Coachella Day. Warning probably too long and definitely rambling TL;DR Of Monsters and Men, YYYs, Tegan and Sara best of the day
Posted by
JD (aka Jason Dean)
Apr 16 '13, 15:09
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This year Goldenvoice selected a lineup seemingly a little short on the major festival headliners but at the same time pretty solid with lots of want to sees in place of everybody on the festival grounds crowd to the handful of must sees. I had this in mind in the months since the lineup had been announced but was struck by my initial reaction to the days being kind of disappointed. However when thinking back on it and having the discussion with Veronica as to what I thought was the best set I realized that I�d actually seen a number of good to fantastic sets.
Day 1
The hope was to get the festival site in time to see Youth Lagoon but unexpected traffic (due to construction) out on I-10, we were delayed to Palm Springs to check into our hotel and then our eventual entrance to the festival. Slightly longer to get our locker as well but net result was that the first set we caught was Polica.
Polica played a solid set and was kind of a mellow way to work into the festival. It kind of nagged at me that if they are normally a stripped down act that maybe beefing up your sound with some actual musicians? It took me awhile to take in that they had two drummers and what I�m pretty sure was a bassist. Their sound is electronic but no actual keyboardist? Then at about the three quarter point in the set this guy who was kind of barely on the stage steps forward and he just sings backup on like two songs? Kind of disappointing initially but in retrospect it was pretty solid.
We then choose poorly as we opt for Metric. They made Polica and their non-band seem fantastic. Metric has IMO great music but they were on the main stage and even with a full band, they just couldn�t engage the crowd. Couldn�t get that music to live or something. So while we kind of vaguely listen to that set, we apologize to Polica. It won�t be till the next morning that we realize that we could have been at Johnny Marr who apparently led with How Soon is Now.
We choose to get dinner over at set of food booths that is at the back of the sound field for Of Monsters and Men. Finally an act that lives up to expectations. I think it might have been the perfect time in that band�s existence to see them in that type of conditions. They have the second largest stage at what is called the Outdoor Stage starting at 545 so still pretty warm when they start but the sun is setting as their set goes on. Now I get that�s a large band to start with as far as members but they seem to have been doing this long enough or their music style is such that they appear to being having fun with the set and this carries out to the audience. The female lead reminds of Bjork but in a folk context of the band�s style. Good times. Nay, excellent times.
We then wander over toward the main stage and catch the last two songs of Passion Pit. Veronica is happy and disappointed as those two songs are her favorites but then again it was only two songs and they were leaving.
We kind of wander around which lets us check out what is now a new �stage� at the festival. Yuma is a DJ �stage� but the physical set up is that is a dome so completely enclosed with air conditioning. It is also a whole different world as inside it has been setup to resemble a dance club. So there�s a wooden floor, there�s little couches off to the edges. It is very cool and it will be the last time we get in as turns out we were ahead of the curve. We go by later that night and at that point there�s a line. All weekend long, there will always be a line and from what I�ve read about an hour wait. I had noted as one of the artists I wanted to see as Maya Jane Coles but as she played Yuma on Sunday evening that was one that I would end up passing on.
We also note that the Sahara tent is more like a hangar as it significantly larger. The crowd seemingly expanded to fill the additional area as it is just as impossible to get into as last few years. EDM continues to be all the rage. Scared off by the bros and the general insansity of that, we head back out to the main stage for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
While waiting, Veronica hears the outdoor stage startup and wanders over to see Beach House. I stay put between what I think are speaker stands A5 and A4. Actually I�m between A5 and A6 as I swear I just misread it for A4. This is much, much more important than I realize at that moment. So I patiently await the set to start and they eventually do with Karen O taking the stage in some crazy shiny flowing dress thing. They start with Sacrilege off their new album including a full on choir. They play what I think is a fantastic set with Zero at about the halfway point. By this time other groups have ended up around me in what was a pretty empty space of grass and in fact during Zero, I get all up swallowed up by a group of frat like guys who are bouncing along to the song. Tis about this time I stop to check my phone and realize that Veronica has been looking for me for nearly the entire set between A4! and A5. It is remarkably difficult to find people at night out on the main lawns due to lack of light. It is impossible if you�re looking in the wrong area and the idiot you�re looking for has unwittingly gone from bright orange T-shirt to drab blue hoodie (I was getting kind of cold�.) I text back that I�m going directly behind the speaker stand and we reunite. Veronica has been in a slight panic and is now pissed. Turns out that she can�t stand Karen O�s live voice� �Her voice is terrible�. After all of that, the YYYs was the must see set for me on Friday night on paper and then came through. Once the set ends and we can talk to each other and actually hear each other, Veronica tells me that she just wanted Karen O to stop screaming at her. Why is the scary woman screaming at us? Couldn�t defend that as I think that�s actually kind of what she does but I was expecting it.
