Coachella breaks new ground bringing Classic Rock bands into a once indie-only festival.
In the past, The Coachella Valley Music Festival has been THE place to see indie and alternative music. Bands like Arcade Fire, The White Stripes and Florence + The Machine had been mainstays for the Indio, CA. gathering. This year though, it felt like a melting pot of genres and generations! With the addition of AC/DC and Steely Dan to the lineup for 2015, there were 40 and 50-something's jamming right along with 20 and 30-somethings. In fact Donald Fagen and Walter Becker joked that the audience should call them Uncle Donnie and Uncle Wally - knowing they were old enough to be at least Uncles, if not Grandfathers, to many of the attendees. As you can imagine, AC/DC brought their own army of mature fans, and perhaps gained some new, younger ones! To their credit, the newer acts like Hozier, Alabama Shakes and Vance Joy had the ability to entertain and even rouse those with more mature ears and tastes. All in all, the two-weekend music festival certainly pleased the majority (young & old) with a few surprises- and cameos (like Madonna's unwelcome lip-plant on Drake's mouth) sure got people talking, on & off social media... And we can't forget about the fashion! Last month, H&M debuted a hippie-inspired line of flowy dresses & blouses, specifically targeted at the "Coachella crowd." Intending to usher in a new group of well-dressed concert goers, some of whom may have felt like they were going to something as important as Woodstock. (The best of those 3 Woodstocks, of course, being the first). Coachella will continue to happen every year though, so it can never be Woodstock-esque. One other activity reserved for the young? That Ferris Wheel! Not going to happen for this Steely Dan fan. Ever. :)
