November 5, 2025 • 24 mins
What makes Coachella so iconic? Author Katie Bain shares her insights on the legendary performances and trendsetting moments that make this festival one of the biggest in the world!
Purchase a copy of Desert Dreams: The Music, Style, and Allure of Coachella
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's a fashion show, a media circus, a party marathon,
but most of all, it's a place for one hundred
and twenty five thousand people to gather together to experience
the power of live music. It's the story of Coachella.
Next on Booked on Rock, who We're totally booked rock
and roll.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I mean, I'll leave you. You're reading. Little Hands says
it's time to rock and roll.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Roll up, I totally booked. Welcome back to Booked on Rock.
This is the podcast for those about to read and rock.
I'm Eric Senach. Our guest is Katie Vain, the author
of Desert Dreams, The Music, Style and Allure of Coachella.
(00:42):
Welcome to the podcast, Katie, Thank you very much for
having me. I guess we should start with two guys here,
Paul Tillette and Gary Tova. They're the guys who met
and changed the trajectory of live music in America. This
meeting could have ended up in a turf war, as
you write, but they hit it off, became friends.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
That's exactly right. And I mean it sounds hyperbolic to
say it changed the trajectory of the American live music scene,
but like I truly believe that that is real, and
that it was kind of a faded meeting between these
two Southern California punk producers who, like you said, could
have been enemies but found that they liked each other
(01:20):
and sort of working together, and you know, thus came Coachella.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Pearl Jam actually comes into play here. Pearl Jam was
battling with Ticketmaster at one point, as we know, it's
a famous story, and they were going to play a
gig and they didn't want to play there because of Ticketmaster. Right,
can you connect the dots here?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Yeah, I know, you're exactly right. This is this is
super interesting. So it was the Versus tour in ninety three,
and they were not going to play in Southern California
because none of the big venues here, all of the
venues here worked with Ticketmaster, and as you said, the
band was boycotting Ticketmaster at that time. And so you know,
(01:58):
these entrepreneurial promote that we discussed said, hey, if we
can find you a site, a venue to play that's
not Ticketmaster affiliated, would you come to play? And Pearl
Jam and their team you know, obviously said yes. And
so they found this site that was about one hundred
and twenty thirty miles east of Los Angeles, and in
(02:20):
ninety three was I think in the say in the
book like the absolute sticks, like it was really the
middle of nowhere, and it was Indio. It was the
Polo Field, and that is of course where the site,
you know, would it would become Coachella eventually, but I
think that was the prototype. And they fought, okay, like,
not only does this work as a festival site, but
(02:40):
people will drive out here, And it all went pretty smoothly.
People threw their shoes at the band, and I think
Eddie Vedder got hit by a shoe, but the issues
were relatively minor, and so they, you know, saw it
as a venue for the first time.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Yeah, And the first Coachella took place October ninth and tenth,
nineteen ninety nine. And you lead the chapter with quote,
anyone who was there remembers one thing for sure, it
was hot as hell. But those who were there say
the magic was also there from the start, rage against
the machine Beck, the chemical brothers, Tool and Harper, and
the innocent criminals. Morrissey was there as well, a very
(03:17):
different audience than Woodstock ninety nine, which had just taken
place three months later, Right, this was a very mellow,
subdued crown that got along.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Well, yeah, isn't that fascinating? I think. Yeah, it's in
the book that tickets for Coachella went on sale the
day after Woodstock ninety nine ended, and you know, as
we all know, that was just like an unmitigated disaster
and really really very dangerous and when you watch the documentary,
it's shocking what went on there. And so yeah, as
(03:49):
you said, some of the same acts that played Woodstock
ninety nine then came across the country to Coachella three
months later and had an extremely different experience. I was
talking some friends who were there at that first Coachella,
and they said that there were like some angst in
the air of what is it going to be like
is it going to go down like Woodstock did? And
(04:09):
there was maybe a little bit of tension, but by
and large, the crowd was massively more peaceful and the
site was more habitable for humans. Woodstock ninety nine happened
on a tarmac at a navy or excuse me, a
military base, and Coachella happened in like a paradisical garden.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
And so maybe that's part of That answer is part
of the question because I was wondering, what do you
attribute that to? So environment, location, Yeah, I.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Think environment and location, because you know, you put people
on tarmac for three four days in the hot sun,
they don't have great access to water, things are expensive.
It just like Woodstock ninety nine was inhospitable and after
four days people are pissed and they're gonna rebel, and
they obviously did. There wasn't really I don't want to
(05:03):
say there was no chance of that happening at Coachella,
but it was just a much more comfortable environment to
be in despite the heat, and you know, water was cheaper,
water was abundant. They were on grass like it makes
a difference, you know, in our biology how we feel
and therefore how we act.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Interesting And the first edition didn't make any money. Why
was that? And then what changes did they make from
that point on?
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Paul Tilett in one of the articles that I referenced
that you know, tickets cost fifty dollars a day, they
should have been fifty five. They did I think five
stages year one, it should have been four. They just
went really big out the gate and they didn't have
it dialed right away, so they lost a bunch of money.
