Oldchella or G.O.A.T.Chella
The Desert Trip concert series that happened last weekend and happens again this weekend at the Empire Polo Club was dubbed “Oldchella” by just about everyone who has heard about the event. Truth be told, I had to google what the actual name of the event was to include in this blog (http://deserttrip.com)
The headliners for this concert, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, The Who, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, are definitely rock legends with enough clout to draw “boomers” and “millennials” alike to rock out, side by side, over the three-day venue on back to back weekends in Indio, CA.
While everyone seems to be buzzing about the snarky concert name and the headliners, nobody seems to be talking about what a boon this concert is to the overall economy of the Palm Springs area. “Massive” is a word often used by the “cool kids” and massive economic impact is truly what this concert is to the region.
Here are some of the notable numbers sourced by CNBC*:
Estimated 150,000 visitors will travel to the region over the two weeks
These visitors will spend nearly half a billion dollars (yes, billion with a B!)
The event sold out in just five hours with single tickets ranging from $199 to $1,599
A weekend food package alone, which includes wine, cocktail and beer tastings, is priced at a wallet-busting $499 per person
Total box office gross is projected to be $150 million
Figures for local food, travel, labor, equipment rentals have a $250 million economic impact on the economy of the Coachella Valley according to the economist for Goldenvoice, Michael Bracken
With airline travel and car rentals from outside the Indio region factored in along with the concert tickets themselves, the total economic impact swells to $450 million according to Bracken
Curious about how the “old” guys concert compares to the established Coachella Valley Festival and Stage Coach Festivals? So was I so I did a little “comparison shopping”. The 2016 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and the Stagecoach Country Music Festival drew 250,000 music lovers to the Empire Polo Grounds over three weekends this spring, sparking an estimated economic impact of more than $403 million, according to a new economic study.^ So while the “new guys on the block’s” final numbers aren’t in till the last luxury hotel room or wine tasting package is sold on Sunday, I think it’s safe to say the old guys deserve a better concert name. With a $450m vs. $403m score for Coachella concert domination, I am voting for G.O.A.T.Chella (Greatest of All Time) .
Peace and Love,
Tomato
^ http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-coachella-impact-20160723-snap-story.html
picture credit: http://DefBuz.com