When Power Trip was first announced, the general-admission starting price of $599 raised eyebrows—as did the nearly $2,000 cost for in-front-of-the-stage pit admission.
Yes, the star-studded lineup of Guns N’ Roses, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne (later replaced by Judas Priest), Metallica and Tool was unparalleled, a collection of six legendary rock and metal icons—but almost everyone I talked to felt priced out.
Despite the lineup, $599 is a lot of money to spend on a weekend of rock, especially before factoring in the inflated costs of food, travel and other necessities. If I hadn’t received a press pass to cover the festival for the Independent, I would have almost certainly missed out—and based on my experience over the weekend at the Empire Polo Club, I am glad I was able to be there.
I talked to some attendees on Sunday, before Tool and Metallica closed out the festival. Did they think the festival was worth the high price point?
Ricky Peña
The phrase “once in a lifetime opportunity” was used quite a lot in promotional materials for the festival—and when I spoke with Ricky Peña, they were the first words out of his mouth.
“The bands are only getting older; they’re not getting any younger, so I think the time is now,” Peña said. “It’s now or never; you might miss the opportunity.”
Peña’s right; most of the musicians are in their 60s and 70s. In 2016, Desert Trip, similarly billed as a once-in-a-lifetime event at the Empire Polo Club, sprouted the nickname “Oldchella,” with Mick Jagger stating, “This is the catch-’em-before-they-croak festival.”
Peña conceded the Power Trip admission price was indeed high. “But with the performances given and the experience you get, I think it was worth it.”
Most of the musicians turned in performances that belied their advanced ages, rockin’ and rollin’ all over the stage with headbangs, arm circles, screams and more. Every stage show featured fireworks, pyrotechnics, breathtaking visuals and immersive sights, enhancing the energy of the performances.
“The bands are only getting older; they’re not getting any younger, so I think the time is now. It’s now or never; you might miss the opportunity.”
Power Trip attendee Ricky Peña
“People could say they’re not in their prime, but considering their age and how they fucking jam, I think that’s just an opinion,” said Peña. “They shred.”
For Peña, the payment-plan option helped him digest the expensive figurative pill, allowing him to spread the price over several months.
“That was a good option,” Peña said. “It made it somewhat affordable.”
Kevin & Michael
In July, Ozzy Osbourne dropped out of the festival, breaking the hearts of many fans hoping to see the iconic metal frontman. At 74, the singer has rarely toured in recent years, and his performance at Power Trip would have been his first full show since 2018.
“The bands that were here, we definitely wanted to come see—but we really wanted to see Ozzy,” Kevin said.
Kevin and Michael said they were deeply disappointed when Osbourne dropped out.
“We had purchased the tickets prior to Priest coming in—but they were great,” Kevin said. “We went back and forth on whether we’re going to spend that much money on the tickets, but I was kind of like, ‘Hey, this isn’t gonna happen again.’
“Plus, we’re both old.”
AC/DC’s return to the stage was another huge plus for Kevin and Michael. We spoke not quite 24 hours after the Australian rockers dropped a sonic-nuke on the crowd.
“We went back and forth on whether we’re going to spend that much money on the tickets, but I was kind of like, ‘Hey, this isn’t gonna happen again.'”
Power trip attendee kevin
“We’re more than happy after last night,” Michael said. “We were a little bit disappointed with one of the bands on the first night, and then Metallica obviously wrapping up the weekend makes it all worth it. If you’re a Metallica fan, you see them as many times as you can.”
Kevin and Michael said they were impressed to see how well all the performers got along, and it warmed their hearts to see Metallica singing along to AC/DC the previous night.
“I think it’s more about camaraderie for these bands,” Michael said. “They’re all out there supporting each other, so I think more of these festivals are probably needed, especially as these guys get a lot older. It’s nice to see the support of each other’s bands.”
Many of the Power Trip attendees grew up listening to all of this music, and they have stories about, memories of, and a profound love for these bands.
“Taking Tool out of the equation, this is my childhood,” Michael said. “This is a trip down memory lane for me, of some very formative years when I was listening to music. To see these bands coming out here back to back is nostalgia for me. It’s just great and brings back some memories of me and some of my friends growing up, originally listening to this music—and being dumbasses.”
Frank, aka “Kondor”
For three days, music fans from around the world descended on the Coachella Valley. I watched a huge group of AC/DC fans from Chile break out into song in front of the mural at the High Voltage AC/DC Dive Bar, and after the “olé!” chants on Saturday night, it was clear Power Trip had attracted a large number of international fans.
I met Frank, a superfan from Costa Rica whose nickname is “Kondor.” He expressed gratitude for the festival’s hotel packages, which made the festival experience easier for international fans.
