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Umachapp 01/11/2011 1:40:00 AM
This is one of the best articles ive ever read. Cant wait 96 more days!!!!!
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Video Vision - SF 09/06/2010 10:11:00 PM
Great lineups every year and then this year... great lineup but a terrible experience of 4 hours to get home at the end of the day made it an unpleasant experience. Last year was our 6th year and pretty doubtful we will go again considering it was too crowded, parking lots were understaffed, traffic control was militant (as opposed to helpful)and didn't assist with circulation.
NO CAN DO: There were no crowd control aides or tools used so the tents just bunched up at the edges and the middle was relatively empty. No clear paths were enforced from tent to tent and too many art pieces in the center spots blocked people flow and bunched up because people used them to seek shade creating even greater blockage.
Where do we send our crowd/tent control ideas - there's so many good ones and they cost very little. An easy one - a simple ground grid so there's always a path and if there's room in a cell you can see it by walking the path. Gently keep the paths clear and people will become trained to the benefit of the grid VERY quickly. Don't like straight lines or grids - make em human shapes that are fun - BUT make them all the same in every space.
Parking lots - it's way better to walk a long way in and out and have the advantage of a quicker car wait (climate change guilt alone makes me cringe at how long we idled each night). A long walk is predictable and can be assisted by a bi-modal pedestrian and possible bike layout. Not real bikes, more like people mover bike shuttles. Grids and guidelines help everyone. One way traffic always moves faster.
More LARGE signage everywhere between parking areas, walkways, and venue. Getting lost,not being sure where to go slows people movement at night in the dark. In and out don't need to be the same exact path BUT you must show people they are going to the right car lot or they will resist changing path at the end of the day.
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Brett Delgado 08/30/2010 6:07:00 AM
It's interesting because compared to most large raves, Coachella 2010 was not bad in the least. As a long-time raver, I have always found Coachella to be a very well organized festival. While I personally did not have a single problem in 2010, I do see where people who are not used to attending sardine-clusterfuck music gatherings would be disappointed. All I would like to point out is that while 2010 was certainly a step back for the festival, it will never be anywhere near as bad as most of the large music gatherings that occur in the LA area, especially raves.
It makes me sad to see people say they are not coming back. Mistakes happen, and I am sure that they will be ironed out next year. It's always nice to give anything a second chance.
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Mike 08/19/2010 12:01:00 AM
I would like to add my vote to go back to single day tickets as well. I've been traveling from New York every year since 2004 and, as a teacher, I simply cannot take off the Friday. In fact, I'd have to take off Thursday as well in order to catch a flight that gets me there on time for Friday. I already booked my airfare and condo for this year, so I'll be there. But please reconsider the single day tickets. It's just not fair to those of us who have to work. Believe me, if I could be there all three days, I most certainly would.
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Jeremy 08/18/2010 6:58:00 AM
Great article, couldn't agree more, why'd they try to fix something that wasn't broken?
Little unknown fact, although what happened at Electric Daisy is sad, 1-2 people die every year at Coachella and Bonaroo.
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1234 08/17/2010 10:45:00 PM
All of you people saying going back to single day tickets would fix it are clueless. What's the difference if you have 75k people each day using a single day ticket or using a 3-day pass. It's still the same damn amount of people.
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Slippy 08/17/2010 3:29:00 AM
I have been going to Coachella for 8 years straight with a group of about 20 people from all around the US but after this past years abortion, NONE of us are returning.
Not only was it too packed to even sit in the grass but if you wanted to get back to your "home" after the show, you had to leave 30-45 minutes early to avoid the 5 hour lines and even then there was bad lines.
Does that sound like fun?
F You Paul Tollett
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The Ghost of Tom Joad 08/17/2010 2:08:00 AM
The Super Bowl isn't 3 days long either. Dumb comparison, Tollett.
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Scratching My Head 08/17/2010 12:41:00 AM
It puzzles me to no end that Steve Apppleford does not mention the July 24 Love Parade tragedy in Duisburg, Germany where 21 young concert goers died. Clearly, the huge crowds at Coachella are a recipe for disaster.
