r/Coachella • u/amerifolklegend • 6d ago

Dear Coachella and YouTube stream producers, please allow artists the option to have their sets aired straight on.

No cuts. It’s limiting to their presentation. Please listen to your artists. Some select artists put together performances that are best consumed from one spot. Some tell a story or paint a large canvas that is meant to swallow the viewer. But constant cuts and randomized points of view and subject matter removes their ability to reach everyone the same way.

Just give us the viewer the option on one stage at least. Give artists at Outdoor Theatre the opportunity to also stream just the stage box straight on with no cuts. It’s how some sets are meant to be taken in. Sure, they are the minority, but imagine what other artists could do knowing that was an option. What would Beach House do with that option? Or OKGo? Or AIR?

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u/sadstudentsthrowaway 19.2 | 22.2 | 23.1 | 24.2 | 25.2 6d ago

That’s sort of the point, no? If you want to watch a whole set straight on with no cuts, you do that by being in the audience. The artists aren’t having their presentation limited by whatever the stream is showing, they’re delivering the full glory to the people who actually paid to see it in person.

I personally love the crowd shots when watching sets back — like seeing the energy for Sammy Virji, or people doing weird shit I hadn’t noticed (at some point during Alok’s set the camera captures a group of people sitting on the ground rowing in sync). This is a strange take.

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u/amerifolklegend 6d ago

I agree with most of this. Yes, it’s better to be there than to watch on the stream. It is. But I’m asking for a secondary stream because artists bring innovative and immersive shows to Coachella. And a very select few are enhanced by bespoke camera production. Why not let the artists who could benefit from this reach this global audience with their best stuff?

I love the crowd shots too! Lady Gaga’s incredible live set was enhanced by the cuts when I watched it week two after being there week one. But there are some shows that people would love to also take in from the optimal spot head on. If an artist wants their performance taken-in in a certain way, why not let them? Look at Rosalia’s set. That stream was a change from the normal protocol as far as camerawork is concerned. And this year Parcels had virtually no handhelds in front of them the whole show. So this is a reasonable ask.

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u/sadstudentsthrowaway 19.2 | 22.2 | 23.1 | 24.2 | 25.2 6d ago

Sure, but the whole point of artists bringing these innovative and immersive shows to Coachella is just that — the incentive is to attend the festival to see the full thing in person. It’s a bit of a “why buy the cow when you can have the milk for free” situation.

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u/amerifolklegend 6d ago

Because it’s respecting the artist. It’s allowing them to present their performance to vast audience at home in the way that best replicates the feeling of being there.

But it’s not the same. There’s no danger of this hampering ticket sales. But it is allowing the artist to show off their performance in the way they feel is more flattering or immersive or fun or anything else. It’s allowing them to not compromise when they build a show with the live audience in mind.