Something I’ve been mulling over in my mind and with my group chat is how I have a suspicion that the latest developments in music festivals are priming the populace to be apathetic towards our terrible economy, increased poverty rates, a growing chasm between the rich and poor, and a sharp decline in quality of life. Yes, I know being able to afford to attend a music festival is a privilege. Especially post-COVID precautions (because COVID is still here and raging.) But walk with me here. I’m gonna start making sense soon.
A couple of weeks ago, I watched a few YouTube video essays about the unexpected game of Survivor that was Coachella. Besides festival goers laments of long lines, dangerous levels of heat, long lines, exorbitant food and water prices, and gross bathroom facilities, the overarching theme that stood out to me was the difference in experiences between the “normies” or people who could only afford base price tickets with no frills and the “elite” mainly wealthy young people or influencers who’s trips were sponsored.
The base price ticket for Coachella 2025 STARTED at $499 for the full 3 days (plus a “convenience” fee of $50). So that base ticket, just to get in, totaled $549. And that’s not including the fee to camp there. That’s another $197.37 – $438.75, with various fees and taxes included. If you thought that was expensive, take a gander at the VIP ticket pricing. Those tickets started at $1,199 (taxes and fees included) and went up from there, whether you opted to also pay for a Coachella-provided glamping situation. Those started at $3,709. Then there is the add-on of shuttle services, dinner experiences, on-site lockers, etc, etc.
I don’t know about you, but Michael Jackson could come back to life and I’d be hard pressed to find the will to pay over $500 to set up in what looks like a colorful FEMA camp with a musical backdrop and a close up view of the privileged eating their complimentary food in their chauffeured golf carts. All while everyone with a GA ticket has to pay outlandish prices for basic food and water, search for shade in 100+ degree weather, and queue up to try not to get trench foot from shared showers.
If you dare criticize the pricing structures, the disparity between experiences, or the corporate greed, you are met with “Well, you know no one is forcing you to go.” Well yes. No one is forcing anyone to go to Coachella and spend that money. HOWEVER! Live entertainment should not be an accessible and positive experience for only the wealthy. That line of reasoning is a slippery slope down into “Well, no one is forcing you to go to the museum, the arcade, the movies, the beach (I live in NJ where they charge to get access to the beach), amusement parks, etc, etc.” We are perilously close to leisure activities only being for the elite and the way people are rationalizing this is getting scary. Even GA attendees of Coachella will wearily smile into the camera and tell TikTok that they may be in debt for this trip, they were miserable most of the time, but fuck it it’s not like I was gonna be able to afford a house even if I saved the money instead of going to Coachella. I believe that’s what the youth call “Doom Spending.”
I thought I made better financial choices in life myself, but I sure was shown to be a fool after this weekend’s Roots Picnic 2025. And my theory on music festivals priming us for a future of poverty and scarcity feels a little more solid. Tickets weren’t exactly Coachella level and there was no camping involved, but boy oh boy was it an overpriced shit show.
Roots Picnic prices ranged from $125 for single-day GA tickets to $1,399 for a 2-day Gold tier ticket (these are the base prices without taxes and fees included). I decided to treat myself to a GA+ 2-day ticket ($400+ taxes and fees) because I wanted access to the GA+ lounge (which I couldn’t find at the event) as well as a dedicated line to enter the venue quickly. My friends bought the 2-day Silver tier because they enjoy being able to get up close to the stage to watch performances, faster entry, and the VIP bar experience. I’m not a big drinker, and I don’t like being smooshed in crowds if I can help it, so sticking to GA+ didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything.
I rationalized the price to myself by just looking at the state of the US and figuring that since we’re on our way out, I might as well enjoy my last summer with a semi-functioning government. But the first day of the event was a complete disaster. There had been significant rain in the weeks leading up to the picnic and on the day of. Attendees were prepared for this as it’s a “rain or shine” event. We donned our ponchos and shoes that we didn’t mind getting muddy. My group even waited til later in the day to go, because Roots Picnic is notorious for having difficulty with getting people into the event efficiently. We also had the feeling that there might be delays due to heavy rain. And we were right. But it wasn’t just delays that were the issue. Communication was lacking. We would be told one thing, and it didn’t happen. They postponed the opening of the gates from noon until 2 pm, but didn’t announce it until 1 pm, and while some attendees were able to get in then, they either closed the gates again or paused admission because the lines stopped moving, particularly the VIP lines (I wish I could tell you the reason but communication was piss poor.) We got to the venue and were in line around 3:30 pm, stood in a line that barely moved, then completely stopped moving for 3 hours before we decided to go to a bar and commiserate over the shared misery of the day.