They took two thousand off. Coachella did not happen. So
(05:47):
year two is two thousand and one, and by that
point AEG had come in this you know, bigger parent
company and saw the promise of what they had done
and kind of infused Coachella and Golden Voice with some cash,
and then it was kind of off to the races.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
And it returned in two thousand and one, but the
event was still a long way from becoming that international
juggernaut it would become. Among the factors contributing to its
increase in popularity were a few key bookings who were
the artists you would say made a big impact. Radiohead
and five. That was a turning point.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Yeah, that was a turning point, absolutely, because you know,
at that time Radio had was one of the biggest
bands in the world, still one of the biggest bands
in the world, but really at that time was boundary pushing,
super critical Darling. And so when Coachella booked, you know,
obviously the Becks and the Chemical Brothers and the Orbs
and the Tools and the Rage against the Machines of
(06:40):
the world, like those are all great bands, but Radiohead
was really cutting edge, and so for Coachella to get
that kind of prestigious booking I think was like a
head turning moment and just brought a lot more eyes
to it.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
And by twenty eleven, it was America's most prestigious and
influential music fest. And how did technology make it even bigger?
Speaker 2 (07:03):
That's a great question. So I just I find this
element of the story fascinating because there's really all this
dovetailing of factors things coming together that really boosted the
visibility and influence of Coachella. But I think it's two
things specifically. One is the live stream. Coachella started being
live streamed on YouTube in twenty eleven, and so it
(07:26):
became not just this thing, this holiday for people in
southern California and beyond to travel to and experience know about.
But the people that were far beyond that are the
people that couldn't afford to come, or don't like crowds,
or get exhausted and want to be the same, you know,
whatever reason you don't want to go to a festival
or you can't go. The live stream brought those walls
(07:48):
down and it just became this free event that anybody
in the world could tap into anyone with an Internet connection.
And at the same time, Instagram launched in twenty eleven,
and so in tandem, you're having now all of these
people who are there wanting to show people that they're there.
And so you see the rise of influencer culture and
(08:12):
just promoting the festival and social media through kind of
organic marketing. The organic marketing that social media offers in
a way that just made the festival really buzzy and
so much bigger because suddenly everybody that was there was
kind of reporting from it, if you will.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
And everybody wasn't wanted to be there exactly because of
what they.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Saw, exactly exactly, And so I mean call it, you know,
you could call the livestream an active benevolence. I'm like, oh,
you know, we're going to share this with people around
the world. But it's, you know, one of the greatest
marketing tools that a festival has ever known.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
So talk about the layout of Coachella, the key locations.
The photos in the book are beautiful. It's a beautiful
location for music festival. Seventy eight acres. You're isolated from
the rest of the world. There's a the icon of
ferris wheel art installations. There's even an air conditioned tent.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Oh yeah, there's a few. Yeah, I mean, obviously the
ferris wheel is kind of the landmark and the thing
people it's kind of synonymous with Coachella. I've never been
on it myself, but it's a big ferris wheel. And
then there are these incredible art installations, some of which
change from year to year. But then there's the Rainbow
(09:26):
Tower that it's called Spectra, that has become kind of
synonymous with the festival and is now a permanent installation.
And then it's it's not just the art and the structures,
but the grass and the palm trees and the Bogan
villa and kind of the particular smell the air has
because you know that there are horses around, and so
(09:48):
it's just like this really interesting alchemy of factors that
come in to make that site feel like, no, they're
place in the world.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
That's so cool. Katie Banny is the author of Desert Dreams,
The Music Style and a Lore of co Cella. The
chapter top headline moments in one of them Roger Waters
performing in two thousand and eight and something happened to
his inflatable pig. Was it an accident? Maybe not.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
I love this story. I think this story is hilarious
and I think it really shows that for all of
the extremely choreographed moments that these artists pull off on
stage and spent months perfecting, there are these kind of
goofy things that happened. So yeah, as you said, Roger
Waters in two thousand and eight had an inflatable pig
(10:32):
as part of his show. People have probably seen this
in his you know, touring over the years. But the
pig got loose from its tethers and floated away. And
this thing is big. It's like as big as a
school bus, I think, and Coachella wanted it back. They
wanted to find it, so they put out a, you know,
(10:52):
an announcement saying that anybody who helped in the returning
of the pig would get a reward, which I think
was some money and then festival tickets for life. And
the people that ended up making the call were two couples,
because the pig was so big that it spread across
two different front yards, and the team from Coachella arrives
(11:14):
and I'm like, yep, that's our pig. I just think
that it's like, when you really think about what that
looked like, I think that's a very funny visual. And
the reporting went that the couple very benevolently donated the
money to local music classes for kids.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
That's awesome. Well, the question of wasn't an accident or not,
because maybe it was a publicity thing. I mean that
happened actually back in whatever year was with that, Animals
came out and there was an actual pig that got
loose in England and that made the news so interesting.
