Hey, guys! It’s Alyvids here to give a recap of my first Coachella experience. As it was hot, dusty, and expensive, I couldn’t help but wonder… is the FOMO people feel valid? Short answer, yes. Absolutely. The long answer starts now!

When I was a kid, I would watch influencers attend Coachella, yet I didn’t know what it was. I experienced Coachella through vlogs, instagram posts, and livestreams. In 2019, Billie Eilish performed and that was the year I started watching the livestream. I, of course, had seen the HOMECOMING: A film by Beyoncé documentary and the FOMO was real even though I was only 14. Pop stars have always been a huge part of my life; I watched the 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 livestreams from my house in Louisiana, dreaming of attending and wondering if the FOMO was valid.

As we arrived at the Coachella grounds on Friday, all I could think about was, ‘be cool. Ce cool. Be cool. And the first person I run into is Tyla. Like, the TYLA. Like, ‘put me in Chanel' Tyla. I didn’t go up to her, because backstage you are supposed to let them have their space. But it was still really cool to breathe the same dusty air as such a talent that is Tyla! We walked to get food and had to make the tough decision of which stage to go to. Katseye all the way at Sahara stage, or park our (my twin and i’s) asses at Teddy Swims to get barricade for Sabrina Carpenter! If you don’t know my lore with Miss Carpenter. buckle up. In 2017, my first ever concert was the detour at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans. In 2024, Sabrina followed me because of my edits on Twitter (she had not followed an account on twitter in 2 years). And then she posted a video I got online of her first Coachella set to her instagram grid style. Crazy! I’ve seen her three times with each tour except for the Singular one—I was a broke teen at that time, LOL. Now onto the 4th time seeing her, and it’s to headline fucking Coachella! The Sabrinawood experience was the best time I have ever had. I don’t particularly like clubbing and partying because I don’t like giving energy just to give it—I like it better when I’m receiving energy from a live show and as an audience member reciprocating that energy back to the artist on stage. Screaming lyrics, making eye contact with her, seeing the crowd have so much love in their hearts and give that energy back. It was a gift. Not to mention Madonna!!!! And the “Like a Prayer” of it all!!!! The production was amazing. Stage blocking was superb. I really can’t rave about it enough! After Sabrina's set we went and got burgers and fries, walked to the Mojave stage, and sat in the back chilling at Blood Orange. Around 12:45, we sprinted across the festival grounds to the Anyma set. I was wearing a blue bandana because of the wind and dust. I pulled my bandana down and asked a random girl next to me, “has Anyma brought out Lisa yet?” She said “no,” with a confused look. Nobody told me Lisa was going to come out, I just had my intuition. Then, I hear the chords to “Bad Angel.” I instantly freak out, sprint to the front and yell the lyrics as Lisa stuns on stage in an Iris Van Herpen gown. I literally yelled, “is that really her?” I was so stunned. I saw Sabrina and Lisa in one night, the two pop stars I have loved since my teens. I've peaked.

Second day! We woke up, got dressed, got Dutch Bros, and headed to the festival around 1pm. My mom called me in the car freaking out over Madonna (valid). There is a common theme of pop girls and how they impact women that I got to see online for years, but seeing the impact in real life is crazy. We saw Kacey Musgraves at the Mojave stage and Addison Rae at the main stage—the guest she brought out was Olivia fucking Rodrigo. I’ve never seen her perform live, which is ironic because I worked with her team on a Gov Ball recap edit. The crowd’s energy was so loud for Olivia, but my sister was the only one really screaming the lyrics to her new song “Drop Dead.” Still very cool, just the crowd could have been better. Energy is so important to live performances, not just from the performers but the crowd too! Luckily, we ran into a girl named Donna and danced with her screaming the lyrics of “Fame is a gun.” It was very fun! I then had to decide to either attend PinkPantheress’ set and risk the thought of Zara Larsson performing with her, but I decided Labrinth would be my choice that day. To add, i wore $35 thrifted boots that day because the blue lining on the boots matched my all blue outfit. Bad decision! I ended up walking barefoot for half the day, but I pushed through because all I could think about was that I have to make it to the outdoor theater for Labrinth. I’ve edited to Labrinth songs (even the underrated ones) probably more than 20 times, he inspires me so much. Getting to see him jam on stage and feel the music was a highlight. To me, Labrinth is the epitome of what a true artist is. This is my Bieber, y’all! But imagine my face when I read online that I missed Manon on stage with PinkPantheress; I was so sad. But, that's the risk of a festival and time slots—you have to choose wisely. I will say, online I have seen lots of backlash on KATSEYE. But, at the festival, there were so many young girls wearing their merch, screaming their lyrics, dancing, and more. I was at Labrinth’s set and a dad and young daughter were behind me. I asked her what her name was; she was probably around 11 years old. She said that Megan was her bias and she was so happy to see KATSEYE perform. I think this is where it gets lost; the notion of online hate toward artists and seeing the opposite energy in real life was daunting. KATSEYE is raising a whole new generation of girls who love pop music, and I think that’s special.

