From muddy fields and a message of peace to desert concerts and fashion, Woodstock and Coachella have shown how much music festivals have changed over the last 50 years.
The iconic 1969 Woodstock festival and the ongoing Coachella festival stand as iconic bookends in the music industry.
While both concerts are represented by massive crowds, each tells different stories about youth culture and the spirit of new generations.
Festivals background
Woodstock
Before Woodstock ‘69, the U.S. got involved in the Vietnam War. In 1965, the U.S. military escalated its involvement when it sent combat troops to the Gulf of Tonkin.
The war was controversial for its unclear justification, a military draft that targeted the poor, and unfiltered media coverage that exposed American eyes to what war really is.
The Vietnam War gave Woodstock a purpose: to show peace and love through the passion of music, which gives Woodstock their famous slogan of“Three Days of Peace & Music.”
Woodstock was a three-day long music festival that indulged in diverse genres of music performed by artists in front of a large audience. It featured different types of music such as jazz fusion, rock, folk and blues and did two more events in 1994 and 1999, all in New York.
Coachella
In 1993, Pearl Jam would host a concert at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif. where nearly 25,000 people watched them perform.
This large audience concert sparked an idea for concert planners Paul Tollett and Rick Van Santen. In 1999, Coachella went live for its first festival.
Coachella is an annual festival held every year at Empire Polo Club that consists of numerous genres, unique clothing fashions and attractions over consecutive weekends.
It is hosted annually by Goldenvoice, a Los Angeles based concert promoter, and allows people to express themselves through fashion, art and music. Coachella is known as an “outlet for expression.”
Music festival introductions
Woodstock
Woodstock was a three-day long music festival that indulged in diverse genres of music performed by artists in front of a large audience.
Woodstock featured different types of music such as jazz fusion, rock, folk and blues and has been held three different times: 1969, 1994, and 1999.
Woodstock has continued to use the slogan “Three Days of Peace & Music,” which was originally to project the festival’s non-violence and unity during the Vietnam War in the 1960s and 70s.
Coachella
Coachella is a music festival that consists of numerous genres, unique clothing fashions and attractions over consecutive weekends.
It is hosted annually by Goldenvoice, a Los Angeles based concert promoter, and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif..
Coachella allows people to express themselves through fashion, art and music. Coachella is known as an “outlet for expression.”
Festival conditions to be cautionary of
Woodstock
Woodstock’s festivals had an average attendance of 400,000 to 500,000, but the real number of people who attended is unknown due to people sneaking in.
Woodstock had multiple different festival locations with Woodstock ‘99 being held on Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, N.Y. Woodstock ‘99 is notorious for its heat, shoulder to shoulder audience and poor infrastructure.
Coachella
Coachella’s festivals have an average audience of 125,000 people, but it’s more spacious than Woodstock.
Coachella is held in the Colorado Desert, so attendees prepare by wearing comfortable shoes, breathable fabric, hats & sunglasses to protect them from dust storms and temperatures that can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
People have claimed to get blistering sunburn and walk away with blisters on their feet from standing all day.