It's a great way to get some free publicity.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
I think Animals was seventy seven, so thirty years later,
it's still the pig for promo.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
And then the following year Morrissey walked off stage.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Yes also animal related, Yes, famously Vegan Morrissey said from
the stage that he I don't have the exact quote,
but you know smelled the burning flesh of animals, basically
referring to whatever, you know, smoke was on the air
(12:27):
from you know, a barbecue, whatever food stand was preparing
you know, a hamburger or whatever, and marched off stage
because it's so disgusted him. And you know we know
that about Morrissey. He refuses to play in venues sometimes
served meat. It's a very real cause for him, and
so yeah, he didn't like that smell.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Hey guys, we'll get back to the show, but first
I want to tell you about an exclusive deal for
Booked on Rock listeners get fifteen percent off any purchase
at old glory dot com over three hundred thousand officially
licensed items covering music, sports, entertainment, and pop culture merchandise
featuring legendary music artists like Bob Marley, The Beatles, Grateful Dead, Pink,
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(13:12):
dot com. Make sure to use the promo code. Booked
on Ron. Also find a link in this episode show notes,
or just go to Booked on Rock dot com and
click on my deals. Quite a few memorable performances over
the years, along with two we mentioned. You see that
possibly the first instance of the special guest phenomenon became
in two thousand and two when DJ z Trip brought
(13:33):
out a special guest. Who was that guest?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
That guest was back, yes who, as you said, played
the first year at the festival, but I think this
year was just hanging out and happened to be backstage
and you know, whatever conversation needs to add, they decided
it would be a good idea. I'm sure it was.
There is very almost no footage of it because this
is before the smartphone era, but it really is the
(13:58):
first instance I could find of this phenomenon that is
very Coachella specific of artists bringing out other artists, and
that's the whole weekend one. You know, one of the
big pillars is who are they going to bring out?
I heard they're bringing out so and so are I
heard this is? You know, and there are these megawatt
like crazy famous guests that come out during other artists' performance,
(14:22):
and it can be really exciting.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Yeah, again, the buzz people start talking who's going to
be there?
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Totally and sometimes it's not true. You know. I have
some friends who recall, I forget what year, but running
sprinting across the stage because they thought someone was bringing
out Daft Punk, and of course that was not a
real thing. But these rumors get started and it adds
to this kind of like buzzy hype on the site
on an even day, which can be really fun.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
And you list the twenty one most essential sets at
Coachella let's get to some and what made their sets
so special. Tell us about Rage against the Machine. It
goes way back to nineteen ninety nine.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Yeah, that's well, it was the first year and Rage
was again like one of the biggest bands in the world.
And I mean, I think it's just really a foundational
moment for the festival because it speaks to the roots
of Golden Voice and this sort of punk alternative rock
(15:21):
scene that the festival kind of emerged from.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
What's interesting is there there's a range of acts in
terms of age groups that would be into these bands.
It's a younger audience, but still you've got these bands
like Guns of Roses, The Cure, Iggy and the Stooges.
That's on the list too, that's from two thousand and three,
the big reunion show, right the Stones, Yeah, pretty interesting.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Iggy and the Stooges is interesting because it's also symbolic
of what was another tenth pole phenomenon of the Coachella lineup,
So just the reunions of like who is going to
get back together to perform at Coachella. Obviously, the Pixies
was a really big one in under that umbrella outcast.
You could look at no doubt, you know, even in
(16:08):
years years, recent years, excuse me, and so yeah, I
selected eating the Stooges just for that reason, because it
was really indicative of something that would become very Coachella specifice.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
The average age of the audience, it's a good question.
I mean late twenties or actually probably late teens through twenties.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
So older I get, the younger they seen, right, So
I would say it does depend. Obviously, demographics don't shift
day by day as much as they used to do
when you could buy day passes. But I will say,
like I'm thinking for example of twenty fifteen, when Jack
(16:54):
White was Saturday Night and then Drake was a Sunday
Night headliner, and you could kind of feel the difference
in who was there, you know, like for Jack White
it was like old, it was older people, and for
Draca was younger people. But I would say, there are
you know, I don't know how you want to classify old.
(17:15):
I would probably classify myself as old at this point,
but there are a lot of like, you know, adults
of a certain stature that are there in addition to
all the kids.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
And it's really just that love though, I mean that's
what's so cool about it, just bringing everybody together all
and I.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Think, like, you know, certain demographics are pulled over to
this stage and then you have a younger demographic over here,
but everyone's there, and it's just kind of where you're
spending your time and putting your attention.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Love that. Yeah, Now Radiohead from four there was some
doubt there that the band would even perform.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Yes, that's right. So I think that they had been
playing in Australia or it was something quite far away
from from Indio and Tom York was having vocal issues,
and I think it was just you know, I it
made me actually grateful reporting this part of just the
existence of kind of small, granular news pieces that maybe
(18:15):
at the time seemed significant but kind of create this
trail of history because I found a short piece from
Billboard actually being like Tom York sites vocal issues, unsure
if he will play next shows, And the next shows,
you know, were Coachella was Coachella. But he showed up.
