Coachella – Is It Worth It?

The rite of passage festival for a generation’s worth of south Cali youth enters its 15th year this April. The annual event is held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, located in the Inland Empire’s Coachella Valley, baked in the heat of the Colorado Desert.

In recent years there has been a ton of controversy about Coachella. Many critics point to a disappointing focus on celebrity and fashion as key issues, and the recycled lineups and ludicrously high price of everything  have not gone unnoticed either.

Just last year even the LA Weekly music staffers couldn’t make up their mind about whether the festival was worth attending. Blogger Artemis Thomas Hansard penned the article - Why Coachella Is No Longer Worth It - in response to his (older) music editor Ben Westhoff’s missive Why Coachella Is Still Worth It. Artemis even went so far as to say, “Well, I’m glad to see my editor, old man Westhoff, still thinks Coachella is cool! I hope they’ve got a shuttle that will take him directly there from the convalescent home.” Ouch! Bosses get no respect these days.

The line-up this year is getting some good press (I’d be so up for Jack White, Hozier & Florence), but you find as much ink dedicated to the popular sport of Coachella bashing. We’re still laughing over this classic bit Jimmy Kimmel did in 2013 that highlighted perfectly what many see as the lack of authentic music fans  at the festival and the epic rise of those who are just there to see and be seen. Get ready to laugh.

I can’t believe I’ve never seen “Shorty Jizzle and the Plum-Ber Cracks”. So what do you think? Is Coachella still worth attending? Talk to me.