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This archival content was originally written for and published on KPCC.org. Keep in mind that links and images may no longer work — and references may be outdated.

KPCC Archive

Reward Offered for Return of Flying Pig

The Pig flies near the stage during Roger Waters performance at day 3 of the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival held at the Empire Polo Field on April 27, 2008 in Indio, California.
The Pig flies near the stage during Roger Waters performance at day 3 of the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival held at the Empire Polo Field on April 27, 2008 in Indio, California.
(
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
)

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Listen 1:33
Reward Offered for Return of Flying Pig
Reward Offered for Return of Flying Pig

The organizers of the Coachella Music festival are offering a $10,000 reward for the recovery of a giant inflatable pig. It broke loose from its tethers during the three-day festival's closing performance on Sunday. KPCC's Steve Cuevas has more.

Steve Cuevas: It happened at the end of the first half of former Pink Floyd front man Roger Waters' set during the song "Pigs." As the song ended, the pig, scrawled with a variety of political slogans, ascended... and ascended, and ascended...

[Sound of song "Pigs" ending]

Roger Waters: Well, thank you. That's my pig!

Audience members: Where did it go?! I hope it lands on our house!

Marcee Rondan: I don't really have the details on how exactly it happened. What I do know is that he floated away at the end of the first set of Roger Waters' show.

Cuevas: Marcee Rondan is a Coachella Festival spokeswoman. She can't be sure – or isn't saying – if the pig broke loose, or maybe was set free.

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Rondan: We believe it to be accidental, but again, that was preliminary.

Cuevas: Rondan says the pig now belongs to Goldenvoice, the company that puts on the festival. That's why organizers are so eager to get it back.

Rondan: I don't even know that they've made a plea for it yet. It's just something that they wanted to get back, and I think they'll determine afterwards how to utilize him through possible future Coachellas.

Cuevas: And I've heard different things about its actual size. Do you have any idea –

Rondan: Yes. It's about a two-story house, about that high – and the width of a couple of buses.

Cuevas: In addition to the 10,000 bucks, the pig finder will get four lifetime tickets to the Coachella Music Festival.

Update 4/30/08: The Pig has been found! Two couples found the tattered halves of the inflatable pig in their yards. The couples will split the cash reward.

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