Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival

Thomas Gold: "EDM Is An Open Field... I Love It."

The Berlin-based DJ Thomas Gold will be visiting Maya, one of Scottsdale's newest hosts for EDM artists and events, this Friday. Up On The Sun spoke with Gold about his upbringing in music, how his touring and festival schedules have been going, and what we can possibly expect to see from him at Ma ... More >>

Top Five Must-See Shows In Phoenix This Week

There isn't a Coachella this weekend, so far as I can tell -- neither a real Coachella nor The Real Coachella, which honestly seemed like a better time. That leaves us, globally, with a notable shortage of people listening to music in weird outfits and from strange campsites. These five shows might ... More >>

The Best of Coachella 2013 Week Two

The Visual Stimulations for People Who Were High Coachella's art installations -- the ones designed to impress you while you're high, a.k.a. all of them -- were particularly impressive this year. There was the Tesla coil, the crane that was formerly a flower but now a praying mantis, the giant fluor ... More >>

Music Fests Like Coachella Drive Concert Sales to New Heights

How Music Festivals Keep The Music Industry Afloat

This week's New Times cover story examines the music industry's only 21st-century success story: The incredible boom in live music in general and festivals in particular. Since you might still be in the throes of a Coachella hangover--or maybe you're getting ready to camp out at That Damn Show Sat ... More >>

The Faint to Bring Dance-y Sing-Alongs to That Damn Show

The roster of touring acts of That Damn Show gives the festival the appearance of something that happened a decade ago. I remember being stoked to see acts like Bad Religion, Face to Face, and Fenix Tx for the first time in the early Aughts -- and, in some cases, at Mesa Amphitheatre. Wasn't Bad Rel ... More >>

Was Coachella 2013 Worth The Drive From Phoenix?

If you went to Coachella last weekend, you're probably still sunburned, dehydrated, and physically exhausted. Sleeping in your own bed is a glorious feeling after camping out or crashing on a friend's hotel room floor, but some aches and pains are bound to persist. Fortunately, if you had a good-en ... More >>

No, Seriously, Is Daft Punk Playing Coachella?

This is, so far, the burning question of this Coachella, being asked everywhere from the campsites to the press tent. Even though the French dance-punk duo officially squashed the rumors, not many people seem to be buying it. At least, not since last night. Just before Yeah Yeah Yeahs took the m ... More >>

Doing Drugs at Coachella? Here's How to Avoid Trouble With the Police

Hate to say it, but some of you at Coachella are going to be approached by police officers assuming you have drugs. Well, you just may, but guess what? You still have rights, man. See also: Everything You Need to Know About Coachella Cameron Bowman is here to help! As a music festival lover and at ... More >>

Worst Idea Ever: Travel Dating Site Calls Coachella a Great First Date

By Katie Bain Ladies travel site Misstravel.com recently named named Coachella the number one music festival at which to go on a first date. For so many reasons, this is a terrible idea. Issue number one is that unless you have a day-pass scenario worked out, a first date at Coachella means that ... More >>

Modest Mouse is Coming to Phoenix

It's been a hot minute since Portland-based indie rock stalwarts Modest Mouse put a record out (the band's latest EP, No One's First and You're Next came out in freaking 2009). Songwriter Isaac Brock insists new material is coming (but you know, he named his record label Glacial Pace), but for now i ... More >>

Rodriguez Show Moves From the Orpheum Theatre to Mesa Amphitheatre

Atención, long-lost singer/songwriter types: If you're looking to make a big comeback, having a mythical backstory, two stone-cold classic LPs in the can, and a blockbuster documentary goes a long way. Such is the case with Sixto Rodriguez, whose rise from dusty-fingered crate digger obscurity to ... More >>

Don't Want to Go to Coachella? Good Thing All These Coachella Bands Are Coming to Phoenix (Pt. 2)

Phoenix is scheduled to perform Monday, April 8, at Marquee Theatre./td>Last week we ran a list of Coachella bands headed to Phoenix around the festival's dates. Well, since then the list has grown, including big name acts like Phoenix, The Postal Service, and Tegan and Sara. So allow us to fill you ... More >>

Didn't Buy A Coachella Pass in Time? Good Thing a Bunch of Coachella Bands Are Coming to Phoenix

