Never-Before-Seen Polaroids of Amy Winehouse, Paris Hilton, and Boots Riley Recall Coachella When It Was Actually Cool

Music festivals have become corporate behemoths, an industry unto themselves. As this year’s Coachella (perhaps the most corporate of them all) approaches, I thought it would be nice to take a look back at a simpler time—to 2007. It was the year that gave us the Apple iPhone, transforming our lives as well as the concertgoing experience forever. Britney Spears shaved her head, The Sopranos ended, and the Obama Girl was a viral sensation. Feels like a lifetime ago.

Athens, Georgia–based photographer Christy Bush was backstage at Coachella in 2007. She captured a series of sun-drenched, intimate Polaroids of artists and attendees at the festival in Indio, California. The collection serves as a time capsule, before every moment was shared over social media, when things were a little messier, a little more unguarded, and—arguably—more fun.

Captured within: A smoldering Amy Winehouse before cleaning up at the Grammys; Brit pop’s leading eccentric Jarvis Cocker in his signature tinted glasses; Arctic Monkeys’s Alex Turner looking like a baby-faced schoolboy; the very on-trend trifecta of The Strokes’s Fabrizio Moretti, Tennessee Thomas, and Alexa Chung; Boots Riley before he directed Sorry to Bother You; Lily Allen in her signature gold door-knocker earrings; Paul Simonon of the Clash in a pinstripe suit with a fistful of rings, enjoying a cigarette; Jenny Lewis; and Vincent Gallo wearing a snakeskin cowboy hat. Everyone that mattered was there, including Bush and her Polaroid camera.

I asked Bush about that time in her life, her fondest memories from those two days in the desert, and the performance that blew her away.

What were you doing in 2007?

I was just getting back from hanging and opening my show, “Soundtrack to Nothing”, in Tokyo. “Soundtrack to Nothing” was images of teenage rock fans. I had been shooting kids hanging out at shows for a few years. I loved the drama that always seemed to be taking place elsewhere in the club, almost as if the band was just playing in the background like some coming-of-age punk-rock film. Coachella was up next, and I was definitely still in that headspace when I went out there. I was much more interested in the action offstage than on.

2007 was the year Amy Winehouse conquered in America. This performance, in particular, was a breakthrough. Did you see her set?

The music, the talent, her look—there was such a buzz about her. I did see her set, and it was incredible. It was daytime, in one of the smaller tents. It almost felt dangerous, the number of people that were squeezed in that tent. She was there with Blake [Fielder-Civil]. I have a Polaroid of them together. Amy was into me shooting her formally but only if Blake was in the shot. Something never sat well with me about glamourizing that relationship, so I have always kept that image to myself.

Which of these photos really stands out to you?

Well, Amy, of course. Paul Simonon because, hello, the Clash, that history. He is such an icon to me. Josh Meyers because that Polaroid was the beginning of a 12-year friendship. Alexa Chung, Fab Moretti, and Tennessee Thomas because they represented what the scene was like at that time. They were like the popular kids. Vincent Gallo because he was just always so cool and a total fox. Jarvis . . . I mean it’s Jarvis Cocker! That crazy one of Paris Hilton and CSS. CSS had a song called “Meeting Paris Hilton.” Someone hooked it up so I could shoot the band actually meeting Paris after their set. The band was so sweaty. They had just come offstage, and here is Paris ready for the picture. I am directing them, it’s my shot, I set it up, and I look over my shoulder, and there are a least a hundred photographers behind me with their cameras raised. It was insane. She always had the paparazzi everywhere she went. I had never experienced anything like that. They all had their digital cameras and were uploading and sending pictures as fast as they could snap them, so at the time it felt like it rendered my little Polaroid useless.

Are you happy you captured it all on film versus on a digital camera?

I think Polaroid was the way to go. It’s so immediate and intimate, and people can relate. They are curious about it. Everyone loves that moment while the chemicals are turning from white to the image. And yet it’s not so precious that it makes someone feel self-conscious. It’s not supposed to be perfect, and that seemed to be understood.

What do you think about music festivals today? Does it interest you at all? Could the same innocence be captured in today’s climate?

I haven’t been to a festival in years. It’s not my favorite way to see bands, but I am always interested in what is happening in the crowd and behind the scenes. That year was special. It wasn’t about getting it all to Instagram as fast as you can. It was still about being an active participant. I do think the innocence is always there. It’s about the youth and how the youth react.

Kids want to know who they might see or run into. And a live band will always be a live band. Each performance with its unique humanity, energy, and even slight imperfections can only be experienced that one time. Even if the set list stays the same, the show will always be slightly unique. It’s only something that you can really experience by sharing your energy with others and sharing the energy of the rest of the crowd. Instagram Stories can never take the place of being in the moment.