Photo: GETTY
Hey Much.ca readers! I’m Alyssa, a music marketing co-ordinator at Much. My job, among many things, is to help set-up interviews with artists for Much.
This year, I made the cross continent journey to Coachella Music and Arts Festival in California. Like this year’s Papilio Merraculous Art Installation which transformed a giant moving caterpillar into an embellished butterfly through the duration of the festival, DJ Snake’s Apeman hype-man converted my general admission weekend at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival into an all-access rock star escapade. Curious? Keep reading.
Day One: Friday April 10
Photo: GETTY
Kick-off day. The introduction to an inimitable music and art festival experience. Immense anticipation and positive energy surrounded the festival grounds. Everyone is thinking the same thought: We’ve made it to Coachella.
This day was all about learning the grounds, discovering new acts, shooting photos, and appreciating the glory of it all. AC/DC sent the night out in what seemed to be an epic hard rock ceremony with an audience full of devil horned-headband wearers that had me bowing to the ground. Little did I know what was in store for day two.
Performance Highlights:
Charles Bradley and His Extraordinaires – They brought the funk.
The War on Drugs – A flawless afternoon alt-rock performance in the mountainous desert.
Pete Tong – Yuma Tent + Flying Disco Shark + House/Electronica = Festival Nirvana
AC/DC – “I hope you guys like rock n’ roll, ‘cause that’s all we do. So join in!” The Aussie rockers brought the FIRE to the stage. Both figuratively and literally.
Random Events:
Spotted At The Main Stage: the man, Aaron Paul and his incredibly beautiful wife Lauren Paul jamming to The War On Drugs; Left Shark patiently waiting for AC/DC to bring it.
Day 2: Saturday April 11
Photo: David James Swanson
Started out the day by running over to Clean Bandit’s set as I heard the violins begin to play “Show Me Love”. I knew this was going to be a special one.
More music is what I craved, and around mid-afternoon I gathered with friends to watch some of our favourite acts from the entire weekend including Jungle and alt-J. Around sunset was when things started to get groovy.
As Jack White was bringing his perfect show to the main stage, I was introduced to a friend of a friend, and we started a long chat about Coachella. This guy mentioned to me that he was a performer for DJ Snake’s set on Friday, and had an extra all access wristband for the rest of the weekend.
Yes. DJ Snake’s Apeman gave me a backstage pass to Coachella.
A good man once told me, “There’s one rule in Rock N’ Roll: play it cool.” And that rule I followed.
Photo: GETTY
We headed off to the designated artist area to watch The Weeknd with Justin Bieber and his crew. My Canadian pride kicked in as I watched Abel Tesfaye’s magnetic performance beside Bieber. When the lights went out, we left the stage and stuck around a secluded outdoor artist lounge wrapping up a dreamlike second day.
Performance Highlights:
Clean Bandit – Okay so I missed the majority of this set, but I ran over just in time for the most free-spirited dance party I’ve ever been part of.
Jungle – The modern soul music collective got the crowd dancing at the Mojave tent. A must see act.
Run The Jewels – Raw. Powerful. Authentic. RTJ were in command and went out with a bang.
alt-J – The intensity and passion of the band combined with carefully integrated lighting & stage effects for an impeccable set.
Jack White – All hail Jack White. His music is sacred indeed. He paid tribute to Rage Against The Machine’s “Testify” before closing out with “Seven Nation Army.” Flawless.
The Weeknd – Drawing a huge audience, Abel performed one of the sexiest sets of the weekend.
Random Events:
Spotted in Artist Area: Tiësto, Sean Lennon!
Day 3: Sunday April 12
Photo: GETTY
The final day. Exhaustion was taking over, but it was important to take in as much of the festival and take advantage of a full day of all access.
I explored the artist area for one last time. I took a stroll around the artist trailers, scoping out the doors with artist and band name signs. Soon after, I decided to watch Marina & The Diamonds side stage with some friends and we chatted about the highlights of the festival this year.
The rest of the day was dedicated to watching the remaining main stage acts. A sea of bodies continued to flood onto the field before Kaskade and Florence + The Machine. It became nearly impossible to avoid the crowd before Drake made his headlining debut.
With no room to move and the air filled with eagerness, my Canadian pride had ignited again. Repping The Six, Drake played hit after hit. But when I heard a familiar female voice whisper, “Express yourself, don’t repress yourself” I got shivers down my spine. Madonna stepped out on stage to perform “Human Nature” and “Time Goes By” before saluting The Six God’s lips with a lengthy make out session. And the rest was history.
Performance Highlights:
Marina & The Diamonds – Marina was very aware of her art and performance, but still displayed her playful character.
Kaskade – The largest crowd danced the night away to Kaskade’s massive house set.
Florence + The Machine – Simply, the voice that soared across the desert.
Drake (ft. Madonna cameo) – Drake curated and executed the perfect set list to wrap up the weekend.
Random Events:
Spotted in VIP: Alessandra Ambrosio, Cody Simpson, Emily Ratajkowski
So that’s my story. I can’t promise that Rolling Stone will be ringing me up any time soon. I can vow, however, that I took part in experiences that cannot be duplicated; all thanks to Goldenvoice for making this incredible music and arts dreamland called Coachella possible. And a little help from my new friend, Apeman.
Check out more pictures from the weekend below:
Coachella Music and Arts FestivalCourtesy: Alyssa Petru