As expected, this year's Coachella sold out pretty fast. Scalpers are already selling tickets for upwards of $1,000 for a single pass--for the love of god, please email this person and offer them $200. That's a bit of an anomaly, since most resales are going for around $500, but sometimes a kind sou ... More >>

Stop Hating on the 2013 Coachella Lineup

Each year, like many of you, I impatiently wait for the Coachella lineup to be announced. Sometimes it's disappointing (if Daft Punk says they're not touring, chances are they're not playing the festival), but there's always going be a few redeeming artists. At best the lineup will be amazing, and i ... More >>

Coachella 2013 Official Lineup is Posted

The wait, as they say, is finally over. You can cease all the speculation of who the hell is officially playing this year's Coachella as Goldenvoice unveiled the lineup in grand fashion. See also: -Who Is Really Playing Coachella This Year? -The Rolling Stones Aren't Playing Coachella, but Some ... More >>

Coachella's "Bloom" Video: WTF Does it Mean?

Yesterday afternoon, the home page of the Coachella website changed to a video called "Bloom," which shows plants and art exhibits sprouting from the ground. Some look pretty creepy--did those worm/slug things 30 seconds into the video really just form a structure? At least the rest are fairly cute ... More >>

The Rolling Stones Aren't Playing Coachella, but Some Great Bands (Probably) Are

Yesterday, NME revealed the unfortunate news that the rumor that The Rolling Stoneswere headlining Coachella was just that-- a rumor. "We're not gonna do Coachella 'cos it's too early," Mick Jagger told the magazine. "We're not gonna be ready to go by April, but we're not gonna stop." Looks like ... More >>

Top Ten Finest Fashion Moments on the S.S. Coachella

By Liz Tracy Most of the people we met on the S.S. Coachella had never been on a cruise before. Like us, they weren't so sure what to pack or how to dress for three days of awkwardly saying hi to their favorite bands on a floating building at sea. But, like the festival, the fans also brought thei ... More >>

S.S. Coachella: Nail Master Class with Sleigh Bells' Alexis Krauss

By Liz Tracy Fashion and music are the funniest-looking twin sisters. They're always together, always kinda sloppy. Sometimes they dress up like a swan or wear a big mouse head. Together, they're always looking to make a bold statement. If you follow Sleigh Bells' Alexis Krauss on Instagram (@Kra ... More >>

S.S. Coachella Cruise, Day One: Father John Misty, Yeasayer, !!!, Pulp

By Liz Tracy The S.S. Coachella set out to sea rather unceremoniously. There weren't horns, not a streamer in sight, and no one smashed bottles against the body of the ship. But we'd all been aboard the Celebrity Silhouette for about four hours at that point, and Father John Misty was launching o ... More >>

Live Nation Looks to Cash In on EDM Rage with Identity Festival

Gathering of the Juggalos or S.S. Coachella? We Break Out the Scorecard

See also: S.S. Coachella Cruise Lineup Announced Featuring Pulp, Girl Talk, Z-Trip, and More See also: Z-Trip Talks Growing Up in Phoenix, Johhny D., Crate-Digging, Mexican Food, Smite, and More See also: The Gathering of the Juggalos 2012 Lineup Is Pretty Good. Really! See also: FBI Report Official ... More >>

S.S. Coachella Cruise Lineup Announced Featuring Pulp, Girl Talk, Z-Trip, and More

See also: Z-Trip Talks Growing Up in Phoenix, Johhny D., Crate-Digging, Mexican Food, Smite, and More See also: Up on the Sun's Coachella 2012 Coverage Goldenvoice promised an announcement at 6 p.m. today, but looks like someone jumped the gun: Get ready for the S.S. Coachella cruise, which takes a ... More >>

EDC 2012: Coachella or Electric Daisy Carnival: Which One is Better?

