By Ashley Torres
The once freshly-cut grass of the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California is now a mix of sporadic patches of exposed earth and lifeless grass. The terrain of the Coachella Valley could not handle the impact of two consecutive weekends of the world renowned music festival known for its abundance of celebrity guests and superb musical lineup--Coachella.
On January 2nd, the world-renowned music festival released the 2018 lineup on their official Twitter account. Headliners such as The Weeknd, Beyonce, and Eminem are scheduled to perform on the first weekend (April 13th–15th) as well as the following weekend (April 20th–22nd).
Surprisingly, this is the first year Coachella has not included a single rock headliner since it’s opening date in 1999.
“This is one of the few times [people] can see their favorite artists on stage and get to cheer and sing along with someone they admire, someone they look up to. It’s fun,” said Stacy Torres, a music festival enthusiast.
Torres has been to BottleRock 2015 in Napa Valley, CA; Coachella 2016 in Indio, CA; Outside Lands 2016 and 2017 in San Francisco, CA; FYF 2017 in Los Angeles, CA; and Festival Coordenada 2017 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, which was her first music festival outside of the United States.
“It’s not just music: there’s food, arts, you get to go with your friends. Overall, it’s just a very special experience, and it creates memories that you can look back to when you’re older and have kids of your own,” she said.
Although the festival may appear glamorous with all of the celebrity guests, there appears the lackluster side of things.
Coachella, along with other musical festivals, are heavily influenced by money from their sponsors. According to the LA Times, about 594,000 people attend Coachella annually. With such a large attendance, it’s expected from companies, such as Sephora and HP, to sponsor the event to promote their products on different social media platforms.
“I have no problem paying for a ticket as long as I know where my money is going,” said Torres, “I don’t mind if these corporations take my money, as long as they give the product that they are offering me and I enjoy it, I don’t see a problem with that.”
However, it is not just Coachella serving as a money-making machine that contributes to the festival’s infamous reputation--it’s the music festival owner’s problematic actions and the blatant cultural appropriation.
On January 2nd, the world-renowned music festival released the 2018 lineup on their official Twitter account. Headliners such as The Weeknd, Beyonce, and Eminem are scheduled to perform on the first weekend (April 13th–15th) as well as the following weekend (April 20th–22nd).
Surprisingly, this is the first year Coachella has not included a single rock headliner since it’s opening date in 1999.
“This is one of the few times [people] can see their favorite artists on stage and get to cheer and sing along with someone they admire, someone they look up to. It’s fun,” said Stacy Torres, a music festival enthusiast.
Torres has been to BottleRock 2015 in Napa Valley, CA; Coachella 2016 in Indio, CA; Outside Lands 2016 and 2017 in San Francisco, CA; FYF 2017 in Los Angeles, CA; and Festival Coordenada 2017 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, which was her first music festival outside of the United States.
“It’s not just music: there’s food, arts, you get to go with your friends. Overall, it’s just a very special experience, and it creates memories that you can look back to when you’re older and have kids of your own,” she said.
Although the festival may appear glamorous with all of the celebrity guests, there appears the lackluster side of things.
Coachella, along with other musical festivals, are heavily influenced by money from their sponsors. According to the LA Times, about 594,000 people attend Coachella annually. With such a large attendance, it’s expected from companies, such as Sephora and HP, to sponsor the event to promote their products on different social media platforms.
“I have no problem paying for a ticket as long as I know where my money is going,” said Torres, “I don’t mind if these corporations take my money, as long as they give the product that they are offering me and I enjoy it, I don’t see a problem with that.”
However, it is not just Coachella serving as a money-making machine that contributes to the festival’s infamous reputation--it’s the music festival owner’s problematic actions and the blatant cultural appropriation.
Philip Anschutz, the founder of the festival’s parent company, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), is known for donating money large sums of money to anti-LGBTQ, pro-gun, and pro-life organizations. He donated roughly $10 thousand to the Family Research Council and National Christian Foundation, both known for being ‘ultra conservative.’
