Shirtless young men in tight jeans and cowboy boots? Is this what one expects to see when country fans gather? I had no idea. My exposure and knowledge of the modern-day cowboy has been mostly limited to the CMAs and an occasional concert or two. Imagine the education I received about "anything and everything" country when I attended the 2009 Stagecoach Festival!
First of all, I observed that "cowboy style" is open to a wide variety of interpretations. Everyone seemed to have his or her own version. One thing that could usually be counted on was where there was one bare chest in a group, the rest of the posse would follow "suit" (get it?) and go topless also. It was like a gigantic shirts and skins tournament.
But that was not all. I found myself constantly surrounded by short denim cut-offs, straw cowboy hats and "Tony Lama" cowboy boots. There was no escaping the braids and body art either. It was fun to see the variety of country styles all in one place.
Usually when I hear that there is a large event of this nature, I like to find out where it is. Then, I avoid that particular area by at least a five-mile radius. I am not a big fan of crowds, traffic and noise, so generally these festivities are not for me.
For the Stagecoach Festival, though, I was willing to make an exception. When I arrived in the desert nine years ago, I learned to adopt a sort of "don't ask, don't tell" philosophy regarding my love of country music. It was difficult to find a person who shared my level of passion for country music. In fact, the people with home I spoke were pretty adamant about their dislike for the genre.
That being said, don't blame me for being quite curious about where these country fans have been hiding, and why I had never seen them before. (I also wanted to know where they had found those cute boots.)
Since I knew that I would be attending the event solo, I did not bother to plan my day. My belief was that I would have more flexibility to see and do more things if there was no worry of being tied to a schedule. I did make sure that I had a vague idea of which stage and at what time the people I was dying to see would be performing.
In order to avoid the mad rush of the diehard fans, I consciously chose to arrive at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio sometime after the gates opened for the day. My favorite performers were not scheduled to be on stage until later, so I thought that by using the "fashionably late" strategy, I could avoid the worst of the crowds and stay out of long lines.
Apparently there were a lot of people with the same great idea as I had. Once I was finally through the main gates of Stagecoach, I was surprised to see there was an equal, if not greater, amount of people already inside the gates. It seemed that most of these individual were waiting in line to get their age verified at the "ID check" tent.
After assessing the ratio of the bathroom facilities to the crowd wandering around the beer tent, I realized that incessantly long lines were inevitable. Careful planning was the name of the game when it came to potty breaks.
I wandered around in circles for a bit in an attempt to acquaint myself with the nearest emergency exits. I also knew that it would be important to get my bearings because once inside those gates, it was very easy for me to feel lost.
The next thing on the agenda was to get my personal favorite refreshment in the desert — an E & E Pel's soft frozen lemonade. There is no substitute for the original. I felt like I was a victim of the old bait-and-switch when later on in the day a lemonade peddler with selective English assured me that the lemonade he was offering was the Pel's brand. I discovered after just one taste that it was not at all my beloved Pel's. (If you would like to try one of these delicious frozen delights, the E & E Pel's booth can be found at the Palm Springs VillageFest on Thursday evenings and the College of the Desert flea market on the weekends.)
I found it easy to approach people since most were in great spirits and very excited to be there. I looked for the most enthusiastic individuals or groups.
I approached a young girl to ask her where she found her Stagecoach tank top. Mykelin Barker, 18, from Riverside, told me that she made it herself and proceeded to lead me to friends and family who were all wearing the same pink tank tops. They informed me that this was the third year in a row that they have attended the Stagecoach Festival.
I wanted to make certain that I experienced as much of Stagecoach 2009 as possible. I was aware that there were exhibits and demonstrations that I should not miss.
While observing and making mental notes of the variety of sights, sounds and smells, I came to an oasis in the desert. It was my kind of place, a relaxing haven amidst the country craziness all around us. In this tent, I found volunteers who were there to offer free neck and shoulder massages or a basic manicure. And barely a line to wait! Imagine that! I did not want to leave the comfort of the spa tent, but I was getting hungry.
The next thing on my unscheduled agenda was to check out the food booths. Events of this nature rarely cater to vegetarians such as myself, so finding something suitable for me to snack on is usually a challenge. I guess there are not a lot of tofu-loving cowboys.
I can tell you that if meat is your thing and barbecue sauce is what you crave, then there were plenty to sample at the Stagecoach Festival. Anything and everything that can be barbecued and drowned in sauce was there.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Stagecoach and I am happy for the opportunity to experience this "not-to-be-missed" event. Now that I know what to expect, I will start looking for denim cutoffs and Tony Lamas.
There are a limited number of places that allow a person to express and/or explore one's inner cowboy or cowgirl. I can't think of a better place than at The Stagecoach Festival.
Saturday and Sunday, April 25-26, 2009
But that was not all. I found myself constantly surrounded by short denim cut-offs, straw cowboy hats and "Tony Lama" cowboy boots. There was no escaping the braids and body art either. It was fun to see the variety of country styles all in one place.
The next thing on the agenda was to get my personal favorite refreshment in the desert — an E & E Pel's soft frozen lemonade. There is no substitute for the original. I felt like I was a victim of the old bait-and-switch when later on in the day a lemonade peddler with selective English assured me that the lemonade he was offering was the Pel's brand. I discovered after just one taste that it was not at all my beloved Pel's. (If you would like to try one of these delicious frozen delights, the E & E Pel's booth can be found at the Palm Springs VillageFest on Thursday evenings and the College of the Desert flea market on the weekends.)
I approached a young girl to ask her where she found her Stagecoach tank top. Mykelin Barker, 18, from Riverside, told me that she made it herself and proceeded to lead me to friends and family who were all wearing the same pink tank tops. They informed me that this was the third year in a row that they have attended the Stagecoach Festival.