Coachella, my desert fête

Currently listening to "The Cave" by Mumford & Sons for the first time since Coachella. In fact, before Coachella, I knew very little of them...I never even listened to a song of theirs. But after a live performance that brought me to tears (literally!), I bought their album quicker than you can say "Coachella."

Going into Mumford & Sons' set, I figured I'd see what all the "hype" was about. I heard they were good, I heard people loved them, I heard they had songs on the radio. And most importantly, there were no other bands I wanted to see at the same time.

By the third song, I was in tears. At one point, one of the guys (I don't know their names yet haha) said, "We're a little intimated...this is by far the largest crowd we've performed in front of" or something to that effect. And that's when it just hit me: for many of these artists, Coachella is the biggest performance of their lives and we get to be there to experience it.

What blows my mind even more, though, is that Mumford & Sons wasn't the only band who had such a profound effect on me. Arcade Fire, Empire of the Sun, Freelance Whales, Broken Social Scene, Ellie Goulding, Erykah Badu, Chromeo, they all mastered what Coachella is supposed to be: a three-day celebration of music.

Like last year's Coachella, I'm at a loss for words. I don't want to devalue its importance, its effect and its beauty with meaningless words. So instead, I'll give you a brief rundown and then let the photos do the rest of the talking.

For starters, we camped! Five of us stuffed into a four-person tent for four nights like a can of sardines, while two slept in a car and another two slept in a separate small tent. And let me tell you, 95+ degree weather at 7 a.m. in a hot tent with four equally smelly people (myself included) is not the business. Everyday, from the moment we woke until about 3 p.m., we spent most of our time and energy looking for shade...between cars, under canopies, near trees, anywhere we could find. At one point, I ended up underneath the trailer of public showers because that was the only shade I could fine.

Secondly, this year's Coachella was a reunion of sorts for me, Jamie and the rest of our best friends. Although I had been home for a couple of days, Jamie literally stepped off the plane from Korea and into my friend Maria's car to go to Indio. Another friend, Nick, also just got off the plane, flying from Germany the day before. With exhaustion running through our blood, we depended on each other for support, energy and good vibes all weekend long. I couldn't have done it without them.

This brings me to my next point. Whereas last year's Coachella was all about new experiences, this year's was very different. If I could sum it up in one word, I'd say "personal." Not only was I with some of the most important people in my life (there was one very special person missing though!), many of the artists' performances transported me to some of my most personal memories and/or transitions in life. For example, Arcade Fire took me back to a few months ago, when I thought transitioning to life in Korea was all but impossible. Ellie Goulding transported me to the days I'd run along the Han River, listening to her album, Bright Lights, filled with joy at the thought of spring's arrival. And the beautiful Lauryn Hill took me back to my high school days, when 16-year-old Elysabeth thought she knew what love was :-P

In summary, it was perfection. Hot, sweaty, musical perfection.

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These photos were taken by Alvin and Nick. I stole them (thanks, guys).

[At the campsite, trying to cool off]


[Maria's permanent spot for the weekend]




[Our bathrooms all weekend...uh, yeah.]


[Met up with Tanya on Day 3!]


[love]


[My girls]




[Empire of the Sun...no words.]




[Oh Kanye...some things are better left unsaid.]

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The next set of photos were taken by me with my new Vivitar Ultra Wide and Slim remake by Superheadz (made in Tokyo). It's a fun and easy toy camera that I wish I utilized more!

Ok, that is all. Thank you for reading my rambling thoughts, or if you didn't, thank you for scrolling to the bottom of the page. Either way, I love you.

Until next time, bisous.