The East Valley Gears Up For “Coachella Fest” Take 2

Rock duo The Black Keys will headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Friday, kicking off of the second weekend of the event.

The festival is being held over two weekends for the first time this year, with the exact same lineup performing both.

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

A hologram of deceased rapper Tupac Shakur caused a sensation at the festival last Sunday.

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.

Last weekend’s daily draw was 85,000 to 90,000, Indio police spokesman Ben Guitron said.

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

Organizers Thursday announced the release a limited number of tickets for local residents to purchase Friday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Tickets will be sold starting at 8 a.m. at the Tennis Garden box office, 78-200 Miles Ave.

Residents can buy up to two tickets and must do so in person, organizers said.

The weekend’s temperatures are expected to be closer to typical weather for the festival, with the National Weather Service predicting a high of 100 degrees Friday, 101 Saturday and 102 Sunday.

Last weekend, the festival opened under unusually chilly and stormy skies.

Temperatures dropped to near freezing on Friday night and winds gusted to about 30 mph.

A storm brought rain over the Coachella Valley and dropped snow on the nearby mountains.

Miller 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.

Some shuttle and camping passes are available through the festival’s website, www.coachella.com.

Here’s a look at some road closures and delays you should know about:

– 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.

– Delays were expected on Washington, Jefferson, and Monroe streets and avenues 50 and 52 on those days.

To handle all the thousands of people packed into that tight area Indio police hire extra law enforcement officers for the festival, department spokesman Ben Guitron said.

Security costs are paid by organizer Goldenvoice, he said, and not taxpayers.

There were 134 arrests last weekend, mostly alcohol and drug-related.

There was a stabbing on Sunday, in which a man allegedly stabbed his ex- girlfriend’s new boyfriend in the lower back in the Sahara Tent.

The victim did not want to press charges, Guitron said.

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