See also: Our Complete Coachella Coverage Dance music is coming to an arena near you: Kaskade will be the first DJ ever to play Staples Center (July 27). And mainstream concert promoters such as Live Nation are diving into the electronic dance explosion. Electric Daisy Carnival, which is being hel ... More >>

From Print: Blogs Teased in Our May 3 Issue

This week, New Times ran a list in our print publication highlighting some of the most interesting posts published at Up on the Sun over the past week. Here are links to those posts. Does Phoenix need a heavy metal strip club? How did the "Real Coachella" festival compare to the real Coachella fe ... More >>

Over the Weekend: Marchfourth Marching Band, The Real Coachella, and Ross Rocks! @ Hollywood Alley

Marchfourth Marching Band @ Crescent Ballroom I think I'm going to run away with the circus. If they can get out of Phoenix, that is. Last night marked the second time I've seen Marchfourth Marching Band live (And, admittedly, the first time I've seen them sober.) It's an act that's difficult to ... More >>

Ten Hot, Sweaty, Silly Coachella Dances, In GIF Form

See also: The Best of Coachella, Weekend Two: Sunday, April 22 Top Ten Awkward Coachella Dance Moves By Rebecca Haitchcoat During Coachella's second weekend, temperatures topped 100 degrees every day. Yet somehow folks were dancing even crazy-er! Most just stripped down and let the sweat flow. H ... More >>

Best of Coachella Weekend Two: Sunday, April 22

See also: Our complete Coachella coverage By the third day of Coachella's second weekend -- the sixth and final day of this year's festival -- folks had more or less learned to ignore the dust and the heat. Here are our intrepid writers' favorite things about the final hours of the 2012 event.

James' Tim Booth On Why Coachella Kicks (The Old) Lollapalooza's Ass

Over the past 30 years, alternative Britpop rockers James have been one of the most underrated bands to come from Manchester. Having toured across the globe and played some of the biggest festivals in the world, frontman Tim Booth knows a thing or two about what makes a show great, which is why he l ... More >>

Azealia Banks - Coachella - 4/21/12

See also: Our Complete Coachella Coverage By Rebecca Haithcoat One assumes that thousands of people shouting, "I guess that cunt getting eaten" in unison has never happened at Coachella before. Yet you could hear just that yesterday during Azealia Banks' set; it was afternoon, and most of us were ... More >>

Best of Coachella 2012: Friday, April 20

See also: *Our complete Coachella coverage *Top Ten Awkward Coachella Dance Move GIFs The first weekend of Coachella: cold, damp, and wet. The second weekend of Coachella: hot, sultry, and steamy. Here are our scribes' picks for the best of what they saw on Friday, April 20 at Coachella. Pulp Con ... More >>

Coachella 2012 4/20: Let's Talk About Weed

See also: *The Best of Coachella: Friday, April 20 *Our Complete Coachella Coverage Yesterday was 4/20. It was also Coachella. And so, the percentage of festival-goers who were stoned rose from a paltry 75 percent to a full 98 percent. (These estimates come courtesy of LA Weekly music editor, Ben ... More >>

Ten Songs to Help Cope With Coachellaitis

Coachella was a lot of fun. I crossed a bunch of bands off my bucket list that I never thought I'd be able to see live--Refused, Pulp, Justice, At The Drive-In, 2pac...okay, 2pac wasn't actually on my bucket list, but it was cool to kind of see him. A major downside to the festival is you're prett ... More >>

Top Ten Awkward Coachella Dance Move GIFs

See also: Coachella: Radiohead's Weekend 1 Set Has No Alarms and No Surprises See also: The Best of Coachella Sunday, April 15, 2012 By Ben Westhoff At Coachella, folks come from all over the world to lose themselves in the music. They'll employ almost anything in this quest -- but mostly drugs. S ... More >>

The Best of Coachella: Sunday, April 15

See also: *The Best Of Coachella: Saturday, April 14 *Top Ten Awkward Coachella Dance Move GIFs Wow, that was fast! In a whirlwind of top-notch performances from legends and buzz bands alike, pool parties, and rain, Coachella's first weekend is over. Here are our scribes' favorite moments from Sund ... More >>

Coachella: 5 Signs You're An Aging Hipster

See also: Coachella: Radiohead's Weekend 1 Set Has No Alarms and No Surprises See also: The Best of Coachella Sunday, April 15, 2012 By Lilledeshan Bose Aging hipsters--the very same people Coachella targeted when it began holding the music fest in Indio--are usually easy to spot on the Empire Pol ... More >>

Coachella: What The Hell Is That Giant Flower?