He sounded great. If he was in pain, he did
not indicate it during that performance.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Prince's two thousand and eight performance Prince came at a
high price, but Tollette said it was worth every penny
talk about the show he brought the party.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
Oh my god, that was my first Coachella. That was
the first.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Okay, great tell us, tell us.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
I ever set foot on the field. So it's a
very you know, it's a very special memory, I'm sure
for everyone who was there. But Prince's what brought me
to Coachella for the first time.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
He was added to the lineup two weeks before, two
or three weeks before, which was a big deal, Like
that doesn't happen very often, and as you said, they
paid a lot to get him out there. However, I
had seen Prince a few times by that time. This
was the best. This was above and beyond, and Prince
is always great, but this was like we went out
(19:22):
to space together or something. He had Morris Day. I
think Sheila he was there. It was just it felt
like a party on stage. He did a lot of
covers kind of like non sequitor, like, huh, he's playing that.
But one of them, of course, famously was the radio
head cover of Creep, which became one of like the
defining moments of Coachella. He played like a very long,
(19:44):
slowed down version of Little Red Corvette and then you know,
by the time he did Purple Rain, I had kind
of forgotten that was even a possibility. So when the
opening notes of that song came on, it was like,
and now we get per you know, like we've been
on this like incredible musical journey together if you will.
(20:06):
I know it's cheesy, but ending the show with that
was like sacred really for me.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
So jealous man. Yeah, it's like he rose to the
occasion because you knew how big of an event.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
One thousand percent, and yeah, he just he just brought
it and he's prince like, of course he did.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
I'm a huge fan of the Cure. Their O nine
show among the twenty one best, a very long set.
In fact, they kept playing even after the PA system
was cut, and there was what you called an intimate
sing along by show is end.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Yes, Well, I'm sure most people know that if you
go over the curfew of the festival, the festival gets
fined and it can be a lot of money. You know,
It's like it can be thousands and tens of thousands
of dollars depending on how long an artist goes over.
And I think I think Paul mccartry, he went over
during his set and they let him do it. But
(21:04):
in any case, you're right with the Cure. They eventually
had to pull the plug, and people who were there,
you know, like probably the really hardcore fans, noticed that
the Cure did not stop playing when the plug was pulled,
and so it just became this acoustic set that people
kind of gravitated to and had a small scale acoustic
(21:26):
Cure sing along show that I'm sure was just like
one of the most incredible moments of you know, those
people's lives, because how cool does that sound.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Robert Smith the man yeah, Guns of Roses in twenty sixteen,
big moment as Rosen Slash. He hadn't performed together since
nineteen ninety three. Paul Toilette, he played a key role
in this.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
I don't know exactly the lore behind getting them back together,
but I mean, but.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
He was trying for a long time apparently, Okay, the book, right,
I think that's right.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
I'm sure that I wrote that.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
I think he was really just like every year, like, okay, guys,
you want to do this?
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Yeah, Well, I'm sure that one of the white whales
of reunions, because there are only a certain number of
bands really, when you think about it, who are at
that level where they can come back together. They can
headline Coachella and it'll be a big enough draw that
it will help sell at the festival. And Guns n'
Roses certainly was that. I was there. It was awesome.
(22:24):
Axel Rose had broken his leg. He had injured himself
at a smaller show at the Troubadour like the week
or two before, so he was playing on a throne,
from a throne lent to him by Dave Grohl. There's
just like some great mythology around this set. But they
were you know, it's Guns and Roses. It doesn't matter
if you played laying down from bed. They sounded amazing.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Now, the last question, Katie, you right quote critics of
Coachella say it's become too expensive, too much of a
social media feeding frenzy, too much of an influencer gathering,
to this and to that. What is your response to
the critic and why is Coachella is still well worth
the cost.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
I mean, all of those things are present. The influencer
thing is real, and it is expensive to go, But
I always think about it as an allocation of resources.
Like some people like buy a boat and some people
spend their money on golf. Like it's If you love music,
this is a really good investment because regardless of what
(23:26):
you think about influencer culture, branded, whatever it's, it's fairly
easy to just kind of not be a part of
that while you're there, especially if you go week and
two where that presence really goes away almost I don't
want to see to zero, but it really goes away,
and you can see some of the best musical performances
(23:48):
like ever and as a music fan, I think that's
like well worth one's time. It's like a really high
level buffet of music aims.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
The music style and a lore of Coachella. The book
is out now, yes, so you can find it whoever.
Books are sold the usual outlets, Amazon, all those places,
but also look forward at your nearest bookstore, your nearest
independent bookstore. You can find your nearest independent bookstore at
the website booked on rock dot com. And where can
people find you online? Katie? If they want to reach out.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
You can find me on Instagram. It's Bane of your Existence.
B A I N like I.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Love that, I love that.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
O f exs TNZ And then my website is ms Katiebaine.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Dot com Katiebaine, thank you so much for coming on
and congrats on a phenomenal book.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Thank you, thank you for having me really appreciate it.
That's it. It's in the books.
It's a fashion show, a media circus, a party marathon,
but most of all, it's a place for one hundred
and twenty five thousand people to gather together to experience
the power of live music. It's the story of Coachella.
