Coachella has become an influencer’s playground rife with Instagram-worthy backdrops and bougie socialites. This year, its heart still pierced through the facade.
Every April, music lovers and influencers alike flock to the desert of Indio, California for two weekends of sun-soaked bliss. Coachella has flourished into one of the most buzz-worthy festivals, bringing some of music’s most notorious acts to the polo fields each spring.
There is no denying that Coachella has become the hub for social media influencers, promoting their likeness and festival-forward brand deals one Instagram dump at a time. But did the heart of Coachella get lost in all the influencer fluff? I was on a mission to find out.
As an avid Coachella attendee from 2012 to 2015, I bowed just before social media changed the event. Back then, no one was posted up at the Ferris wheel striking their most glamorous pose or filming the ending of their trending TikTok edit. Instagram likes weren’t as important — and sure, celebrities were among us, but no one really knew or cared without the persistent pull of social media buzzing in our pockets.
I would show up every day barefoot, grounding into the earth’s energy without a care in the world about how I appeared. When I looked back at the videos and photos from my time spent at Coachella, a deep sense of nostalgia washes over me. The photos felt so candid and authentic, blurry groups with smiles as bright as the sun. The videos were shaky, pixelated, and full of life.
I wondered if Coachella would ever be the same again. Of course, I knew there were still people who went solely for the love of music and art, but from the outside looking in, it seemed to be washed out by all the influencer hype.
I desperately wanted to believe that magic was still there just underneath the shiny, opulent facade. So, I decided this would be the year I returned to see for myself. The second I set foot back on those dusty fields I dreamed of so fondly, It didn’t take long for me to realize that magic was still the beating pulse of Coachella, and it was there to welcome me home. After a nine-year hiatus, I returned to the desert, barefoot and all, to find the heart of Coachella once again.
One of my fondest memories of Coachella was the camping, and it was just as fun as I remembered.
Don’t get me wrong, there are benefits to a bougie Airbnb with an infinity pool and air conditioning. As I made my way to the desert, I worried if my body could still tolerate the elements after all these years. Did I fantasize about a real bed and blackout curtains at some point? Sure. Did I have one single regret about camping? Absolutely not, and here’s why.
The majority of people who camp are there for the magic. The outdoor elements have a natural tendency to weed out the people who are only there for the ‘Gram, which makes bonding with your neighbors a big part of the journey. The friendships made while camping have the potential to be unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. If you open your heart to them, they can quickly turn into family.
I was lucky enough to go with a friend whose group full of Coachella OGs invited us to tag along. We caravanned in, and our camp turned into a tiny village with a community space for all those family meals and late-night heart-to-hearts. The giggles, the inside jokes, and the genuine connection that filled the space was everything my soul needed to remember the magic was still alive. Shout out to MIRV b2b Dad Camp 2024; you’re all real ones.
We paid a pretty penny for preferred camping, but it was an absolute game changer for my first year back. Being just five minutes from the entrance meant I could wear my flowiest summer dress by day and change into my comfiest sweatsuit at night. With camp having everything we needed to stay hydrated, lit, and happy, who needed to spend $20 on drinks inside? Not today, Satan.
The camping amenities also got a major upgrade over the last decade, and I have a little disco cherry tattoo on my arm to prove it. If campers were feeling as adventurous as I was, they could pop into the tattoo shop to get a little Coachella memorabilia ink.
There was also a wellness center right next door that offered tea ceremonies and ice baths, which ended up being one of my favorite moments of the entire weekend. There was truly nothing like getting high on your own supply while escaping the brutal desert heat. And who could forget those epic silent discos? Certainly not me.
Despite all the backlash, this year’s lineup made my heart swell with nostalgia.
This year, Coachella was met with a slew of online critics, claiming the lineup lacked that Coachella-level luster and led to ticket sales reaching a historic low. But as the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and the real Coachella stans didn’t drink the haterade.
Looking beyond the headliners, this year’s lineup was absolutely stacked, with some of dance music’s biggest icons set to take over the desert. There were a handful of very special acts that really grabbed my attention, however.
As I scanned the lineup, I felt my face start to flush reading artists names who’s performances were forever seared into my memory all those years ago. I can still remember my friends pulling me into that smokey crowd to watch someone I had never heard of before, Gesaffelstein.
It was 2015, and I was not at all well versed in the dark prince’s work… yet. I will never forget picking my jaw up off the floor as I watched this handsome man in a tailored suit with a cigarette falling off his lips play the most mind-bending, earth-shattering set of my entire life.
For me, reliving that moment again with true friends and a deep, longstanding love for his music was the best moment of the entire weekend. The energy of the crowd felt exactly the same as it did in 2015. Everyone was bobbing and weaving, fully mesmerized by his talent. Drops like his classic track “Opr” led into remixes that shook the very core of all our souls until we all couldn’t see straight. But even though Gesaffelstein reined the king of the weekend, Justice was a close, close second.
Back in 2015, I had the honor of seeing Justice for the first time with two very dear friends. We shimmied together to “D.A.N.C.E.” and headbanged to “Genesis” without a care in the world and no concept of tomorrow.
Well, tomorrow eventually came, and unfortunately, one of those friends passed away. So when Justice made their epic return this year, I shimmied and head-banged and truly believed his spirit was right there beside me. The entire set was dedicated to you, Albert. Rest easy, my friend.
Those sets weren’t the only ones to bring out that bittersweet nostalgia. Y2K and ’90s alt-rock alums like No Doubt, Blur, Taking Back Sunday, and Deftones came to the desert this year, ready to cultivate a weekend full of inner child bliss for every millennial.
Coachella 2024 really said, “let’s go back to the good old days, shall we?” And boy, did we do just that. We got to rock out to the bands that raised us, and for those brief moments in time, we could close our eyes and remember the simple days before cell phones and social media even existed. It’s safe to say I’ll be going to Coachella every year from now on because my god was that the stuff of magic.
