Coachella 2011 Review

Coachella 2011 Review                       

This year was my seventh year attending the Coachella Festival in Indio California.  New additions to this year’s festival included different pieces of art, more room to move throughout the grounds, less tickets sold, yet still selling out, and shuttle service.  All three of the latter were welcomed, especially after last years gridlock of crowds throughout.  The temperature was a heated and dry 96-98 degrees and it never got too chilly at night.  This also was the friendliest year I have ever experienced.  The words “Happy Coachella” were exclaimed all throughout the polo grounds.  It must have been the official slogan this year.  The only celebrity sighting was Alice Glass of Crystal Castles.  A group of young men who had enjoyed their fair share of mead started a mini pit during the Death from Above 1979 set.  They kicked this small girl by accident who in turn got as mad as a rattler.  When she turned around I knew it had to be her.  She was tiny, but within that tiny frame is a powerful performer.  All in all it was a magical time that brought music and people from all over to revel in the magical place called Coachella. 

Top 5 Performances

1) Kanye West – Simply said, Kanye brought it.  Whether it was from the onset when he rose from a platform in the middle of the crowd, or commanding the entire stage to himself (no hype men needed), or playing hit after hit with emotional intensity.  This festival closing set was the most impressive live performance I have seen at Coachella since The Flaming Lips or Rage Against the Machine.  There was a lot of anticipation throughout the weekend and he certainly lived up to it.  Below was my favorite part of his show.

2) The Chemical Brothers – No other band excited me more, in the time leading up to the show, than these two DJs.  This was my fourth time seeing them and it was bombastic as usual.  Due to a delay in getting their video boards loaded they started 30 min late and that meant they had to end sooner due to the festival curfew.  They still packed a punch in the 90 minutes they played.  Their intro with their hit “Galvanize” gives me chills just thinking about it.  Their visuals corresponded to each beat and added another layer of sensory overload to their already tight show.   The set was almost identical to the one I saw three years earlier in Denmark but it didn’t matter.  

  

3) Lightning Bolt – So I saw these guys last October in Lexington.  I was 3 feet from them and they were floor level with the rest of the crowd.  I wandered over from Duran Duran to see how big the crowd was.  The attendance was small, yet furious.  The two guys that make up Lightning Bolt though did not even care.  One pounded the drums and the other switched the pedals back and forth on his guitar to make a joyful, yet mean and industrial noise.  More people would have benefited from catching at least one of their songs.

 

4) Empire of the Sun – Glamtastic!  Costume changes, monsters, swords, and catchy Australian pop music made for a visually stunning set from last week’s blog add.  Big crowd for these guys who closed out Saturday night’s Outdoor stage.  

5) Death from Above 1979 – This was their second reunion show in 5 years.  The first was a few weeks ago in Austin where a riot started.  They proclaimed from stage that this was their first real, riot free show since their breakup.  They were similar to Lightning bolt in that both have only two members and the drummer sings.  Not as aggressive as Lightning Bolt, but still a furious and cool set from the Toronto duo.  

Top 5 let downs

1) Duran Duran – Aside from The Chemical Brothers and Kanye, I was very excited to see DD.  On the premise that they would play their hits.  Well they played a few hits.  They played a LOT of their new album.  It was not good.  I understand where they are coming from in that they are tired of playing their hits and want to show off their new material, but there is no stronger form of dance floor poison than that.

2) Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Meltdown alert.  So I have seen Ariel three times prior to this and was just stopping by to hear my top song of 2010 “Round and Round.”  I wasn’t paying attention and after one song he said “Show’s over” and walked off.  The band looked around and stayed for a minute or two then walked off confused.  Something happened and they all came back on stage.  The band played.  The singer didn’t sing.  It was as if you were hearing live karaoke on stage.  Ariel Pink would pick his fingernails, sit down or just turn his back to the crowd while not singing.  It was uncomfortable to watch.  Near the end he would chirp a word here and there.  Once the set ended you could see the band’s uncomfortable but inevitable intervention in its infancy.  

 

3) Kings of Leon – Have seen these guys four times before.  They stand there and sing their songs.  This time they did the same except with newer songs that I don’t think many people have caught onto yet.  If they would have shown any energy the crowd would have reacted more favorably.  Disappointing, but not surprising. 

4) Odd Future – Another must see for me.  This new rap collective was 20 minutes late while setting up their equipment.  (Don’t you just plug in turntables nowadays?)  Then they came out and did not bring it.  There was no danger or buzz, which is what the packed tent came to see.  It might have gotten better but I only lasted three songs.  I had to scuttle on over to see Warpaint instead.

5) New Pornographers – I am not a huge NP fan, but I enjoy their tunes.  This show was forgettable in my mind.  Nothing was bad, but it wasn’t good either.  They had the potential to do bigger and better things, but something was missing.