See also: Best of Coachella: Sunday, April 15 See also: Top 10 Awkward Dance Moves at Coachella (GIFs) By Gabrielle Canon Coachella-goers arrived to the festival Sunday to find a giant 100 foot tall lotus flower on the grounds near the Gobi tent. Trippy! The crazy thing was that the flower swoo ... More >>

Coachella: Radiohead's Weekend 1 Set Has No Alarms and No Surprises

Radiohead Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Indio April 14, 2012 By Adam Lovinus Radiohead might have a problem. They are so consistently great that an elite performance, such as the one turned in Saturday night at Coachella, could be seen as missing that element of surprise that comes wit ... More >>

Jeff Mangnum, fIREHOSE, and More: The Best Of Coachella, Saturday, April 14

See also: Coachella: Radiohead's Weekend 1 Set Has No Alarms and No Surprises See also: Coachella: The Black Lips' Cole Alexander Goes Full Monty, Plays Guitar With His Ding-Dong See also: Best of Coachella Weekend One: Friday, April 13 Everyone was ready to shit their pants for Radiohead, but ther ... More >>

Best of Coachella Weekend One: Friday, April 13

Day one of The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival brought something more unusual than ironic outfits or that poor guy who couldn't get his flip flops on for the life of him: this year there was rain. The festival held in the Southern California desert is known for scorching, someti ... More >>

"What My Spirit Hood Means To Me": Coachella-Goers Explain

See also: *Spirit Hoods: The Weirdest Fashion Startup Ever *Expected Fashion Trends at Coachella By Gabrielle Canon Spirit Hoods are back! At Coachella this year these fuzzy animal-themed head gears resembling furs (but not!) have returned with a vengeance; one's instinct remains, as always, to m ... More >>

Coachella, McDowell Mountain Music Festival or Country Thunder; What You Better Pack This Weekend

It's going to be one crazy-ass weekend for music fans in the Valley and beyond. Your choices are many: You can head East to Florence for rustic western sounds Country Thunder, to the grassy turfed parking lot of McDowell Mountain Music Festival's flower-powered jam scene, or out West to Indio, Calif ... More >>

Five Music Festivals That Aren't Coachella

Yeah, we're bummed that we didn't get tickets to Coachella. But there's is no need to panic. There are high-priced, shirtless concertgoer-attracting festivals all over the nation. (Not the mention that with South By Southwest and Coachella run-off, the Southwest's concert calendar is looking pretty ... More >>

Destroyer Announces Phoenix Date This Summer

​Up on the Sun favorite Dan Bejar and his band Destroyer released their newest album Kaputt more than a year ago. We liked it then, we liked it at the end of the year, we like it now still. It's a charming ode to the smooth sounds of late-'70s/early-'80s yacht rock, cannily balancing the line betw ... More >>

Sundown Showdown IV @ Palo Verde Lounge and Yucca Tap Room

Florence and the Machine Coming to Phoenix

Looks like the Coachella runoff just keeps on...uh...running off. Florence and the Machine, scheduled to play the Indio Festival on Sunday April 15 and 22, is making a side trip over to Comerica Theatre on Friday, April 20. 2011 was big for singer Florence Welsh -- her sophomore album, Ceremonia ... More >>

The Future of Coachella: Post-Ticket Purchasing Clusterfuck

​Now that everyone has calmed down after the extreme chaos that was Friday's ticket purchasing experience, there has been ample discussion about the process. Both weekends of Coachella collectively sold out in three hours. People left and right are pissed that they didn't get tickets, and now GA f ... More >>

Is This It? Eight Songs to Listen to While Waiting for Coachella's 2012 Lineup Announcement

Coachella's full lineup should be announced sometime this week. Last Friday, the festival tweeted a picture that read "Next Week" with the hashtag #Coachella2012. There's already been some speculation with fake fliers and what not, but the official lineup will be announced any day now. LA Times pred ... More >>

Coachella Speculations Begin With First Fake Flier

​Beware, West Coast festival lovers! The Coachella flier that has started circulating is a phony.Whoever made this flier is both ridiculous and awesome. This is one hell of a lineup but is typically "wishlist," as these things tend to be. I'd really be pissed at Goldenvoice and other festival orga ... More >>