11 Things I'm Excited For At My 11th Coachella
So close I can taste the spicy pie and smell the horses...
I’m just days away from being at my tied-for-third favorite place in the world (the other two are London and my family’s cabin on Big Birch Lake in Minnesota). It’ll be my 11th journey, and so I thought it’d be cool to break standard listicle protocol and write a list with 11 items instead of 10.
I also plan to keep this going. Next year will be a list of 13 depending because I’m definitely going both weekends again. Unfortunately, I’m only going one this year and I already feel the FOMOOC (fear of missing out on Coachella).
Most of the list is artists, but there are a couple of items outside of that I’m excited to explore.
1. The Aquabats
I saw the Aquabats for the first live gig I ever attended without my parents. It was at the Glass House in Pomona. I was 15, and it was a pivotal moment in my life.
I still remember watching the skank pit going round and round, building the courage to throw myself into the mass of moving bodies. Thank god I did. From that moment on, the live space has been where I feel no shame in expressing myself physically.
Coachella takes that one level deeper. I feel no shame in expressing myself emotionally there either. Last year I openly wept at boygenius. I had never straight-up cried at a live event before. Even if I wanted to. I guess my inner child is still afraid to let it out most of the time.
I don’t presume I’ll cry at The Aquabats (you never know), but I can’t wait to watch them again over a decade later in place where I can be unequivocally myself. I’m gonna run that skank pit for sure.
2. Grimes
I always knew about Grimes, but I never dove into her music before she was announced on the lineup. Not only is she immensely talented, but her affinity for tech is well-known. She is going to bring some insane production to the polo fields. I can’t wait to check it out.
3. Faye Webster
Every year since Coachella came back after the pandemic, there’s been a moment to slow down. take it all in, and be grateful for another year I can spend in heaven. 2022 was Phoebe’s set at Outdoor. 2023 it was Björk’s heavenly orchestra and drone show. I have a feeling Faye will take that mantle this year.
4. It’s Still Not Sold Out
It’s been in all the news. Weekend 1 took weeks to sell out and tickets are still available for Weekend 2. There’s a part of me that’s catastrophizing. “What if this is the last year of Coachella?” But honestly, I’m excited to see what a non-sold-out weekend is like.
Of course, the festival could sell out between when this feature goes live and the gates open. I’ve worked in events before. There is always a massive bump in sales towards the end of the line. People who decide to go on a whim. People on the fence who pull the trigger.
One thing I believe rings true is that if Weekend 2 isn’t sold out, the hype has worn off. People who are going really want to go. It’s not so they can follow a trend. Influencers won’t have any reason to go to a non-sold-out weekend. And moreover, ticket prices remaining lower will open the door for those who may have initially thought they couldn’t afford it.
Finally, on a base level, fewer people means shorter lines for the Yuma, I have to see Âme and Flight Facilities.
5. Brittany Howard
Brittany’s new album is simply amazing and when she was last at Coachella in 2015 with the Alabama Shakes I missed her set because I was too gone off acid. No way that’s happening this year.
6. Justice
The electronic kings of Coachella are back. I found out this year that the first time Justice played a live set ever was at Coachella in 2008. How cool is that?
In 2017 I missed their first few minutes. Not this time. Front to back baby. Plus their album comes out the Friday after Weekend 2. April 26 (same day as Annie’s). Can’t wait to hear new music before everyone else.
7. Sublime
Last year at Coachella, a cool reggae-revival band called Stick Figure performed on Sunday afternoon at the Outdoor Theater. It was the last day of the festival. I was down for some chill music, and Outdoor is prime viewing from the beer garden, so I could enjoy my 57th cold Heineken of the weekend while I was watching them.
After a few songs, it was time to get funky in Despacio again, and as I was leaving they started to play a cover of “Doin’ Time.”
I slowed my pace up a bit because I always love hearing Sublime covers…but this one was different.
The singer sounded uncannily like Bradley. So much so that I did a double take, went back into the crowd and soaked up the rest of the song under the SoCal sun.
Turns out, the singer was Jakob Nowell, Bradley’s son, who will lead the Sublime reunion at Coachella this year.
Like everyone who grew up in Southern California, I have a very special connection to Sublime. The number of after-school days I spent running through their discography from front to back can’t be counted.
Now I have the chance to hear the closest possible rendition of their music live at my favorite place in the world.
8. The Last Dinner Party
When I was in London I went to a couple of indie venues where this post-punk quintet made a name for themselves including The George Tavern and The Victoria in Dalston.
These spots have such unique energy. They combine London’s centuries of musical history with prescience for bands that will soon take over the world. The Last Dinner Party are going to take over the world.
9. Charlotte De Witte Presents OVERDRIVE
The last time I saw Charlotte was ADE. She was headlining the KNTXT takeover of Ziggo Dome. My face melted so hard from all the techno that I had to take a break and find a quiet place in the arena.
I ended up sitting next to a guy named Lars who introduced me to his fiance Marloe and her best friend Lorraine. Turns out, that very evening Marloe asked Lorraine to be her maid of honor. We are all still friends to this day.
Even if the face-melting is the only part that repeats at Coachella I’ll be happy.
10. Khruangbin
These guys are rightfully very high on the lineup on Sunday, but I’m hoping they play sunset at main stage. They are the ultimate sunset band. Plus because of the next item, I may actually be able to bring a blanket…
11. Camping
I camped the first five times I went to Coachella, and I stayed at hotels and houses the other five times. I thought I was avoiding camping because of the heat, but to be honest, I was avoiding camping because I didn’t have a group of people I wanted to camp with.
The people I used to camp with do not fuck with music like I do. They preferred to stay up all night drinking vodka out of water bottles and sleep in their cars for half the day.
Which is fine. Coachella is welcome to all. I do not judge people for how they spend their time in heaven.
But through a universe-as-fuck series of events, this year I have the opportunity to camp with a group of people who absolutely love music like I do. One of the guys is named Plantey and he’s in the Coachella documentary, Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert.
The first thing he says is:
“I come because I genuinely love music.”
So do I. I can’t wait to experience heaven with people who align with me.