March 26th, 2010 by admin

The Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival is one of the world’s largest music-themed events. Held in Indio, California, the fest lasts three days and draws some of the biggest acts in the world. This year, the festival will be headlined by rapper Jay-Z, electronic hip-hop super-group

=============
Article Content:
The Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival is one of the world’s largest music-themed events. Held in Indio, California, the fest lasts three days and draws some of the biggest acts in the world. This year, the festival will be headlined by rapper Jay-Z, electronic hip-hop super-group Gorillaz and British rockers Muse. Other performers include everyone from eccentric Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke to funk legends Sly and the Family Stone.

Though revered by artists, fans and music journalists, some changes to this year’s festival are making purists question Coachella’s street cred. In previous years, fans were able to buy single day passes rather than more expensive three-day tickets. All tickets are of the three-day variety this year, meaning attendees will have to pay full price (9, with VIP passes starting at 9). This has raised protests from people who think the event is becoming too commercial and focused on the bottom line instead of the music.

Other changes are more welcome. Rather than charging campers per person, the campground will charge them for a camping spot. Standard spots are 10×30 feet and cost for the entire weekend. Only festival ticketholders are allowed to camp. People will be able to park their cars at their campsite and sleep as many people as they can fit in the 300 square feet space.

The ultimate luxury experience at Coachella is a ,000 package that includes a luxury safari tent complete with air conditioning, complimentary meals and shuttle service to the concert. The best aspect of the package: two all-access backstage wristbands that allow ticketholders to mingle with bands.

There are innumerable hotels within 30 minutes of the venue. The festival will be operating shuttles that run to and from major hotels in the towns of Indian Wells, Palm Desert and La Quinta. It is possible to get a three-day shuttle pass, so you will never have to deal with chaotic parking lots and inevitable traffic jams outside the gates of the festival. Shuttle passes start at , although they can be bought in a package with Coachella tickets for a significant discount. Shuttles will start running at 11 a.m. and will continue running regularly until 2 a.m.

Perhaps the most welcome change is that concert-goers will have in-and-out privileges. Though, with only three-day tickets available, most fans will want to take in as much music as possible in order to get their money’s worth.

The official Coachella website has a news page where fans can keep up on the latest news and make sure that their favorite acts will indeed be performing, as lineup changes are known to occur at the last minute.

With so many bands playing on multiple stages, it is difficult to choose how to organize your schedule. A smart phone application can help you create your own personal concert schedule and share it with others. Dubbed the Coachooser, it is available for iPhones and can be linked to social media sites and accessed via e-mail.

As in previous years, there are five main stages/venues: Coachella Stage, Outdoor Theatre, Gobi Tent, Mojave Tent, and the Sahara Tent. The Coachella Stage is where headliners and other well-known performers play. The much smaller Outdoor Theater is where “up-and-coming” bands often perform. The Sahara is Coachella’s electronic music venue and has hosted the likes of Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk in the past. The Mojave Tent features indie acts, roots-rockers and popular singer-songwriters. The Gobi Tent almost exclusively features underground hip-hop acts.

Whether or not music fans agree with the new pricing at Coachella, the festival is bound to be as exciting as it was in previous years. For serious festival-goers, it doesn’t get any better than spending three days among great music and art underneath the desert sun.

LowFares.com is giving away a free iPod Nano and iTunes gift card to two lucky Sweepstakes winners in our Fantasy Spring Vacation contest. If you’re a fan of LowFares on Facebook, you are already entered to win. If not, become a fan of LowFares on Facebook to enter for a chance to win. Don’t forget to comment on our page and let us know what your Fantasy Spring Getaway is!

____________________________

The Outdoor Stage: Vonlohmann
Coachella 057 – Day 1: Rieh

———————