15 Reasons Why People Went To A Festival Celebrating Music’s Most Iconic Artists

    Here is what Desert Trip attendees said about the music festival featuring the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, and more.

    by
    April Salud
    by April Salud

    BuzzFeed Staff

    ,
    Macey J Foronda
    by Macey J Foronda

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. To reconnect with friends.

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    Michael, 49, mentioned that while the event meant a lot to the audience, you could tell that it also meant a lot to the performers. He traveled from Las Vegas, initially expecting to go on his own until his friends started experiencing FOMO and decided to join. He was excited to have people to share the experience with.

    2. To honor lost family members.

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    Camille, 30, wanted to honor her dad who passed away nine years ago. Their strongest bond was with classic music. Between the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, she learned all about them from him so decided to attend in honor of him. She said, "I'm sure here's with me. Through every performance, through every minute. He's here watching."

    3. To meet new friends.

    Macey J Foronda / BuzzFeed

    Giacomo and Alessandro, 28 and 29, are brothers who traveled from London and San Francisco to Desert Trip. Giuseppe, 26, traveled from Miami (by way of Italy) alone because he didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to see the amazing lineup. On the first day at the campsite, they all met and hung out the entire weekend.

    4. To experience something truly iconic.

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    Like Mick Jagger said on night one of Desert Trip: "Catch us before we croak." Adishaku, 36, came to the festival with his wife echoing the sentiment that there's never going to be another time when you can see bands like this. Ever. Adishaku said he loves music and didn't want to miss out on this opportunity, especially with so many great musicians — like Prince — dying this year.

    5. To keep traditions alive.

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    Mark and Rob, 47 and 51, are best friends. Rob does this thing where he tells Mark to keep a certain day free without telling him why. Mark usually goes along with it because he's easygoing and is usually down for whatever. They've both been to tons of concerts, and this time Rob surprised Mark with tickets to Desert Trip to see the Rolling Stones.

    6. To encourage others to seize the moment.

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    Actually, Roger, 22, isn't that big on classic rock — his friends are. But it was he who convinced them to not miss the opportunity to see their favorite artist, Roger Waters, live. He decided to tag along because even he realized how special of an event this was. They all traveled from Mexico.

    7. To create new family memories.

    Macey J Foronda / BuzzFeed

    The Dal Pazzo family wanted to spend the weekend together. This mother introduced her three kids to "the best music" in the car while they were growing up. Her husband never wants to attend these things, so she tags along with her children — who say she's definitely cool enough to party with them.

    8. To cross something off a bucket list.

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    EJ, 51, came to see Paul McCartney, the only artist on the lineup he hadn't seen live. He would also have every person he met at the festival sign his umbrella to keep track of how far people traveled for the festival.

    9. To connect with music and others who love it.

    Macey J Foronda / BuzzFeed

    Shakhinna, 31, wanted to attend the festival specifically for the Rolling Stones, whom she had never seen before. She pointed out the age range of the attendees and said that everyone is here because these bands had some sort of impact on their childhood — for her, it was college. It's a connection to music, she said. People aren't here for the fashion or anything else, it was the music bringing them together.

    10. To celebrate.

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    Tickets to the festival were a birthday present to Olivia, 60, who decided to share the moment with her grandson, Lucas, 21, who is an aspiring musician.

    11. To relive their childhood.

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    Nathana, 24, came to see the Rolling Stones because they reminded her of childhood. She's from Brazil and now lives in the Bay Area.

    12. To actually work.

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    Both Baron and Isaac, 38 and 19, were working the festival and have worked past festivals in the same location. They said everything was taken to another level with Desert Trip. It's cleaner, calmer, and more relaxed, and the people are friendlier. It was one of their best working experiences.

    13. To have fun.

    Macey J Foronda / BuzzFeed

    Yuki, 49, is not fluent in English but the enthusiasm she has for music and the festival itself is universal. She was most excited to see Paul McCartney and the Who.

    14. To live life to the fullest.

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    Luis, 36, is unemployed but knew that he couldn't miss out this festival. He saved up enough money to go and see Paul McCartney.

    15. To spend time with old friends.

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    Lynne and Claudia, 65 and 66, have been best friends for 30 years and both live in Palm Desert, so they couldn't pass up the opportunity to see the lineup at Desert Trip. Claudia grew up in San Francisco in the ’60s, so she had seen all of the acts in their prime. Comparing them now versus then, she said, "They haven't missed a beat."