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opinion
Peaceful
sounds in the desert
Not all massive gatherings in Los Angeles have to result in
violence and the third Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
in Indio this past weekend was evidence that peaceful events
can indeed occur.
Maybe it was the 125-mile distance east of L.A or perhaps
it was the blazing desert sun confusing people. Who knows?
It could have been the drugs inevitably laced with music and
art that caused people to get along with each other. But one
thing is for sure: the music is what this event was all about.
For those of you that don't know, the Coachella festival is
like an appetizer sampler of music you know and love and music
you'd like to try, but aren't so sure you want to commit to
ordering a full plate of.
This year's lineup was comprised of over 60 artists and DJs
from an eclectic range of genres, mostly underground
rock and electronic, which reflected in the flavorful crowd
that the festival attracted. Fans of headliners Bjork, Oasis,
Sasha & Digweed and BT to fans of The Strokes, Belle &
Sebastian, Galactic, Zero 7, Jurassic 5, the (International)
Noise Conspiracy, KRS One, Blonde Redhead and Mars Volta spread
a nice relaxed vibe across the desert field.
Last year was mellower and less flashy, even with Jane's Addiction
headlining, but with bands like Prodigy this year, one could
easily expect an explosive crowd -- especially because a crowd
of 55,000 people can get ugly, easily. Couple the crowd with
extreme traffic delays, long lines and parking frustrations
and one would expect security to have their hands full. At
one point in the night, you couldn't see where the sea of
bodies began or ended and walking three steps without running
into and stepping on people was impossible. However, the security
guards I spoke with were actually complaining about how bored
they were. The only sirens that blared Sunday came from the
golf-cart ambulances transporting limp-bodied people who apparently
couldn't handle their drugs -- but that's a whole different
issue.
With as many palates as Coachella catered to, the event still
proved that good music, in or out of the mainstream, draws
good people and when people come together with an open mind,
a positive experience of exploring beyond your own realm could
happen. Coachella offered pure musical enjoyment without the
extraneous bullshit that has become something to expect with
such large numbers in attendance.
And for those of you that do know, wasn't it great? I'm looking
forward to next year's lineup as well as hoping that peaceful
events like these can continue. See you then.
Christine Shin is a journalism major at Cal State Long
Beach.
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Christine
Shin
-
Jargon Juxtaposed -
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