Coachella offers fans the virtual experience of visiting Coachella with some cardboard strapped to their face
Realizing that music festivals allow concertgoers to plug into a communal, quasi-mystical experience—one that needs to be nipped in the bud right this fucking minute, preferably by getting people to strap their cellphones to their faces in the least dignified way imaginable—the Coachella Music Festival is doubling down on its commitment to dumb technology by offering a VR app and cardboard headset to anyone who buys a ticket to this year’s shows. The kit will allow users to experience the Coachella VR app, offering up virtual tours of the festival grounds, access to HD photos from the event’s 20-year history, and the ability to mortify your kids by wandering around the house in cardboard goggles, waxing nostalgic about Guns N’ Roses.
The system has been designed to work with both Android and iOS devices, ensuring that attendees can block their fellow humans out regardless of their smartphone loyalties. The festival organizers did caution that the app requires a hefty data connection, along with (we’re assuming) a waiver that says it’s not Coachella’s fault if you wander off into the desert during an LCD Soundsystem show, and a coyote natural selections you to death because you’ve got your Samsung glued to your face.