Following back-to-back weekends of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, featuring performances by No Doubt, Tyler, the Creator, Lana Del Rey and Doja Cat reunited (with an entourage of sexy Yetis), sister event Stagecoach Country El Music Festival has arrived at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.
Stagecoach, which will feature performances by Eric Church, Miranda Lambert, Morgan Wallen, Willie Nelson, Post Malone, Dwight Yoakam and others, has grown in popularity since it began in 2007. This year it sold out well before the festival.
So if you're wondering how Southern California's two biggest music festivals compare, here's an introduction.
Music
Although the lineups are very different, there is one artist who will spend three consecutive weekends in Indio: Carin León. The regional Mexican music star drew crowds at the twin Coachella weekends. (León joins a small club of artists who have played both festivals, including his Stagecoach 2024 bandmates Willie Nelson, Trampled by Turtles and Post Malone, but it's even rarer to play both festivals in the same year, as he has Nelson).
While Coachella is known for its many vibrant EDM beats, that has started to transfer over to Stagecoach in recent years, with Diplo's name now marking the Honkytonk indoor dance tent that started out as a venue for traditional line dancing.
the lands
Stagecoach's footprint is noticeably smaller than Coachella's. The VIP rose garden is not part of the festival, nor is the huge Sahara tent, although it can be seen in the distance.
The Mane Stage is set up 90 degrees clockwise from where Coachella's largest stage was, but at Stagecoach there are fewer stages overall. Stagecoach's largest music venues are Mane, Palomino (Coachella's Mojave tent), and Diplo's Honkytonk (Coachella's Yuma tent). The air-conditioned Sonora tent has been transformed into Bud Light Backyard, with performances throughout the weekend, but it's not a full lineup of music like it was at Coachella. Some stars who will play the Mane stage early, including Josh Ross, Kylie Morgan and The War and Treaty, will perform a second performance at Bud Light Backyard over the weekend. Stagecoach's exclusive Toyota Music Den features emerging artists such as Shaylen and RVSHVD.
Coachella's Gobi tent has become the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch with meet-and-greets with cast members from “Yellowstone” and “1923” and a business collaboration between Yellowstone and Stagecoach.
Stagecoach also has VIP seated and standing sections, with general admission fans furthest from the field for the Mane Stage, and fans can bring lawn chairs, which is a no-no for Coachella. The other stages are like Coachella with access on a first-come, first-served basis.
Coachella's craft beer barn area has been renamed in honor of Flavortown's own mayor, Guy Fieri, and the concession stands from the past two weekends have been replaced by a large RV and area for beer demos. Fieri and his friends cook all weekend long. Perhaps the best detail in the area: a Flavortown-branded smoker featuring a metal sculpture of a bull's head with red eyes.
Both festivals offer the standards of pizza and chicken, but many of the Los Angeles restaurants that were at Coachella both weekends have left. While you can find some plant-based options, they aren't as plentiful as at Coachella, while Stagecoach easily has the best barbecue set.
Outside of the main festival grounds, Stagecoach allows RV camping and you can only access the campsites if you are camping.
There is also a space at Stagecoach for demonstrations with the Compton Cowboys.
Oh, and that lush green grass you saw on everyone's Instagram during Coachella? It's almost gone.
The art
While the Rainbow Spectra tower is a permanent installation on the grounds at this time, most of the large art installations that created Coachella's landscape are gone.
However, not far from Spectra is Mismo, an art installation of colorful paisley teardrop sculptures by Sofía Enríquez that was originally part of the Coachella 2019 program.
Stagecoach also has a couple of large country-themed artworks, including a sculpture of a horse and a cowboy boot.
The Ferris wheel isn't exactly art, but it's definitely a landmark, and it remains in the same spot at both festivals.
Things
Stagecoach is full of free stuff. If you have T-Mobile, you can get a free lawn chair upon activation. Bud Light Backyard allowed fans to choose a custom koozie with a choice of four designs. There are also free gifts at the Toyota Music studio, including the favorite Stagecoach scarf.
At Coachella, there were Neutrogena sunscreen kiosks where you could lather on some free sunscreen.
The style
Cowboy hats, boots and fringe were favorite fashion choices at both festivals in 2024, but Coachella's wild, colorful fashionistas aren't posing on the Stagecoach field. However, there are many more paintings and clothing covered in American flag prints.
Mullets are definitely back, with the Featherweight Edgar style being the standout at Coachella. At Stagecoach, you see some young people with mullets, but every once in a while you see someone who has been rocking this style since the early '90s.
The only accessory you'll see on both? Scarves, not only for fashion, but essential to try to avoid the festival cough with the gusts of wind that raise dust around the place. It is a memory that no one wants to take with them.
