The Official Coachella Line-Up

Chimbly, thanks for talking about the "non-headliner" bands; those are some of the bands I wanted to catch. I'm also wondering about Ash, The Stills and Elefant…

Guess we won't hear abut Cooper Temple Clause until Kurosawa gets back… ;)

I just got off an all night flight (spent yesterday enjoying the Venice Beach freak show)…and am in desparate need of sleep - 2 hrs Sat - 2 hrs Sun - & whatever I could scrounge on the plane last night/this morning.

Great feedback above. At a festival like this your perspective is influenced by so much more than only what's actually occurring on stage: e.g., the crowd; the heat; your energy level, etc. Two people could see the same thing & feel pretty differently about it.

All things considered, I'd rank my favorites as:

Radiohead
From where I stood, it looked like one big sing-along dancing party; Thom Yorke was very happy & animated; The setlist selections were great; And an amazing light show that strangely complimented the beautiful natural setting:
The main stage setup @ and around sunset is almost too surreal & beautiful to describe with the mountain ranges silhouetted on all sides/backlit palm trees/spots pointing up to surround the area with an immense light triangle/ and a near-to-full moon.
This set was the defining moment of the festival for me & proved very tough to beat.
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The Cure
I thought the Cure started a little weak and unsteady - It looked like Smith almost threw a fit early on when he had equipment problems, but he recovered very nicely and I thought they really hit their stride when they played Pictures of You. The new stuff sounded good - they pulled out some deep tracks & if you like the poppier side of the Cure, then you would have been pretty happy with the entire extended encore (+45 minutes over planned end time].
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Pixies
I loved the Pixies. They were great. From my vantage pt however - stage left, sound board deep - I was a little disappointed with the crowd. I'm not sure how many people there were really Pixies fans or were just there to see this "important band". No one was singing or even barely moving. It hardly slowed me down, but all I could think about was how I wish I could see them in a small club or even fight to the front were I knew it must be crazy.
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Kraftwerk
We stayed for the entire Radiohead gig & then shot over to the tent. Strangely we had little trouble getting in. I've never been a big fan (still probably not), but what a show. Especially for closing the first night. 4 guys (sometimes 4 robots) - each facing a P.C. on a skinny pedestal - with The Wall-like imagery being displayed behind them.
I've got friends who are much more into electronic music who are now swearing that this show was one of the best they have EVER seen.

Air
At sunset in the setting described above. Could you set it up any better?! I could have used a feel more chilling moments like this.

Cooper Temple Clause
I didn't get to see their entire set, but caught enough to realize this is a band I need to see again. I think they'd be ferocious in a smaller venue.

Disappointments

Flaming Lips
They started very late & I think it ruined their pacing. Wayne Coyne walking on the crowd in the "big bubble from outer space" was a great start, but it broke down pretty quickly after that. The crowd wasn't very receptive to his politicizing and they seemed to be trying to force all of their gimicks into a very short compressed set (<45 minutes). Or maybe this is just a band that you only need to see once.
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Dizzee Rascal
So much hype & I couldn't have been more disppointed. We only lasted about 3 songs. You could barely make out anything he was saying which eliminates nearly all of the charm of his record.

Some general comments:

I couldn't agree more about how cool the crowd was. Especially on Saturday. No doubt the best concert vibe I have been a part of. Sunday started to get a little HFStival-ish at times, but it's tough to level any criticism at all when most were so very well behaved.
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There was no line either day to get in when we arrived (@ 2:00-3:00 each day). I had read and been prepared for long long waits. The only things searched were bags. Not even a cursory body pat down. I'm actually surprised there were any drug related arrests at all. They sure weren't trying very hard. I can only imagine what you would have had to do to get arrested for a drug related charge since at every turn I either saw it or smelled it. Not a criticism, but rather a comment on the very tolerant vibe.

While VERY VERY hot, I didn't find it intolerable. They provided quite a few options for finding a bit of shade and for getting h2o. The shade however didn't help much in the music tents. I was sweating during the Black Keys set like I was sitting in a steam room.

Overall I think that the Coachella organizers have done a magnificent job of creating what has to be one of the greatest experiences a music lover could ever want. Once I recover & get some sleep I'm sure I will feel exactly like Bunnyman - that it truly was one of the best things I've done.

Seriously…At that point in the day, it was probably hotter inside the tent than it was outside. I remember walking out after the Black Keys set and saying, "Wow, it's cooled off out here!"

I agree on the Air performance being great and perfectly timed. The best part was the guy with the mohawk wearing a kilt in front of me getting his groove on to "Kelly Watch the Stars."

Originally posted by grotty:
The shade however didn't help much in the music tents. I was sweating during the Black Keys set like I was sitting in a steam room.

