Coachella Fest Opens To Cooler Temps, Hot Music

Rock duo The Black Keys will headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival tomorrow, the first day of the two-weekend festival.

The festival will be held over two weekends for the first time this year, and the same lineup this weekend also will play April 20-22. Held at the Empire Polo Club, the event draws about 85,000 people from around the world, plus about 15,000 staff, security and vendors, Indio Mayor Glenn Miller said.

“It’s marketing you just can’t buy — whenever you think of Coachella fest you think of Indio and the polo grounds,” Miller said.”It’s the No. 1 renowned festival in the world and it’s here in the Coachella Valley.”

Radiohead is the headliner Saturday, and Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg will close the show on Sunday.

Rapper and hip-hop producer Warren G said on his website that he and Eminem would perform, but concert organizers declined to comment.

Both weekends of the festival sold out in less than three hours the day they went on sale in January, according to organizers.

Miller said the festival draws an additional 25,000 people to the valley.

“They don’t go to the concert but they like the atmosphere,” he said.

Organizers will bus 25,000 people to the festival grounds from the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, 10,000 more than last year. There will be new shuttle bus routes throughout the valley to cut down on traffic to hotels and allow people to stop at restaurants and stores, Miller said.

The city released a “traffic alerts” map outlining streets that will be closed or that should be avoided because of traffic delays.

Avenue 50 between Jackson and Madison streets, Avenue 49 between Monroe and Madison and Madison between avenues 49 and 50 will be closed through Sunday and April 19-22. Delays were expected on Washington, Jefferson, and Monroe streets and avenues 50 and 52 on those days.

The National Weather Service is forecasting a cold storm and strong winds tomorrow through Saturday morning for the Coachella Valley, which could affect people driving to and camping at the festival. The NWS predicted rain throughout Southern California as the storm moved over, and winds were expected to reach 40 mph in the Coachella Valley.

Indio police hire extra law enforcement officers for the festival, department spokesman Ben Guitron said. Security costs are paid by festival organizer Goldenvoice, he said.

“The good thing is we have a template to work security operations and law enforcement operations, so I think we’re pretty much ready,” said Guitron, who noted that the city has hosted the festival for more than 10 years. “If anything significant happens, we make changes as needed.”

Concertgoers double Indio’s population, and the festival is a “city within a city,” Guitron said.

“(Crime is) almost just like you have in a city, but overall per thousands, it’s not bad,” he said.

Guitron declined to discuss the specifics of security operations, but said there is “always something we have to adjust, traffic issues or pedestrian traffic issues — it’s an ongoing process.”

Miller said Coachella is a huge economic boost for the valley, bringing millions of dollars in revenue to Indio alone.

“Every hotel room from Coachella to Morongo is full. It’s the busiest weekend of the year, every weekend the concerts run,” Miller said.

Past Coachella headliners include Paul McCartney, Jay-Z, Madonna, Prince, Kanye West, Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Goldenvoice’s country music festival, Stagecoach, is set for April 27-29 at the polo club.