Coachella 2010

I had been standing for hours. My feet were terribly sore and I could feel my legs shake as I stretched the backs of my knees. My two friends and I waited as MGMT finished their set. None of us really wanted to watch MGMT’s performance but we were determined to get an incredible spot for Jack White’s latest project, The Dead Weather, which was right after. The band closed with Brian Eno, very unexpected as it would seem most were waiting to hear their best known song “Kids,” featured on their 2008 album Oracular Spectacular. I was actually pleasantly surprised, as I’ve often felt their popularity has rested on that one song. As the last chords of Brian Eno played and as the crowds began to dispense, we pushed our way to the front. Our determination proved successful as we made it to the barricade, besides photographers there would be no one in front of us. For about an hour and a half we waited, pressed up against the metal fence, waiting for non other than Mr. Jack White and co. The Dead Weather entered the stage all dressed completely in black, opening with “Forever My Queen.” I had seen The Dead Weather before when I went to the MTV Woodie Awards in the fall of 2009. Needless to say the crowd at Coachella was much more into their dark sounds. Song after song, Allison Mosshart from the Kills, screamed and shouted, it was incredible. It was at this point where it finally occurred to me that I was at Coachella. The sounds from the stage, the smells hitting me from every direction, a cool desert breeze sweeping across the crowd. I never wanted to leave.

I had left for California Thursday night. I arrived at a reasonable hour but out of complete exhaustion I passed out soon after my friend picked me up from the airport. I’ll blame it on the time difference. We had planned to leave at around 8:30 AM so that we could get there just as the gates opened. Turns out we didn’t end up waking up till 8:30 AM and actually didn’t leave till 10:00 AM. I was a little concerned that we would miss some opening bands but after looking at the line up I was relieved that we would make it in time for those I wanted to see. We made a quick stop to the hotel where we were staying and dropped off our bags. Quickly, we headed to the venue, found a parking space, and walked for what seemed like several miles in the desert sun to the opening of Coachella.

DAY ONE

After walking quite a distance and waiting in line for almost an hour, we made it into the venue. At this point it was around 3:30 and we decided to go see Sleigh Bells in the Gobi tent. At Coachella there are a total of two stages: the Coachella Stage, the Outdoor Theater, and then three tents each named for a different desert: the Gobi, Mojave, and the Sahara. Very Clever. While this was my first Coachella experience, Concerts and Music Festivals are nothing new. I have been to Bonnaroo for the past two years, and have an extensive background when it comes to concert experience. After a few songs from Sleigh Bells, we all decided that we had had enough. We moved to the Mojave tent to see Yeasayer, but there was such an obscene amount of people that we could hardly get into the tent. To kill some time we ran back to the Gobi tent and watched some of Hockey’s set. I had heard of the band before but hadn’t heard enough to decide how I felt about them. After watching their performance I decided that they were fun to listen to live, but didn’t know if I would listen to them otherwise. I caught a little bit of Ra Ra Riot before heading over to the Outdoor Theater to watch She & Him, Zooey Deschanel’s band. I think that she is absolutely adorable. I love her vintage style and just think she is so classy. Her set was fun and happy. The rest of the night was filled with Grizzly Bear, La Roux, Little Dragon, Little Dragon, and Vampire Weekend. At around 10:30 PM we headed over to Fever Ray. Fever Ray is the project of Karin Dreijer Andersson. Her and her brother, Olof Dreijer, are memberes of the duo The Knife. I saw Fever Ray around the first few months of school. My roommate introduced me to them after she found out that I loved The Knife. The show I saw was one of the most incredible I have ever seen. I told the two girls I was with that we could not miss Fever Ray. After most of the set I decided to split up with the people I was with because I wanted to catch the rest of Jay-Z’s set. I made my way out of the tightly packed crowd and headed towards the Coachella Stage. I got as close as I possibly could, which still wasn’t that close and watched as Jay Z made the crowd go crazy, with over 30 songs. The stage was decorated with a New York City Skyline, clearly mimicking his hit “Empire State of Mind.” After performing a large number of songs, Beyonce came out and sang Forever Young. I think they are the most adorable couple. It was just a really incredible show to see! Before he finished, I ran to our meeting spot, hoping that the others had done the same. I didn’t want to have to wait a long time to get out of the venue. Unfortunately, I was the only one who thought that it was a good idea. By the time we had gotten everyone together it was already 1 AM. We didn’t end up getting back to the hotel until 4 AM.