Originally posted by Macktastic Bag O' Flash:
Chimbly, thanks for talking about the "non-headliner" bands; those are some of the bands I wanted to catch. I'm also wondering about Ash, The Stills and Elefant…

Guess we won't hear abut Cooper Temple Clause until Kurosawa gets back… ;)

Bags - I saw Trail of Dead, Bright Eyes, The Stills, Death Cab for Cutie and few others like. My general comment is that it almost feels like you handicap these smaller bands when you throw them out on a large stage to festival size crowds. They typically feed off and play to the energy in much smaller venues. Often I think they haven't yet learned the adjustment. I have recently seen all of the mentioned above in an intimate club setting and none of their sets @ Coachella could compare.

Ash was sad. That's all I can say. They started their set to the about 40 fans who tore themselves away from the Cure. The part of the set I saw was great– really energetic, really rockin'. By the end of the set the tent was about 3/4 full, but man, the festival forced folks to make some tough choices, you know? Skonster caught elefant and said they were good, and that the lead singer is "dreamy." I did my best, though, to catch as many bands as possible. I have to agree that Bright Eyes was great too– I was surprised how much happier he sounds sober and outdoors as compared to drunk in 9:30.

And the Stills? Couldn't talk myself to missing other bands to see 'em since they're going to be in DC so soon!

Originally posted by Macktastic Bag O' Flash:
Chimbly, thanks for talking about the "non-headliner" bands; those are some of the bands I wanted to catch. I'm also wondering about Ash, The Stills and Elefant…

Guess we won't hear abut Cooper Temple Clause until Kurosawa gets back… ;)

Another highlight for me was running into Stuart Murdoch from Belle and Sebastian during Radiohead's set. Being the fanboy geek that I am I had to say hello to him…am glad that they at least played "Sleep the Clock Around", which I yelled out for and was surprised they played!

Anybody see any celebrity sightings? I got to see Christina Ricci, Adam Goldberg, and Alicia Silverstone. I heard Jack Black was there too.

ok, its time for my take.

Being the 2nd Coachella i have been to, things seemed to work rather well this year. You can tell whos been there all 5 years, much preparation is needed.

Day 1

not much traffic and no lines to get in, we got in around 1:30pm.

The Sounds
very cool. very energetic. the lead singer was quite entertaining and very Blondie-esque. telling the crowd "I'll be the best lover you've ever had baby!"

Howie Day
uh, Goo Goo Dolls werent on the lineup were they? my girlfriend likes him though. nothing special.

Stellastarr
god was it so hot in there and we saw about half of them and then went for a cooler land.

Beck
yeah right. he played in a tent that fit about 2000 people (maybe) and there was a good 7500 trying to get in. I skipped it and it seemed he just played a mellow acoustic set anyway.

Trail of Dead
trail of technical difficulties is what it sounded like from the beer garden. they worked through it though and sounded good.

Death Cab For Cutie
Janitor costumes? Beastie Boys? what? i enjoyed them though for sure. i REALLY want to see them in a small venue now though.

Sparta
played a VERY tight set. although they seemed a little nervous at first. they ripped through thier songs and probably won over a LOT of people (they played in front of about 20,000 waiting for the Pixies)

Pixies
i dont know. it was just more amazing that they were there than how great they sounded. we got pretty close and no, grotty, the crowd was not too much crazier up there. i dont think many people knew too many of the words or anything. i think they were very very happy to be there.

Radiohead
HOLY SHIT. enough said. this band has become a machine. they are the most complete rock band in the world today. I cant say enough. The set list was perfect for the festival. not too much new stuff, and all of the high energy stuff. There There kicked it of into a trance and 2+2=5 sent everyone rocking. through Myxamatosis and Karma Police and I Might Be Wrong, the band was so on, and together. When they played Idioteque, if there had been a roof on Coachella, it would have blown off, and Thom seemed to push it as far as he could go, running back and forth on the stage, waving his arms around, urging the crowd to get crazier and crazier. Hearing Street Spririt for the first time ever live, was just the best and Planet Telex had a whole new twist to it. ok, wait, let me stop.

Electric Six
HAHA. arent they just amusing. we walked by the tent right for "Danger! High Voltage" and that was cool.

Kraftwerk
wow. we saw the last 20 minutes or so and i wished i had seen more. those old guys showed up every DJ that played there that weekend!

Overall, Saturday was MUCH more crowded than last year and i found it harder to manuver around from stage to stage. The parking lot took us 3 hours to get out, and it was just insane. Mark the exits next time guys!


ok, Sunday

Less people, hotter, no Radiohead. and i was ALREADY tired.

got there around 1:30pm again and i was not sure how long i was going to stay. but you know how that goes.

