Rock ‘n Roll Revival

The highly anticipated Desert Trip music festival took place in Indio, California, on the weekends of Oct. 7-9 and 14-16, surpassed the expectations of attendees looking for a return to classic rock.

The festival drew 75,000 people  to the Empire Polo Fields with a crowd ranging from 70-year-old hippies to teenage kids, longing to get a taste of the 60s and 70s psychedelic rock ‘n scene. 

Considering this festival catered to an older crowd, there were only two performers each day. With the nights kicking off at 6:30pm, each act played a roughly two-hour set followed by an encore, giving concertgoers plenty of time to relax and explore the festival grounds during the day. The festival featured an photo gallery with pictures of the bands back when they were wrinkle-free and rocked crazy long hair. The gallery even featured early pictures of Pink Floyd from when Syd Barrett was still in the band. The festival also featured a record store that was packed with people scavenging through the shelves; a nearby shop with vintage band shirts and patches welcomed those same merchandise-hoarding die-hards.

As the Friday sun set in the desert, Bob Dylan came out with his harmonica and took a seat behind his piano for his opening song, “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35.” He continued his set with popular songs like, “Don’t Think Twice Its Alright” and “Simple Twist of Fate.” He barely spoke a word, as his songs told his stories. Bob Dylan never had the most soothing voice or outgoing personality, even when he was in his prime. However, it was disappointing to realize his lack of engagement with the audience. 

After an hour long intermission The Rolling Stones took to the stage with the crowd pleaser, “Start Me Up.” Mick Jagger danced to and from every corner of the stage, bringing everyone in the audience to their feet with his contagious energy. Keith Richards shredded on the guitar behind Jagger all night. Richards somehow managed to make white hair look cool with his bandanna and dazzling smile. The Rolling Stones ended their show with big hits like, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” and “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”  

While Friday night was full of excitement, Saturday brought a whole new level of inspiration. The night started with the legendary performer Neil Young. Young began his show with throwbacks like “Heart of Gold,” but went on to play new material with a strong environmental message. After singing to the crowd about the importance of treating our planet with respect, he went into a passionate speech about the environment and Indian reservations. Later, Young went into a never-ending guitar solo which morphed into heavy rock songs to get the crowd riled up.  He finished with “Rockin’ In A Free World.”

Later that night Paul McCartney took the stage and gave a jaw-dropping performance. His musical skills are beyond impressive and his ability to play a two-and-a-half hour set with 37 songs further proves him to be a musical legend. McCartney played a heavy amount of Beatles hits starting with “Hard Days Night.” He went on to play a few songs from his solo career including “Jet” and “Maybe I’m Amazed.”  He told stories of his Beatles days, talking about his collaborations with artists like Jimi Hendrix, and about the impact the civil rights movement in America had on his music.

McCartney’s show became emotional when he talked about John Lennon and dedicated a song to him. Towards the end of the show, McCartney brought Neil Young on stage to play “A Day in the Life,” which eventually turned into “Give Peace a Chance.” McCartney ended his show by playing the last three songs on the Abbey Road album: “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight,” and “The End.” Although nothing compares to the brilliance of the four lads from Liverpool, Paul McCartney could not have given a more inspirational and down to earth performance. 

Desert Trip ended with a bang on Sunday night with some of the most intense performers from the 70s. The night began with the two front men of The Who, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend. The Who are known for their chaotic behavior on stage. Surprisingly, 40 years have passed and not much has changed. Townshend was slashing at his guitar while Daltrey was hitting vocal notes like he was in his prime. They started their show with “I Can’t Explain,” and went on to play other iconic anthems like “My Generation” and “Baba O’Reily.” The Who gave an adrenaline pumping performance that took most of the crowd back to their teenage years.

Roger Waters, former member of Pink Floyd, was the final act of the weekend, and his shows tend to deviate from the typical classic rock performances. Even when Waters was the front man of Pink Floyd with David Gilmore, he focused a lot of his attention on the theatrics of his live performances. As expected, Waters’ set was loaded with crazy backdrops. Waters opened with the beginning of the Pink Floyd album “The Dark Side of the Moon.” Pink Floyd is known for their concept albums, so Waters went on to play almost the entire album.

His set consisted of all Pink Floyd music which, of course, pleased most of the crowd. Waters got sentimental when he sang the songs “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” and “Wish You Were Here,” which were both about his old band mate and childhood friend Syd Barrett. Roger Waters’ show quickly turned into a very controversial performance when he played “Pigs (Three Different Kinds)” with the famous Pink Floyd pig floating around with Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump’s face inside of a KKK hood tattooed on its side. This bold statement was followed with a powerful speech that he had prepared on a wrinkled piece of paper. The entire gesture angered some people to the point where they stormed out of the venue before he finished his set.

Desert Trip successfully captured the spirit of the 60s and 70s with good music, cool vinyl, hippies and heavy activism. It truly felt like a Woodstock 2.0.