Global Courant 2023-04-18 14:09:00
Fortesa Latifi
The last time writer Fortesa Latifi went to Coachella, she was 21.
Then she slept in her car and put together the weekend. Now she is 29 and feels too old for it.
“I was different the last time I went to Coachella,” she writes. “But Coachella was also different.”
The last time I went to Coachella I was 21. I spent three days sleeping in the desert, with the trunk of my jeep open and the seats pushed down to create a makeshift bed. I drank warm beer and listened to music at deafening volumes. I was not wearing any sunscreen or using ear plugs. I met strangers and listened to their life stories, trading mine for a roughly mixed drink. I ate one meal a day to save money and filled the gaps with hurried snacks.
I’m 29 now. When I went back to Coachella this weekend, I knew it would be different – just not how different. I joked that I was too old for it, but the longer I stayed, it became less of a joke.
Now I know for sure: I’m too old for Coachella
I’m also too chronically ill for Coachella. Despite trading car camping for an Airbnb, I found myself exhausted at the thought of even entering the festival grounds. Our house was only a few miles from the location, but it took almost an hour in an Uber to get there because of the traffic.
Every minute that ticked by reminded me how much I really didn’t want to go, to the heat and the crowds and the noise. But I tried anyway.
Even when we got dropped off, we weren’t there yet
We had to walk over a mile in the desert heat to get to the entrance, and I kept thinking, “Has this festival gotten much bigger or am I just much older?” Turns out the answer is both.
Fortesa Latifi
When I was last there In 2015, 198,000 people attended over two weekends. But in 2017, the festival expanded, bringing up to 250,000 visitors. The site has grown by more than 40 hectares to accommodate larger crowds.
It was validating to see that Coachella has gotten bigger, and it’s not just that I’ve gotten older (although no doubt I have).
Story continues
I was immediately overwhelmed when we arrived at the festival
The sounds, sights and sheer number of people were a lot to take in. I also found myself looking at everyone’s outfits and thinking, “Wait, this is fashion?” I’m almost 30 years old, and I was looking forward to it.
I found some people to interview since I was there for work, and I felt like an alien visiting their planet. I wanted to find a quiet, dark place to sit and unwind, but there aren’t any at Coachella. The second I walked onto the grounds I was exhausted.
I also barely knew anyone who performed
I knew Frank Ocean and boygenius, but that was about it. I also took this as a sign of my age.
But while doing my research I found that Coachella used to be much more focused on indie and rock. When I first went in 2014Loved seeing Lorde, Wye Oak, Foster the People, Chvrches and Lana del Rey. 2015I was most hyped about alt-J, St. Vincent, and Florence and the Machine.
As the festival has grown, it has shifted from indie and rock to more mainstream pop and hip-hop. That’s cool too, but it’s not my feeling.
I only lasted about 2 hours on the festival grounds
If you count the hour it took to get there and the hour it took to get back to the Airbnb, I lasted four hours.
I was supposed to stay all weekend but left the next morning. It was just too much. I am chronically ill and the heat, dust and noise were major triggers for me. I had a throbbing migraine that I felt pulsating in my temples, and during a tearful phone call to my mom, I realized it wasn’t worth being at the festival to send myself into a flare.
When I got back to the Airbnb, I cut off my wristband and felt a wave of relief.
So yes, I am too old and too chronically ill for Coachella
I was different the last time I went to Coachella – younger, less sick, more adventurous – but Coachella was also different. We’ve both changed and there’s just no common ground anymore.
But as my 30th birthday approaches, I think one of the best parts of getting older is realizing I don’t have to do things I don’t want to do. I was never good at pretending to have a good time, and now I’m done trying.
Read the original article Insider
