Coachella: Pure bliss for all kinds of music lovers

By Sarah Clise

What began in 1999 as a rather obscure two-day event with no on-site camping now draws international recognition and an abundance of diverse artists throughout the three-day event, which now has plenty of tent space.

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, known simply as Coachella, is a three-day musical extravaganza being held Friday, April 2, to Sunday, April 29, in Indio, California.

There are five stages set up around the site, each with one performance after another from 11 a.m. to midnight each day.

Single-day passes cost $85, but, unfortunately, Saturday and Sunday single-day passes are already sold out. In order to see your favorite bands playing, you'll have to purchase the three-day pass for $249.

While the price isn't exactly affordable, considering the dozens of bands and the concentration of talent that will be at Coachella this year, it's a better bargain than it sounds.

This year's lineup is truly amazing, with a large variety of genres represented.

The 32 artists performing on Friday include the sexually charged techno of Peaches, the folkish crooning of Rufus Wainwright, the hip-hop influenced electronica of Evil Nine and the genre-transcendent Bjork.

With the Arctic Monkeys, Tokyo Police Club and Stephen Marley also performing that day, it's hard to imagine a more varied group of artists.

There are many big-name bands in Saturday's lineup, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Decemberists, The New Pornographers and Jack's Mannequin.

It's no surprise, then, that the single-day tickets are completely sold out.

As if these weren't enough to draw an amazing crowd, the lesser-known but truly impressive CocoRosie, Arcade Fire, Blonde Redhead and The Fratellis are also scheduled to perform on Saturday, along with many more.

Two-time Coachella veteran Kelly Richmond, a junior, is more than enthusiastic about attending Saturday's performance.

"I saw the Arcade Fire last year," she said, "and their live performance was completely ridiculous -- one of the best I've ever seen. It's what got me really into that band."

The performance that seems to be drawing the most attention this year is none other than the debut reunion of Rage Against The Machine, Sunday's headlining act. Rage Against The Machine broke up seven years ago in 2000, with Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford founding Audioslave and lead vocalist Zack de la Rocha embarking on a solo career.

While Audioslave has enjoyed relative success performing at venues like Ozzfest and Lollapalooza, there is a lot of hype surrounding Rage Against The Machine's return to the stage.

Apr. 29 will be the first time the notorious, politically charged band has played together since their breakup.

Also playing on Sunday are a number of well-known acts. British sensations The Kooks are scheduled to play, as is the famous Irishman Damien Rice. Emphasizing the unbelievable mixture of sounds, Philadelphia hip-hop group The Roots plays on the same day as the king of country, Willie Nelson.

This is just one example of how such a large number of diverse bands end up at the same place and time thanks to Coachella.

On-site camping tickets, which are good for the duration of the festival, are available for $45. Free bathrooms and showers are available, as well as a general store and a food court.

While this sounds fairly accommodating, Richmond stresses that its not as comfortable as it sounds. One must be prepared for Coachella.

It is 12 hours a day in the blaring hot sun. You smell bad. You don't look good. You wake up at 7 a.m. because the inside of your tent can reach 100 degrees.

If off-site camping sounds more appealing, there are a number of RV parks in the area, such as Palm Springs Oasis RV Resort and Bashford's Hot Mineral Spa.

In addition to off-site camping, there are several hotels within a 10-mile radius.

Directions to Coachella, from anywhere in the country, are available on the event's Web site, as is information on tickets, parking and the general rules and regulations for attending the event.

For information, pictures and the complete lineup, visit www.coachella.com.

Contact Sarah Clise at sclise@scu.edu.