Death
A 24-year-old attendee from Oakland died on Thursday, after overdosing during weekend one. It's not time to be alarmist about the way Coachella runs the festival; after all, deaths happen at these types of events with alarming frequency. But the rampant, out-of-control culture surrounding the festival –  drug smuggling, drunk driving, utter foolishness  – needs to be addressed. Kids who think they can recklessly plow through synthetics with no consequences are mistaken, and the musicians who encourage them to do so are irresponsible. -Ben Westhoff
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Drones
When we wrote about drones at Coachella before, we were kidding. But at the festival this year there actually were propeller crafts with camera attachments, hovering surreptitiously over the crowds for MGMT, Outkast and others. While we'd guess they're just being used to film sets and crowd footage, we were also a bit creeped out. -Andrea Domanick
See also: No, Seriously, There Were Drones at Coachella

Saint Beck
As Arcade Fire closed down Coachella Sunday, they switched out week-one special guest Debbie Harry for Beck, who took the stage wearing a massive Pope Francis head. Win Butler christened him “Saint Beck,” but the exercise was not very funny. Francis is universally beloved and Madonna (and plenty of others) have already taken on the Catholics. -Kai Flanders

Gum
Over the course of the weekend, a dozen people or more asked us for gum. Bring your own damn gum! -Daniel Kohn

Overcrowding at the Sahara tent and Outdoor Theater
These stages seem to have outgrown their allotted space. For the biggest acts – like Empire of the Sun, or Pharrell – unless you got there at least 30 minutes early, there's no way you were going to get a decent space.  -Alejandra Loera

Chance the Rapper Cancels
On Sunday afternoon, reports surfaced that Chicago's Chance the Rapper was too sick to perform his 3:10 p.m. set. Apparently he'd fallen ill over the weekend and was hospitalized, though there was no word about the cause. (Apparently he'll be fine.) A number of young fans looked visibly dejected walking around in their Chance t-shirts. But, as always, there was a bright side: the possibility of Justin Bieber making another unwanted cameo on-stage just went waaay down. -Nate Jackson
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Credit: Nate Jackson

Credit: Nate Jackson

“Yolo” Fields
Someone put a big “Y” over the “P” in the “Polo” club sign this weekend. That pretty much summed up the vibe for those on their way to the Sahara tent. Let us take a moment of silent reflection and remember Coachella's better days. -Nate Jackson

Sleeping
It's one thing to doze off during the afternoon, but why fall asleep at Pharrell's set, where tons of people will be forced to step over you? If you're going to be that tired after a long day, why not head home? -Daniel Kohn

Merch
We bought a tank top – featuring the Coachella lineup – and it ended up being too big. The merch tent people were not very nice about it, and wouldn't accept a return or exchange. So now we're stuck with it. -Alejandra Loera 

The Cab Line
After Outkast's much improved second-weekend set Friday night, the exodus to the taxi pickup area was massive. Tired, dirty, and coming down, people waited nearly an hour and a half in a line that before long began to resemble a labyrinth. Festival staff did their best to help people set up carpools, but a lack of available vehicles slowed the pace to a crawl. Fed up, many people jumped out of line and went to the nearby Uber station, whose representatives were offering $20 off. That turned out to be a sham. -Kai Flanders 

See also: Coachella Cabbies and Their Amazing Stories

Trash
While you were busy basking in the Coachella sun, the festival's fleet of custodians – many of whom looked to be in their teens – were running around the grounds, soaked in sweat, picking up your trash. We talked to a few, and not only do these guys get paid poorly, they get paid by the bag. When you see them next year, maybe consider buying them a water bottle before you throw yours on the ground. -Andrea Domanick


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