Coachella Day 1.

Tomorrow’s schedule:

Here’s our guide.

Last night, I was invited to judge a children’s ecofashion show with some other great Boulder citizens. Inspiring design, function, creativity, brave and inspired next generation. Hosted at Anthropologie.

This morning woke early, packed, Lindsey of elephant drove me to the airport just in time, Lara from the Kitchen kindly is dogsitting my pooch. I fell asleep five seconds after rising into the Colorado sky, and an hour or so later we descended into LA. Bob Soderstrom picked me up in his new Mercedes, very Batmobile, and we listened to various bands playing Coachella as we drove out old smaller roads (to avoid traffic) out to Indio, south and east of LA. We stopped, picked up my press pass (thanks, Flogging Molly, for the connect), stopped, picked up our VIP tickets (not really VIP, the tiers as far as we can tell are lowest/cheapest, then VIP [more access, better food stalls], press, artists, then true VIPs). We arrived at dingy inn that proceeded to charged us for an extra night. One of two lights wasn’t working. Room smelled like smoke. Screen door was locked permanently/broken. Smoke alarm was going off randomly. Fun! Classy.

We drove off to Coachella itself, saw faux post-hipsters in hipster uniform everywhere. Lots of great style, and lots of “I shop out of the Urban Outfitters catalog” style. Parked in VIP parking, close in, arrived at Coachella to see security guards chasing a man driving (stealing) a golf cart out of the gate. Then we were overwhelmed—amazing style, people everywhere, so different from Boulder. I ran into Mastin Kipp of The Daily Love, out of crowd of thousands we walked right into one another. I ran into friends at Sambazon, they gifted me acai and yummy healthy bowl of yumminess for free, which is nice since as usual I’m broke (Bobby, my screenwriter buddy, is paying motel and got tickets through a musician buddy, props and thank yous!).

We sat down, just watched everyone, overwhelmed, in a good way. We watched a bit of some band, then went out into the crowd for Kings of Leon. Huge flat field. Huge lights zooming into the sky. Planes flying by. High big white moon above the lights shooting into the sky. Huge stages all over, bands all playing at once. 75,000 people. Not all hip—some are old, older couples, it’s mixed and a sweet crowd. Lots of children, too. Great style, as already mentioned, overall. Everyone’s smoking something—second hand high?

The VIP area is gorgeous—old school, elegant park with gardens and old lights and tents and great food everywhere. I didn’t enjoy Kings of Leon—I like them and the crowd was fun but I wasn’t particularly feeling it. Felt a bit disconnected, but still kinda great and amazing. Just overwhelmed, I guess.

Then I met up with a friend who used to live in Boulder, then caught up with Bobby and his friend, then Bobby and I went to Flogging Molly. Best. Show. Ever. Huge enthusiastic cheerful singing-along mosh pitting crowd. We went up to VIP area, so the bass was so powerful our hearts thumped with the music. Charismatic band, lead singer, humor, heart. One song nearly got me teary, about how “we’ll get through this.” Lots of Irish drinking songs about friendship and lots of dancing. I danced and got sweaty and danced more and a few more songs and I woulda jumped over the barricade into the mosh pit, which as mentioned was pretty nice though rough of course.

Then Bobby and I, exhausted, walked through a mile of trash and drove home, to classy Palm Shadow motel.

A few great random moments: amazing huge structures, lit up. Some douchey buff guys macking on girls who looked high school age. Kings of Leon guy saying, I’d take my shirt off but I’ve gained some weight and the crowd yelling “Take it off!” Girls everywhere sitting on friends/bf’s shoulders, dancing above the crowd. Moon above in the batman lights.

Videos from today:

Second show I saw tonight—friends with a member of the band, got to hang after a bit with good humble buddies, before danced in VIP section up front right by awesome and kind (when people fell, people picked ’em up) mosh pit. Interview:

Hahahahah…this is horrible. Literally, this video is Holy Shit:

“Coachella is a concert event for neo hippies, naked beer drinkers and drug addicts. Each year the event grows in numbers and so do its cases of rape, murder and cases of teenage runways. No were else are so many drugs taken, orgies performed and victimaztion of America’s young daughters.”

Not sure what’s goin’ on with this one:

Better:

Another:

I saw KOL, our first since we arrived a bit late:

~

Warpaint, again:

We saw a bit of Black Keys from a distance:

VIPs all over: