The weekends of October 7th and October 14th in Indio, California, classic bands performed for a crowd of over 65,000 people at the first ever Desert Trip festival.  The “legends” that performed included Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, The Who and Roger Waters.  

“Welcome to the catch-’em-before-they-croak festival,” said Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger.

Jagger referenced the age of the performers as he walked on stage. Not only were the performers old, but the crowd was also older than would be expected at most festivals. This, however, did not stop young people from having fun at the festival.

“Roger Waters was for sure my favorite.  Going in, I was most excited to see him because I love Pink Floyd.  He killed it on stage, the on-screen visuals were amazing, and the backup vocals were insane.  Neil Young, came in a close second though with some crazy shedding,” said senior Autumn Geil.

The younger crowd felt a sense of childhood nostalgia.  The Desert Trip festival reminded some of the music that their parents have always played for them.  

“My dad loves classic rock.  He has a huge vinyl collection we play all the time at home, and he always gave my brother, sister and me “classical appreciation” lessons in the car,” said Geil.

As the concert was geared towards an older crowd, the festival was run really well.  There was a place for gourmet food, cushioned seats, charging stations, full bathrooms with running water, and water stations. Fans were able to enjoy music rarely performed in such a large setting.

“Times have definitely changed since Woodstock.  There were a couple high quality screens back by general admission that really helped us plebeians see what was going on down on stage.  The sound was really high quality too,” said Geil.

What made the festival unique, however, was the amazing energy that each of the performers brought to the stage.  Roger Waters and the Rolling Stones appeared to be student favorites.

“As a child, I thought these bands were legends, and I never believed that I would be able to see such historically significant music,” said senior Claire Black.