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Fewerpeopleisbetter 08/16/2010 9:34:00 PM
Coachella is no longer what it once was and it won't ever get that "magic" back. Let's face it, simply way too many people know about it now. It was the same way with Bonnaroo this year. 16 year old plurtards and frat boys run rampant now. I'm sticking to smaller festivals for now on. They're definitely a better experience every time.
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camperNUMBER25 08/16/2010 2:23:00 PM
I'm happy to hear that the actual festival is getting it's required adjustments from last year but half the experience for many is camping. Car camping took away the sense of community that once existed with tent only camping. We arrived on thursday and the grass for camping was already dry and dead. Showers were a disaster. I'm sure TONS of money was made in 2010 to give the 2011 festival goers a legit coachella atmosphere we have all grown to love-pre 2010.
i stil love you coachella.
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Victor 08/16/2010 10:58:00 AM
It was a clusterfuck but I'll be back. I live for that time & space with my friends and family.
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CJ 08/16/2010 8:18:00 AM
i was a ticket scanner / wristbander at the gate. we scanned every single ticket and printout. if there was a scan code that came up more than once it was rejected by the scanner machine (assuming it was working correctly). we rejected plenty of people at the gate for fake ticket printouts and hard copy tickets. i dont know ANY ticket takers that were letting people in without scanning their tickets (and i was doing it for 12 straight hours..as a volunteer..but that is another story). we were personally responsible (meaning financially responsible) for losing any wristbands or making any mistakes. we were very very careful.
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Ericka Smith 08/13/2010 4:46:00 AM
Tollett has to go back to single day tickets if he wants to solve the ticket scanning, long waits, counterfeiting, overcrowding problems. The single day ticket allows the festival to balance crowds. With fans choosing which day or days they want to go more people can attend without the problem of overcrowding. Forceing everyone to go all three days is what caused overcroweding every day and having one ticket for all three days means you have to give out wristbands which lead to long lines and counterfeiting. . . .
the easiest fix he can make is going back to selling single day tickets. simple as that.
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6Coachellassofar 08/13/2010 2:27:00 AM
Although the show was a bit too crowded at certain times, myself and my group of friends had an amazing time. we did not experience any of the stories highlighted in the article. as a past year veteran, i persuaded our group to arrive at noon. we encountered minimal traffic and no wait to get wrist-banded or searched. as the day progressed (6-7pm) you could feel the crowd at certain places. admittedly, 2nd stage was pretty hard after 8pm each night. but all in all, its always packed and hard to navigate after dark. again, as a 6 year vet to this show, my friends and i took our time heading for the door. it doesnt matter if only 30k people are at the show, if everyone rushes to leave at the same time, then its going to be the madhouse mentality. unfortunately, traffic leaving on friday was a bit severe. probably took us 2.5 hours to get back to La Quinta. but, saturday and sunday was a breeze. im not sure why? we still took our time leaving after the show and found the traffic out was very smooth and orderly. maybe some changes were made from the previous night. i know my experience is only 1 of many. just as the experiences in the article are just some of many... i am a true believer in coachella and the people who make it happen. i have faithfully gone year after year to find many improvements and a complete respect for those who buy tickets. $2 water, free parking, cheap camping (did it twice and loved it), consistency of the best line up. i really believe this year was an isolated bad year for some. i think Mr. Tollett is sincere and will address these issues. Looking forward to year 7!!!
jim
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Camper 08/13/2010 1:56:00 AM
It would have been nice for them to address the change in camping. That was a huge reason why I didn't go this year; being able to leave the campgrounds at night in our car to gather supplies and visit friends is what made Coachella camping the best. I don't want to camp in or around my car. How is that relaxing and fun?!
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CoachellaVeteran 08/13/2010 1:50:00 AM
The irony is that you could solve the issues of overcrowding and the ridiculous lines to enter the festival by selling single day tickets again. If they sold 20% of tickets as single day (like they have in every other past Coachella), that would mean 15k tickets would be single day. That automatically means 10k LESS people each day, while still selling the same amount of tix overall (75k). Goldenvoice would also make MORE money this way than if they just cut back to 65k three-day-only tickets. You would also avoid the huge lines on Friday by spreading out some of the arriving traffic to Saturday and Sunday. Three day people could have their own lines to get in fast on these days.
