Readers have responded to an article by Emma Brockes that suggested Justin Trudeau was too old to attend Coachella, rejecting the premise that there are aspects of modern culture that should be off-limits as you get older. Many argued that ageism has no place at music festivals such as Coachella and Reading.
Personal Experiences at Festivals
Peter Antolik from London, aged 57, shared his experience of attending the Reading festival with his wife and 16-year-old daughter. He said they left their daughter to enjoy the festival with friends while they saw a great variety of performers, danced in the EDM tent, and sang in after-hours silent karaoke. He noted that many younger attendees said it was great to see older people enjoying the experience with them. Antolik argued that taking the opportunity to understand festival and pop culture brings generations closer and creates empathy.
Andrew Mack from Leederville, Western Australia, aged 52, said he regularly attends live music events and is taking his son to Primavera for three days of live music. He said music has been a source of joy, sadness, a salvation, a crutch, and a constant in his life, and that the wonder and discovery of live music shared with others never disappears.
Criticism of Age-Policing
Sarah Munro from London criticised the age-policing in Brockes' article, calling it tired and misguided. She pointed to a 2023 systematic review in the European Journal of Public Health that found active music participation supports wellbeing and health in adults over 40, and a 2025 study on electronic dance music events that found 91% of older participants said the experience contributed positively to their wellbeing. She said that when people find something that brings them genuine happiness and harms nobody, the appropriate response is to leave them to it.
Ally McDermot from Huon Valley, Tasmania, Australia, noted the contradiction in suggesting that the audience should be age-gated when performers like Iggy Pop (79), David Byrne (73), and Norman Cook (62) performed at Coachella 2026. He called the suggestion a form of cultural ageism that has no place in progressive discourse.
Humorous Responses
Naomi Jensen from Pacific Grove, California, thanked Brockes for her article, saying she couldn't remember the last time she laughed while reading a newspaper. She recalled crowdsurfing at Lollapalooza the year before her son was born, and said she always imagined she would pick up certain pieces of life again. RJ Remington from Victoria, British Columbia, noted that Iggy Pop performed at Coachella this year, suggesting he didn't get the message about age limits.
Overall, readers rejected the idea that festival attendance has an expiry date and emphasised that music and joy are ageless.
