California Lutheran University's Student Newspaper Since 1961

The Echo

California Lutheran University's Student Newspaper Since 1961

The Echo

California Lutheran University's Student Newspaper Since 1961

The Echo

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    Mainstream festivals lack music appreciation

    Coachella has come to a close and the highlights of the festival are still gracing social media feeds. The main focus seems to be more about the fashion trends and the stars who attended this infamous festival. But, what about the music?

    From the start, the excitement of Coachella had already garnered some criticism for the increased sale prices. A single general admission ticket to the world-famous festival started at $375. Pricing increased with the additions of parking, camping and shuttle passes. In less than 20 minutes, tickets to both weekends sold out, resulting in a collective jealousy among those who could not obtain a ticket.

    Anthony Ortiz, a sophomore at Pierce College in Woodland Hills, Calif. and an avid music fanatic, said that the price increase does have a profound effect on the festival and the turn out of the attendees.

    โ€œIt greatly affects people that are able to attend the festival simply for the fact that it is people who can afford to spend $500 on a ticket, which means they are relatively middle-class or upper-class,โ€ Ortiz said. โ€œPersonally, I think that Coachella tickets should be made cheaper and should focus more on local bands or underground indie bands instead of being this whole ridiculous event.โ€

    There are people who genuinely wanted to be at Coachella, but simply could not attend due to the prices. On Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms, there are regular Coachella attendees who express their disdain for the line-up, but still go simply because they can afford to.

    Of course, there are some who agree with this stand point, but choose to accept the situation for what it is.

    โ€œI can understand why they would raise prices. Tickets are high in demand and they bring big name artists,โ€ said Meisha Mossayebi, a sophomore at California Lutheran University. โ€œI donโ€™t believe itโ€™s fair seeing that they always sell out and bring in a ridiculous amount of money. But, people will continue to buy, no matter how expensive.โ€

    Already, the focus on the music had been brushed under the rug. Blogs, news outlets and other forms of media started to become concerned with what to wear to Coachella and which celebrities would attend.

    โ€œBack when I was in high school, Coachella wasnโ€™t even a big deal,โ€ said music enthusiast Noemi Navarro. โ€œPeople who would actually go were people who were genuinely interested in the music. Now, itโ€™s all about whatโ€™s hip.โ€

    Fads and trends are now the main concerns surrounding the two-weekend event. Stereogum.com had reported a โ€œCoachella dietโ€ being practiced among the attendees in order to ensure a โ€œgreat Coachella bodโ€ in time for the event.

    According to the New York Daily News, celebrities are paid to attend the festival. Much to peopleโ€™s dismay, this news seemed to gather multiple viewpoints.
    โ€œI think itโ€™s cool that there are celebrities there, but not necessarily that they are paid to be there,โ€ Ortiz said. โ€œI feel as though they should only go if they truly love the music thatโ€™s being played.โ€

    Others are a bit put off by the whole situation.

    โ€œI donโ€™t really like that celebrities are paid to attend,โ€ Mossayebi said. โ€œPeople spend hundreds of dollars to attend and see artists they like. It doesnโ€™t seem fair that celebrities are paid to go. Coachella is supposed to bring people together with music and having people there just for appearance kind of ruins the meaning for me.โ€

    During the first weekend of Coachella, there was criticism of the audiences who were present at the concerts, especially during Outkastโ€™s reunion set. It was the bandโ€™s first performance of 40 this year to celebrate their 20th anniversary.

    Some argue the audience was dull and it was clear that the atmosphere affected the bandโ€™s ability to perform. Outkast definitely did not deserve the disrespectful response they received. The palpable indifference that was present during their first performance was painful to watch.

    It can be argued who is at fault for the sad response, whether it was the young, uninformed crowd or whether Outkastโ€™s set was not well thought out or rehearsed.

    But, some feel strongly about why the outcome of this performance played out the way it did, especially Chris Garcia, a sophomore from Emerson University.

    โ€œHardly any of the people attending honestly know or care about Outkast,โ€ Garcia said. โ€œThey โ€˜careโ€™ because theyโ€™re being told to. Going against the hype, when itโ€™s Coachella, isnโ€™t acceptable within the Coachella atmosphere.โ€

    Their second performance the following weekend did prove to be better. The crowd called for an encore and Outkastโ€™s Big Boi and Andre 3000 were all clad with smiles.

    The integrity and meaning of Coachella are fleeting. It is not about the music nor is it about seeing these bands do what they love. The festival has now become a trend. It is about who wore what and celebrity sightings. The superiority complex of โ€œone uppingโ€ one another is now creating completely different desire among this generation.

    Who wore it best? Who got to meet a certain celebrity? But, the real question is, what about the music?

     

    Alexaย Datuin
    Staff Writer
    Published April 23, 2014