Coachella draws festival-loving freaks

Attending a music festival has become synonymous with an awesome summer for most young people. We see evidence of this trend on campus where Llamapalooza is arguably the most fun, well attended, and unusual annual on-campus event. CC students love their music and Llama has the advantage of offering an entire day’s worth, covering a wide variety of tastes.

As many people know, Llama is CC’s knock-off version of Lollapalooza.This Chicago event is one of the many spring and summer music festivals that give people a chance to unite with thousands of similarly music obsessed teens and twenty-somethings, while listening to a slew of awesome artists playing music from rap to rock to techno. Llama provides this festive environment on a smaller scale, offering a chance for CC students to gather with their friends, listen to music, and party hard for an entire day.

Picture an expanse of green grass on a warm spring day, trampled under the footfalls of a mass of college-aged people, most dressed in an assortment of the wildest costumes you could think of. Some stumble drunkenly to the center of the crowd, cheering and swaying in intoxicated rhythm. Others sit in circles on the outskirts of the crowd, smiling dreamily as they help cover a wide-eyed friend in swirls of multi-colored body paint. That is Llamapalooza. Now picture that with multiple stages and 178,000 more people and you begin to get an idea of what you could be doing for 7th block break.

Coachella, one of the biggest music events in the country, spans three days starting April 16- in other words, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of 7th block break. What better way to spend the last block break of the year than 3 days of awesome live music and camping in Indio, California? The lineup alone makes spending the $270 for a three-day pass more than worth it. Coachella offers something for everyone.

The festival kicks off Friday with big names such as Grammy-winning rapper, Jay-Z, eclectic electro-rock-punk group LCD Soundsystem, and new electo-pop artists Passion Pit. On Saturday don’t miss MGMT (whose songs, “Electric Feel”, “Time to Pretend” and “Kids” were heard blasting from almost everyone’s speakers last year) and Old Crow Medicine Show. Sunday boasts an especially impressive lineup featuring Gorrilaz (the most successful virtual band of all time, who won a Grammy for their insanely popular song, “Feel Good, Inc.”), Pheonix (a Grammy nominated French indie rock band) and possibly, a surprise performance by Radiohead under the guise of Thom Yorke.

One of the most anticipated acts is Pavement, who headline Sunday. Pavement is a 90’s rock band with a significant cult following who disbanded in 1999, and announced they would reunite to play this year’s Coachella. But that’s not all. If you’re a fan of electronic music, don’t miss Benny Benassi, Deadmau5, or Infected Mushroom. If you’re still nostalgic for the 80’s see DEVO, a new wave band best remembered by our generation for their creation of the Rugrats’ theme song. Love the strokes? Julian Casablancas, singer and songwriter for The Strokes, performs as a solo act on Sunday. And for those looking for a folk rock fix, the Avett Brothers and Grizzly Bear are sure to deliver. Make sure to check out the line-up online because there are dozens more great bands and artists than one article could ever cover.

Campsites go fast, so make sure to reserve one soon. You pay for a certain amount of space; the fun of cramming as many people as possible into it comes free. I’m sure most CC students will agree that camping’s half the fun. Returning to your campsite after the greatest musical experience of your life to while away the dull nighttime hours beats the luxury of any off-site condo. Stop wondering what you’ll do for 7th block break before the question is even asked. See you at Coachella.