The excuse about the hotels that Tollett gave before makes no sense. Like Rose said, most single-day people live in So Cal and commute to and from the festival. I don’t think too many people are going to buy a single day ticket and then get a room at a hotel when prices are inflated and cost as much as a three-day pass.
Also, please bring Coachella back to its indie/punk/classic rock roots. Acts like Jay-Z, Tiesto and David Guetta bring out the douchebag/thug/kandi kid contingent. Wading thru 75 thousand people is harder when so many of them are underage e-tards and drunk bros who are “totally stoked” to see the Hova.
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Rose 08/12/2010 11:29:00 PM
I'm glad to hear changes are going to be made, as Coachella is one of my favorite festivals. Although, it makes me sad that Tollett has such a narrow minded view of fans that want 1 day tickets. I am originally from Southern California and have many friends that can't afford to stay in Indio or take off of work for 3 days (not everyone works a 9-5 Monday thru Friday job) but annually go out to the Coachella festival for 1 full day and drive back home afterward. They love that they live only a few hours away and are able to enjoy the festival, even if they cannot afford to stay there. I hope that Tollett realizes that he may be isolating long time loyal fans of Coachella.
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LT 08/12/2010 11:21:00 PM
Last time I went was four years ago and that same crush happened upon exiting. I felt very unsafe. To make matters worse, some moron security guard actually drove his cart THROUGH the crowd, which had to miraculously find a way to crush itself even further to let him through. Why is there one exit? So stupid and unsafe.
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SundayGirLA 08/12/2010 9:29:00 PM
Steve, awesome, as always.
I agree with you, this was the first year in my seven trips to Coachella that I had a "scared" moment. It was Saturday night, there was a crush of people pushing and shoving trying to leave the Outdoor stage.
I love Coachella because of the mix of music and people getting along in the desert. Old, young, indie rockers, ravers, etc, etc. This year, there were a lot of bros and the girls who love them. There is an etiquette to Coachella that is completely lost on this particular sect. Annoying.
Kudos to Tollett for the Ferris wheel. That was a nice addition.
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Gabriel 08/12/2010 11:06:00 AM
Steve Appleford, you are a hero. This article nailed the massive disparity in experience (completely unrelated to the music) between this Coachella and the other six I've attended since 2004. Hearing Paul T. address the problems and assume accountability for the outrageous capacity problems has gotten me excited for the festival again.
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Beard 08/12/2010 10:49:00 AM
"...the fest's iconic Tesla coil, firing epic bolts of electricity into the night air."
Add that to the list of 2010 complaints: there was no Tesla coil this year.
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Dave McQuillen 08/12/2010 7:40:00 AM
Paul,
Lineup last year was awesome as always. 3 Things I would most emphasize to improve.
1) Overall Attendance has to be lower, even at the expense of fewer acts. 2010 way too crowded.
2) I'd try to maintain pattern of booking one major 60/70s headliner for as many years as the codgers can still play...Waters/McCartney too of best sets ever, and still think Who/Neil Young/Velvet Underground/Byrds/Kinks/Bowie/Van Morrison doing Astral Weeks could really deliver.
3) Go back to single day thing...the three days aren't hurting the young kids who are broke, they find a way, it's the fans in 30s/40s who just can't leave their jobs on Friday that get burned by the 3 day only sales most.
Otherwise just keep rocking.
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Gay 08/12/2010 7:17:00 AM
An excellent article. It's heartening to know that Paul has listened to the Clusterfuckchella comments and will make improvements. My heart went a little sad when he mentioned "the fest's iconic Tesla coil, firing epic bolts of electricity into the night air." It was gone in 2010 and I missed it so much. Please bring the Tesla coils back. I'll be at Coachella in 2011, but I shall be more prepared than this year.
