Coachella 2011: Shall we get into it again?

In 2005, I went to Coachella for one day with my mom -- back when they still sold one day tickets and I couldn't drive a car without my mom sitting shotty.  I remember the heat, miscellaneous artists and the hotel swimming pool above all else.  Fast forward to 2010 when I get to experience Coachella for the second time.  Despite the consistent heat half a decade later and the excellent line up once again, the mindset that I gained after 2010 was completely different.  Instead of laying by the hotel swimming pool, I was cleaning the dirt off my body with baby wipes and hand sanitizer.  The experience was mind altering, but it was hard to imagine that it would leave such an imprint on me.  Now, fast forward once again to 2011.  I was extremely excited to experience those three days of musical beauty again, but nervous that it wouldn't live up to the newness I experienced last year.  But now that Coachella 2011 has come and gone, I can certainly say that each year of Coachella isn't worth comparing.  In fact, it's not even really possible.  Each festival is so different from the next that I can't really place a label on any of them.
I camped again -- this time with about 30 friends.  I also got to focus more energy on craft-making, dancing, rolling around in the grass, meaningful conversations, picture taking, observing, solitary enjoyment, group connectedness, and exploration to the highest degree.  Why am I so quick to shell out $300 for something that other people regard as "too expensive"?  Because I know the society that Coachella offers and reminds us of.  I go in as a man made creature, existing out of the context of modern society.  I leave with a more holistic perspective -- understanding the beauty in simplicity, in nature, in music, in art, in humanity.








One of our friends made shirts for our group again this year.  If you want to buy one or check out his other great merch/art, visit 12fv here.




This woman's job was to hold one of those long, connected strands of balloons you see in the distance as they flailed through the sky.  She told me that she loved doing it.

Calculated movements.

Nature and music...perhaps we're not that different.

The campsite.

A couple of our friends, the Groove Monsters, played at the Energy Factory stage on the first night.  It was right in between two of the main stages and they completely rocked their set and the crowd.
Check out their music here.

Purity and bliss.


Love the lights.


All smiles.







Rock on, friends.

-MG