How Coachella became the world’s worst music festival

For some artists, that juxtaposition of open desert skies and indifferent audiences can be too much. In 2019, Mercury-Prize nominated singer Jessie Ware considered giving up music altogether after a “shocker” Coachella set.

“I clashed with Cardi B, a phenomenon that year, who was playing on another stage. Our equipment didn’t work,” she recalled. “You know how the audience at Coachella is, uh, pretty young? I’m up there, 33 years old, singing about motherhood. It was just… tumbleweed. My mum was there with me. Oh, she was honest. She said, ‘Darling. Quit’.”

Ware did not quit, but many are turning off Coachella because of its association with influencer culture. In recent years, the festival has struggled to sell out: in 2024, only 80 percent of the event’s 250,000 tickets were shifted.