Next up is Purity Ring on the smallest stage. That was uh, interesting. So the music person in this duo has set up his sequencer(s) to include what look like light fixtures which is kind of interesting. The lead singer is the diminutive female who seems to primarily strike up a classic shoegaze pose with the occasionally staring wide eyed out into the crowd. The music is this not quite mesmerizing flowing series of songs? I think we were there for at least three songs but what we heard was very, very similar as well as being dragged out for the concert that who knows. It might have been one song for all I know. We end up giving up on that.
So we go check out Blur one of the two co-headliners for the main stage. I�ve been a Blur fan and good and bad that they are playing a Blur fan type list. I recognize the songs but they�re not doing a whole lot dynamic. After they play Parklife and Song 2 back to back, I notice Veronica really starting squirm and feeling bad about the previous the whole YYY thing, I offer that we can go. �Go where?� �Ummm, like out, leave leave?� �But what about the twin lesbians?�
Ok, all afternoon and evening Veronica has been teasing me about Tegan and Sara. Goading me into purchasing of their shirts, especially the one that has an image of one on the front and an image of the other on the back. I�m generally of the mind that I probably deserve this. It is also setting up that to see that set we will actually be around for a closing set as they are scheduled to play the second largest stage starting at Midnight.
So while I do want to see Tegan and Sara, the day and night has started to take a toll on me as well so I�m earnest in my offer to call it Day 1. Among the nearly countless reasons I love Veronica is that she is the one who reconfirms the midnight start and realizes that it 1120 or so and we�ve been here this long that we might well stick it out but to go get something to eat. We end up back at food area in sound field of the outdoor stage where Jurassic 5 is kicking it old school.
Jurassic 5 is kicking it old school. There is no other description that comes to mind. I find it to be a fun set . They�ve got this oversized turntable prop that they use at one point as well as portable turntable at another. Then it is just mid to late 80�s rhymes being expertly done by the multiple MCs.
A bit of a turnover between Jurassic 5 and then Tegan and Sara. I feel slightly justified when there�s a few other guys around so it is not just me and a sea of lesbians. Though in earshot after the first song complete, I do hear the command of �Sara! Eat my muffin� Veronica also notes that the performing band is all guys. After having this pointed out to me, I think to myself: Makes sense. Why introduce competition for the groupies? Playing about a 50/50 split between old and new, they are just as charming and musically gifted as I have hoped. They do have a point where something goes wrong with the mics associated with the drum kit so Sara attempts to kill time and attempts stage patter that starts to rapidly deteriorate as she rambles on to the point that she is attempting to complement the crowd on what we are wearing. At this point showing either the experience of them performing since they were 15 or being a twin sister, Tegan interjects that perhaps they can try something different and offers that they play another song that doesn�t need drums. You�ve never seen an artist agree so quickly so just two of them an acoustic guitar. The set closes with the crowd pleasing duo of Now I�m All Messed Up and Closer. And even if it wasn�t standard set list construction to close with your biggest current hit, those songs have to be in that order as Now I�m All Messed Up really is a messed up song.
So having stayed to the end, we face something that we usually don�t and actually end up in pedestrian traffic. However that�s the end of it as in contrast to nightmares trying to leave the parking areas in the more distant past, Coachella has become very good about getting cars out of the lot. By the time we get back to hotel, showered and to be, it is pretty much 3 in the morning.
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