(May 2, 2013) — A barren desert located in Indio, California, lights up every April to welcome various artists and crowds of music lovers looking for a weekend full of exciting performances and new music. This is Coachella. Much of it is three days of mind-numbing heat, flowered headbands, and incessant band-hopping. Nonetheless, I’m here to tell you the good stuff about my first experience at Coachella– it was thrilling, inspiring and exhausting. I was introduced to wonderful new music, and I saw performances from artists I already know and love. Three days of good music. Let us begin. DAY 1: The vibe and feel of the festival was pleasant, overall. Of Monsters and Men gave a great performance with popular songs such as “Mountain Sound” and “Little Talks.” I was thrilled to be a part of the crowd of festival-goers, moving in rhythm with the Icelandic sounds of the band. The stage was packed with people, but I was able to squirm through the crowd and get a good view of the performers. Soon after OM&M, the Local Natives took the stage and rocked the crowd with their indie rock beats. I was pleased to find that I enjoyed their music, as they were a new group of artists for me and I was originally a bit hesitant to try something new. The rest of the day consisted of wandering around, people-observing, and trying out some Coachella food (which, by the way, was awesome). By the time I had finished my lamb gyro, I was too tired and lazy to run over to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, not in the least because my sister, her best friend, and I spent an hour running around trying to find the owner of a lonesome iPhone we found laying on the grass. Apparently, his name was Matthew. We never found him. Hold onto your stuff, people! DAY 2: I would have to say that Day 2 was the best, busiest, and most productive day of the weekend. I saw performances by amazing artists, some of whom I was familiar with, and some of whom I never knew. Of course, who wouldn’t want to see 2 Chainz? The Postal Service and Hot Chip were all new attractions and were wonderful in their own way. However, the XX was by far the most outstanding in performance and stage chemistry. Their music was moving and powerful, yet simplistic. I was so entranced by their voices that I often caught myself moving to the music with my eyes closed, like a cobra hypnotized by the elegant sounds of a flute. After their performance, nothing else really measured up. The day ended with Phoenix, which sadly, sounded like loud noise for me, partly because it was almost midnight, and partly because they just were not as good as the XX. DAY 3: Red Hot Chili Peppers. Enough said. The last day of Coachella was just as wonderful as the first two, although it was slightly melancholic, being the final day. The Lumineers and La Roux gave exciting performances and entertained the masses. I was happily sitting on the grass, humming to “Stubborn Love” and acquiring a nice tan on half of my face. After La Roux’s performance, we had about two and a half hours to relax before scrambling to get good spots for the Chili’s. A little James Blake and Nick Cave here and there, and we were starved. Luckily, amidst the pizza, snowcones, and roasted corn served at the event, we managed to get to the second closest part of the stage. The nearest area was reserved for VIPs. But it didn’t matter– all that mattered was the music, and I’m glad to say the Red Hot Chili Peppers delivered. I wasn’t expecting a ’90s band to come back with such a punch and grand stage presence. It was certainly a stellar ending to the night, and to Coachella. See y’all hipsters next year!