By Sam Yohm (Samantha Ortiz Meneses)
Since
I was 16 years old, I have always dreamt about attending Coachella, a music
festival that takes place in Indio, CA.
As a teenager, I developed an enormous passion for concerts and music; I
would try to attend every possible concert. However, attending Coachella was
challenging because at that time I was living in Mexico City. For Mexican rock
lovers, Coachella promises the ultimate experience in rock festivals; hence, my
best friend and I wanted to attend. We entered a Facebook contest, but sadly we
did not win. We tried every year for five years to go to Coachella, but
something always came up and we could not make it. When I came to study at UCR,
I was really excited because I knew Indio, CA was really close to Riverside;
nevertheless, for the first two years living here I did not go. It wasn’t until
this year, 2013, that I was finally able to attend Coachella Valley Music and
Arts Festival. Unfortunately, my best friend could not come with me, but my dad
did and it was such an awesome experience as well as an enriching
father-daughter activity.
To
be honest, I was not planning on attending Coachella since I have a medical
condition known as rheumatoid arthritis, and it can be hard to keep up with a rock
festival that lasts three days. However, I decided at the last moment that I
wanted to go, and luckily I was able to buy a ticket. At first, I was going by
myself but later on, one of my friends sold me a ticket for my dad. The first
day of the concert, April 19th, I was a little bit nervous because I
did not know what to expect. I thought it was going to be really crowed, hot,
and with no benches where I could sit. Nonetheless, I was wrong; it was not
that crowed or hot, and there were plenty of seats. I did not only get the
chance to meet awesome and unique people, but I also got to see some of my
favorite bands such as, The Stone Roses,
New Order, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Passion Pit, Franz Ferdinand, and the
Mexican band Café Tacvba. Even though
I have had the chance to see some of these bands before, I was still very
excited; especially for Café Tacvba since
they are from my home country. During Coachella’s second day, April 20th,
I saw Café Tacvba and to me they were the best band at Coachella. Is not like
they are a universal rock legend or that I have not seen them before; it is
just that being surrounded by all those Mexican crazy fans and singing along
with my dad was a priceless experience.
Definitely, Coachella was an awe-inspiring experience and I am so glad I
had the opportunity to go. I think it’s amazing how a rock festival can group
such a big crowd in one place. Music is something that brings people together, and
I love that.
Pictures of Café Tacvba:
