Coachella 2011: Same Festival, Polar Opposite Crowds
photo by Wendy Gilmartin This guys wasn't at Duran Duran
Coachella is all about variety and sure there are those fleeting chocolate-in-my-peanut butter moments when scenesters, hippies and douchebags all get down together (see Animal Collective, Saturday night). But right now we're talking about the fest's polar opposites. And shows/events/scenes that happened at the same time, with completely different vibes:
THE HAVES AND THE HAVE MORES
There's one group who packed in to Mom's 1996 Chevy Malibu and drove up from Oceanside Friday afternoon to share gas money, and then there's another group who flew charter to Palm Springs airport Saturday morning, with easy rides in complimentary white Escalades awaiting them. Such is the gaping divide that separates the Coachella crowd these days.
Let's get this straight, we don't want to call the pink wristband crowd the have nots: They have the wristband coveted by hundreds of other wanna-bees who either didn't get one in time, couldn't afford one or lost or broke theirs on the first day. Ouch. But don't be fooled, when you consider the perks that the "have mores" have - the parties, the shuttles, the hotel suites, the misting machines and A/C in the VIP areas - kinda makes the little pink guys seem, well, . . . limp.
photo by Wendy Gilmartin With VIP
photo by Wendy Gilmartin Without VIP
These two polar opposite crowds have been doing a revolving dance around each other all weekend long, and the only place they ever really connect is at the front areas of the stages. That is, if any of the "have mores" actually emerge from the VIP area to see the show.
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