I think this was my fourth trip to Coachella. Year on year, I seem to spend more time in the tents/dancing. I also got a (practically) front row spot for a bunch of performances.
Loved:
- Adam Freeland - mixed Justice, Datarock, Daft Punk (+ politics) and his own material to great effect. his posse brought silver "F" balloons that were still hanging out in the Sahara tent roof two days later.
- Pendulum - i was ruminating on how perfectly they fill the (live) void left by The Prodigy when they dropped a kick-a$$ cover. :-) this was also one of the rare US-concert performances where i've seen (multiple) mosh-pits. their singer performed live in spite of a "broken foot" because they "flew six thousand miles" and "don't give a sh*t/f*ck" (their MC's words, not mine). looking forward to their upcoming album "In Silico".
- Fatboy Slim - i've been disappointed by Norman before (Paddy's Day 2002 in Tramore, Ireland methinks) but he delivered in spades this time.
- Hot Chip - "We'd love to chat but we know you want to dance". Consummate Professionals.
- Junkie XL - great tunes. great showman.
- Sia - weird yet endearing. paraphrases included "I've got a front and back wedgie." while she struggled with her outfit and "This song is from the future!" before playing an unreleased track. however she's still a truly amazing vocalist - i almost lost it when she started "Breathe Me".
- Justice - closed the weekend and were absolutely worth the wait. the fourth time i've seen them in twelve months and they continue to improve. Gaspard, Xavier - please make a second album and prove you're not a fad...
Liked:
- Dan Deacon - spun from the tent floor and created a "whirlpool" of running dancers in the audience. it looked like fun but i bailed to see Adam Freeland.
- Mum - i don't think i caught their entire performance (and since it was on Friday i cannot even remember why...) but they impressed and their quirky Icelandic humor was a pleasant bonus.
- Goldfrapp - Alison was frustrated by poor sound quality and was vocal in expressing her feelings (she dropped f-bombs diva-style so i don't have to) but when her bassist paused and she opened her pipes...WOW.
- Kate Nash - caught a few songs at the end of her set.
- Portishead - one of their new tracks ("Silence" i think) blew my mind. "Third" was just released and is on my playlist.
- Prince - folks seem to like to bring up the fact that Prince is short in stature but he filled the Coachella Stage with ease. his polished performance shone even brighter than his bedazzled jacket and he's a great guitarist (who knew?). unfortunately my weariness from standing at the front two shows in a row and my ambivalence about actual 80s music (rather than stuff inspired by it) got the better of me and i relinquished my spot. however i was within earshot some time later to hear him cover "Creep". :P
Wasn't really feeling:
- Cut Copy - they're not (necessarily) bad but acts like Midnight Juggernauts (whom I missed this time unfortunately) do the 80s-style-plus-dance-beats much better.
- Aphex Twin - true to form, some of his stuff was good, but much of it was just too fast/too weird.
- Datarock - great entrance but performance was too punk-shouty for me. i made my exit after a few songs and switched to Pendulum.
- MIA - neon and noisy. after a few numbers i left to eat and get a good spot for Portishead and Prince.
- Chromeo - entertaining filler. their "Intro" was my favorite part of their act and (to be fair) i was antsy for Justice (see above) and still stinging after SMD (see below...).
Bitterly disappointed by:
- Simian Mobile Disco - here's the plan: let's take our (fantastic) tunes, remove all the music until only the beats remain, fill the void with noise that everyone will struggle to dance to, and bring that sh*te to Coachella. they got the finger. this was all the more frustrating as the main reason Justice got their break is because they re-mixed "We are your Friends" which is a frickin' Simian tune...i had more fun dancing in the kitchen with our group before we drove to the show.
All in all, well worth the $$$s. Next time, I think flights to PSP (instead of ONT) might be worth a closer look...here's hoping Wildflower and Coachella continue to pick different weekends...
PS I managed to pull muscles all along my lower stomach dancing to Junkie XL...fingers crossed this doesn't hold me back on Saturday...
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