April 8, 2014

By Sarah Kloepple

For the first time, MU’s College Music Committee will bring the famous California music festival, Coachella, to campus.

On Friday, from 6 to 11 p.m., and Saturday, from 4:30 to 11 p.m., the committee will screen acts from the festival’s star-studded lineup in the Leadership Auditorium, which is located on the second floor of the MU Student Center.

“Everyone probably wants to go to Coachella, but first, it’s during the school year, and second, it’s so expensive and really far away, so it’s kind of unlikely that they’ll go,” committee senior chairwoman Amy Schmidt says. “You’re not at the concert, but you still get to watch. And even sometimes watching is pretty cool.”

The event was originally meant to be a bonding experience for the committee, but Schmidt thought it would be even better as a fun, free activity open to anyone. There will be Shakespeare’s pizza and Hot Box cookies at the event.

“I usually watch (Coachella) by myself anyways, so I thought, ‘Oh this would be perfect. We can get free food and have company while watching,’” Schmidt says.

Participants at the watch party can vote on which acts will get screened, as multiple bands and artists play at the same time.

“Since it is in California, it’s two hours behind, so it’s going to be a lot of the smaller acts,” Schmidt says. “But a lot of the small acts are really good, and it’s (music) that hasn’t even come to Missouri yet.”

Schmidt says the watch party is one of the committee’s more simple events, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less important.

Senior Claire Landsbaum is looking forward to the watch party event.

“(The watch party) gives us a chance to experience Coachella secondhand,” Landsbaum says. “It also exposes people to new artists and genres of music. Say you came to see one artist but really enjoyed another who came on right after. Boom, new favorite band.”