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Coachella: The Origin of Coachella

Alonzo Willie, Reporter

May 8, 2026

Coachella just had its 25th anniversary held April 10th through the 19th. Ever since 1999, they have held all their shows in the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. Coachella started due to a 1993 boycott of Ticketmaster by the rock band Pearl Jam. Because Ticketmaster was charging way too high on their service fee, Pearl Jam believed live music shouldn’t be a luxury, and they were out pricing there fans. They even used TicketMaster for monopolizing the market, but unfortunately, Pearl Jams losted the lawsuit.

Even when they lost the case, they were still committed to their plans. They held a show at the Empire Polo Club, where 25,000 people attended for only 18 dollars per ticket. They proved to Ticketmaster that anyone could do it without a monopoly. In 1999, 2 members from the company Golden Voice took a page out of Pearl Jam’s playbook, and they launched their own show called “Coachella”. But it was actually a financial failure as they lost $850,000, and it was only when the headlines of the show deferred their payment that the festival even survived. While

Now, Coachella has been seen as one of the biggest festivals and music events in history. This year Justin Bieber broke the all-time merch sold making 5.04 Millon dollar just by selling clothing. And also has given him many countless memories, like Calvin Harris 2016 performance of his hit song Summer. His background looked so colorful and beautiful at the same time, and all the colors coordinated with each other. Also, recently in 2026, when the father of Turnstile singer Brendan Yate said, “We love you, Turnstile loves you, and enjoy the ride“, to begin their Coachella show. Coachella has had many iconic moments and memories, and every April, millions of people look forward to the show, and I can’t wait for next year’s event.

About the Contributor

Alonzo Willie

Alonzo Willie is an African American Freshman at Sahuaro High School and a proud student who lives in Tucson. This is his first year in The Paper Cut; he is joining halfway through the 2025-2026 school year as a reporter. Alonzo has quickly made an impact on the soccer field as a freshman; this year, his biggest accomplishments were that he made the varsity team and scored his first goal against Casa Grande High School. Alonzo started playing soccer when he was 7 years old and hasn’t looked back. Some of his accomplishments include winning a trophy for his middle school, Booth Fickett, last year. It is amazing how he dominates the soccer field and the classroom; with a high GPA, Alonzo is one of the top students in his class. Alonzo lives with his 2 parents and his 2 sisters. His favorite fast food place is Panda Express, which consists of fried rice, orange chicken, and teriyaki chicken. He claims that it reminds him of home, adding a nostalgic feeling whenever he eats there. His favorite movies are Forest Gump, Happy Gilmore, and 500 Days of Summer. Alonzo recalls watching Happy Gilmore with his dad, and now it’s been one of his all-time favorites. Alonzo also enjoyed watching 500 Days of Summer since his favorite artist named an album after the movie. While listening to the album, he stumbled upon the movie, which he enjoyed, and never looked back. He’s really excited to join the paper cut and most people don’t know that he actually wants to become a news reporter. He claims “I used to want to become a new reporter but I just lost the passion for it at the age of 10 and now I’m happy that there is a newspaper class because I meant get my courage back to become a news reporter.”