I recently saw footage of the infamous 1994 "Woodstock" revival concert in upstate New York in a town named something other than Woodstock. All the biggest names in rock performed but the only memorable thing that occurred was the pouring rain... soaked fans, mud fights with Green Day, and a logistical nightmare for the event's producers MTV. I bet they wished they would have thought of Coachella first. The formula is simple: live music, plenty of booze, and (most important dare I say) a hot, sunny environment. The results tend to be predictably enjoyable. The sort of "God Damn that was fun" sentiment that makes you tell yourself, "I'm definitely doing that again next year."

Those were the words I uttered last year after attending my favorite part of Coachella--the Anthem Pool Party. Hosted by Anthem Magazine at an over-the-top mansion/private ranch, the pool party mixes an LA Standard sense of exclusivity with the free for all nature of Lake Havasu in Spring Break. Beautiful people, scantily clad, fawning over one anothers' pool-side fashion and jostling to absorb as much free alcohol as possible before it invariably runs dry.

$20 tips to the water boy, flirtatious co-ed rides down the slip-n-slide and make outs in the bathroom are all on the to-do list. Also on the list (guest that is) are lots of little names with big jobs and big names with no jobs. Paris Hilton is the one I'll take the time to mention.

Though alternatives do exist to attending the Anthem Party... like walking around in the venue in 100 degree heat (no thanks), I opted to take it in by the pool: a few cool Monster vodkas, music vibes from Aeroplane and Cage & Aviary, friendly chats with the natives, and a sneak peek at next year's trends are all enjoyable ways to float through the afternoon. But not all were lazying about. The bartenders, the folks showing off a the Alternative Earth apparel line and the security detail were all hustling, particularly when it come to keeping out the riff-raff or those who don't know the PR girl's cell number.

By day's end the pool had become hazy, no doubt from spilled beers and small bladders, as did the memories of what happened into the night. But when the haze eventually did recede one thought was readily clear, "I'm definitely doing that again next year."




It's ok...plenty of room for everyone!


Just barely hanging on...for good reason.


Slip-n-slide



AlternativeEarth.com




No... not Havasu.



Rockers


Dudes for the ladies.


The natives.