Next on Booked on Rock, who We're totally booked rock
and roll.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
I mean, I'll leave you. You're reading. Little Hands says
it's time to rock and roll.
Speaker 1 (00:21):
Roll up, I totally booked. Welcome back to Booked on Rock.
This is the podcast for those about to read and rock.
I'm Eric Senach. Our guest is Katie Vain, the author
of Desert Dreams, The Music, Style and Allure of Coachella.
(00:42):
Welcome to the podcast, Katie, Thank you very much for
having me. I guess we should start with two guys here,
Paul Tillette and Gary Tova. They're the guys who met
and changed the trajectory of live music in America. This
meeting could have ended up in a turf war, as
you write, but they hit it off, became friends.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
That's exactly right. And I mean it sounds hyperbolic to
say it changed the trajectory of the American live music scene,
but like I truly believe that that is real, and
that it was kind of a faded meeting between these
two Southern California punk producers who, like you said, could
have been enemies but found that they liked each other
(01:20):
and sort of working together, and you know, thus came Coachella.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Pearl Jam actually comes into play here. Pearl Jam was
battling with Ticketmaster at one point, as we know, it's
a famous story, and they were going to play a
gig and they didn't want to play there because of Ticketmaster. Right,
can you connect the dots here?
Speaker 2 (01:36):
Yeah, I know, you're exactly right. This is this is
super interesting. So it was the Versus tour in ninety three,
and they were not going to play in Southern California
because none of the big venues here, all of the
venues here worked with Ticketmaster, and as you said, the
band was boycotting Ticketmaster at that time. And so you know,
(01:58):
these entrepreneurial promote that we discussed said, hey, if we
can find you a site, a venue to play that's
not Ticketmaster affiliated, would you come to play? And Pearl
Jam and their team you know, obviously said yes. And
so they found this site that was about one hundred
and twenty thirty miles east of Los Angeles, and in
(02:20):
ninety three was I think in the say in the
book like the absolute sticks, like it was really the
middle of nowhere, and it was Indio. It was the
Polo Field, and that is of course where the site,
you know, would it would become Coachella eventually, but I
think that was the prototype. And they fought, okay, like,
not only does this work as a festival site, but
(02:40):
people will drive out here, And it all went pretty smoothly.
People threw their shoes at the band, and I think
Eddie Vedder got hit by a shoe, but the issues
were relatively minor, and so they, you know, saw it
as a venue for the first time.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
Yeah, And the first Coachella took place October ninth and tenth,
nineteen ninety nine. And you lead the chapter with quote,
anyone who was there remembers one thing for sure, it
was hot as hell. But those who were there say
the magic was also there from the start, rage against
the machine Beck, the chemical brothers, Tool and Harper, and
the innocent criminals. Morrissey was there as well, a very
(03:17):
different audience than Woodstock ninety nine, which had just taken
place three months later, Right, this was a very mellow,
subdued crown that got along.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
Well, yeah, isn't that fascinating? I think. Yeah, it's in
the book that tickets for Coachella went on sale the
day after Woodstock ninety nine ended, and you know, as
we all know, that was just like an unmitigated disaster
and really really very dangerous and when you watch the documentary,
it's shocking what went on there. And so yeah, as
(03:49):
you said, some of the same acts that played Woodstock
ninety nine then came across the country to Coachella three
months later and had an extremely different experience. I was
talking some friends who were there at that first Coachella,
and they said that there were like some angst in
the air of what is it going to be like
is it going to go down like Woodstock did? And
(04:09):
there was maybe a little bit of tension, but by
and large, the crowd was massively more peaceful and the
site was more habitable for humans. Woodstock ninety nine happened
on a tarmac at a navy or excuse me, a
military base, and Coachella happened in like a paradisical garden.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
And so maybe that's part of That answer is part
of the question because I was wondering, what do you
attribute that to? So environment, location, Yeah, I.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
Think environment and location, because you know, you put people
on tarmac for three four days in the hot sun,
they don't have great access to water, things are expensive.
It just like Woodstock ninety nine was inhospitable and after
four days people are pissed and they're gonna rebel, and
they obviously did. There wasn't really I don't want to
(05:03):
say there was no chance of that happening at Coachella,
but it was just a much more comfortable environment to
be in despite the heat, and you know, water was cheaper,
water was abundant. They were on grass like it makes
a difference, you know, in our biology how we feel
and therefore how we act.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Interesting And the first edition didn't make any money. Why
was that? And then what changes did they make from
that point on?
Speaker 2 (05:25):
Paul Tilett in one of the articles that I referenced
that you know, tickets cost fifty dollars a day, they
should have been fifty five. They did I think five
stages year one, it should have been four. They just
went really big out the gate and they didn't have
it dialed right away, so they lost a bunch of money.