“We bought the hotel package that includes the room, the tickets, the shuttles, and I think, for the price, it was enough, and the rooms are really great,” Frank said.
Frank’s eyes were set on Saturday’s original double-booking of Ozzy and AC/DC, as he desperately wanted to watch the first performances in years by the two rock heroes.
“It was a perfect music moment to get them together,” he said.
Frank sat under a palm tree when I met him on Day 3, tired and conserving energy for one more headbanging night. The rock ’n’ roll patches on his jean-jacket vest proved Frank was a diehard fan, as he talked about the great experience he had visiting the High Voltage AC/DC Dive Bar, and expressing hope that Power Trip would return next year.
“I think all the bands are great,” he said. “I think all the people came here because all the bands are iconic and unique, and that’s what makes the festival great. I’m having a good time so far.”
They have done this beautiful show for hard Rock. Now it’s time to bring out the plaid shirts of grunge. I think would be epic.
They can’t. All the grunge legends are either dead from heroin or suicide.
This is going to be long.
Here is my 100% honest review of the Power Trip music festival we attended this past weekend.
Pros:
We got to camp there, so no walking or expensive parking.
The concerts were all stellar, with the exception of GNR which was mediocre at best
We had a great drive there and home with minimal traffic, no car trouble.
The showers were mostly ok
Cons:
**It was 105. The coordinators had to know what the forecast was. They did hardly anything to help with this. They had 1 fan with a mister attached for the whole camping area. The covered areas they had didn’t have any cooling or misters. Even the water they provided in the filling stations was warm
**The campsite we booked, in April, was a 15x30ft space. At some point after that, they added a preferred car camping site that was 15×30 and more money. They downgraded the original car camping that we paid for to a 10x15ft size. We were not told this in advance. Our tent is 20 feet long. It did NOT fit. We had to sleep in the back of the truck. It was the only way we had room for our truck, stove and chairs in that size space. Plus the grass we were “camping” on was FULL of ants. We parked where the attendants told us to park. However, later, “security” came by and said our car was over the line. ( I have a picture for proof) It was about 5, maybe 6 inches over. They threatened to tow our truck if we didn’t back up. We didn’t. Other cars were more than 12 inches over the line and they weren’t made to move.
**Nothing started on time. The shuttles started late every day. They opened the venue gates late. The concerts started late. Everything was late.
**The market shuttles were a good idea, in theory. However, there were 2 buses that were taking people to Ralphs and Stater Bros. Neither store had any real supplies people needed. They should have had both buses just take people to Walmart which was only 1 mile further. The buses also were circa 1980s retro and the A/C was hit and miss. (Remember it was 105????) Then, they had to search everything in order for you to get back into the venue. So your ice melted as you waited in the sun to be searched.
**They legit searched our vehicle when we first got there. They tried to make me throw out our coffee mugs because they were ceramic. They wanted to throw out my cooking spray as well as Jeff’s cologne. They were “contraband.” They were also very inconsistent with their “rules”
For example: The website said no freestanding stoves or cooking elements. And propane only, no open flames. We had to buy a new table top camp stove. Many people had free standing stoves AND bbq’s with charcoal and flames. It was a hot mess.
**They did not keep the shower trailers clean. There was trash, dirty clothing, used tampons and applicators, empty soap bottles and more. Very unsanitary
**Porta potties only. (It was 105!)
**The items they were selling were way overpriced. I get increasing for a profit but come on now. Here’s a few examples:
Styrofoam cup of BLACK coffee $10 (no cream and sugar available)
Spray bottle fan $18
Cup of lemonade $15
16lb Bag of ice $16
Some mixed alcoholic drinks were $40
Pedi cabs to drive around the campground $15 PER PERSON
I get needing to make a profit, but these prices were out of control. They held our cars hostage and so we were forced to pay their ridiculous prices
**The signage inside the actual concert venue was atrocious. The first night we were herded out the wrong exit gate. We needed to use the one on the other side of a fence. They did NOT want to let us back in to exit to the campgrounds. We had to argue. THEN, they had to search us again, even though we’d just left, to walk around to the correct gate.
**They used CSC event staff. That staff was either poorly trained or had zero training. Every time we asked a question the answer was “I don’t know.” Plus they were very unprofessional. They had personal conversations, loudly, while working that were inappropriate. They had offensive (not to me, but you know how people are) tattoos visible. One girl had the word FUCK tattooed up her arm. Just a lot of things wrong with this whole thing.
So anyways, we won’t be attending this “festival” again. It was severely overpriced. We paid $600 per ticket for general admission which was way in the back. I never ever saw the stage.