Thousands of metal fans are descending upon the Coachella Valley from all over the world for Power Trip, happening Friday, Oct. 6, through Sunday, Oct. 8, at the Empire Polo Club in Indio and featuring iconic acts Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Metallica and Tool.
While valley visitors and fans of the genre are excited about the once-in-a-lifetime event, officials with the city of Indio are especially excited—and are going all out for Power Trip weekend with the High Voltage AC/DC Dive Bar.
From 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 5, through Sunday, Oct. 8, downtown Indio’s Club 5 is being transformed into a heaven for fans of rock ’n’ roll. AC/DC is taking over the bar and areas beyond, as fans will be able to check out memorabilia from the band’s 50 year career, a giant mural of the band members painted by Miles Toland, iconography from the band’s album covers, free AC/DC tattoos from Heatstroke Tattoo, and much more.
During a recent phone interview with Indio Mayor Oscar Ortiz, he explained how the collaboration between the city and the band came to be.
“I just got a phone call from somebody from their team named Jeff, and they were looking to do something,” Ortiz said. “They’re starting their 50th anniversary celebration, and I guess this is going to be the initiation of that celebration. They were looking to do something with a local bar, and we talked about a few different locations. We have some city property there around Club 5, so we ended up deciding on that one, and they had some pretty cool ideas to bring in, so we thought it would be a really good project.”
Visitors to the High Voltage AC/DC Dive Bar can expect to be immersed in rock history, learn more about AC/DC, and enjoy some artwork, sounds and sights.
“There’s a lot of memorabilia all around, and there are some really cool art projects that they’re doing with some artists, too,” Ortiz said. “They’ve been putting up videos (on Instagram) of the artists creating all these different things, and they’re going to put them inside the bar. There’s a lot of work that’s going into it, so it’s really cool. Outside, they’re going to have some big, large art pieces, logos and stuff that people could take pictures next to. We’ve got the mural on the side of the bar, and there’s also an electric pole that was installed in the back—that’s not an actual electric pole, but it’s going to shoot off fireworks.”
Club 5 is not the only local business involved in the collaboration.
“We’re also going to have four of our local food trucks there all four days,” Ortiz said. “We have our Food Truck Friday events every Friday now, and that’s going to be moved to that location just for this week, and they will stay there throughout the whole event. … Another local partnership that they offered is that they’re paying some tattoo artists at Heatstroke Tattoo, and they’re going to bring them in and they’re going to do free AC/DC tattoos.”
Ortiz said he’s excited to mingle with some of the band’s most diehard fans.
“The AC/DC Family, a big group of hardcore fans, are all coming Thursday night,” Ortiz said. “That’s probably going to be a really big night, just because the concerts aren’t going yet, so all the concert-goers will be there. A lot of people from our community are also going to go check it out, so I think it should be pretty fun.”
In recent years, the city of Indio has been trying to find some new ways to incorporate resident involvement into the select weekends of music-festival madness.
“We want to attract the people who are coming in to see the concerts to also see the rest of our community, and interact with our businesses, interact with our people,” Ortiz said. “I think the best thing we have in Indio is our people. People love coming here and feeling like they’re at home, and our people are really good at treating our visitors really well. One of the ways that we’ve done that with Coachella is by having Chella, where we partner up with Goldenvoice and have a free concert every time we have Coachella, with local artists. That’s a way for them to participate during that time, and this is another way for us to do that during Power Trip. We’re really grateful that they reached out to us to provide this opportunity … Getting all these visitors and all these AC/DC fans to come down there and check out probably one of the smallest bars we have—it’s going to be interesting to see that area full of people, and having all our vendors there to be able to capitalize on that, is going to be really awesome.”
The free admission will allow more locals—who can’t afford the $599 it costs for festival general admission—to be a part of the Power Trip experience.
“Those tickets are expensive. Not everybody can afford those, so it is a really nice way to get everybody involved and have something for everybody to enjoy,” Ortiz said.
Before the world famous band from Australia took over Club 5, the Indio bar had long been a fantastic local spot, as well as a venue for live music, hosting hundreds of local shows throughout the years. I spoke to local musicians Derek Wade Timmons and Danny Torres, both of whom have performed at Club 5.
“It’s the local watering hole,” Torres said during a recent phone interview. “It’s there for the community and all the locals. They have their regular customers, and the vibe is super-chill, very homey, very friendly—and the same thing goes for shows. I know the owners, and they are super-friendly people who started allowing us and a lot of other local musicians to throw shows there. They took care of the bands that would come through, and they’re very supportive, allowing basically anyone to throw shows, whether it was a punk show, metal show or some kind of rock show that wasn’t even the vibe of that spot.
The small, cramped nature of Club 5 actually helps build community, Timmons said during a recent phone interview. “People would have to wiggle past the bassist to get it to the bathroom at shows there. I never went to a show there that wasn’t packed and really lively, and a really good time. If you’re playing a bar, you wouldn’t usually be playing on that side of the valley, so you generally get to see a whole other crowd there.”
Torres and his former band Ocho Ojos had a monthly residency at the bar, and his new band Calmala has played there a few times.
“Whenever there would be a show, of course all the homies and all the friends pull up,” Torres said. “It’d be kind of like a mix of friends and people who already know each other from the scene, the music scene, the art scene, with their regular customers who would be there. It was always a very communal vibe, and I love the camaraderie for sure. … It’s such a chill spot and kind of like a hidden gem to go and have a couple chavelas and then call it a night.”
Over the summer, the owner of Club 5, Don Franco—known by many simply as Mr. Franco—passed away. Timmons shared how much he added to the positive, friendly vibes of the bar.
“Sometimes he would just grab an accordion and hop up with you while you were playing, even rock bands and metal bands, which was awesome,” Timmons said. “With that place being so small, and kind of off by itself, people would always spill outside and kind of congregate conspicuously, and when cops would come, he would just go run them off. He was really cool, and I always liked it there. I don’t think I ever went there one time where it wasn’t a total party.”
Don Franco joined Torres’ musical projects many times onstage. He said the High Voltage AC/DC Dive Bar will have an altar on display for Don.
“Don Franco was always very kind to Ocho Ojos and Calmala, and many of the other local bands that came through and performed,” Torres said. “I do know in Club 5 and in this dive bar, they have an altar in memory of Don Franco. I just want to give a shout-out to the Franco family, and I hope everyone sends their best regards to them. We’re all really excited for this opportunity that came up for them to get some recognition for their bar.”
Most of the people I have spoken with about Power Trip are disappointed about the $599 starting point for tickets. Even though the High Voltage AC/DC Dive Bar can’t compare to a live performance from the band and five other rock legends, Timmons noted that it is a cool, free experience.
“I would think anybody who even has a passing interest in AC/DC might as well go do that,” Timmons said. “That’s really probably more once-in-a-lifetime than the concert—to have a bar in downtown Indio turned into a bar/museum to an Australian rock band from the ’70s? That doesn’t happen every day.”
The High Voltage AC/DC Dive Bar will be open to the public Thursday, Oct. 5, through Sunday, Oct. 8, at 82971 Bliss Ave., in Indio. Admission is free. Outside areas are open to everyone of all ages, but you must be 21+ to enter the bar. For more information, visit instagram.com/acdcdivebar.
Great article highlighting what Indio has to offer. Love the quotes from local musicians.
Love it I’m a local business owner in Indio too!! Mami’s Floral Boutique we are located behind Ciro’s we have a lot of businesses in our building and a big parking lot area maybe next time you can give us an opportunity to host a big event!! Thank you.