Coachella 2009 attracts hippies and hipsters alike

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Coachella 2009

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Living in a recession apparently doesn’t have much of an effect on concert-goers. At least that’s what nearly 200,000 sunburned, sweat-covered fans proved to skeptics when they scampered around the Empire polo fields last weekend at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif.

            Coachella is an annual three-day event, featuring musicians from just about any genre of music, and takes place in the desert about 130 miles east of Los Angeles. Music fanatics of all ages and from all over the world clamor to Indio for the weekend to watch their favorite bands perform live and indulge in copious amounts of narcotics. The live concerts take place on two outdoor stages and three tents set up around the fields. The concert grounds are also adorned with gargantuan sculptural art, oftentimes interactive for those young-at-heart (or just totally tripping out) to enjoy.

Of course, attending such an event doesn’t come without a price. Tickets this year cost around $300 compared to last year’s $200. A pass to camp out at the designated campsites right next to the concert grounds costs $50 for each day, while hotels hike up room prices to around $120 a night just for the occasion. Merchandise such as band t-shirts and hoodies cost between $25-35. A decent meal—event organizers set up several food courts around the venue offering international fare—costs $10-12. A bottle of mineral water costs $2 and a glass of Heineken (which is an event sponsor and thus, the only beer available) costs $7. However, this year’s attendance proved that when it comes to concerts, price is irrelevant if the performers are marketable.

While Woodstock speaks mostly to the hippie generation, Coachella offers music junkies a mishmash of genres spanning across several decades. Past headliners have included Massive Attack, Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead, The Pixies, Daft Punk, Madonna and Bjork. This year’s lineup featured performances by Paul McCartney, Morrissey, M.I.A., The Killers, My Bloody Valentine and The Cure.