Coachella Time: My Favorite Weekend of the Year

The 10th Coachella Music & Arts Festival touches down April 17th and the line-up was just announced. But I rarely care who gets booked, because for me, it's always been about a beautiful weekend with thousands of fellow desert revelers of all stripes. Sounds a bit hippy-ish, whatever, but I haven't missed a Coachella since 1999. Back then, I was even on the bill, as a DJ spinning drum & bass. But these days I go as a fan (albeit, armed with a backstage pass and photo credential), eager to capture a candid moment or just people watch from the grass (For those who haven't been, I did say desert and grass).

Last year's Roger Waters set (and SLICK's giant painted pig) was one of those brilliant Coachella moments, where you're swimming in the glow of the main stage, mind blown, sipping the sweetness of every note from wherever you happen to be standing (or laying), and just swaying to the rhythms. At your feet, a 20-something couple, cuddled in bliss. At your side, a dude who's been to a thousand of these. And in the distance, some chick enjoying her first outdoor show. But at that moment, that instant, you feel connected to each one of them.

See you in the desert.

For some of my Coachella photos, go here.