Rage Against The Machine at Coachella - more photos... photo by gary miller - staff photographer |
Truer words can’t be said about Coachella than, “This is for the people of the sun.� It was hot. One of the reasons I never considered going in the past was because I thought people were crazy for wanting to go to the desert to fry. I sucked it up, and I’m glad I did.
I first started thinking about Coachella ten months before the weekend of April 27. I was actually invited as a part of reunion gathering between a few of my good high school/college buddies who I was lucky enough to reunite with late last year. My friend Mike (‘Head� as we endearingly call him – recall So I Married an Axe Murderer) thought what a perfect time it would be – good music, good weather, and old friends. I was in, and after it was all said and done, had one of the best times in recent memory.
I won’t bother you with the details but I can tell you we rented a million dollar house on a golf course, stocked the places to the gills with alcohol, and used the pool, hot tub, and other amenities to the fullest extent. This is the way to go if you can; no way I could pitch a tent in Tent City with the jillions of other much-more-younger music goers.
Arctic Monkeys at Coachella - more photos... photo by gary miller - staff photographer |
Friday (Day 1) was the least planned for day for us. We left for the show around 1 pm, with the plan to get some food and make way over to the tent where Peeping Tom was going to play. Peeping Tom is Mike Patton’s (formerly of Faith No More fame) new band. Definitely high-energy. Picture Faith No More a little more funkified. Definitely an enjoyable set.
The post-punk Arctic Monkeys hit the main stage. They played a nice set that the crowd really seemed to enjoy. The reunion of the Jesus and Mary Chain was a treat. As was the addition of guest back up vocal singer actress Scarlett Johansson. Friday ended with Interpol and Bjork. Interpol was a wall of sound, very loud, and a great headlining festival band. We sat through half of Bjork’s set. I’ve always been intrigued by Bjork. You either like her or hate her. I personally like her enough just for her crazy sense of style. To me that’s punk. And I like it.
Arcade Fire at Coachella - more photos... photo by gary miller - staff photographer |
Some of the highlight sets on Day 2 came from Ozomatli (pronounced chick, chick, chick) and LCD Soundsystem, my new fave band. LCD Soundsystem’s blend of dance, funk, and punk mixes well to create a unique jump-in-your-spot sound. I highly suggest picking up Sound of Silver if you haven’t already done so.
The Good The Bad and The Queen were up next, and actually bored me a little. I do have to admit it was maybe the bleed from the main stage that didn’t help the cause. I’m sure the former members of the Gorillaz, the Clash, and the Verve can put out some decent stuff. I just couldn’t get into it at that moment.
We sat through both the Decemberists and Tiesto’s sets, then the Arcade Fire. The end of the AF’s set was a great; memorable songs one after another to end the night.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers at Coachella - more photos... photo by gary miller - staff photographer |
The Red Hot Chili Peppers headlined the evening. Flea, Anthony, and the group have entertained for years with a unique rock funk sound. I do miss the days when the punk was actually more incorporated into the mix, but bands grow and I can accept that.
My fondest memory of the RHCP was seeing them up in Hollywood at the John Anson theatre with Thelonius Monster opening, sneaking in the backdoor, getting backstage, seeing my friends in the front row, and stage diving out to them during “Me and My Friends.� Oh the glory days of old. But I digress.
Against Me at Coachella - more photos... photo by gary miller - staff photographer |
First on day 3 was Florida punk group Against Me. Great energetic heartfelt old time punk, ala Stiff Little Fingers. Lots of great sing-a-long choruses at hand. My fave “Condoleeeeeeezzzaaaa� was one the last songs at the end of a great set. You gotta love these guys.
After that, we sat around for a while and crowd-watched. I distinctly remember tripping out on all the different license plates I saw coming in from the parking area. Canadian, Texan, Illinois, New York… too cool. It gives you a sense of commonality amongst people in music.
Next on the docket was Placebo. I was not into this group as much as my friends are, but have now gained a certain liking for them. Any band with lyrics like “You are one of God’s mistakes/You crying tragic waste of skin� gets an A+ in my book.
The Kaiser Chiefs at Coachella - more photos... photo by gary miller - staff photographer |
The Kaiser Chiefs played a nice up-tempo sing-along set, after which we made our way to check out a few tunes from the Crowded House on the main stage. The Roots came next as the sun was finally giving us a break. If you like Hendrix-type guitar, with some hip-hop, and a tuba playing the bass lines, this is your group. Super entertaining and great musicianship. Willie Nelson really is an inspiration. I’m honestly not sure how old he is but the guy can still entertain. Highlight was his son playing guitar and doing a sweet blues type number. Good stuff. I saw a little of Air which was some weird ambient music. Kinda like the soundtrack to floating in space or something.
The evening was coming to a close so we checked out Manu Chao, which was too cool. I love the catchy sing-along Latin groove. The crowd was geared up and they did a great job setting the stage for the return of Rage Against the Machine.
While I was walking around in the earlier part of the day I kept thinking, “Wow there are a TON of people here today,� more so than the last two days. This was, of course, because local favorite RATM was due to play later that night. You couldn’t help but notice how all the fist-in-the-air t-shirts and red star tattoos abounded. Rage is a fun band to watch live, although not in this scenario. I was stuck nowhere near a mosh pit, although I do enjoy one on occasion. I like my angry music much more personal. I was lucky enough to be at one of the last Rage shows in LA, when they played at the Olympic Auditorium the night they shot the video. THAT was a great Rage show. I’m not complaining. They played a great set, people had a great time, and time will tell if the band remains together.
In retrospect, I must have had an absolutely wonderful time, since they say time flies when you are having fun. I could have done without the heat, people stepping on my feet, and the long lines at the port-o-potties, but I’m counting the days until Coachella ’08 and another great celebration of music, friends, and fun.
Rage Against the Machine at Coachella - more photos... photo by gary miller - staff photographer
|