In December, Phoebe suggests to Brian "We should go to Coachella". Brian says "Yes, let's do it". Brian relays the following to Derek "Hey, we're going to Coachella, you should come". Derek replies "Let me think about it". In January, Phoebe tells Derek "Hey, we're going to Coachella, and we have space in the apartment, you should come". Derek responds "Oh yeah, Brian mentioned this. Let me think about it". In February, it's 3 am in the morning and Robert adds Derek to a WhatsApp group chat called "Coachello 2027 first week". The name of the event is wrong, so is the year. Derek is intrigued and immediately books flights to Los Angeles.
Coachella, the music festival associated with faux Bohemian, dessert palms trees and the Ferris wheel has not been on my radar of things to do. However, the performance line up, the minimal time off work and the group of people traveling was enough to convince me that this would be the best way to spend my Easter. The only problem was, I didn't have Coachella tickets, which was the least of my concerns, these things usually work themselves out.
I had exhausted all options on the secondary market (Gumtree, Craigslist, etc) and was resigned to the last resort of Viagogo; with an expected premium of 2x the retail price. That was until, I found a third use for dating apps, e-Commerce. A dormant match roused into a non-sequitur, non-contiguous thread that folded between broccoli sprouts and apple cider vinegar and eventually availability of Coachella tickets. We exchanged details and through friends the transaction was finalised. All the while, I wondered if this was an elaborate ploy to scam unsuspecting victims out of their hard earned cash in exchange for the promise of hard-to-acquire goods and services. My fears were allayed when the wristbands beeped with confirmation as I passed through the gates of Coachella 2017. Aside from actually finding a life partner, and/or getting laid this was the next best use for swiping right.
So how was it? Well, mixed feelings. The performances were excellent, Kendrick, Gaga, The Fugees, Drake, Empire of the Sun all amazing. The downside was the crowds and inter-stage navigation. It was an absolute nightmare getting in, out and around the venue especially when there's another 90,000 people trying to do the same. From vehicle drop off to the main stage, it took around 40 minutes, including a long walk, multiple security checks and an ID check. The glaring smear on the event was the 3 hour UBER line on the first night. We ended up rushing the car park as the new "UBER ID" system had failed and reduced us to a Hunger Games situation where there was no longer any rules.
I think what really made me sour was the fact that I lost my phone on the first evening. Which kind of put me in a bad mood, particularly because I was planning to meet up with friends who were also at the festival from Sydney and Hong Kong. Anyway, I'm over it!
It was not all doom and gloom - It was so good being at a legitimate music festival. For me, most of the fun happened outside, with the road trip from LAX to Palm Springs. Eating our way through the classics: Inn-and-Out, McDonalds, Burger King, IHOP. Foraging for groceries at Stater Bros, trying to find medical marijuana and spending hours trying to cultivate the perfect Coachella outfit. Would I go again? Maybe, if the right line-up presented itself.
Currently reading: "The Magic of Thinking Big"
Coachella, the music festival associated with faux Bohemian, dessert palms trees and the Ferris wheel has not been on my radar of things to do. However, the performance line up, the minimal time off work and the group of people traveling was enough to convince me that this would be the best way to spend my Easter. The only problem was, I didn't have Coachella tickets, which was the least of my concerns, these things usually work themselves out.
I had exhausted all options on the secondary market (Gumtree, Craigslist, etc) and was resigned to the last resort of Viagogo; with an expected premium of 2x the retail price. That was until, I found a third use for dating apps, e-Commerce. A dormant match roused into a non-sequitur, non-contiguous thread that folded between broccoli sprouts and apple cider vinegar and eventually availability of Coachella tickets. We exchanged details and through friends the transaction was finalised. All the while, I wondered if this was an elaborate ploy to scam unsuspecting victims out of their hard earned cash in exchange for the promise of hard-to-acquire goods and services. My fears were allayed when the wristbands beeped with confirmation as I passed through the gates of Coachella 2017. Aside from actually finding a life partner, and/or getting laid this was the next best use for swiping right.
So how was it? Well, mixed feelings. The performances were excellent, Kendrick, Gaga, The Fugees, Drake, Empire of the Sun all amazing. The downside was the crowds and inter-stage navigation. It was an absolute nightmare getting in, out and around the venue especially when there's another 90,000 people trying to do the same. From vehicle drop off to the main stage, it took around 40 minutes, including a long walk, multiple security checks and an ID check. The glaring smear on the event was the 3 hour UBER line on the first night. We ended up rushing the car park as the new "UBER ID" system had failed and reduced us to a Hunger Games situation where there was no longer any rules.
I think what really made me sour was the fact that I lost my phone on the first evening. Which kind of put me in a bad mood, particularly because I was planning to meet up with friends who were also at the festival from Sydney and Hong Kong. Anyway, I'm over it!
It was not all doom and gloom - It was so good being at a legitimate music festival. For me, most of the fun happened outside, with the road trip from LAX to Palm Springs. Eating our way through the classics: Inn-and-Out, McDonalds, Burger King, IHOP. Foraging for groceries at Stater Bros, trying to find medical marijuana and spending hours trying to cultivate the perfect Coachella outfit. Would I go again? Maybe, if the right line-up presented itself.
Currently reading: "The Magic of Thinking Big"
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