Masks were scarce at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio. So attendees went to the desert and partied like it was 2019. No rule about masking up in crowded venues. No checking for proof of vaccination or a recent negative coronavirus test. Goldenvoice thrilled many music fans - and unnerved others - back in February by announcing that the sister festivals would drop all COVID-19 precautions.

The recent Coachella and Stagecoach festivals provided the perfect natural experiment to test the hypothesis that if people ignore the coronavirus, it will return the favor. Unfortunately, none of that will actually make the coronavirus go away.įans of live music have been learning that lesson the hard way, my colleague August Brown reports. We can wish all we want for the pandemic to be over. We can listen to politicians on TV or Twitter saying life can - and should - return to normal and decide to believe them because we want them to be right. We can be so sick of wearing masks that we decide we don’t need them anymore. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Sign up for the latest news, best stories and what they mean for you, plus answers to your questions. Get our free Coronavirus Today newsletter