It’s that time of year—the hype for Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2011 has arrived! Rumors of scheduled artists and headliners have tainted the web. Over 10,000 message threads and 400,000 individual posts occupy the official Coachella Message Board alone. Line-up wish lists from fans take up countless independent blog sites as well. While the actual 2011 artist lineup will not be released until the end of January or beginning of February, the history of the music festival assures festival fanatics that this year’s will be nothing less than sensational.
In October 1999, the first Coachella festival kicked off in the isolated desert of Indio, California. Headliners, Beck, Rage Against the Machine and Tool, along with eighty-one other artists brought life to the Empire Polo Club. 25,000 fans turned out: great for the festival’s first year, but not nearly enough to generate revenue.
Still dealing with the repercussions of 1999, Coachella 2000 was a no-go. Coachella counted on the 2001 festival to revive the festivals short-lived life. The event was moved to April to avoid the heat of the desert and downsized to just one-day. Jane’s Addiction reunited to headline along side Weezer. The changes proved to be the perfect remedy to revive the festival.
The following years brought about new features, evolving the festival to make up the Coachella we know today. In 2002, the two-day schedule was restored, allowing for more artists and more prominent headliners to perform. Onsite camping was permitted in 2003; fans could conveniently camp, hang out and shower right next to the festival. Inside the festival, art installations were displayed. Both the camping and appreciation for art adds to the unparalleled festival life of Coachella.
The 2007 festival finally evolved to the three-day music extravaganza; over one hundred artists could now perform in front of nearly 100,000 die-hard music lovers. In response to such great numbers, the festival has recently been trying to reduce the negative impacts the festival has on the environment. By encouraging carpooling and recycling for the chance to win VIP passes and other cool prizes, Coachella has aimed to reduce their carbon footprint.
Coachella’s growth has not only brought recognition and popularity nationally, but worldly. The festival has truly developed into a premiere music festival. Artists seek an invite to Coachella, as both headliners and supporting acts. Previous widely known headliners include: Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Pepper, Radiohead, The Cure, Coldplay, Depeche Mode, Jack Johnson, Paul McCartney, Jay-Z, Muse, as well as many more. By including acts from all genres, the festival attracts a unique array of fans, capturing the high-spirited and vibrant atmosphere that makes Coachella so notorious.
Fans for the 2011 festival have formed an infinite wish list of artists. Arcade Fire, Daft Punk, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Coldplay and Talking Heads have been highly anticipated as this year’s headliners. While any combination of these bands would be amazing, the actual 2011 lineup will not be released until the end of January or beginning of February. Stay tuned for the official lineup release and other festival details at Coachella, Facebook and Twitter.