Last day, best day baby! TROPICOACHELLA DAY! It was the hottest day ever, and I have lived in the Louisiana heat for 21 years. But the sun was so strong, I got an ice cream because of the heat. We went to see Gigi Perez that day, and she brought out Hayley Kiyoko to sing “Girls Like Girls.” It was a very wholesome moment! Then, we walked over to the main stage to see the rockstar that is Wet Leg! There, I ran into a couple co-workers and chatted it up. I then saw Major Lazer and got to scream the lyrics “is it the other way,” and “do you recall, not long ago we would walk on the sidewalk,” as I danced to get food. Around 8-ish, I was off to see Laufey! I made a friend in the audience there because I complimented her Jihyo Twice photo card; we even discussed fan edits and how much we love talking and networking! Laufey went on with a live orchestra at Coachella, and it was such a magical experience. I walked to get a churro during her set and realized the crowd was filled —thousands came to hear a female jazz artist. It was just so exciting! Next was KAROL G! My mom is from Miami and is Puerto Rican, but we didn’t grow up around Hispanic culture. I don’t know Spanish, but I listen to Karol G a lot. As I went into the crowd to find a spot with good energy, I found 4 women dancing and speaking about Peso Pluma. I ran up to them and said “Oh, so you think she’ll bring out Peso Pluma?” They immediately welcomed me and we danced, screamed, and jumped together all night. It was so cool to see a Latina headline and sing in Spanish on one of the biggest stages in the world. She called the crowd ‘familia,’ which I also thought was so fun. I was surrounded by Hispanic culture, and it reminded me of my Sitto and all her sisters from the Bronx that would smoke cigarettes and drink coffee in the morning. The energy and smiles on everyone's faces was just so contagious; my white ass who can’t dance was dancing! Everyone brought their country’s flags, and it made me shed a tear. In times like these, to have Karol G headline, it felt like an escape and a display of unity. When Peso Pluma finally came out, the crowd erupted. I never thought a crowd could be that loud, and I’ve experienced a Taylor Swift stadium concert! This was by far the most supportive, loud, and energetic crowd I've ever been in. Becky G made her beautiful statement on the stage again and the crowd yelled in support, waving their flags on their friend’s shoulders. J Balvin then came out and the crowd erupted once again. The new friend I made jumping next to me yelled ,“I knew it!”  After he left, I ran to catch the end of BIGBANG’s set and the crowd was just as huge as Karol G’s. It was fun to hear “We Like 2 Party” in 2026! I then ran back and caught a signal on my phone so I could Facetime my friend Jas. She is a huge Karol G fan; I wish I could have had this moment with her in real life. During her set, Karol G shouted out different countries and she mentioned the Dominican Republic! I yelled with Jas on the phone since she is Dominican. When Karol G gave a shout-out to Puerto Rico, I yelled in support of my Sitto and my mom. After the set ended, I met up with my sister, Bri, backstage and we went home.
It was the best weekend of my life; I am so thankful for my job and for live music. So the answer to your question—yes, your FOMO is valid! This music festival is an escape. It’s liberating. It’s fun! It exceeded all my expectations—pop stars truly do rule the world.

-alyssa