No matter how much people hate it, anyone who’s been to Coachella knows it’s a great time.
I also attended once in 2024 and was welcomed as a Coachella elder. If you can avoid all the influencers setting up Ring cameras, this music is awesome. If I could afford a ticket, a plane ticket, and a very annoying drive to the Colorado desert, I’d probably go back there in a heartbeat, kicking up dust in the white desert.
Fortunately, I have a smartphone. And Coachella, which has been live streaming its sets for years, has revamped its vertical video feed to appeal to mobile users. So what better way to enjoy “Couchella” than by watching it all weekend in just this one format?
This year, the quality of Coachella’s feed will be improved, with seven stages streamed exclusively on YouTube, with the ability to toggle between 4K video and multi-view options, much like Olympic events. The festival’s EDM and DJ-oriented Quasar stage was livestreamed on YouTube Shorts throughout the weekend and was filmed exclusively on Google Pixel devices. That’s what I decided to mainline.
Vertical video is everywhere. In addition to all social media services prioritizing infinitely scrollable video feeds, Disney has introduced short videos called Verts to its Disney+ streaming platform. Bravo will soon deliver vertical videos hosted by Andy Cohen’s AI avatar, sharing “iconic scenes” from the vast world of reality TV. Even the Oscars made fun of this trend.
For Coachella, a vertical push makes sense. Like the festival itself, vertical video is a platform for brands and influencers. Coachella’s primary marketing tool is FOMO (fear of missing out), and the vertical video feed is the engine that triggers that desire. Most of the videos shot on Pixel are shot right next to the performers, creating the feeling of being in the booth with them, one of the special VIPs on stage.
What’s the best way to experience these shows? Maybe for a little while. As far as I know, it’s not 18 hours a weekend.
My personal Vertichella rules, assigned by my editor, were simple. That means watching every moment of Coachella’s live-streamed vertical video. 4K horizontal video or multiple stream windows are not allowed.
Coachella rolled out a similar vertical feed last year, and Reddit commenters raved about it, saying things were “too vertical,” “I immediately switched to another channel,” and “I’m so glad this video was squashed and limited my view of the stage.” This time, the feed turned out to be very popular. By the end of each day, the page had thousands of likes, with more than 42,000 likes each on Saturday and Sunday, according to Google’s little thumb ticker at the top of the screen. In some cases, upvotes for a vertical stream can exceed upvotes for a horizontal live stream on the same stage.
Live chat comments and emoji reactions are lively, with people gushing about the show and sharing fun insights like “Wow, that’s the next song” and “I wish I could have been to Coachella.”[fourteen cross emojis]”At least it’s easier to ignore than having people talking next to you for the entire set.
Two hours into Saturday’s stream, I’m dancing to George on my deck with two weed gummies and a half-rack of Coors Light. It’s a thunderstorm so I’m soaking wet, but I’m wearing a vibrator. It’s Coachella, baby. It might be a good idea to lean into it.
David Guetta delivers a fun but cheesy set. Joy (anonymous) could say more. Fatboy Slim shows why he’s an icon. Meanwhile, you can pee in a real toilet. Please take a shower. Do the laundry. walk the dog. Cut the rotisserie chicken without cutting your hands. I’ll make dinner. Let’s read a book. Lie down on a real bed. If you’re actually on the festival grounds, you can’t watch a show and do something like that at the same time.