They took two thousand off. Coachella did not happen. So
(05:47):
year two is two thousand and one, and by that
point AEG had come in this you know, bigger parent
company and saw the promise of what they had done
and kind of infused Coachella and Golden Voice with some cash,
and then it was kind of off to the races.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
And it returned in two thousand and one, but the
event was still a long way from becoming that international
juggernaut it would become. Among the factors contributing to its
increase in popularity were a few key bookings who were
the artists you would say made a big impact. Radiohead
and five. That was a turning point.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
Yeah, that was a turning point, absolutely, because you know,
at that time Radio had was one of the biggest
bands in the world, still one of the biggest bands
in the world, but really at that time was boundary pushing,
super critical Darling. And so when Coachella booked, you know,
obviously the Becks and the Chemical Brothers and the Orbs
and the Tools and the Rage against the Machines of
(06:40):
the world, like those are all great bands, but Radiohead
was really cutting edge, and so for Coachella to get
that kind of prestigious booking I think was like a
head turning moment and just brought a lot more eyes
to it.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
And by twenty eleven, it was America's most prestigious and
influential music fest. And how did technology make it even bigger?
Speaker 2 (07:03):
That's a great question. So I just I find this
element of the story fascinating because there's really all this
dovetailing of factors things coming together that really boosted the
visibility and influence of Coachella. But I think it's two
things specifically. One is the live stream. Coachella started being
live streamed on YouTube in twenty eleven, and so it
(07:26):
became not just this thing, this holiday for people in
southern California and beyond to travel to and experience know about.
But the people that were far beyond that are the
people that couldn't afford to come, or don't like crowds,
or get exhausted and want to be the same, you know,
whatever reason you don't want to go to a festival
or you can't go. The live stream brought those walls
(07:48):
down and it just became this free event that anybody
in the world could tap into anyone with an Internet connection.
And at the same time, Instagram launched in twenty eleven,
and so in tandem, you're having now all of these
people who are there wanting to show people that they're there.
And so you see the rise of influencer culture and
(08:12):
just promoting the festival and social media through kind of
organic marketing. The organic marketing that social media offers in
a way that just made the festival really buzzy and
so much bigger because suddenly everybody that was there was
kind of reporting from it, if you will.
Speaker 1 (08:29):
And everybody wasn't wanted to be there exactly because of
what they.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Saw, exactly exactly, And so I mean call it, you know,
you could call the livestream an active benevolence. I'm like, oh,
you know, we're going to share this with people around
the world. But it's, you know, one of the greatest
marketing tools that a festival has ever known.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
So talk about the layout of Coachella, the key locations.
The photos in the book are beautiful. It's a beautiful
location for music festival. Seventy eight acres. You're isolated from
the rest of the world. There's a the icon of
ferris wheel art installations. There's even an air conditioned tent.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Oh yeah, there's a few. Yeah, I mean, obviously the
ferris wheel is kind of the landmark and the thing
people it's kind of synonymous with Coachella. I've never been
on it myself, but it's a big ferris wheel. And
then there are these incredible art installations, some of which
change from year to year. But then there's the Rainbow
(09:26):
Tower that it's called Spectra, that has become kind of
synonymous with the festival and is now a permanent installation.
And then it's it's not just the art and the structures,
but the grass and the palm trees and the Bogan
villa and kind of the particular smell the air has
because you know that there are horses around, and so
(09:48):
it's just like this really interesting alchemy of factors that
come in to make that site feel like, no, they're
place in the world.
Speaker 1 (09:55):
That's so cool. Katie Banny is the author of Desert Dreams,
The Music Style and a Lore of co Cella. The
chapter top headline moments in one of them Roger Waters
performing in two thousand and eight and something happened to
his inflatable pig. Was it an accident? Maybe not.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
I love this story. I think this story is hilarious
and I think it really shows that for all of
the extremely choreographed moments that these artists pull off on
stage and spent months perfecting, there are these kind of
goofy things that happened. So yeah, as you said, Roger
Waters in two thousand and eight had an inflatable pig
(10:32):
as part of his show. People have probably seen this
in his you know, touring over the years. But the
pig got loose from its tethers and floated away. And
this thing is big. It's like as big as a
school bus, I think, and Coachella wanted it back. They
wanted to find it, so they put out a, you know,
(10:52):
an announcement saying that anybody who helped in the returning
of the pig would get a reward, which I think
was some money and then festival tickets for life. And
the people that ended up making the call were two couples,
because the pig was so big that it spread across
two different front yards, and the team from Coachella arrives
(11:14):
and I'm like, yep, that's our pig. I just think
that it's like, when you really think about what that
looked like, I think that's a very funny visual. And
the reporting went that the couple very benevolently donated the
money to local music classes for kids.
Speaker 1 (11:33):
That's awesome. Well, the question of wasn't an accident or not,
because maybe it was a publicity thing. I mean that
happened actually back in whatever year was with that, Animals
came out and there was an actual pig that got
loose in England and that made the news so interesting.
It's a great way to get some free publicity.
Speaker 2 (11:54):
I think Animals was seventy seven, so thirty years later,
it's still the pig for promo.
