Coachella is typically known for its wild lineups and sweltering heat, however, it’s starting to garner a new reputation: overcrowding from influencers, too expensive and low-energy performances from highly-known artists.
The festival was initially ahead of its time, managing to pull some of the top alternative performers at the time. Their first lineup in 1999 featured headliners Beck, Tool and Rage Against the Machine.
This year–and a few years prior – have, unfortunately, not had the same spark that Coachella used to boast. Even though they managed to host headliners like Lady Gaga and Post Malone, a lot of these performances fell flat due to lack of audience interaction and low energy presented from the artists.
Social media posts complained about equipment malfunctions and quiet crowds for well-known musicians. While the crowds and musical performances might not necessarily be the festival’s problem, they seem to reflect the soul of the event: tired and in need of rejuvenation.
Performances from the likes of Travis Scott and Beabadobee — who were both on the main stage — were severely underwhelming for a festival this grandiose. When I watched their performances, I flipped through the other channels because I was tired of seeing their lifeless energy, which was surprising as both of these artists are well-known for their stage presence.
Another frequent complaint is that the event is far too catered to the influencers and celebrities. Every year around this time, YouTube starts to recommend countless Coachella prep videos, usually from people I’ve never heard of, but somehow they’re all essentially being paid to go to the event. Companies will typically pick influencers to send on behalf of their name, meaning those who attend the event do not have to pay for necessities like tickets and lodging.
There’s arguably nothing wrong with this content, but sometimes it seems as though the get ready with me videos are more important than the event itself.
It’s not all bad, though. A few performances stood out and even convinced me to learn more about them, such as the Argentinean duo Ca7riel and Paco Amoroso. Their set is what a Coachella set should look like: engaging and extravagant. Their set featured a jazz ensemble that played all of their songs live and no back-tracked vocals that often provide a safety net for some artists.
But the part that hurts the most is the ticket prices. Price’s from Coachella’s competition–festivals like Stagecoach, Rolling Loud and Electric Daisy Carnival– average three-day festival passes just under $360, making Coachella’s $499 price look ridiculous. That price also doesn’t factor in lodging or food and transportation, which are all unavoidable costs for attending an event in the desert.
With all of that taken into account, it is likely that attendees are easily spending over a thousand dollars for their desert weekend getaway. Once again, there is nothing wrong with this, but this makes the barrier to entry for people much harder to reach.
Even festival attendees find the passion and spirit to be missing on the grounds. Musician and comedian Reggie Watts even referred to attendees of the festival as “walking credit cards.” exposing its capitalist traplike tendencies.
There is also discussion on social media reflecting on Coachella’s past. A trend circled the algorithm of users posting their experiences at earlier festivals, where commenters gave support to wanting to maintain the energy from earlier years.
The lack of audience support for Coachella is also represented in their ticket sales. According to Billboard, 2024 Coachella ticket sales were lower than usual, selling only about 80 percent of the tickets carved out for both weekends.
While Coachella tries to save itself from drowning in its own failures, maybe it’s time to recognize that not everything will be able to maintain its peak level of coolness. Unless there are significant changes made to the model of the festival, it’s likely their golden age has passed long ago.
Marianne Akre can be reached at [email protected]
