“A shin bone has crept into Coachella,” Nate Auerbach said Friday, standing outside the VIP Rose Garden in Coachella, amid hordes of partying. “Most people are sneaking in… other things.”
Auerbach — a partner at Versus Creative, a marketing company that runs social content for Coachella amid other Goldenvoice events — was preparing Seder, the traditional Jewish meal on the first night of Passover, at Outstanding in the Field, a $275-per-person dinner series that happens every night In the VIP section of the festival. He secured a ticket purchase partnership with the dinner organizers, worked on a grant with a Jewish organization to offset some of the cost, made a flyer advertising a $75 Seder in the VIP area and sold dozens of tickets as pop-ups for the dinner, which was cooked by chefs Diego Hernandez and Donny Masterson.
Danny Elfman’s manager, Laura Engel and her family were among those who bought tickets: daughter Rachel sent the flyer to the family text thread with the text, “Shall we do this?” Her other daughter, Hannah, responded the way only an experienced Coachella vet would reply: “I say yes: but it’s too hard” because the appointed times aren’t up. “
This difficult adherence to timing was played out as attendees took breaks from dinner to watch the surprise Arcade Fire movie at the nearby Mojave Theater between bites of their meals. In contrast to the traditional Seder – with a very specific and lengthy reading list of the hijjad, the story of Moses’ journey from Egypt to Israel – this was more spontaneous, with a non-kosher list drawn up long before the Auerbach Partnership, a 4-page read-it-yourself hymn that is made Distribute it to the guests and quickly light candles and pray among the many attendees.
Evan Winiker, Managing Partner at Range Music, gave his trademark hug during a first course of smoked marlin with avocado hummus before heading back to the field to pick up his own Cordian set. Jason Colton of Red Light and his family stopped by to hand out communal bowls of bluefin tuna to welcome old friends. Rapper Kosha Dells set out in his full Musi costume to eat some matsahera before rushing into his very own Easter pop-up, Matsahila. Musician Jimmy Wood, Engel’s husband, stood up at one point and sang an impromptu version of the traditional Easter song “Let My People Go.”
Jimmy Wood Leads Songs on Easter at VIP Rose Garden in # Coachella pic.twitter.com/oH4hmmI0Lk
Variety (@Variety) April 16 2022
“There are a lot of people who sacrifice Easter to be here,” Auerbach said. “They are not looking for food or strict party or any of it – they are looking for family dinner atmosphere. They can get together [with friends and strangers] And be a family on the first night of Coachella – which is also the first night of Easter. “
Auerbach wasn’t the only Jewish present looking for that connection: Dillz’ Matzachella event is an offshoot of their Shabbat valet parking services at Coachellas, and chefs Eric Greenspan and Burt Bakman actually cook a traditional multi-course Seder dinner at Outstanding in the Field on Sunday (“We thought Kanye was doing a Sunday service, so we’re going to do the Sunday Seder,” Greenspan said. “I think he was shocked.”) And there were plenty of passersby who didn’t even know the event was happening from, when they saw a platter. The only traditional Seder that Auerbach put together in acknowledgment of tradition mentions how proud their parents were that Easter was happening in the square.
At the end of the day, dinner was all about connection—which is exactly what actress and musician Idalia Vallis and her partner Jesse Sacks, who leads mindfulness exercises at Coachella for the Open meditation app, found.
“We made friends with people [at the dinner] Vallis said. “They might move into the house in front of us – they might be our neighbors!”
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