Apr 26, 2008 10:07 am US/Pacific
Coachella Music Festival Ready For Purple Reign
INDIO
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Prince, who was formerly known as Prince -- and known as Prince again -- will earn a reported $4 million for performing Saturday at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.
AP
Are you ready for some Purple reign? That's right, Prince is in the house!
The three-day Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival -- now in day 2 -- welcomes his Purpleness Saturday evening for a concert where it's been reported the Hall-of-Fame music star will pocket $4 million.
How many little red corvettes he can buy with that!? Prince tops the bill which this year also includes such musical standouts as Kraftwerk, Love and Rockets, Duffy and Death Cab for Cutie.
Thus far, the concert has been rather boisterous. Police Saturday reported 29 arrests associated with the festival as of midnight Friday, said Indio police spokesman Ben Guitron.
"They ranged from alcohol- and drug-related to disturbance and disputes," Guitron said morning. "None of those involved any overdoses, as far as I know."
Firefighters transported three people to local hospitals yesterday for
heat-related reasons, Guitron said. Temperatures today are forecast to top 100 degrees in the Indio area, according to the National Weather Service.
The artist presently known as Prince will be making his first appearance
at the alternative rock concert at Indio's Empire Polo Field.
The 49-year-old Rock 'n' Roll Hall-of-Famer, known for hits such as
"1999," "Little Red Corvette" and "When Doves Cry," is rumored to be
earning more than $4 million for his performance.
Prince is expected to take the stage after 10 p.m. tonight.
The ninth annual Coachella Fest includes about 125 acts on two outdoor
stages and three others in tents. Upward of 50,000 people were expected at Friday's shows. Many more are expected for Saturday.
Although traffic is reportedly always a problem during the festival, Indio police spokesman Ben Guitron said Friday's congestion was less than last year's, adding that Monroe Street, one of the festival's main arteries, was under construction at the time.
He also said this was the third year in a row that "amnesty cans," large metal containers with slots, were being placed at the festival entrance for concert goers to drop illegal drug contraband before entering.
"It seems to work well," Guitron said. "We're trying to give them (festival-goers) a chance to grow up and be responsible and make a conscious
decision. Of course, we'll always have the ones who want the challenge of
getting it (drugs) in, but they've gotta get through security first."
The concert industry trade publication Pollstar reported that 62,212
tickets were sold for last year's festival, which equated to an attendance of 180,000 over three days.
Prince will headline the festival tonight on the Coachella Stage and former Pink Floyd band member Roger Waters will close the event Sunday night with a performance of "Dark Side of the Moon."
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
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