Coachella Day 3

The Thrilling Conclusion to a Three Part Saga!!!!

Sunday was easily my favorite day.  Although I really only saw five complete acts, they were easily the best acts of the weekend, and having them back to back made them that much better.  

Local Natives

(Not So Great) Photo by Me

I started off the day with Local Natives, one of my favorite up and coming bands.  They hail from LA, and on stage they admitted that they had dreamed of playing Coachella as teens, and that this was a fantastic experience.  The same could certainly be said for the crowd.  They absolutely packed the place, not to mention the fact that it was 2 in the afternoon and they were competing against Owen Pallett, King Khan and the Shrines, and (sort of) Rusko.  They played their set with lots of fire, which was certainly fueled by their excellent double percussionist set up.  All the songs were packed with energy.  Some of the slower songs were still sung with lots of passion, and the (on some songs) four (!) vocalists' harmonies played off each other perfectly, making them certainly reminiscent of an LA-Indie Grizzly Bear or Fleet Foxes.  My two favorites on the album ("World News" "Camera Talk") were sped up a little bit, giving them lots of pep and getting the crowd moving.  Songs like "Airplanes" had the crowd "Ooohhoohhhhing" with the band.  "Sun Hands" though, which is a very good song on the album though not the best (IMHO), was by far the largest stand out and concluded the show with a bang.  They played an extended six minute version of the song, and when they broke it down, the vocals turned into a yell  which the entire crowd picked up on.  As soon as the break was over and the guitar riff comes in, the crowd went crazy.  It was a perfect finish to a nearly flawless show.  They really showed how much potential they have with this show, packing a tent with not just LA people but people from all over.

Rusko

Although I really like dub (dubstep), I realize I have never really talked about it on the blog, and I sort of think I never really will.  I'm not quite sure why; partly because I don't really know how to describe it and partly because as much as I love it it sort of all sounds the same to me.  This show though I will write about, just because it was the first time I have seen dub live and secondly because it was plain fun.  The setting: the Sahara tent, completely packed, 3:00, hotter in the tent than out.  The music: lots of dub with some more samples/electro in between that made it go so much harder when the dub dropped.  Tons of people their to have fun.  Lots of the typical dub funky dance.  Truckloads of mindless fun.  I actually worked my way all the way up to the front, which was quite a feat considering I started all the way in the back.  It was a fight, but it was worth making it to the point where the music rumbled your clothing.  A comedic thing from the show: watching people trying to figure out how to dance to a new beat after a shift in the music.

After Rusko I saw a little bit of Deerhunter (whom I love) from afar.  I also saw a little bit of Yo La Tengo.  Unfortunately, I found them to be very disappointing.  It seemed to my like they didn't really care to be there, and I think when you perform there is a certain pride you should take in your music, and it just didn't seem to show, but that's just me.  Don't get me wrong, I love them, but I just didn't enjoy what I saw (the first three songs... I was too disappointed to stay).  

This is where the day got incredible; from here on out I was at the Outdoor Stage (not the main stage) for the next three bands, probably the best streak of bands in the whole festival (In My Opinion).

Jonsi

Jonsi and his backing band (Photo by None other than...me!)

More Jonsi (and a guy's ear) Photo by Me

Jonsi was fortunately unaffected by the volcano eruption that occurred in none other than his homeland, Iceland.  For those of you who don't know, Jonsi is the lead singer of Sigur Ros, and this show was in support of his solo album Go, which is an excellent one just released recently.  He of course had a backing band though.  The show was eccentric and passionate, which I think are two words that completely capture the style of the album.  He of course used his invented "Hopelandic" (its not really lyrics that are givverish... it's more just to turn the vocals completely into an instrument in his words) on some songs, wore a strange tasseled (I think that's how you would describe it... take a look at the picture).  All the songs really had the slightly mystical feel that is achieved by the foreign "lyrics" (some were also in icelandic), strangely pitchshifted samples, and Jonsi's falsetto, as well as the excellent use of non traditional instruments  (I think there was a theremin in there but my friend says there wasn't...).  Anyways, I think the crowd, who seemed as if they were there early for Thom Yorke/Atoms for Peace and Phoenix was really surprised by a great show.  

