Cashing in on Coachella 2012’s rampant success, advanced sale tickets for the music and arts festival’s 2013 installment were made available a mere month after the California festivities concluded.
“We are excited to announce Coachella 2013 will again be held over two consecutive weekends,” boasts the official website of the high profile Coachella Valley festival. The addition of two weekends was new for the festival last year, and something that Coachella producer Goldenvoice chose to continue in 2013 to meet the high demand for tickets. Advanced passes went on sale Thursday, May 17 at 10a.m. PDT, and will be available through the following Thursday, May 24 10p.m. PDT, or until sold out. “Then general sale will happen early next year,” the site optimistically notes, so those who missed the first round shouldn’t fret.
Five hours after the Coachella 2013 presale began, general weekend passes were all sold and the advanced tickets were reduced to shuttle passes and VIP camping packages. Amazingly, compared to 2012’s statistics, this was relatively slow moving. “We all knew it was going to be crazy, but this is just outrageous,” wrote a music reporter for CraveOnline.com about the 2012 ticket sales. “Weekend 1 was gone in 40 minutes, while Weekend 2 only took two hours to sell out.”
There are several prominent new elements presented in this year’s advanced sale. Foremost, the option of a payment plan. A minimum of 20 percent down payment is required, and then 7 monthly payments will be automatically deducted from the purchaser. Additionally, presale tickets are limited to 2 per customer for the first time, which means patrons — or Coachellians, as bloggers refer to the die-hard fans — will need to coordinate their larger road trips accordingly. The final ticket price is also all-inclusive, so there are no additional fees tacked onto the presale, which makes the slightly increased face value price apparent.
With precisely zero confirmed acts for 2013, fans are scrambling to purchase tickets, yet taking a distinct gamble. What’s to come is perhaps best surmised by replaying this past festival’s highlight reel.
Each of the six festivals days corralled around 75,000 people, and both weekends hosted the same line-up of over one hundred musical acts. Friday included the Black Keys, Pulp, Swedish House Mafia, Afrojack, and Arctic Monkeys. Saturday saw Radiohead (who are known for their epic performances, and reportedly delivered!), the Shins, Bon Iver, AWOLNATION, and Feist. Sunday drew considerable buzz, with Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg headlining, and performances by Florence and the Machine, Avicii, At The Drive-In, the Hives, Beats Antique, and Santigold.
The most attention-demanding press was about Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s innovative performance with the deceased rap artist, Tupac Shakur. Combining Dr. Dre’s vision, permission from the late rapper’s mother, and efforts of Digital Domain and AV Concepts they captivated audiences by interacting with the illusion of a full color, moving, “hologram” Tupac. Joining in on his songs “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted” and “Hail Mary” — which was released after the icon’s death, and never performed ‘live’ — the show was eerie, captivating, and left the audience ardently guessing its implications on the future of the live entertainment industry.
When seeking reprieve from the music, fans could wander among towering art installations, patrons in flamboyant costumes, and multitudes of tents featuring different themed parties, enjoy worldly foods and drinks, or hunker down with scenic mountain backdrop and people watch — from A-list celebrities to unitard-wearing free spirits. All considered, what drives the demand for Coachella, and why it’s regarded as one of the most triumphant festivals, is understandable — the experience is inimitable.
