Sunday, April 21, the final day of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival was the warmest of both weekends and saw fans doing whatever they could to survive the high temperatures while still enjoying the music and activities.
Slurpees to the rescue
Weekend two of the festival was much hotter than weekend one, so hydration was crucial. And if you’re going to hydrate, why not do it the most delicious way possible with a free Slurpee.
The fruity slushies were being poured in small cups for free at the Coachella campgrounds at a booth near the main path to the festival entrance. With flavors that included pina colada, strawberry and raspberry, it was the perfect little bit of cool boost people needed to give them that extra step as they made their way to the festival.
— Richard Guzman
Cool spirits
With the sun blaring and the heat baking the polo fields, most people took it easy on early on Sunday just after doors opened.
Many festival goers just hung out, walked slow, found shade and waited for things to cool off before getting their party on, except for those in the Absolut Vodka tent, who started partying right away.
Located in front of the Indio Central Market, people walked into the air-conditioned tent through a mirrored hallway flanked by neon lights into a nightclub where a DJ played house, techno and Latin music to an enthusiastic crowd. There were two bars serving vodka-infused drinks, a mirror on the roof and nowhere to sit, so if you went in there, you had to dance.
— Richard Guzman
Free shots
Calm down, no one at Coachella was giving away free shots of liquor, but you could get free shots of coffee at the International Delight Cold Foam Creamer coffee shop.
Decked out in blue walls decorated with white fluffy clouds, stepping into the indoor coffee shop felt like stepping into a cartoon. There was a round white bar, a swing people could actually swing on and a giant LED lit coffee cup. And the best part was the free coffee shots, topped of course with the cold foam creamer. Ummmm, delicious marketing.
— Richard Guzman
Merch madness
The merchandise line can often get pretty long at Coachella, but while there were long lines at times, there really didn’t seem to be that much merch madness this year. The lines at the main merch store were moving pretty quickly, but the best part was that for those who knew exactly what they wanted there were places they could go with even faster service.
As in years past, Coachella set up separate merch tents selling gear specific to the most popular performers. This year the three special tents were selling gear for No Doubt, Doja Cat and Lana Del Rey. There were virtually no lines there all weekend but business was apparently good since many of the items were sold out.
— Richard Guzman
Escaping from the heat in the Sonora Tent
It was around 4 p.m. and the temperature was approaching 95 degrees, with almost no clouds in sight. To my delight, rock band Feeble Little Horse was playing in the Sonora tent, which I was planning to catch anyway.
The tent is completely enclosed and, praise be, air-conditioned. Oh, and there’s a bar. Come on!
It seemed that a lot of attendees were hanging out there before the show, just to take a break from the sun. Feeble Little Horse sounded great in there and I got to hear “Sweet,” a personal favorite by the Pittsburgh-based band.
— Dorothy Elder
Ramen to cleanse the cough
Day 3 brought a nasty cough. The culprit? That good ‘ol Indio dust.
At the end of the night, I was desperate for some relief, and found it in the Indio Central Market. Ramen Hood’s OG Ramen hit the spot and I’d recommend it (or something like it) for the last day of the fest, when everything else starts to feel played out (goodbye, fried food).
The ramen is a blend of sunflower seed broth, bean sprouts, scallions, bok choy, oyster mushrooms, nori and chili threads. Yum!
— Dorothy Elder
Khruangbin is good for the soul
I have been wanting to see Khruangbin for forever (I even once wrote a final on the band in college!). They did not disappoint.
The trio is known for their blend of psychedelic rock, soul and dance music. The set was a great mix of instrumental tracks and songs with vocals from lead singer Laura Lee Ochoa.
Sitting in the crowd while I ate my dinner at the Outdoor Stage, I was blown away by the visuals, which were colorful, psychedelic and matched the music perfectly. “So We Won’t Forget” is one of the most beautiful songs to come out in the last five years and I’ll stand by that!
— Dorothy Elder
Fiasco and Aiko add star power
Luke Fiasco returned as the Heineken House’s Sunday headliner for a second consecutive weekend.
Fiasco drew a crowd that packed the intimate venue and had most of the fans singing the words of “Daydreamin’” and “Superstar.” The fans left the performance happy after chanting “Lupe” and “Thank You” at various points toward the Chicago native.
Unlike Weekend 1, Tyler the Creator didn’t return as a guest during Fiasco’s set.
Jhené Aiko’s Weekend 2 set featured guests throughout her performance on the Outdoor Stage. Her boyfriend Big Sean helped round out Aiko’s set by performing “I know,” “Beware” and “Moments” together.
Aiko was also joined on stage by Omarion for “Post To Be,” Tyga for “Sunshine” and her daughter for “Sing to me.”
— James H. Williams
