Thank technology for the livestream. No seriously, you may judge for me sounding ungrateful for having the privilege of obtaining press credentials (free passes!) for all the major musical festivals in America with a single e-mail. But as a veteran of SXSW, Coachella, Governors Ball, etc. — my days as a cheerful, green “festival journalist” have come and gone, man. Be thankful you can just watch the concerts livestreamed from the comfort of your own home.

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Miss Info brought me out for my first Coachella experience in 2012 (and I’m forever thankful). Back then, being flown out to cover several days of non-stop live music and food truck meals was the sh*t. I got to watch all my favorite artists perform from backstage, get free drinks all night and land exclusive interviews — which was always the cherry on top.

But between all that… comes the sleepless nights to provide real time “live coverage,” fights with security over having the right “passes,” intoxicated teens all up in your face and general f*ckery when dealing with high profile celebs. It sounds like these things are all “just part of the job” on paper, but it weathers on you.

Something that started as a dream job quickly can turn into a burning hole right through your passion. You’ve dreamed about getting paid to cover concerts by your favorite rappers, but was it worth the cost of having the thing you love the most turn into “work”?

You’ve put years into the pursuit of a career that was once only a dream, and now when your company foots the bill of your flight, hotel and all related expenses — it’s just the norm.

The moment this happens, I can tell you first hand, you’ve been too one too many festivals. It’s a sobering feeling, but it’s not sad feeling. Are you nuts? It’s liberating as hell! Yeah, I’ve been to this rodeo time and time again, but I wanted to! Music is still my passion and what I love. I’ve seen the Wu, Nas, Jay, Kanye and every other great rapper I love more that I can remember. Maybe I must have made some right moves in these last 10 years because I really wanted to this live life — and I worked hard for it — and received exactly what I wanted.

I started pursing a career in music journalism in college, and with my 30th birthday approaching in the coming days, this Coachella experience is proving to be the most revealing one in my personal life. With age sometimes you have to smell the roses every now and again. And, that doesn’t mean I’m here to now become an egotistical, preaching, self promoting maniac on social media. I’m just here to share my experiences. Believe in yourself, and you can do whatever you want in life.

Heading back out now…

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