Reggie Watts Says Coachella Has Lost Its Soul—”There’s No Real Sense of Love Coming From The Festival” – Digital Music News

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore / CC by 2.0
With the first weekend of Coachella behind us and the second week upcoming, many live music fans have taken to social media to criticize the festival. Attendees highlighted the poor food experiences, with one couple paying over $100 for a couple tacos, nachos, and two lemonades. Reggie Watts articulated his problems with the festival on Instagram.
“I’ve been to Coachella a handful of times now, and while the scale is impressive, the soul feels increasingly absent,” Watts begins. “The experience is confusing and impersonal—checkpoint after checkpoint, wristband logic puzzles, security everywhere. Most people on the grounds move like walking credit cards, pinging from one branded experience to the next.”
“And then there’s the waste—plastic, garbage, trash in the desert wind. Leaving is especially grim. You’re navigating dust storms, people hustling to buy your wristband, and a general sense that it was all a transaction, not a shared experience. If you’ve got asthma or care about your breathing, bring a mask. Seriously.”
“There are better ways to do this. There are independent festivals run by people who give a shit—about the music, the artists, the fans, the land. They treat performers with care and build environments where real community can take root. That’s where the magic is. That’s what’s worth supporting.”
As Reggie points out, increased competition from other festivals that aren’t as large as Coachella but feature attractive line-ups and lower costs attract music fans. Stagecoach has had no trouble selling out over the last few years as country music goes through a renaissance among Gen Z.
Coachella’s disastrous artist sets have not inspired confidence for those forking out thousands to see artists live. Grimes apologized publicly for her glitch-filled set in 2024, while Nigerian singer Rema arrived 30 minutes late to his set this year. The performance involved lip-syncing, water breaks, abrupt starts and restarts of songs. Fans noted his apparent annoyance at the set, with much speculation about issues backstage affecting his performance.
For a live music festival about promoting artists in the moment, Coachella’s share of disaster sets has left fewer people willing to fork out thousands of dollars to travel to the money sink in the California desert.
Share on:
You must be logged in to post a comment.

source