Copyright Billboard
Trending on Billboard Twenty-six years ago this month, on Oct. 9-10, 1999, the first ever Coachella came to life at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif. Featuring headliners Beck, Morrissey, The Chemical Brothers, Rage Against the Machine and Tool, the event was the debut iteration of the festival that would in the following years become a global touchpoint of music, fashion and culture. Desert Dreams: The Music, Style and Allure of Coachella, a new book by Billboard senior music correspondent Katie Bain, explores the history and influence of Coachella, looking at how an event with origins with the SoCal punk rock scene became a global phenomenon and barometer for each year’s musical stars and trends. The book is out Tuesday (Oct. 21) via Epic Ink. (Here’s how you can order it.) The hardcover coffee table book includes more than 150 archival photographs illustrating the festival’s most influential performances, from Rage Against the Machine to Radiohead to the zeitgeist sharing Tupac hologram to Beychella to Lady Gaga, its most iconic on and offstage fashionistas, biggest headlines and much more. Designed for both frequent Coachella-goers and those who’ve never been to the fest, Desert Dreams captures the evolution of a pop-culture touchstone that transformed how we engage with music, fashion and art.
