The Desert Trip proved to be a success and was held in 2016, and then again in 2017. The concerts were attended by thousands of fans and music lovers. The set list for this concert included popular songs such as “Hey Jude” by Paul McCartney, “My Hero” by Foo Fighters, “All Along the Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix version, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by Jeff Lynne from Electric Light Orchestra and many more.
The concerts are a combination of the most popular rock bands that have ever played music. Some of the bands that performed in previous editions include: Bob Dylan (2016), The Rolling Stones (2016), Roger Waters (2016) and Neil Young (2016).
The 2018 edition saw the collaboration of rock legends such as Jack White, The Who, Neil Young ,Roger Waters, Bob Dylan ,and others. This year’s edition was attended by 60 000 people. Ticket prices ranged from $149 to $750 per ticket.
Though it is unclear if the festival will become an annual event, one thing is for sure, Desert Trip was a monumental success for everyone involved.
What was once known as the California Sound has now been renamed Desert Trip, and over the course of two days in October of 2015, a collection of six legends took to the stage in Indio, CA at the Empire Polo Grounds to entertain over 74,000 music lovers.
The list of legends was nothing short of staggering. The Who, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Paul McCartney and his band The Wings, Roger Waters with his band (and another special guest appearance), Bob Dylan and his band, and Eric Clapton were all on hand to entertain the massive audience.
In addition to the performances by these musical greats, the weekend was jam-packed with amenities that would appeal to any fan. For example; artists were provided with their own trailers so they could get away from everything for a little while and relax. Additionally, there were doctors sent out on site to make sure everyone was able to enjoy themselves properly.
When it came time for Paul McCartney to take the stage on Sunday night he was greeted with a roaring applause as he made his way through the crowd on his way up to perform. Once he
Bob Dylan, Neil Young and The Rolling Stones were some of the most popular musicians in the world. But it was a concert that took place in October 2015, which saw them collaborate with Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters, the Moody Blues’ Justin Hayward and others that captured the attention of music fans around the world.
The event was known as Desert Trip, and took place at a venue called Indio in California. It is believed to be the largest music festival in history, with tickets for each night costing up to $1500.
With an estimated 160,000 people attending each day, that amounts to $260 million being generated from ticket sales alone. Add to that merchandise sales, food and drink kiosks and other sources of revenue from such an event and you can see why these concerts are becoming so attractive to major companies.
The six-day Desert Trip festival took place on October 7-10, 2015 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Organized by Goldenvoice, the festival features some of the biggest artists from the 1960s and 1970s. The festival was coined by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the “50 Moments That Changed Rock & Roll” due to the massive success of its first edition.
The festival saw six huge stages set up for some of the biggest names in rock music such as Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones to name a few. An estimated 78,000 people attended the event with an average age of 52.4 years old.
The concert grossed $160 million which made it the biggest grossing music festival of all time.
This was the last concert performed by both The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney until they announced their joint tour named “One On One” in 2018.
Not only that, but the festival also featured a surprise performance by The Rolling Stones. Taking place on the same day as Desert Trip was the Firefly Festival in Dover, Delaware which hosted bands such as Muse, Lorde and The Killers.
How much did it cost?
The Desert Trip festival was a hefty price tag for those who were able to attend. Approximately $900 for general admission tickets, however, many received discount codes from their favorite artist in order to reduce their ticket costs. You could get a VIP package for up to $2,500 each.
Ticket prices were not the only costs of attendance however; in order to get to the venue you had to pay another $50 for a shuttle pass that would transport you between your hotel and the Speedway grounds. If you were lucky enough to live close enough, then it was still another $50 for camping fees.
The total cost of going to Desert Trip would have been approximately $1,450 per person. For some fans they considered this worth it, while others opted out of attending due to financial reasons.*
Hugh Fielder, the reviewer for The Independent, wrote about Bob Dylan’s performance at Desert Trip: “There is nothing else quite like it in popular music, a one-off concert in which two generations of stars who defined the Sixties and Seventies came together to celebrate their shared influences”.
The organisers were inspired by the Beatles’ appearance at the Hollywood Bowl in 1964, and sought to create a similar atmosphere. Many of the artists were close friends or had worked together previously. McCartney and Ringo Starr had toured with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on their 1989 tour. Dylan had collaborated with Petty on his album Highway 61 Revisited. The Rolling Stones and McCartney had toured together in 1989 and would again in 1994. Likewise, the Who had played with Neil Young and Joni Mitchell in 1982.
Newman said that he wanted to create a similar experience to Woodstock but using today’s technology to make it more efficient logistically. It was headlined by three of the bands that released some of rock’s most acclaimed albums during its formative years: The Rolling Stones (from 1968), Bob Dylan (1965), and The Who (1966).
The festival took place over two days following other shows in 2015 at Santa Clara, Ca., Indio, Ca., Toronto
It was the biggest music festival of 2016. Artists and record labels underlined that fact with a dazzling array of stars at the top of their game, performing for audiences of thousands in the heart of the Californian desert. The first Desert Trip was an unparalleled success. The second, which will take place on October 7th to 9th and is worth $200 million, promises to be even bigger.
But who exactly plays which songs? Which artists are likely to work together on stage? How long will this unprecedented gathering last? And what does it mean for music?
