Post Coachella questions here...

I did Coachella last year and I'd be happy to try and answer questions that you may have.  Travel, camping, stage layouts, food, set lengths...

Colin

Hello. You may help me. I bought a Coachella May 1 ticket but I'm not able to make it this year. I'mn trying to sell the ticket for half the price (I paid $ 101). Do you know how I can do it? I've already posted at the Coachella message board. Got two promising replies but an actual deal hasn't ever happened yet. 

The ticket board seems to tick over steadily so keep bumping your message and it may get picked up, especially selling below cost.

It really went nuts last year after the sellout, when tix also started moving fast on eBay, but this was the first sellout in Coachella history (Radiohead and the Pixies).  I think saturday is likely to do it again with Coldplay at the top of the bill.

Good luck, sorry I have nothing more solid.

How much for parking at the venue?   Is the food reasonably priced?   I also heard that it could take a couple of hours to leave after the last show.

Do you think this will be the shortest New Order show, since there are so many bands?  Any chance of some collaboration?  Maybe NIN for a Joy Division song or two? :)

Is there REALLY no alcohol at the campsites?  Is a hotel a better option?

Marvin, you at WSU by any chance? I don't imagine there are many NO fans over there in the grasslands.

WSU brought me here, but work keeps me here.  Moved from the Seattle area 10 years ago.  Which show you headed to?

• Parking at the festival is free

• Food was reasonable and varied, most items $5-8.  There's a whole bunch of vendors, a lot of ethnic food and plenty of vegetarian options.  Water was only $2 (16oz0 and, boy you're going to need it.  The Beer Garden is off to one side and you can't take a beer to the stages (local licensing, I think), didn't bother me because I didn't want beer at 106F, water was much more important.

• Yes, getting out of parking was slow - not a problem if you use the on-site camping.  They have promised to handle it better this year.  Also, make a note of where your car is - lots of people were just wandering trying to find their acrs.

• I did the onsite camping becuase it was so convenient but it is a bit sterile.  There is an alcohol ban and the tents are very close togther but there's food and coffee, showers (wait until around 10:00 and the line get shorter).  Bags were searched and I/D checked going in.  Nice thing is that you just walk to and from the shows and you can leave your valuables in the car.

• Lots of people did take hotlers and the serious party guys go for off-site camping but several complined about having to do the traffic lines each time.  Also by this time you may struggle to find rooms/camp sites with spaces.

I expect New Order and NIN to get around 90 minutes each (on saturday last year Radiohead and the Pixies had 103 and 96 each) as long as the promoters see them as truly co-headliners.  There was so extra time available last year thought because Wilco cancelled.  most bands (except DJs) get 40 minutes.

As for Trent guesting with NO, your guess is as good as mine...for some of these kids Dead Souls is going to be the only JD/NO song they know.

MarvinK wrote: WSU brought me here, but work keeps me here.  Moved from the Seattle area 10 years ago.  Which show you headed to?

Going to Oakland and Coachella! Hope to see you there!

Trying to decide where to go--I can probably only afford time to go to one.  I've actually NEVER been to a concert (New Order or otherwise).  I wish I would've gone to New Order/Moby last time around... I REALLY wish I wouldve gone to the New Order/Echo & the Bunnymen show in Seattle in the late 80s, but was still at home with some pretty strict rules barring concerts.  Figure if I'm going to finally go to a concert, it might as well be for my favorite band of all time.  Just trying to decide between Oakland (cause its close and cheap), Coachella (potential NIN/New Order combo for a Joy Division song?) or New York (smaller venue, nicer place to make a weekend visit).  Don't want to go to Chicago... fear of Billy Corgan showing up and them playing crap from Get Ready.

I can highly recommend Coachella but don't go through all the travel, cost and planning just for NO.  There's 80-odd bands and DJ's in a beautiful location with guaranteed clear weather.  Go for a great weekend and the New Order show is just gravy.

As wll as the bands I wanted to see large and small, I found several new bands that I'd never heard of, with all kinds of art and performance stuff and some cool people as well.

Where is the main stage? Is it easy to find?

Very easy, the stages/tents are well-spaced from a crowd point of view, though there is some sound spill over (the DJ tent goes "oonce, oonce, oonce" all day which is great from inside, but disappointing when Thom Yorke's trying to sing Creep).

As you enter the main stage is right in front of you, the "Outdoor Theater" is the second stage off to the right, then three tents in a row, two for bands and one for DJ's/Electronica.

Food and beer stands are spread across the whole field, craft vendors and activist stands in the center.  There's a lot of open space, art exhibits and several "shade tents" where you can just hang out.

MarvinK wrote:

Do you think this will be the shortest New Order show, since there are so many bands?  Any chance of some collaboration?  Maybe NIN for a Joy Division song or two? :)

Very much doubt they'll play 25 minutes, which is as short as the set has ever been (that we know of!). You'll get 75 or so I'd think, maybe 13 plus two encore tracks.

