With the post-Coachella fun hangover finally starting to subside, its time to write some thoughts about the festival. Some of these ideas might be expanded into their own posts later but for now heres a short running dairy:
Kendrick Lamar: Though it would have been nice to see Mea open the festival or Abe Vigoda early in the day, but getting prepared for the long haul and a slight wristband malfunction prevented this from happening. Despite slow start, Kendrick Lamar proved to be an ideal Coachella kick-off. Obviously unintimidated by the main stage, Kendrick ripped through his set with amazing technical skill and stage presence. In this interview Kendrick talks about the energy of weekend two being much better (probably due to weather) and playing a few more songs. After coming out for one of the only impromptu encores I saw the entire weekend, Kendrick blew the top off with "Cartoon and Cereal." Overall, one of the best hip-hop shows from one of the most talented and promising rappers in the game.
Gary Clark Jr: Not knowing much about Gary Clark Jr, he was a plesant virtuosic surprise. On record he comes across as a solid blues-rock frontman, but in concert he shines, shredding his guitar relentlessly for minutes at a time before bringing it back with his roughly beautiful blues voice. Definitely a can't-miss live performer.
Jimmy Cliff: After a Jimmy Cliff live show, you come away amazed at the relentless energy of the 64 year old frontman. Cliff was easily one of the most excitable acts at the festival, out-energizing performers a third his age. Cliff played all his hits from covers "Ruby Soho""The Guns of Brixton," and "I Can See Clearly Now"to his own timeless reggae anthem "The Harder they Come."
Girls: Even as a Girls fan, I really didn't have high expectations for the band to shine in Coachella's huge outdoor festival environment. They fared much better than I thought, with a very solid and more emotional performance than I expected. Not to mention frontman Christopher Owens rocked an amazingly awesome Tim Lincecum shirt.
WU LYF: One of the biggest surprises of the entire festival, WU LYF totally blew me away. Having only ever heard "Heavy Pop," I had no idea what to expect. I should have been expecting greatness. WU LYF's Modest Mouse yelping meets Arcade Fire epic-ness was perfect as the sun began to set behind the Gobi stage. For a band thats been touring extensively for over a year, they brought an amazing amount of intensity and emotion to their performance. Another must see live act.
Pulp: Pulp is a group that I've heard a lot about but were just a little bit before my time. Maybe it's this slight generation gap, but I just don't get it. Sure, Pulp seem like a solid band but nothing spectacular, a sex-obsessed, soft rock Elvis Costello. Anyway, the show was all about distinctive frontman Jarvis Cocker, strutting around like the festival-savvy veteran that he is.
The Rapture: Having seen The Rapture during the mid-2000s hype peak of dance punk/DFA/"House of Jealous Lovers," I walked away extremely disappointed. If this was the next coming of Gang of Four, surely post-punk was on its last legs. In the nine years since Echoes The Rapture have maintained a relatively low profile, releasing two albums, including the sneaky good "In the Grace of Your Love." In their current incarnation, The Rapture have developed into an excellent live band by emphasizing the keyboard and dance elements of their catalogue. Even "House of Jealous Lovers" was given a synth-happy reworking, and The Rapture were a perfect warm-up for M83.
M83: The weekends most egregious example of a poor booking choice, M83 were scheduled to play the festivals second smallest tent in Fridays' penultimate time slot. Though this didn't effect me, being toward the front after The Rapture, I heard countless reports of an overcrowded tent and raised tensions. The show opened with the strange Alf-looking creature from the cover of the "Midnight City" single walking to the front of the stage and extending his arms out over the crowd. This was the only theatrical aspect of the show, a strange one-off for a group that lacks traditional star power. Anthony Gonzalez and company looked legitimately floored by the crowds support and a one point took turns just soaking in the love. An energetic set, ecstatic crowd, and excellent atmosphere made M83 one of the best sets of the weekend, but hopefully the group finds a way to incorporate more theatricality into future shows to enhance the epic-ness of their material from Hurry Up, We're Dreaming.
Swedish House Mafia: As an inexperienced electronic music follower, I wasn't really sure what to expect from Swedish House Mafia, Friday's main stage headliner. Without the exposure to or knowledge of modern house music, I consider myself unequipped to judge Swedish House Mafia on technical prowess or artistic credibility. Based on pure showmanship and production values, this show was unlike anything I have ever seen. Giant lasers shot at all angles into the crowd, pyrotechnics exploded, sparks rained down on the stage, and a giant lcd screen lit up with different patterns of light. Looking through past lineups, it appears as if 2012 was finally the year that EDM was given equal billing as bands with guitars, not just as fringe genre relegated to the far-away Sahara. It will be worth watching if this trend toward club electronica continues in the coming years or if it has hit its peak.
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| Girls |
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| M83 |
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| Gary Clark Jr |
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