Thousands of music aficionados, heads, thrill-seekers, and a plain old hanger on or two will be descending on the desert this weekend to attend the annual Coachella Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California.
For the jaded, it was originally going to be a ho-hum event, featuring a line of bands trotting about the circuit ad nauseam in recent days.
But, when PRINCE signed on board to saunter onstage, word-of-mouth skyrocketed the status of the party fest to a must-attend event.
The buzz was boosted somewhat when the - Raconteurs, Vampire Weekend, and MGMT - started packing up their instruments for Coachella, too; a cultural odyssey that tends to signal bell-weather trends in music, fashion, and eclectic art circles.
Unfortunately for fans sorting out scheduling conflicts today - who opted to make last-minute plans to attend - the box office has given notice that all "day passes" are SOLD OUT.
Great for the Festival organizers, however. The cash is flowin' in.
But, there is ample opportunity to snatch up a three-day pass or two, while they last! Just surf over to - www.coachella.com - to book now or risk missing the best riffs west of the Rockies this party season.
The high-energy event is expected to be graced with the presence of many scintillating personalities from far-reaching quarters of the creative community. After all, music is a universal language that speaks volumes to all and from many walks of life.
If you're not a fan of PRINCE, there are other musical tastes for the discerning ear; for instance - the Verve, Portishead, the Breeders, Aphex Twin, and Kraftwerk - to name a handful of the sizzlin' hot few.
Off the Festival grounds high-powered industry-types - and social butterflies of all ilks - will be stalking the local party scene. And, for the adventurous, there are about a half-a-dozen prestigious red ribbon events to crash for those with the savvy skills to accomplish the feat.
For instance, GQ is hosting an affair at the Viceroy featuring DJ Sevigny. Meanwhile, Anthem Magazine takes a big splash with a pool party. And, an after-hours party crush will be held at Tokio Bar on Saturday night.
Also, A & T Mobile is tossing a soiree in an airplane hangar for those who want to land their social jet-setting wings. An open bar, DJ sets from Steve Aoki, and appearances by celebs like Carmen Electra may heighten passions a bit, if you're lucky to touch down on their runway.
Others jumped on the wild bash bandwagon this year, too - Filter Magazine, BPM Magazine, Paramount, and Spin Magazine - for instance.
For good reason...
According to Peter Hunsinger - VP at GQ Magazine,
"The people who come to Coachella go home and influence their peers and friends and work associates and family. They become the agents of change that every client wants to make a part of their marketing outreach. If you are not here, you are not there."
But, don't forget to go prepared. Three days in the scorching sun may wreck havoc in your life if you're careless about the harsh realities of arid desert life.
Be sure to pack your tote bag with ample bottles of fresh water, sunscreen (with an SPF factor of at least 15 minimum), a change of clothes in case the weather gets inclement, energy snacks, sunglasses, and wide-brimmed hat or baseball cap to prevent the intense rays of the sun from pounding on your noggin' with disastrous end results.
Party hearty, eh?
MGMT on stage...
Busy P to appear...
Raconteurs set may be viewed
10:05 pm PST / April 25th.
attblueroom. com/music
FRIDAY, APRIL 25
Aphex Twin
God-like electronic legend melts brains
The Verve
The Stones of the ’90s reunited
Battles
Hardcore math-metal for digital mind-bots
The Raconteurs
Jack White gets his Petty on
Vampire Weekend
Preppy indie-pop for collegiate cuties
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
The original Amy Winehouse, only better
Black Kids
Hipster-approved multi-cultural power-pop
Dan Deacon
Spazzy celebration of your inner geek
Santogold
Hipsters heart Brooklyn's answer to M.I.A.
SATURDAY, APRIL 26
Prince
Best headliner since Radiohead. Purple reign!
Portishead
Trip-hop pioneers make melancholy magic
Kraftwerk
OG disco robots rule the nation
Erol Alkan
U.K. turntable star = weekend’s top DJ
Little Brother
Super-fun backpack-hip-hop heroes
Dwight Yoakam
Ass-kickin' honky-tonk country pimp
M.I.A.
Militant dance party with bombastic beats
Kate Nash
Precious and precocious girlie-pop, awkwardly
Uffie
Hot potty-mouthed Ed Banger babe
SUNDAY, APRIL 27
Love & Rockets
Post-Bauhaus high-octane speed-rock
Murs
Still better than your favorite rapper
Autolux
Awesome atmospheric L.A. space-rock
The Field
Lush electronic waves of digital bliss
The Cool Kids
Retro Technicolor indie hip-hop upstarts
Black Mountain
Druggy organic jam-rock—with girls!
Swervedriver
Awesome '90s guitar army stargaze loudly
Duffy
The blonde, non-cracky Amy Winehouse
Kid Sister w/A-Trak
Heavyweight DJ + emerging rapstress = sonic love
Roger Waters
Trippy side of your pharmacist's stash
Dimitri From Paris
Playboy-appro