Amidst the loud music and flashy outfits, Coachella 2024 brought together music lovers, fashionistas, and influencers. Being the largest music festival in the nation, 650,000 people fly across the country to Indio, California for a three-day weekend to witness their favorite artists. It has undeniably become a pop culture phenomenon, influencing the way we celebrate art. However, this year’s festival created mixed opinions about whether it’s living up to its standard.
“This Coachella was interesting, I saw some good performances but it could have been so much better. Their set list should’ve had bigger artists that are more relevant, like Taylor Swift or something. If they had more rap it would’ve appealed to more people, too,” said Preston Sookdeo.
Coachella headlined three major artists: Doja Cat, Tyler, the Creator, and Lana Del Rey. It is common for attendees to complain about the setlist, and there is often criticism about who should be added or removed. Inviting larger artists such as Beyonce, Taylor Swift, or Drake would have certainly created an uproar of dedicated fans to attend. Relevance plays a significant role when it comes to performing artists, making or breaking the entire festival. Differing genres is the foundation to a solid setlist, along with how artists are grouped together.
“I actually think the way they organized artist performances was messy… They made Ken Carson perform before Lana Del Rey– both have very different fan bases and the crowd was just a catastrophe,” said Kenneth Hafford.
A large topic of discussion on social media was the order of performers. Ken Carson, an upcoming rap artist, leads a fan base of listeners who create harsh mosh pits (where members of the audience dance energetically and violently). Inherently, this interferes with other fan bases in the same crowd– in this case being Lana Del Rey’s mellow listeners. Organizing the days and stages depending on the music genre would make for a more enjoyable experience to these diverse audiences.
“Yeah, Coachella is great and all but people don’t really talk about how the festival is not eco-friendly at all. I just know about all the carbon dioxide emissions and it’s actually pretty crazy. There are millions of dollars spent on these shows,” said Preston Sookdeo.
Although there were plenty of amazing performances by America’s favorites, they have an environmental cost. It is difficult to ignore the 662 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emitted, along with 1,600 tons of waste being produced in 2021, solely from Coachella. To add onto these numbers, artists and influencers travel on private jets as a status symbol. Becoming more sustainable has been a request for years as we inch towards intense global warming, but there have been minor improvements.
“Honestly, there have been better Coachellas and I wished there were more iconic performances. I can’t complain because they had cool ways of exposing smaller artists, but I think the entire festival is losing its popularity,” said Kenneth Hafford.
The festival had reached its peak in the late 2010s, leaving its popularity to fade. As pop culture evolves, different trends and influencers are arising– leading to disinterest for in-person festivals. Especially after the pandemic, there has been an increase in the utilization of wide-streaming platforms, reducing the urge to physically be at these festivals.
Coachella 2024 has accumulated extremely mixed reviews, encapsulating some of the best and worst performances ever given. There are glaring improvement factors that would allow the festival to grow exponentially, including their sustainability controversies, lack of organization, and relevancy. Hopefully, next year Coachella builds themself to a great comeback as the nation’s biggest event that connects artists, content creators, and audiophiles.
