Coachella 2012

Never again will I go to Coachella with anyone under the age of 21 who does not have a valid form of identification. Just had to get that thought out of the way.

After my class on Thursday afternoon, I began my journey to Indio. I made perfect time, hitting no traffic and even arrived a bit early. Since I couldn't check-in to WorldMark I decided to go to Wind Co. to pick up some essential food/drink supplies. Wind Co. is my absolute favorite, the prices are so reasonable (I got two pounds of strawberries for $3). After I got settled in I worked on a little bit of homework (I had to write 2 papers that were due Sunday...yes I managed to get them both done and turned in on time, go me!). My mom's best friend's son was staying there as well so I went to hang out with him and his friends since I had time to kill before Ruairi and Kiersten got there. And let me just say- I am getting old. I felt so out of place in a room full of 18 year olds who were smoking and drinking. Needless to say I left the "party" early.

Friday was off to a great start. Ruairi, Kiersten and I spent the morning tanning at the pool and enjoying some relaxation at the Lazy River. We all got ready and then made our way to the Polo fields, parking across the street at the Madison Club thanks to our friend Taylor's aunt and uncle. Once inside, things began to shortly go downhill. I almost got my ID taken away because the man believed it was a fake, we lost Ruairi for 6 hours, Kiersten and I ran around for 2 hours trying to meet up with a man who found Ruairi's phone, and then I had to wait about 2 hours after the concert for some 18 year olds to figure out how to make their way back to the car. However, I did manage to catch some bands which included: Grouplove, GIRLS, Explosions in the Sky, Afrojack, Arctic Monkeys, Swedish House Mafia, and the Black Keys.

Day 2 was much better and much hotter! It was 106 degrees. On Saturday we did make our way to the Redbull Speakeasy, a cold, air-conditioned tent (thank you Ruairi), which required a password to enter. The acts we saw the second day include: The Head and the Heart, Laura Marling, Buzzcocks, AWOLNATION, Manchester Orchestra, Feist, Andrew Bird, Jeff Mangum, Miike Snow, The Shins, Bon Iver and Radiohead.

Before going to the festival on day 3 Kiersten, Ruairi and I explored the Madison Club for a bit. We then crossed the street and enjoyed tunes by: the Growlers, Gotye, Santigold, Beirut, the Weeknd, Girl Talk, the Hives, Justice, Florence + the Machine, and Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg with special guests Wiz Khalifa, 50 cent, Eminem, and Tupac. And let me just say, technology is AMAZING! We were all in awe then the Tupac hologram appeared on stage.

All in all, it was a fun weekend. Poor Ruairi and Kiersten had to drive back Sunday night because they had finals the next morning. I stayed the night and made my way home Monday morning to make it back in time to unpack, change, and go to work. Plus, since I was driving alone I was able to stop at the dinosaurs in Palm Springs. I remember when we were kids and would go to Palm Springs during the summer, my parents would take us to the dinosaur museum. I haven't been since I was a kid and so every time I go to Palm Springs I always ask whoever I am with to go, but it never ends up happening. So this time I made it happen.