speed of dark

It's Sunday, April 29, the last day of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival. I didn't go this year. If you didn't either, and you're feeling depressed about it, I'm going to attempt to make you feel a little better. Yeah, yeah, the people who did go are getting to hear and see some probably fantastic performances, no doubt about that--but there ARE down sides.

Mainly, it's HOT. Not only have I been to the Coachella (2004), but I lived in Indio for over 20 years. People say, "You must get used to the heat." No. You don't. You learn strategies to cope with it, which mostly involves staying in air-conditioned places throughout the day.

The people who bought those tickets have additionally paid exorbitant prices for hotels with air-conditioning and swimming pools, and they're not getting any use of those things during exactly the part of the day they should. Instead, they are standing packed in a hot crowd, in the hot sun, sweating and sunburned and far from the bands they'd like to be close to.

They won't even get to attend all the shows they'd like to. They'll have to leave Band A's show 15 minutes before the end and trek a quarter-mile across the polo grounds to be in the back of the crowd under a hot tent for the last 20 minutes of Band B's show.

The worst part is leaving, unless they happen to be camping on the grounds. If they arrived by early afternoon and stayed until the last show is over, now they get to sit in the car for hours and hours while they and 30,000 other people try to exit the parking area at the same time on two one-lane dirt roads. The year Indie Mom and I were there for Radiohead (how could we miss that?), we finally parked again and slept for four hours until most of the cars had gone, and it was about an hour before we got back to the house which under normal circumstances would be about 20 minutes away.

So don't feel too bad for not being able to go. Think of all the discomfort you don't have to put up with. We'll get to see and hear everything later, I promise. Enjoy your Sunday. Those grouchy, sunburned people are going to be hard to put up with tomorrow.

The Shins: The Gloating Sun from When I Goose-Step (2000)

The Infadels: Sunday from We Are Not The Infadels (2006)

Mouthful of Bees: Sunny from The End (2007)

The Delays: You Wear The Sun from Faded Seaside Glamour (2004)

J. Tillman: Under the Sun from Cancer and Delirium (2007)
(Yes, there IS a police or fire siren in this song)

Belle and Sebastian: Another Sunny Day from The Life Pursuit (2006)