Phoenix

Photo by Me

This show brought the crowd down if you will.  Of all the shows I saw (with maybe the exception of some of the shows in Sahara, the Rave tent), the crowd was probably the most into this one.  This was probably the most "sought after" show in terms of bands/celebrities... Jay-Z, Beyonce and Solange were all sitting right in front of me (I was front row for all three shows), as well as the singer from Passion Pit, Russell Simmons (although he came late and seemed to be there more for Thom), Muse (!) (They also came late though and seemed to be there for Thom) and more.  When Phoenix came on everybody went crazy.  They played through every song on Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix as well as a few older hits ("Consolation Prizes" and I think they also played "Run Run Run" sorry I didn't write down the setlist) that were some of their more rock oriented roots.  I've seen Phoenix before, and they played a great show then, but that show paled in comparison.  

This was one of the best shows I have ever seen - that's how good it was.  Part of it was because the crowd was so into it and knew virtually ever lyric to every song, part of it because they really played to what the crowd wanted I think/their strength by playing all of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, their poppiest/synthiest album.  The thing that's so great about that album is that every song on that album (except for maybe the three slower songs which are all in a row) could have opened the concert, so when they were all played, it was like a new wave of energy/joy was going through the crowd.  They of course opened with "Lisztomania" and closed with "1901."  Besides being a joyous/happy/poppy show, it was also in some ways a very humble show.  Their light/set guy was stuck on the other side of the pond because of the volcano, but instead of getting a new set design guy to do a new setup for the stage, they decided to just stick with a sparse stage and lighting; there were just a few white lights that occasionally moved over the band and once over the audience when they said "We want to see these people!"  As lead singer Thomas Mars said, "Tonight, it's just about the music."  

This was probably my favorite shot from all of Coachella.  Photo by me

Photo by Me

There were two very beautiful images in this show... the sun setting behind Phoenix and once when Thomas Mars asked the tech guy who was there to dim the lights, and when they came back up Thomas Mars was standing right over the crowd on the barricade singing to them.  Besides those two moments and all the massive sing-a-longs (so pretty much the whole concert...), my other favorite moment was probably "Love Like A Sunset, Pts. 1 & 2" which was also one of my favorites when I saw them before.  It was a long ten minute synth soundscape, that, now that I think about it, was coupled with a just finished sunset.  Pretty incredible sight.

Thom Yorke/Atoms for Peace

Photo by Me

As incredible as all the shows on Sunday were, this was hands down the best show of the weekend.  After waiting for an hour and the installment of some cool light fixtures, Thom Yorke, Flea, Nigel Godrich (Radiohead Producer), Mauro Rafosco, and Joey Waronker walked on stage to one of the largest crowds of the whole weekend despite inexplicably not being on the main stage (which resulted in me missing Spoon and Pavement, but there were absolutely zero regrets there, seeing as I got to see two incredible shows before hand and I was front row).  They started out (yes, this was just the beginning) by playing all of the Eraser straight through.  It was a completely different take though, and didn't really even feel like they were playing an album because of the style they used.  It was completely focused on the rhythm section, and with the two percussionist coupled with Flea's incredible slap bass skills, it took on a very funky/groovy (as in lots of rhythm grooves not as in "groovy baby") feel. 

Thom Yorke and Flea grooving to the rhythm based show (Photo by Me)

When they were playing through the Eraser, every song would start out as a just that, the song, but then would turn into long 5 to 10 minute jams.  Although Thom Yorke is incredible, in the Eraser part of the show it was Flea and the Rhythm section that really shined the most.  It was more of Thom Yorke's stage presence and almost his "MCing" that made him great in that part of the show.  Thom Yorke is normally very dour on stage, moaning the Radiohead lyrics, but here he was, to use a British word to describe a Brit, jolly, telling jokes and having fun on stage.  He pranced and writhed around the stage, grooving to the music just as much as the crowd was.  Flea also did his signature freak-out weird funky dance thing... very enjoyable to watch.  Oh his hair was also blue...  Nigel Godrich's synths, although not showy at all and staying mostly in the background, were played with the precision and thoughtfulness (i.e. they sounded like they were designed to perfectly complement the rest of the band's style) that could only be achieved by Radiohead's producer.