DAY TWO

We all got up around 12 PM. Our legs were already incredibly sore and regardless of how much sleep we had gotten, we were all still very exhausted. We took our time getting ready, and headed to a restaurant within our hotel to grab some lunch. After finishing up a huge meal that was guaranteed to get me through at least five hours in the hot sun, we headed back to the venue. We got there just in time to catch a bit of Girls. Our next stop was to the Gobi tent to watch some of Beach House., followed by a quick stop to the outdoor tent to catch a bit of The Temper Trap and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. By this time it was almost 6:00 PM. We ran over to the Mojave tent, and while The Gossip were still on their set, we wanted a good spot for the Dirty Projectors so we decided to go early. I had listened to the Gossip before but I had only heard a couple of songs. However, the music and their performance blew me away. Beth Ditto, the lead singer of the group, is a big girl, yet her confidence is unbreakable. She sang her heart out on stage and myself as well as the crowd loved her for it. By the time the Dirty Projectors came on, I was in complete bliss. The sun had gone down and it was finally cool; everything was perfect. The rest of the night was filled with me rushing around. I saw a bit of Hot Chip, the entire set of MGMT, the Dead Weather (of course), Die Antwoord, Devo, and Sia. Almost too much music for one night! By the time we had finally gotten into the car I was unsure of how I would be able to handle another full day of the hot sun and standing. I told myself that the music was worth it.

DAY THREE

Thankfully we woke up much earlier than we did the previous day. We were fed and in the car by 11:30 and on our way to the venue. After being dropped off – two of the four people I was with wanted to go back to the hotel to shower – I walked around Coachella as I had some time to kill and I still hadn’t experienced everything it had to offer. I wandered around the DJ stages, and into some of the tents the sponsors had set up. At around 1 PM I walked over to the Mojave tent to watch the band Soft Pack perform. After about half of their set I ran over to the Gobi stage to see Local Natives. I had only recently started listening to their music so it was really fun to see them perform live. After they had finished I went and got some food – vegan falafel, which was absolutely delicious – and sat down and watched Rusko. Rusko is a DJ so technically I shouldn’t have been sitting but after I finished my lunch I made my way into the crowd. It was very obvious from the crowds dancing that everyone was having a great time. After the set I went over to the Gobi tent. It was about 4 PM and Florence and the Machine were to go on at 4:30. Like most of the artists I really wanted to see, I was able to get right to the front. I like to consider myself a very determined person. Like the first two days, I was running around a lot. After Florence, I watched a bit of Julian Casablanca’s set – he is also the lead singer of The Strokes, so what’s not to love. I also saw some of Jonsi’s set and the end of Spoon’s. At around 7:30 PM I went to the Gobi tent to see Sly Stone. For whatever reason, there was a huge mix up and Sly’s performance was moved back. I didn’t really have time to wait so I left. While I regret not seeing him, he didn’t end up going on till sometime around 11 PM. If I had waited I would have missed two outstanding performances: Thom Yorke and the Gorilaz. Thom Yorke, as I hope most know, is the lead singer of the band Radiohead. If you haven’t heard of Radiohead I don’t know where you have been and if you don’t like them, than I suggest you start listening to better music. Anyway, Thom and his band Atoms for Peace create the most beautiful music. Song after song, was filled with tremendous passion. At this point I had met up with one of my good friends Andrea, who also attends Eugene Lang. While we both are big fans of Yorke by 9:30 we agreed that we would leave the set early to secure a spot at the Gorilaz. The Gorilaz not only have not played in five years but they were the closing band so all 80,000 Coachella attendees would likely be there. Running over to the Coachella Stage, we snuck in through the side, pushing through many people, and thankfully getting a good spot, relatively close to the stage. When the Gorilaz finally came on I was mesmerized. I have a lot of respect for them. While part of my reasoning may be due to the fact that they are my brother’s favorite band, it also has to do with their overall musical brilliance. The band was created in 1999, when the concept of a virtual band had not yet been thought of. Their past performances included incredible graphics and holograms, making their true identities questionable. The music style itself is a mixture between pop, hip-hop, electronic, and alternative-rock. To me this says that they see the importance of all types of music and collaborate in a way, which incorporates many genres. I think they are just very talented musicians. So as imagined their performance was absolutely fabulous. They performed in front of a screen that flashed images of their unique animation. Their set also featured a number of guest performances, only adding to the talent they executed on stage. Andrea and I danced and sang. Our legs felt as if they were about to collapse but it didn’t matter: this was Coachella. By the time they finished I was ready to go back to the hotel. It had been a very long day and I was in desperate need of sleep.

My friends and I ended up driving back that night because we all had flights either in the early morning or early afternoon. By the time we arrived at my friend’s house, near Los Angeles, I collapsed – sleep was very necessary. The next morning, my friend drove me to the airport and I was officially on my way back to New York. Looking back on the weekend it’s difficult to fully grasp the amount of talent I witnessed within three short days. Festivals like Coachella are what I live for. It’s an extreme rush; it’s a beautiful experience. Music has always been essential to who I am as a person, and going to concerts and music festivals is only an extension of that. Coachella was an amazing experience, something I hope to have the privilege to experience again. As far as festivals go, my hope is to attend Lollapalooza this summer in Chicago, but we will see.