Since its debut in 1999, the event has become arguably the most famous music festival in the world. Keeping up with history, the 2017 edition of the iconic Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was another rip-roaring success. Some of the biggest stars from the music industry stepped on to the stage to deliver unforgettable performances.
Radiohead, Travis Scott, Lady Gaga, DJ Snake, Gucci Mane, Kendrick Lamar, Justice, Lorde, Hans Zimmer and DJ Khaled are just a few big names that performed at the 2017 edition of the Coachella Festival.
The 2018 edition promises to take the experience to a whole new level. Fans will once again get to see one superstar after another step on to the stage to perform live. If you want to be in attendance, then grab your Coachella tickets before it is too late.
A Brief Insight
The Coachella Festival might have officially kicked-off in 1999, but the seeds were planted six years earlier. In 1993, the legendary Pearl Jam performed for close to twenty-five thousand fans at the famous Empire Polo Club. That concert basically proved that the venue was good enough to hold big events.
Paul Tollett’s company Goldenvoice booked the Empire Polo Club for Pearl Jam, but the organization had started to take a hit and was not doing well financially by 1997. Something had to be done and he began to look for venues for a music festival. Tollett and Rick Van Santen, the company’s co-president worked as a team and eventually picked the Empire Polo Club.
The plan was to hold the inaugural edition in 1998 but that did not happen. The first edition was held over two days October 9-10 the next year. It was headlined by Rage Against the Machine, Morrissey, Tool, the Chemical Brothers and Beck. The second edition of Coachella Festival that was scheduled to take place in 2000 was cancelled due to different reasons.
Goldenvoice was bought by AEG in 2001 but the new management still wanted Tollett to run Coachella. The second edition took place in 2001 and it went without any hiccups. The Coachella has been an annual part of the music calendar ever since.
Greatest Moments in Coachella History
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has delivered more than just a few unforgettable moments over the years. These are five of the greatest moments in Coachella history:
Daft Punk Steals The Show (2006)- In 2006, Daft Punk delivered one of the most unforgettable performances in Coachella’s history. It was such a great performance that Billboard labeled it best ever performance in the event’s history. The band unveiled “The Pyramid,” which is a regular feature of their show, at Coachella. It was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. That act and performance pushed EDM’s boundaries and set the tone for it to become the rage it is today.
The Pixies Return (2004)- The Pixies performance at Coachella in 2004 was historic and remains one of the most pivotal moments in the event’s history. The alt rock legends, after an eleven year hiatus, announced that year that they will be performing across North America and will end the tour with a performance at Coachella. There was so much hype surrounding their performance that it resulted in the first sell-out Coachella in history.
Rage Against the Machine Reunite (2007)- The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival has seen quite a few famous reunions over the course of its illustrious history but what happened in 2007 surpasses them all. That year Rage Against the Machine delivered one of the biggest shocks in the event’s history by performing for the first time in seven years. Oh, and they performed to over a whopping one hundred thousand fans, which is the biggest ever crowd in the festival’s history.
Pigs Fly Because of Roger Waters (2008)- Roger Waters is not one to shy away from expansive and grand performances. Because of the scale of his performances, there is always a chance that something might not go according to the script. That is precisely what happened in 2008 during his performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. He was in the middle of performing “Run Like Hell” when an inflatable pig got loose from its tethers and floated away. The organizers of the festival announced that whoever finds the pig will get four lifetime Coachella passes for absolutely nothing to go with a ten thousand dollars prize.
Phoenix and R. Kelly Deliver an Epic Performance (2013)- Rumors were going around that Daft Punk would join Phoenix for a surprise performance when the former performs at the 2013 Coachella Festival. That did not happen, but there still was a surprise in store for the fans in attendance. With Phoenix in the middle of a set, out of nowhere came R. Kelly on the stage to perform a mashup of “Ignition (Remix)” and “1901.” It remains one of the most memorable moments in the festival’s history.
Coachella’s Impact
Before Coachella, the widespread belief was that festivals only worked as tours but Coachella proved this notion wrong. This festival paved the way for other major festivals to join in on the fun. Not only that, but it has also made a massive impact on fashion and trends. This is what Katy Perry had to say on the subject:
“The lineup always introduces the best of the year for the rest of the year.”
The 2016 edition of the festival attracted a whopping two hundred and fifty thousand fans to the Empire Polo Grounds. That is estimated to have made an economic impact of over four hundred and three million dollars. It is also estimated that last year’s Coachella grossed over ninety-four million dollars. The financial impact of the festival cannot be overstated.
Coachella Ticket Prices
As soon as the line-up is announced for Coachella, fans start to look for Coachella ticket prices. This is not restricted only to fans in the United States - the event has become much bigger than that. If you plan on joining the thousands in attendance at the next edition, then this is your chance to do that.
