Even a great show has to come to an end, and when there's a city curfew, violations can get costly.
That was lesson learned during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music Festival at Empire Polo Club after multiple violations of the city of Indio's curfew amassed a fine of $117,000.
The Desert Sun reported that the fine resulted from three sets that went past the city's curfew of 1 a.m. on festival days. To meet the terms of its 2023 permit, event sponsor Goldenvoice has to keep within the 1 a.m. cutoff time. The agreement stipulates that each performance that exceeds curfew delivers a $20,000 fine with an added $1,000 tacked on for every minute after the sixth minute past curfew.
"Guys, I'm being told it's curfew, so that's the end of the show. Thank you so much," singer Frank Ocean told the crowd on Sunday when his show broke curfew by 25 minutes, according to Desert Sun. Ocean's set, in particular, gained attention because it got off to a 50-minute-late start and came to a sudden end because of the curfew.
Besides Ocean, the other curfew violators were Bad Bunny with 25 minutes past curfew on Friday and Calvin Harris with a 22-minute overage on Saturday.
This is not the first time curfew-busting has been a problem. In 2009, Goldenvoice was fined $54,000 when Paul McCartney exceeded curfew by 54 minutes under a agreement that set the penalty at $1,000 per minute.
According to TMZ, the fines go to the city of Indio where the concert festival is held. As part of Indio's General Fund, the money may be used to offset operating costs involving public works, police and fire services. The festival has a long-term contract with Indio that lasts until 2050 and reflects a later curfew in contrast to previous cutoffs of midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and 11 p.m. on Sundays.
To date, there has been no comment from Goldenvoice on the assessed fines.