Serious question: does the temperature drop-off drastically overnight? Never having had experience of a desert, me being a lily-livered Englishman, can I expect a drastic temperature shift between the afternoon and nightfall? And, indeed, just how HOT does it get during the daytime out there?

Last year was especially hot topping out at 106F (41C) for an hour or two in the afternoon, more typical is 95F but it's very low humidity so you don't realize you're sweating.  Use sunscreen and drink lots and lots and lots of water, can't emphasize that enough.  Personally I'd lay off the beer also until later.  It does cool down at night, quite quickly after sunset (which is awesome by the way, behind the mountains) it gets down around 55F (12C).  I was fine in a T-shirt and shorts while I was dancing but then soon cooled off after.  You'll need a light sleeping bag if you camp.

I'm a lily livered Brit too, so I know what you mean.

BTW - The Sahara Tent (DJ tent) is kept at a constant 250 degrees with an apparent ban on deodorant.  ;-)

CCRGMac, can you please help me in one queston. Do they require your ID when you enter the show?

Thanks :)

There's no I/D for the festival, but if you have a PDF eTicket (TicketFast), it gets scanned to prevent you from printing 20 copies of it.  Only the first scan gets in.  Several peolpe however reported that their's were never scanned.

camping is 18+ only and I/D is strictly checked as you go in.

Thank you, that's what I wanted to know.

Bumping to test my new login...

EDIT - Yeah - it worked! Thanks, Nic.

Hope I am not repeating questions asked before...

Since NIN is headling the second dayd with newOrder being the second headliner, what time can we expect them to be on the stage?

Any guesses?

Vince Se wrote: Hope I am not repeating questions asked before...

Since NIN is headling the second dayd with newOrder being the second headliner, what time can we expect them to be on the stage?

Any guesses?

Nighttime.

Do you have somewhere else you have to be?

Everthing's over at midnight and NiN and NO will probably each get a 90 minute slot. NO would have to be done by 10:00 or so, so I'd guess they'll start around 8:30.

Colin

The past few years it's been around 8:30, depending on cancellations. The last band has until midnight due to noise restrictions.

Thanks, Colin! :)

Ian

What are you guys doing for lodging?

I have tickets + airfare, but haven't yet selected a place to stay.

Email me privately if you'd like somebody to share the cost of accomodations you may have, I'll be happy to pay my share, don't want to spend $200/night for something I'll just use for sleeping.

The same goes for transportation I guess...I assume you're responsible for hoofing it there...

Oh, I have one extra ticket for 4/30 if anybody's interested.

--Sam

Sad thing is that I can't go this year - my wife had that weekend booked 6 months ago so I have the kids. I'm going to the Chicago show instead and getting my festival fix at Bonnaroo.

Enjoy it, not just the NO set, the whole weekend is awesome.

Colin

hi. I'm going to coachella. Never been. I have tinnitus really badly so I only want to pop in, see New Order, and go. So I was thinking of showing up around seven. Question: I have a ticket, will I be able to get my seat then? Is it organized? Or will people have taken it because I havent been there all day?

tia

No seats it's all grass. There are five stages spread across a large field. About two days before the show they will post the set times at www.coachella.com and they do stick to them pretty rigidly so you'll know when to shoot for. Arriving that late you shouldn't have long traffic lines but you will have a long walk as you'll be way way out at the end of the parking. I'd aim to get there well before set time, especially if you want to muscle up to the front.

(Secret tip, go round the left-hand side of the main stage, everyone drifts in from the right and you can get much closer on the left)

However, if you can work some earplugs or something, I'd urge you to go for the whole day (or weekend), it really is an awesome festival.

Either way, enjoy it.

PS the "seat number" on your ticket is for admin purposes only, it fools a lot of people.

Thanks for the grass heads up! I'm barely five feet tall so even if I shove up front I'll see peoples' backs and heads. To anybody reading this going to Coachella: if you have time, go to Palm Springs and take the tram. It's an insanely scary rotating gondola ride up 8,000 feet to a snow-filled park. It's really cool.

another tip - be sure to check the list on www.coachella.com about what you can and cannot bring into the polo fields. a lot of people end up losing stuff in the trash or have to walk back to their cars after going thru the line because they are caught with some item that isn't allowed in the field. the list varies, but in the past, you couldn't even bring in a digital camera. i think digital cameras are allowed now, but be sure to check that list!!

Cameras are OK as long as they don't have a detatchable lens (that's deemed "professional").

Thanks for the info here Colin, I've also checked out the Rules and FAQs at the Coachella site. One last question: are concert goers physically searched to insure that anything on the banned list doesn't get in, or is the search limited to backpacks and such (I did read on their message board about one guy who drank a bunch of vodka in a water bottle, rather than dumping it out on the ground).

The search was pretty thorough for the show and the campgrounds, but lots of people reported getting stuff in. I saw them searching a bunch of folks but then, seeing how long the line was, they let the next dozen or so straight through.

Nobody was getting busted from anything, worst thing was having to trash your food or drink.

also - don't wear black. it's just too friggin hot.