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03-19-2010, 05:41 AM
Agreement ensures Stagecoach, Coachella will be staying in Indio
Polo clubs sign festival pact
Bruce Fessier • The Desert Sun • March 19, 2010
A long-term agreement was signed Wednesday ensuring the future of the Coachella and Stagecoach Country Music festivals in Indio.
Paul Tollett, co-founder of Goldenvoice, a division of AEG Live in Los Angeles, said the contract gives him the exclusive right to present music festivals on 400 acres at the Empire Polo Club and the Eldorado Polo Club.
The Eldorado Polo Club has been used primarily for parking and camping for the internationally renowned music festivals. Goldenvoice also leases parking and camping space from Desert Sands Unified School District, but Tollett said a long-term agreement hasn't been signed with that entity.
Goldenvoice started the Stagecoach Music Festival four years ago to give Empire Polo Club owner Alex Haagen III another revenue stream when he was considering developing the polo fields.
Tollett and Haagen negotiated one- and two-year land use agreements for the first 10 years of Coachella and it has long been rumored that the festival could be forced to find another venue.
But Tollett said this agreement will keep Coachella and Stagecoach at the polo club for two weekends in mid-April “permanently.”
“As long as the polo field is here, I'll be doing the show here,” Tollett said. “We're both confident the future looks bright, so we decided to go permanent on it.”
Goldenvoice presented Phish Festival 8 at Empire last October, and Haagen said he would like more “one-off” festivals like that. He said he'd like to see a jazz, blues and rock festival.
“It's not there yet, but now that we have this long-term agreement, we're hopeful we can put something together,” Haagen said.
“I call it blues, jazz and a little rock 'n' roll. You want a little of that '50s rock 'n' roll, which ties into the beginning of a lot of our music from blues and jazz.”
Tollett said he, too, would like to have more festivals at the Polo Club.
The deal was made for an unspecified dollar amount, which Haagen said would be paid annually.
Polo clubs sign festival pact
Bruce Fessier • The Desert Sun • March 19, 2010
A long-term agreement was signed Wednesday ensuring the future of the Coachella and Stagecoach Country Music festivals in Indio.
Paul Tollett, co-founder of Goldenvoice, a division of AEG Live in Los Angeles, said the contract gives him the exclusive right to present music festivals on 400 acres at the Empire Polo Club and the Eldorado Polo Club.
The Eldorado Polo Club has been used primarily for parking and camping for the internationally renowned music festivals. Goldenvoice also leases parking and camping space from Desert Sands Unified School District, but Tollett said a long-term agreement hasn't been signed with that entity.
Goldenvoice started the Stagecoach Music Festival four years ago to give Empire Polo Club owner Alex Haagen III another revenue stream when he was considering developing the polo fields.
Tollett and Haagen negotiated one- and two-year land use agreements for the first 10 years of Coachella and it has long been rumored that the festival could be forced to find another venue.
But Tollett said this agreement will keep Coachella and Stagecoach at the polo club for two weekends in mid-April “permanently.”
“As long as the polo field is here, I'll be doing the show here,” Tollett said. “We're both confident the future looks bright, so we decided to go permanent on it.”
Goldenvoice presented Phish Festival 8 at Empire last October, and Haagen said he would like more “one-off” festivals like that. He said he'd like to see a jazz, blues and rock festival.
“It's not there yet, but now that we have this long-term agreement, we're hopeful we can put something together,” Haagen said.
“I call it blues, jazz and a little rock 'n' roll. You want a little of that '50s rock 'n' roll, which ties into the beginning of a lot of our music from blues and jazz.”
Tollett said he, too, would like to have more festivals at the Polo Club.
The deal was made for an unspecified dollar amount, which Haagen said would be paid annually.