Coachella attendees called Anschutz out and claimed he was homophobic for his actions. In 2017, he responded to the allegations by saying that it was, “nothing more than fake news.”
He also supports the Republican party through donations to government officials. According to Spin, Anschutz donated more than $1 million to conservative causes in the 2016 presidential election season. He also donated $5.4 thousand to House Speaker Paul Ryan, who responded to a question about climate change with, “I don’t know the answer to that question. I don’t think science does, either.”
Coachella attendees worry that their money is being used to sponsor organizations and people who they do not share the same beliefs with. So much so, certain individuals have decided to boycott Coachella and not support the performing artists.
“It’s really hard when you want to see an artist or a band, but you know that the founder [of Coachella] has very different opinions from what you believe. I don’t think it should mix with the artist. They’re separate people,” said Stacy Torres, “I could easily not go and say, ‘This is not where I want my money to go to because of my beliefs.’ We can choose not to go.”
Another large issue seen numerous times at Coachella is the appropriation of cultures to prove a “fashion” statement. In actuality, it is demeaning to use certain aspects of different cultures just for an aesthetic.
“It’s one of the biggest problems they have,” said Torres, “Festival goers appropriate cultures by wearing native american headdresses [and] bindis.”
For example, Kylie Jenner wore cornrows to Coachella in 2016 and everyone believed she created a new summer trend, which was far from the truth. According to Teen Vogue, the hairstyle dates back to ancient Africa and whenever a black woman wore them, it was considered “unprofessional.”
However, when Kylie Jenner was seen with the hairstyle, it was considered a “trend.” What she did was not appreciation, it was erasure.
“Braids are not new. Black women have been wearing braids for a very long time. Another problem is it became new and fresh and fun, because it was on someone else other than a black woman. You know what I mean? So that is the frustration,” said Zendaya in an interview with the Daily Mail.
Coachella will always remain as a place for music lovers to enjoy seeing their favorite artists live with the people they love. That aspect will never change. What needs to change are the actions of Philip Anschutz and the belief that festival fashion equals cultural appropriation.
Coachella attendees called Anschutz out and claimed he was homophobic for his actions. In 2017, he responded to the allegations by saying that it was, “nothing more than fake news.”
He also supports the Republican party through donations to government officials. According to Spin, Anschutz donated more than $1 million to conservative causes in the 2016 presidential election season. He also donated $5.4 thousand to House Speaker Paul Ryan, who responded to a question about climate change with, “I don’t know the answer to that question. I don’t think science does, either.”
Coachella attendees worry that their money is being used to sponsor organizations and people who they do not share the same beliefs with. So much so, certain individuals have decided to boycott Coachella and not support the performing artists.
“It’s really hard when you want to see an artist or a band, but you know that the founder [of Coachella] has very different opinions from what you believe. I don’t think it should mix with the artist. They’re separate people,” said Stacy Torres, “I could easily not go and say, ‘This is not where I want my money to go to because of my beliefs.’ We can choose not to go.”
Another large issue seen numerous times at Coachella is the appropriation of cultures to prove a “fashion” statement. In actuality, it is demeaning to use certain aspects of different cultures just for an aesthetic.
“It’s one of the biggest problems they have,” said Torres, “Festival goers appropriate cultures by wearing native american headdresses [and] bindis.”
For example, Kylie Jenner wore cornrows to Coachella in 2016 and everyone believed she created a new summer trend, which was far from the truth. According to Teen Vogue, the hairstyle dates back to ancient Africa and whenever a black woman wore them, it was considered “unprofessional.”
However, when Kylie Jenner was seen with the hairstyle, it was considered a “trend.” What she did was not appreciation, it was erasure.
“Braids are not new. Black women have been wearing braids for a very long time. Another problem is it became new and fresh and fun, because it was on someone else other than a black woman. You know what I mean? So that is the frustration,” said Zendaya in an interview with the Daily Mail.
Coachella will always remain as a place for music lovers to enjoy seeing their favorite artists live with the people they love. That aspect will never change. What needs to change are the actions of Philip Anschutz and the belief that festival fashion equals cultural appropriation.