Coachella Recap

Just got back into town on a red eye. My body is aching, my lips are dry, and I’m feeling good. What a blast the past couple days have been. Did some concert going, rock climbing and hiking. Before heading to the concert we went to Joshua Tree, which is about half hour away from Indio. We only saw a some portion of the park we were short on time, but it was an action packed two hours. We did some rock climbing and some hiking. I must admit the rock climbing was a bit intimidating. The only rock climbing I ever did was indoors with ropes and harnesses. This go around it was only my hands and my hiking boots it was a rewarding experience. I will definitely return to Joshua Tree and try more challenging climbs.

After Joshua Tree we headed to Coachella. Man was it hot. When we parked the temperature was 102 degrees. Forty-five minutes later we made it into the polo grounds and became one with the mass of people. We stockpiled on water before heading to the stages. You wouldn’t last an hour in the desert heat without drinking plenty of water. While in the line Brother Ali was playing on the main stage, I was impressed with his flow and he was very entertaining. Shortly after his set ended Satellite Party took the stage. You might be asking yourself who the hell is Satellite Party I know a lot of people on the polo grounds were asking the very same question. Well the lead singer of Satellite Party is the one and only Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction fame with the guy of Extreme playing lead guitar. What an odd mix of musical genres but it works. Perry Ferrell is definitely a nut job but that’s what I love about him and his music. The best part of the set was when they covered Stop, which was the crowd favorite.

We then headed to the outdoor theatre to check out who was playing before the Silversun Pickups took the stage. On stage was Of Montreal. I wasn’t impressed with their sound. Their music didn’t appeal to me and after two songs we headed to the main stage for the Silversun Pickups. This time around we positioned ourselves on the right side of the stage. The best way to enjoy the concert experience at Coachella is to get to the sides of the stage that’s where you’ll get close to the bands. The Silversun Pickups remind me of the Smashing Pumpkins during their Siamese Dreams days. Their set was middle of the road I was expecting more from this group and I didn’t get it. Mid way through their set we left and took in the sights and sounds of Coachella. We then went to the Gobi stage where Amy Winehouse was going to start her set. It was packed. I didn’t know she had such a strong following. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see her because she was late and we wanted to get a good spot for the Arctic Monkeys.

The Arctic Monkeys killed it. They sound better in concert than in their cds. My favorites of the set were "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor", "The View From the Afternoon" and "When the Sun Goes Down". After they ended their set Jesus and Mary Chain took the stage and blew all the other acts off the stage. Man those guys can rock even at their age. The highlights were “Never Understand”, “Sidewalking” and “Head On” which is one of my all time favorite songs. What I didn’t like was that they brought out Scarlett Johansson to sing backup vocals for “Just Like Honey”. The girl can’t sing she should stick to acting. I was really hoping for Hope Sandoval to appear and sing “Sometimes Always”.

At this point we where tired from all the walking and standing that we decided for the Jarvis Cocker set we would sit and enjoy the music from afar. Jarvis Cocker is one funny fella at one point stating he would be taking his top off and joining the trance dome. Highlights were "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" and “Running the World”. After his set ended came the scheduling conflicts. On the main stage there was Interpol, on the outdoor theatre there was Sonic Youth and on the Sahara tent was Faithless. I wanted to see Interpol and Faithless but that wasn’t going to happen since the two acts were far apart. It was between Interpol and Sonic Youth. We decided on Sonic Youth because my brother really wanted to see them play. Luckily, they were delayed and I managed to see some of Interpol on the big screens. I’m not a fan of Sonic Youth they’re a band you either get or don’t get. I fall in the don’t get side. Sorry Sonic Youth fans their set was a dud. The mix sounded horrible. I don’t know if it was intentional but it sucked.

After three fourths of the Sonic Youth set we left and headed back to the main stage to get a spot for Bjork. Since Bjork was the main headliner the field was packed with concertgoers. I didn’t even get a glimpse of Bjork I saw her in the big screens. She opened her set with “Earth Intruders” which totally kicked ass. A couple songs later she sang “All Is Full Of Love”, which was ruined by the two assholes in front of me. They decided to have a conversion during the song and kept obstructing my view. Bloody bastards I hope you rot in the desert heat. During her set the smell of ganja was everywhere. I was getting a secondhand high. Overall her performance had its ups and downs it needed more consistency.

I definitely want to return next year although I won’t do the three days. The heat is too brutal to withstand the whole festival. Hopefully next year Morrissey will get his head out of his ass and reunite the Smiths. If not I look forward to seeing other potential reunions and bands that don’t visit the sunshine state. To conclude my recap Coachella is an experience that all music lovers should experience at least once in their life.


See Ya

L