Speaker 1 (12:02):
And then the following year Morrissey walked off stage.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
Yes also animal related, Yes, famously Vegan Morrissey said from
the stage that he I don't have the exact quote,
but you know smelled the burning flesh of animals, basically
referring to whatever, you know, smoke was on the air
(12:27):
from you know, a barbecue, whatever food stand was preparing
you know, a hamburger or whatever, and marched off stage
because it's so disgusted him. And you know we know
that about Morrissey. He refuses to play in venues sometimes
served meat. It's a very real cause for him, and
so yeah, he didn't like that smell.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Hey guys, we'll get back to the show, but first
I want to tell you about an exclusive deal for
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(13:12):
dot com. Make sure to use the promo code. Booked
on Ron. Also find a link in this episode show notes,
or just go to Booked on Rock dot com and
click on my deals. Quite a few memorable performances over
the years, along with two we mentioned. You see that
possibly the first instance of the special guest phenomenon became
in two thousand and two when DJ z Trip brought
(13:33):
out a special guest. Who was that guest?
Speaker 2 (13:35):
That guest was back, yes who, as you said, played
the first year at the festival, but I think this
year was just hanging out and happened to be backstage
and you know, whatever conversation needs to add, they decided
it would be a good idea. I'm sure it was.
There is very almost no footage of it because this
is before the smartphone era, but it really is the
(13:58):
first instance I could find of this phenomenon that is
very Coachella specific of artists bringing out other artists, and
that's the whole weekend one. You know, one of the
big pillars is who are they going to bring out?
I heard they're bringing out so and so are I
heard this is? You know, and there are these megawatt
like crazy famous guests that come out during other artists' performance,
(14:22):
and it can be really exciting.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Yeah, again, the buzz people start talking who's going to
be there?
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Totally and sometimes it's not true. You know. I have
some friends who recall, I forget what year, but running
sprinting across the stage because they thought someone was bringing
out Daft Punk, and of course that was not a
real thing. But these rumors get started and it adds
to this kind of like buzzy hype on the site
on an even day, which can be really fun.
Speaker 1 (14:49):
And you list the twenty one most essential sets at
Coachella let's get to some and what made their sets
so special. Tell us about Rage against the Machine. It
goes way back to nineteen ninety nine.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
Yeah, that's well, it was the first year and Rage
was again like one of the biggest bands in the world.
And I mean, I think it's just really a foundational
moment for the festival because it speaks to the roots
of Golden Voice and this sort of punk alternative rock
(15:21):
scene that the festival kind of emerged from.
Speaker 1 (15:24):
What's interesting is there there's a range of acts in
terms of age groups that would be into these bands.
It's a younger audience, but still you've got these bands
like Guns of Roses, The Cure, Iggy and the Stooges.
That's on the list too, that's from two thousand and three,
the big reunion show, right the Stones, Yeah, pretty interesting.
Speaker 2 (15:47):
Iggy and the Stooges is interesting because it's also symbolic
of what was another tenth pole phenomenon of the Coachella lineup,
So just the reunions of like who is going to
get back together to perform at Coachella. Obviously, the Pixies
was a really big one in under that umbrella outcast.
You could look at no doubt, you know, even in
(16:08):
years years, recent years, excuse me, and so yeah, I
selected eating the Stooges just for that reason, because it
was really indicative of something that would become very Coachella specifice.
Speaker 1 (16:18):
The average age of the audience, it's a good question.
I mean late twenties or actually probably late teens through twenties.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
So older I get, the younger they seen, right, So
I would say it does depend. Obviously, demographics don't shift
day by day as much as they used to do
when you could buy day passes. But I will say,
like I'm thinking for example of twenty fifteen, when Jack
(16:54):
White was Saturday Night and then Drake was a Sunday
Night headliner, and you could kind of feel the difference
in who was there, you know, like for Jack White
it was like old, it was older people, and for
Draca was younger people. But I would say, there are
you know, I don't know how you want to classify old.
(17:15):
I would probably classify myself as old at this point,
but there are a lot of like, you know, adults
of a certain stature that are there in addition to
all the kids.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
And it's really just that love though, I mean that's
what's so cool about it, just bringing everybody together all
and I.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Think, like, you know, certain demographics are pulled over to
this stage and then you have a younger demographic over here,
but everyone's there, and it's just kind of where you're
spending your time and putting your attention.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Love that. Yeah, Now Radiohead from four there was some
doubt there that the band would even perform.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Yes, that's right. So I think that they had been
playing in Australia or it was something quite far away
from from Indio and Tom York was having vocal issues,
and I think it was just you know, I it
made me actually grateful reporting this part of just the
existence of kind of small, granular news pieces that maybe
(18:15):
at the time seemed significant but kind of create this
trail of history because I found a short piece from
Billboard actually being like Tom York sites vocal issues, unsure
if he will play next shows, And the next shows,
you know, were Coachella was Coachella. But he showed up.
He sounded great. If he was in pain, he did
not indicate it during that performance.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Prince's two thousand and eight performance Prince came at a
high price, but Tollette said it was worth every penny
talk about the show he brought the party.
Speaker 2 (18:46):
Oh my god, that was my first Coachella. That was
the first.