This photo illustrates how I (and most of the crowd) experienced Atoms for Peace/Thom Yorke: either grooving along to the music with my eyes closed, or having the intricate light fixtures meld with the music and the performers.
(Photo by Me)

This photNot one song in particular in the first half of the show really stood out because they were really just awesome jams.  It wasn't in stark contrast to the Phoenix concert right before; instead of tightly choreographed pop songs with 30,000 people singing, it was people closing their eyes and just entering their own world with the loose, spontaneous feeling grooves.  After playing straight through the Eraser, they took a brief leave.  Thom Yorke came back to open the encore, the rest of Atoms for Peace joining him later on.

Thom Yorke harmonizing with himself
Photo by Me

He started off with a brand new Atoms for Peace song, although this one was really just a brand new Thom Yorke song.  This song, if you didn't like the funk/rhythm style of the Eraser portion of the show, would certainly make you love the show even if you didn't like anything else in it.  It was Thom Yorke, an acoustic guitar, and a layering pedal.  It was an incredibly beautiful song, and it really showed why Thom Yorke is such an incredible and talented musician.  He harmonized with himself many times over in real time by using the layering pedals, all while crooning over a slow acoustic guitar piece.  It was truly beautiful.  Oh and it's called "Giving Up the Ghost," and let me tell you, it is a bit better than the similarly titled "Giving Up the Gun" (that was sarcastic because the Thom Yorke song is about a thousand times better than the Vampire Weekend one). 

 I will embed the video below, but I did not actually take it (I was actually a lot closer).  My only hesitation in embedding the video is that because it is from youtube, you won't get to experience it in its full glory/sound quality, but oh well it is worth it, and the AV quality is really good anyways. 

T

he person who took this video actually has great videos of every song in the show, which if you are like me and are a diehard Radiohead/Thom Yorke fan and want to experience all over again/for the first time, they are worth watching.

He than went on top lay some Radiohead tunes, namely the ballad "Airbag" (which they actually didn't play when I saw Radiohead at the Hollywood Bowl), and one of the great/"shocking" (when it first came out) opening songs for an album of all time, Kid A's "Everything In Its Right Place."  Then the band came back out for a rendition of Radiohead's "Paperbag Writer," returning to some of the more bass oriented roots of the first half of the show.  They finished up with "Judge Jury and Executioner" (it wasn't the Radiohead song though Myxamatosis, which has that in the name), and then the two songs from Thom Yorke's Twilight single, "The Hollow Earth" and "Feeling Pulled Apart by Horses" (which are both excellent songs despite being associated with Twilight).  They went out with a bang (more like a sonic boom...) with those two songs, getting really down and funky.  The whole show was really one of the best shows I've seen, but it was sort of hard to write about because of the fact that it was composed of long, funky grooves/jams.  

Afterwards, we walked over to see the Gorillaz, but we were just so blown away (as one of the people befriended at the show said "I can now die happily.")  by Atoms that we knew Gorillaz would sort of feel like  a letdown, which as much as I love them they did.  They just seemed a little boring from what we saw (a few songs).  We then went over to see Sly Stone (after his 5 hour delay), but it was just awful.  He just seemed so messed up.  Not that I ever would anyways, but it makes me not want to ever do cocaine...

And  so we went home without seeing all of the Gorillaz, but we had an incredible weekend and had just seen an incredible show.  Plus I had school the next day... 

To sum up my Coachella experience (I was thinking of doing a "People of the Coach" picture gallery, but I think it would be a little cheesy...): 75,000 people without a care in the world, just there to have fun and experience good music.  Lots of diverse people... if you can imagine or conjure up any strange style, I guarantee there was somebody like that there.  I was thinking of writing something like "I've never seen more... multicolored rayband wayfarers, bros without a shirt on, rave finger light gloves, fat men with ponytails, skinny men with ponytails, folk beards, etc." but I realized I could put absolutely anything in that spot because there were so many different types of people.  

In Six Words: 

The Best Weekend of My Life

-- A Teenage Elephant