From Prince to Tupac’s hologram, watch the two-decade rise of the desert fest that almost died in its first year, but changed music history.
There are lots of documentaries on music festivals. This is the best I’ve seen on the evolution of a music fest.
Trailer for “Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert”
You Can’t Make This Sh!t Up
- In 2012, the hologram of Tupac Shakur became the single most-watched Coachella performance ever—outshining every living act that year.
More Highlights from the Doc
- The origin story: Pearl Jam boycotts Ticketmaster in 1993, books a desert show with Goldenvoice in Indio, and 20,000 fans show up. That sparks the idea for Coachella.
- In 1999, Coachella’s very first fest lost $850,000. It almost shut down before it even had a second year.
- The fest launched just months after Woodstock ’99 collapsed in fire, riots, and lawsuits—making investors wary of another mega-concert. Coachella had to prove it wasn’t another disaster.
- Daft Punk’s 2006 pyramid stage show in the Sahara Tent is still called the “birth of modern EDM festivals.” DJs worldwide point to it as the moment dance music became mainstream.
- In the early 2000s, California lawmakers nearly banned raves and large-scale dance music events. Coachella barely survived the crackdown.
- Lineups became legendary: Rage Against the Machine’s 2007 reunion, Prince’s 2008 performance, Kanye’s 2011 “church in the desert” stage, Madonna crashing the Sahara Tent in 2006, and Billie Eilish becoming the youngest headliner in 2019.
- Beyoncé became the first African American woman to headline Coachella in 2018—and her “Homecoming” set instantly became the biggest Coachella of all time.
- The fest grew from 20,000 people to over 250,000 across two weekends, pumping hundreds of millions into the desert economy each year.
Cameos – Lesser-Known Details from the Doc
- The Pixies’ 2004 reunion was a test run for whether Coachella could pull off nostalgia acts—it worked so well it changed the booking strategy forever.
- Amy Winehouse’s 2007 set was one of her last major U.S. festival appearances before her death in 2011.
- Goldenvoice nearly gave up on booking hip-hop—until Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s 2012 headlining set (with Tupac hologram) proved rap could own the main stage.
- Beyoncé’s 2018 performance wasn’t just historic—it employed over 200 dancers, a full marching band, and was later turned into a Netflix film that won an Emmy.
Watch “Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert”
You can watch “Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert” free on YouTube Originals.
Ratings:
- My Rating: 97/100
- IMDB Rating: 7.2/10
- Rotten Tomatoes Ratings: 88/100 (Users); not yet rated (Critics)
Director’s Note: Chris Perkel directs this doc. It tells the story of how Goldenvoice went from a nearly bankrupt promoter to running the most influential music festival in the world.
Release Date: April 10, 2020 (YouTube Originals)
My Review of “Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert”
The Setup
This doc covers how a one-off desert experiment became the Super Bowl of music festivals. It starts with the Pearl Jam/Ticketmaster feud, moves through the near-collapse of 1999, then builds momentum year by year. This doc spotlights artists and the fans and crews that made it happen. It’s part history, part cultural milestone, and part nostalgia trip if you’ve ever been to a Coachella yourself.
Wrap Up:
If you care about live music, this one’s essential. It’s a survival story about how festivals became the heartbeat of 21st-century music.
Thanks for reading!
Heather Fenty, Guest Writer, The Daily Doc