Hybrid.
The DJs at this event seemed to only want to play remixes of rock songs. I was expecting more from Hybrid but the crowd was loving them

Muse
GODDAMN! they were the runners-up for the weekend. although, it seems like the singer/guitarist pretty much IS the band. But he is a damn genius. i wish they would have played longer or at night. i couldve watched them all day though.

The Thrills
good band. i dont know, i was ready for more rocking out i guess after Muse, and i wasnt really feeling it.

2 Many DJs
its just FUN. sorta DJ Z-trip ish. rock songs, mixed with techno classics and other misc. crap. very cool. why do they never tour?

Cooper Temple Clause
i was enjoying them immensly until my girlfriend said they sounded like Filter. and i agreed :eek:

Adam Freeland
BOO! a Beastie boys remix? an "Impeach Bush" flashing on the screen. you are British Adam, what do you care? i left QUICKLY after that.

Dizzee Rascal
the acapella freestyling he did was fucking great. I couldnt understand shit when he talked and it seemed like they were a little out of sync. he's only 19, but he was having a blast and so was the crowd. he may be around for a while.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
we were in THE front row for this band. And we were very excited to get all the way up and then…….hell broke loose. I dont think they played one song without something screwing up. 2 basses died, the mics werent working, and finally "ok, so thanks for being patient, we're going to play Love Burns and then just get out of here" i yelled "we still love you" but those poor guys.

Flaming Lips
the bubble thing was awesome, but really. this aint Bonaroo. they sucked. and werent on for more than 40 minutes. i hope those people up front were happy. and those animals are just lame. sorry.

Bassment Jaxx
suprise of the weekend. goddamn people were hyped for that show. everyone dancing, hands up, and i didnt know they were THAT popular! we had the luck to be right next to 3 girls who stripped down to thier underwear to dance!!! "Where's Your Head At" was the highlight of Sunday night and gave me the second wind i needed to make it through the last 2 hours.

Ash
not too many people hung around for Ash, but they missed some pretty good stuff. high energy enough, but maybe a little poppy.

The Cure
i dont know. i was never a BIG Cure fan and the girlfriend wasnt either. we watched for a while, and were kind of awed that it was them!! But after that wore off, they got old.

I was pretty sad all day yesterday. and I so cant wait for next year. My girlfriend asked me if i had any complaints and i said. "other than that its over, no"

50,000 people who had spent all thier money to hear beautiful music, in a beautiful place, with people they love……pretty fuckin awesome.

when we were walking away from Radiohead over to Kraftwerk, we stopped and were looking at everyone walking in all directions and someone stopped next to me and said "look at this, all these people are happy" and they were too.

that just took me a half hour to write.

Originally posted by bunnyman:

Anybody see any celebrity sightings? I got to see Christina Ricci, Adam Goldberg, and Alicia Silverstone. I heard Jack Black was there too.

i didnt see anyone famous for the second straight year! where do you see these people?
i did run into the singer from Ash…and spilled his drink. :D

Originally posted by bunnyman:
Anybody see any celebrity sightings? I got to see Christina Ricci, Adam Goldberg, and Alicia Silverstone. I heard Jack Black was there too.

I saw Jack White & Condoleeza Rice!

Hmm…while my travel-buddy and I were waiting to get out of the parking lot on Saturday night, this Jack Black-looking guy walked by the car. I just thought it was some random guy who happened to look like him. I wonder if…

That Adam Sandler new album promotion machine was pretty lame…there were signs all along Monroe Street and that small plane with the banner flying overhead during the day.

Originally posted by bunnyman:
I heard Jack Black was there too.

Amen…people WERE happy. It helps when a festival is well-organized too…treat people like animals and they will act like it, but if you treat people well, there's going to be a radically different vibe. I agree about Basement Jaxx…Radiohead's set started off a little rought (sound-wise, esp. towards the back) but "Idioteque" was indeed AWESOME.

Was it me, or did Radiohead play about the same setlist as they did at Merriweather??

Also, gotta mention something nobody has yet– the "light tent"

they had strobes all over pointing straight up that made it look like, no matter where in the place you were, you were under a big tent of lights. it was super cool.

Originally posted by chimbly sweep:
Was it me, or did Radiohead play about the same setlist as they did at Merriweather??

Did you know that Wilco is like Radiohead, only they're alt-country? I just learned this today…

Actually, there were some big differences from Merriweather…at Coachella they played "My Iron Lung", "Karma Police", "Street Spirit", "Lucky" and "Exit Music", none of which were played at Merriweather. Oh, and "Planet Telex" too.

Any Radiohead song post-The Bends is pretty much interchangeable anyway.