While in line, we watched and engaged in some heated exchanges with other attendees as tempers flared and common sense left the room. There was no crowd control, so people were just cutting in line. People were squatting and peeing in the mud as they didn’t want to risk losing their spot since some were in line since 11 am, and there were no restrooms nearby. People had medical emergencies, and medics were nowhere to be found. Police hassled those same people who had medical emergencies. Visibly disabled people had no accessible entryway. Staff were more sparse than the hairs on Tory Lanez head and had bad attitudes (which I can’t really blame them for because they seemed to be getting just as little communication from higher-ups as we were). Trash littered the ground because trash cans were nowhere to be found. You couldn’t sit or rest anywhere. I ended up dehydrated because I had anticipated buying water when I got into the venue, so I didn’t have any of my own. I’d actually love to tell you that we kept getting conflicting information from the organizers, but we got NO communication. In fact, many people in line were saying it felt like we were being gaslit as the Roots Picnic social media team ignored comments and continued to post as if the event was going off without a hitch. Hell, they were even using footage from previous years to make it look like there were bigger crowds than there were.
Saturday was an absolute bust. I really wanted to see Glorilla, and I missed my chance. I’m pretty sure her performance started right as we gave up and left the line. I can’t say for sure because the schedule was a shit show and the app was not updated in real time. However, we soldiered on for Day 2 to salvage the weekend. We based that decision on whether or not we would be able to at least get a partial refund, as some people were given them on Saturday night if they went to the box office. When we got there on Saturday, they told us we could either get a full refund or attend that day. No partial refunds would be provided.
While Saturday was much better, even the staff seemed to be in better spirits, it still left some things to be desired. My friends who paid for the Silver tier never received their complimentary merch, but they did enjoy their pit access and free refills on VIP alcoholic beverages. I was never able to find the GA+ lounge, but I heard it wasn’t much to be desired anyway. I was hoping for a much bigger Vendor Village as I love checking out small businesses that I’m unfamiliar with, but it was small compared to other music events I’ve been to. Food truck lines were long, so I just ended up getting some overpriced, cold tater tots and water near the amphitheater.
Signage was lacking, except for the huge emergency exit sign. But the sponsor tents and activations were nice. I’m still not sure what Pure is, but they had a great DJ and a popping dance floor. However, I missed out on Total, Jagged Edge, and most of Lenny Kravitz’s set because the schedule posted on the app and that was posted on social media were not giving us accurate times, and notifications came through at random times. I did get to achieve my goal for the summer, which was to be high as a kite and dancing outside to Kaytranada, so it wasn’t all bad. It was just the pick-me-up I needed to not fall into a complete funk over how much money I spent and the performances I missed. But I’m still disputing this with my credit card, because what you ain’t gonna do is play in my face and use “rain or shine” as a blanket excuse for poor organization, safety issues, and not being able to even make it inside on the first day of the event.
Now, back to the original premise of this blog post. I do feel that the decline of music festival quality, particularly for the people who can only afford a base ticket price, is priming us for further inequality and lower standards of living. A trend in ticketing for events being broken into more and more tiers, like airline seating, is normalizing that you must pay for basics like seating and shade. Similar to how we’ve seen the installation of anti-homeless infrastructure in more and more public spaces. God forbid you want to have a seat after standing all day or find some shade from the scorching heat of the sun. Forget about the elderly, pregnant (yes, I saw a few pregnant people at the Roots Picnic), and disabled. They are an afterthought, or rather, they aren’t the type of clientele you want or care to accommodate.
Pit access used to be a survival of the fittest. Whoever got there early enough or was able to maneuver their way to the front earned their spot. Now, pit access is reserved only for those who can afford it.
If you have strict dietary restrictions, too damn bad. No outside food or beverages allowed. And don’t think about leaving to grab a bite and coming back. There is no re-entry. Have medical equipment to manage an illness/disability? Well if it can fit in this very specific dimension of bag, sucks to be you.
I know that all this seems like I’m probably reaching, but I’m not. I’m not saying we need to boycott music festivals and concerts with these types of issues (although Roots Picnic will never see me or my money again). What I’m trying to convey is that we do not get complacent. Do not let more arbitrary class stratification spill out further into society. Watch the small events, organizations, and institutions for signs that they are leaning in that direction and push back. Don’t be resigned to letting this become normal in your eyes. Don’t justify it with classist propaganda simply because you see bigger issues in the world. We all deserve to be treated with respect and decency, no matter our station in life. Whether you are metaphorically in GA, GA+, Silver, or Gold.
Let me know what you think