Whippy,
That's very true. It does depend on the band and their current hype/popularity status. I remember finding good spots for The Specials, Echo/Bunnymen, and
especially PiL were incredibly easy. I instantly hated the crowds when a surge of teens rudely pushed their way towards the front of the outdoor theatre to get spots for Vampire Weekend as soon as Echo had finished. Kinda gives you an idea of the average age of the fans this year. Too many fucking kiddie ravers.
Also, acts like Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear, and Beach House over filled their tents. Trust me, I've been since 2008, and I know that with 15,000 less people, that probably would've worked out much better. Especially with the first two - unless you were about 15-20 minutes early, there was no way you were watching that set with a good spot with good sound. And if you were in the back of the crowds, the sound bleed from the do-lab would affect the experience.
At night, it was pretty rough. Trying to go from stage to stage or tent to tent often made you feel like a fish swimming upstream against everyone else going the other direction. Just too many people.
The overcrowdedness has drawn alot of attention and criticism this year. The regulars on the coachella board, who are devotees who look forward to it every year more than I do, are practically vowing to never return unless the problems are addressed. There's even a site for all of it:
http://clusterfuckchella.wordpress.comI'll probably go back, but if GV doesn't do something or at least address these issues, I won't be looking forward to it nearly as much.