Originally posted by bunnyman:
Actually, there were some big differences from Merriweather…at Coachella they played "My Iron Lung", "Karma Police", "Street Spirit", "Lucky" and "Exit Music", none of which were played at Merriweather. Oh, and "Planet Telex" too.

I respectfully disagree, but as a Radiohead fan I can tell the difference anyway.

Time for the old guy who only went to Saturday's show with the intention of seeing the Pixies really.

I'm way too old for this shit. I'm shocked I even used to enjoy it. And it was way too hot. Say what you want about a dry heat, but 100+ is 100+ no matter what.

I agree that the Pixies were fantastic (I thought they were better then Radiohead, but I'm in the mminority - I also knew all the words so again, I was in the minority). What you saw was history and if you thought for as long as I did that you may never get to see it, well then you appreciated it that much more. I will pay any scalper any price to see them again at the Greek. Nearly 2 dozen songs in about an hour. I can't wait until they have the whole place to themselves and less people who aren't Pixies fans. And fewer Radiohead fans would be nice too. 10+ years in hiatus and still one of the best and most influential bands of all time.

I'm not the biggest Radiohead fan, but I did enjoy the show. And they played a lot of older Radiohead songs so the surprisingly had some rythyms and melodies. But for anyone to tell me that they were better than one of their prime influences, well you missed something.

The big stages left me longing for the Clubs, especially for Death Cab, but I thought they sounded better then when I saw them early in the tour. Sparta were good, but agian I preferred them at the Black Cat with Markie bouncing around.

The DJs were all pretty good I thought, but yes, Kraftwork tore it up. They proved once again that they are the masters.

The crowd was civil, mostly because the music precipitated civil crowds. There wasn't that one or two bands that would bring the HFS nonsense.

Everytime I say I'll never do it again, but i they keep bringing bands that I think I'll never see again out of the woodwork, then I shall keep returning.

Here's to looking for The Smiths in 2005. And I'll have to drag my sorry ass back out there.

Originally posted by vansmack:
Here's to looking for The Smiths in 2005. And I'll have to drag my sorry ass back out there.

Now THAT would get me on a plane to California!

Thanks to everyone for all the reviews.

Originally posted by Skeeter:

Originally posted by vansmack:
Here's to looking for The Smiths in 2005. And I'll have to drag my sorry ass back out there.

Now THAT would get me on a plane to California!

Thanks to everyone for all the reviews.

Ditto
Ditto

Smackie, I think I'm in your camp in terms of not being able to imagine I'd still enjoy a fest like this in temps over 100, but I may be selling myself short. I still love Jazzfest in New Orleans, but I'm there for the vibe, not to see bands I love (and I avoid the big headliners, as the crowds for those are insane and it's just Cowboy Mouth/Buffet/Paul Simon/Dave Matthews). Plus after a day at the fest we have good dinners at some of NO's finer restaurants and hang in air-conditioned bars.

But, I may need to look into this next year….there are decent hotels you can stay nearby, right? And the parking lot situation sounds a lot like Nissan…. :p

How was your first NASCAR race?

Originally posted by vansmack:
Time for the old guy who only went to Saturday's show with the intention of seeing the Pixies really.

I'm way too old for this shit. I'm shocked I even used to enjoy it. And it was way too hot. Say what you want about a dry heat, but 100+ is 100+ no matter what.

I agree that the Pixies were fantastic (I thought they were better then Radiohead, but I'm in the mminority - I also knew all the words so again, I was in the minority). What you saw was history and if you thought for as long as I did that you may never get to see it, well then you appreciated it that much more. I will pay any scalper any price to see them again at the Greek. Nearly 2 dozen songs in about an hour. I can't wait until they have the whole place to themselves and less people who aren't Pixies fans. And fewer Radiohead fans would be nice too. 10+ years in hiatus and still one of the best and most influential bands of all time.

I'm not the biggest Radiohead fan, but I did enjoy the show. And they played a lot of older Radiohead songs so the surprisingly had some rythyms and melodies. But for anyone to tell me that they were better than one of their prime influences, well you missed something.

The big stages left me longing for the Clubs, especially for Death Cab, but I thought they sounded better then when I saw them early in the tour. Sparta were good, but agian I preferred them at the Black Cat with Markie bouncing around.

The DJs were all pretty good I thought, but yes, Kraftwork tore it up. They proved once again that they are the masters.

The crowd was civil, mostly because the music precipitated civil crowds. There wasn't that one or two bands that would bring the HFS nonsense.

Everytime I say I'll never do it again, but i they keep bringing bands that I think I'll never see again out of the woodwork, then I shall keep returning.

Here's to looking for The Smiths in 2005. And I'll have to drag my sorry ass back out there.