Coachella 2010

My experience as a Production Assistant at the Sahara Tent

AEG Live Interns• I serve as Intern

Coordinator for the AEG Live office, and I was able to organize a trip to the Coachella site

• AEG Live Spring Interns at the Empire Polo Field on April 9. The area to the left of the offices in the background would soon become the Coachella (or Main) Stage

Assistant Gear Checklist

• Sunglasses

• Bandana – When driving in a golf cart, this is

essential

• Lockout laminate (I made 100 of them by hand)

• Production credential wristband

• Earplugs

• Radio w/shoulder mic

• Shorts

• Comfortable shoes

• Not pictured:– Radio channel list laminate– Festival info booklet– Catering card

Sahara Tent Under Construction

This picture was taken on April 9th during our tour with the interns. Goldenvoice contracted Classic Tent Company to assemble our tent on the Empire Polo Field

Stage Setup

I watched as our stagehands adeptly laid out the trussing structure on the grass and saw the main structure assembled in less than a year. Pictured at bottom was my boss, Wiley Dailey, and our Lighting Director, Felix

Backline Gear

Here’s a picture from early Tuesday morning outside the Sahara tent. We worked approximately 12-19 hours a day.

Wiley At Work

• I was amazed at how Wiley did his job throughout that week. He received literally hundreds of emails and calls per day, and managed to find a happy balance between his artists’ needs and his tent’s capabilities (which were incredible this year)

My Assignments

• Using my trusty golf cart and radio, I was responsible for the following administrative tasks:– Water and ice– Hospitality– Supplies– Tent upkeep– Artist relations– Security

View of the tent during visual testing. The tent was equipped with 880 identical versatube lights in arrays in 3 rows across the ceiling of the tent

Deadmau5 Soundcheck

View of a packed Sahara Tent from behind the Barricade

Me and Wiley

This has been a tremendous opportunity to see how festival production works and how much effort must be expended to get an artist from creative concept to show. I owe Mr. Wiley Dailey for the opportunity to work with him and learn as much as I did.