Speaker 1 (18:49):
Okay, great tell us, tell us.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
I ever set foot on the field. So it's a
very you know, it's a very special memory, I'm sure
for everyone who was there. But Prince's what brought me
to Coachella for the first time.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (19:01):
He was added to the lineup two weeks before, two
or three weeks before, which was a big deal, Like
that doesn't happen very often, and as you said, they
paid a lot to get him out there. However, I
had seen Prince a few times by that time. This
was the best. This was above and beyond, and Prince
is always great, but this was like we went out
(19:22):
to space together or something. He had Morris Day. I
think Sheila he was there. It was just it felt
like a party on stage. He did a lot of
covers kind of like non sequitor, like, huh, he's playing that.
But one of them, of course, famously was the radio
head cover of Creep, which became one of like the
defining moments of Coachella. He played like a very long,
(19:44):
slowed down version of Little Red Corvette and then you know,
by the time he did Purple Rain, I had kind
of forgotten that was even a possibility. So when the
opening notes of that song came on, it was like,
and now we get per you know, like we've been
on this like incredible musical journey together if you will.
(20:06):
I know it's cheesy, but ending the show with that
was like sacred really for me.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
So jealous man. Yeah, it's like he rose to the
occasion because you knew how big of an event.
Speaker 2 (20:20):
One thousand percent, and yeah, he just he just brought
it and he's prince like, of course he did.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
I'm a huge fan of the Cure. Their O nine
show among the twenty one best, a very long set.
In fact, they kept playing even after the PA system
was cut, and there was what you called an intimate
sing along by show is end.
Speaker 2 (20:42):
Yes, Well, I'm sure most people know that if you
go over the curfew of the festival, the festival gets
fined and it can be a lot of money. You know,
It's like it can be thousands and tens of thousands
of dollars depending on how long an artist goes over.
And I think I think Paul mccartry, he went over
during his set and they let him do it. But
(21:04):
in any case, you're right with the Cure. They eventually
had to pull the plug, and people who were there,
you know, like probably the really hardcore fans, noticed that
the Cure did not stop playing when the plug was pulled,
and so it just became this acoustic set that people
kind of gravitated to and had a small scale acoustic
(21:26):
Cure sing along show that I'm sure was just like
one of the most incredible moments of you know, those
people's lives, because how cool does that sound.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Robert Smith the man yeah, Guns of Roses in twenty sixteen,
big moment as Rosen Slash. He hadn't performed together since
nineteen ninety three. Paul Toilette, he played a key role
in this.
Speaker 2 (21:45):
I don't know exactly the lore behind getting them back together,
but I mean, but.
Speaker 1 (21:51):
He was trying for a long time apparently, Okay, the book, right,
I think that's right.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
I'm sure that I wrote that.
Speaker 1 (21:59):
I think he was really just like every year, like, okay, guys,
you want to do this?
Speaker 2 (22:03):
Yeah, Well, I'm sure that one of the white whales
of reunions, because there are only a certain number of
bands really, when you think about it, who are at
that level where they can come back together. They can
headline Coachella and it'll be a big enough draw that
it will help sell at the festival. And Guns n'
Roses certainly was that. I was there. It was awesome.
(22:24):
Axel Rose had broken his leg. He had injured himself
at a smaller show at the Troubadour like the week
or two before, so he was playing on a throne,
from a throne lent to him by Dave Grohl. There's
just like some great mythology around this set. But they
were you know, it's Guns and Roses. It doesn't matter
if you played laying down from bed. They sounded amazing.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Now, the last question, Katie, you right quote critics of
Coachella say it's become too expensive, too much of a
social media feeding frenzy, too much of an influencer gathering,
to this and to that. What is your response to
the critic and why is Coachella is still well worth
the cost.
Speaker 2 (23:03):
I mean, all of those things are present. The influencer
thing is real, and it is expensive to go, But
I always think about it as an allocation of resources.
Like some people like buy a boat and some people
spend their money on golf. Like it's If you love music,
this is a really good investment because regardless of what
(23:26):
you think about influencer culture, branded, whatever it's, it's fairly
easy to just kind of not be a part of
that while you're there, especially if you go week and
two where that presence really goes away almost I don't
want to see to zero, but it really goes away,
and you can see some of the best musical performances
(23:48):
like ever and as a music fan, I think that's
like well worth one's time. It's like a really high
level buffet of music aims.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
The music style and a lore of Coachella. The book
is out now, yes, so you can find it whoever.
Books are sold the usual outlets, Amazon, all those places,
but also look forward at your nearest bookstore, your nearest
independent bookstore. You can find your nearest independent bookstore at
the website booked on rock dot com. And where can
people find you online? Katie? If they want to reach out.
Speaker 2 (24:18):
You can find me on Instagram. It's Bane of your Existence.
B A I N like I.
Speaker 1 (24:23):
Love that, I love that.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
O f exs TNZ And then my website is ms Katiebaine.
Speaker 1 (24:31):
Dot com Katiebaine, thank you so much for coming on
and congrats on a phenomenal book.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
Thank you, thank you for having me really appreciate it.
That's it. It's in the books.
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