My special connection to Coachella

What’s up everyone?! Long time no post. Candidly, I started this blog as a class assignment, so I took my much-needed winter break away, but am back now to continue talking about the things I love, festivals and music!

ICYMI, the Coachella lineup finally came out this month! I wasn’t immediately blown away, but am definitely starting to get a bit more excited about it as I’m doing some digging and researching (shoutout to r/Coachella).

In honor of this occasion, I wanted to write about my special connection to Coachella, and why I will always consider it to be one of the most legitimate festivals out there.

Before I get into the special mushy stuff, I want to start by bringing up the Coachella 20 Years in the Desert documentary. I’ve watched this doc at least three times through by now, and every time I feel just as emotional and moved by it as the last. Unlike some of the newer festivals, Coachella has a real history behind it that makes it truly special. I know a lot of people go to Coachella because they think it’s “trendy” or gives them some kind of clout, but for me, it’s all about its roots, its unprecedented/unexpected success, and the prestige and respect it has in the music industry.

It’s a really good documentary, so I recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it before (I don’t even watch documentaries). Anyway, with that said, now I can get into the mushy part of why I’ve come to love Coachella so much, and why I’ll always feel a special connection to it.

As I alluded to once before in my post about being grateful for past show experiences, my first connection to Coachella was through my dad! One of his friends invited him to his first Coachella in 2012, where he was exposed to countless new artists, genres, and experiences. He started going every year, and every year would come home with lots of stories and videos to share. I was quickly fascinated by it, and wanted desperately to go myself. I wasn’t allowed to go until I got a little older, but had many years of hearing about it and growing my interest. In 2016, he started my collection of lineup posters by bringing one back for me then and every year thereafter.

I wasn’t always obsessed with music like I am now, and especially not with EDM. Being as I was still young enough to have my dad as my chauffeur, I spent a lot of time in the car with him listening to channels like BPM on SiriusXM. These were the glory days, I’m talking Martin Garrix “Animals” on the radio, people. Even aside from Coachella, I was able to really bond and connect with my dad through discovering EDM together. My dad was (and still is) very diligent about checking out all the artists on a lineup, but the EDM acts always proved to be the most exciting to see.

I finally got to go to my first Coachella in 2019, which was also my first festival in general. It exceeded all of my expectations, and is something that I will always cherish and appreciate! The best part about it was that I went WITH my dad. The man’s a pro by now! Who better to go with than him? Plus, it meant everything to be able to share the experiences I was so fond of watching back on his phone each year.

To this day, I still go to maybe 50% of my festivals with my dad (and my friends love going with him too!). That might sound odd to others, but it is one of the most special things that we have and share together, and I wouldn’t change it for the world! It’s allowed us to bond as friends, and opens the door for very comfortable and open dialogues with each other about anything and everything in life!

Even though we have both turned our attention to a lot of other new and interesting festivals, Coachella will forever hold a unique place in my heart that nothing else could ever match. Looking forward to our return to the desert together this April!