LOS ANGELES For many people, a photo in front of the iconic Ferris wheel at Coachella is a bucket list moment in life.  

“It has been for multiple generations of fans which you can’t take that for granted. It’s not common for things to remain a part of culture over generations,” documentary director Chris Parkel said. 

While fans will have to wait until October to experience it all in person due to the coronavirus, Goldenvoice is bringing Coachella to fans, now appropriately called #Couchella.

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Parkel and the Goldenvoice team partnered up with YouTube Originals to create Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert.

 

 

It's a project Parkel actually started working on seven years ago, going through archive footage. It was always going to be released this month to celebrate the festival's 20th anniversary, but with this year's fest being pushed back, it's now premiering the day it would have started. 

“Coachella is a snapshot of anything happening in pop culture in any given year. It felt like a great prism through which to tell stories about music and culture,” Parkel said. 

There have there been some mega moments over the years that have shaped the music industry. 

In the doc, you’ll see behind-the-scenes, never before seen footage from 1999 to 2019. Of all the music festivals in the world, Parkel says there’s a long list of what makes Coachella special. 

“It was the first in the U.S. like this, standalone recurring. The land, the real estate is so beautiful, differentiates us from those Europe festivals. It’s hard to have a plot of land and a climate as beautiful. Proximity to L.A. the media market that surrounds it, celebrity culture that surrounds it and the ability for all the guest stars to come,” he said. 

While this pandemic is unprecedented and unexpected, perhaps this documentary seven years in the making has an even bigger purpose. 

So you may not be able to get that perfect photo until October, but for now --  but theres always a selfie with your screen at Couchella.