Every April, the music festival Coachella comes to Indio, California. It’s two weekends of music at the Empire Polo Club, featuring some of the industry’s biggest names as well as more niche artists. After several years of struggling to sell tickets, this year’s lineup, including Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter and Karol G, meant tickets sold out in just three days.    

Despite record attendance and high YouTube streaming numbers, fans were quick to react with backlash against the main headliner, Justin Bieber’s set. For his first major performance in four years, the pop star opted for a very minimal stage design and outfit. 

Due to the fact that he sold his entire song catalog at the end of 2023, Bieber could only use songs from his newer albums. As a workaround, a section of Bieber’s set was dedicated to singing along to his old songs on YouTube. Many criticized the choice, calling it lazy and boring, while others thought it created an intimate atmosphere that felt like a hangout with the singer.

Meanwhile, Sabrina Carpenter, headlining on Friday, went big with several different sets, costume changes and choreographed dances.  

While performing at the festival has become a major career goal for aspiring music artists, Coachella has humble origins. In 1993, Pearl Jam played at the Empire Polo Club in an effort to avoid the high service fees at venues controlled by Ticketmaster. The venue was originally intended for polo games, but the Pearl Jam concert proved it was also suitable for large music events, and the first Coachella took place just a few years later in 1999. That first year, tickets cost only $50 for each day and attendees received complimentary parking and a free water bottle on entry. 

Today, tickets start at $550 for the most basic pass and only go up into the thousands. Many attendees must fly into California, while those who drive in locally must contend with gas prices rising about $5 a gallon and heavy traffic. Meanwhile, local businesses raise prices to capitalize on the huge crowds, as each day of the festival maxes out at a capacity of 125,000 people.

Airbnb hosts were also quick to take advantage of the festival. Many hosts cancelled their reservations and relisted for double or even triple the price. Hotel costs inflate astronomically, but the only other option is camping on the Coachella grounds.

While cheaper, it involves communal bathrooms and exposure to the hot, dry and dusty desert climate. Those not camping on the festival grounds must contend with long lines to get into the festival and high transportation costs or parking that fills up quickly. 

Many wonder if the festival is still even about the music anymore. But since Coachella started live streaming on YouTube, the music is now accessible for anyone, as Justin Bieber’s set alone pulled nearly 25 million streams. Coachella may have become one of the country’s biggest music festivals, but it is still true to its original purpose of expanding the reach of both popular and niche music.