!!!

[Sexecutioner]

Price was the same last year $85 for single day and $165 for 2 day passes... There was about 93 bands if I counted correctly.

are you sure about that? i could have sworn they were 75 last year, but i could be mistaken. if i am, then most of my argument goes out the window, but i think i would still prefer the same amount of bands in a 2 day festival with more overlap...assuming they get the scheduling right again, which is pretty subjective.

and suprefan, your opinion doesnt count cuz you are rich (and a scalper). haha, jk...sorta. :-P

[Courtney]

It makes sense that they would charge more for tickets. It costs more for them. (Rent, employees, etc.)

[foto_synthesis]

Yeah, it is is expensive... check out the cost for 2 people flying in from miami...
Tix = $500
Flight & car $800
tent & supplies = atleast $300
food, booze, water = some ridiculous amount of money

But, then again... I'll never get another chance to see Bjork, Dj Shadow, & Peeping Tom all in the same weekend! :-)

[suprefan]

and suprefan, your opinion doesnt count cuz you are rich (and a scalper). haha, jk...sorta. :-P

Oh and I was looking at my Coachella poster thats on my wall for that info, so thats pretty reliable.. And I plan ahead b**ch... Take the scalper comment back.... You know you still luv me

[hawkingvsreeve]

Adding an extra day adds a lot of expenses for GV. Staff and security are probably the biggest costs. They have to pay for it somewhow, my guess is with the extra cost from tickets. But you sound like you've been going to this for a while. This will be my 5th, and I've figured out how to significantly reduce my costs for the weekend. If my math is correct, I will spend right around 400 (and that is rounding up, also not including merch) for the 4 days I will be out there. This includes tickets, lodging for 4 nights, food, water and gas. It's possible. Also, if you save for it all year, it becomes less of a burden on your wallet when ticket purchasing time rolls around.