Coachella 2005 Review
Had a busy week, so precious little time to engage in the verbal diarrhea of blogging. My brother Jon was in town for five days, one of which was at Coachella. Now, I had pretty much resigned myself to a miserable time in Indio due to the testimonials of my friends who had went last year. It was above 100 degrees there last year, and I believe Will even got sick from the heat. Man, we really lucked out. The temperature was in the high 80s, and there was a pleasant breeze blowing all day. Dave Dean had advised me to bring lots of cash for water, and double up when I did - one for my head, and one to drink. I bought one bottle of water all day. With the weather not an issue, we were free to enjoy the amazing lineup on Sunday. The scheduling gods were also smiling on us, as there was little overlap of the bands we wanted to see.
First band up was M.I.A., whose delayed debut may be my favorite album of the year. This was a electrifying start to the day, and we were lucky enough to get front row seats. The bass already at an incredible level, M.I.A. instructed them to push it up. Wow. It was so overwhelming, most of the professional photographers in the pit got up and left. Having owned some bass CDs as a young wigger-in-training in high school (and blowing at least 3 sets of speakers in the process) a little low frequency ain’t no thang to me. When they played the remix of one of her songs that was set to the beat of the Dead Prez song "Hip Hop", Jon and I went crazy - that being one of our all time favorite beats, and a speaker buster if there ever was one. After her set ended, the audience screamed for about 10 minutes for an encore, which hurt my ears much worse than the bass did. It was funny to see her talking behind the stage to some roadie. By the look of her facial expressions, she didn’t seem familiar with the concept of an encore. She came back onstage finally, cheerfully chiding the audience by informing them "I’ve only got one album, guys." I’m glad the trouble with her visa was cleared up, and will definitely see her again if she comes back to the states.
Next up was Arcade Fire, who more than lived up to the reputation as a sensational live act. They performed like they knew this was a ‘big show’, and they needed to give it their all. Not to say they were desperate for approval, but rather that they acted more like a hungry young unknown act than a critic’s darling for whom the show is merely a breather from their Dionysian exploits (cough cough Strokes cough). Before they got through the second song, Richard Parry (the one who looks like Napoleon Dynamite) was climbing the scaffolding,drumming inaudibly against the metal along with the keyboardist (who apparently cut himself judging from the finger-sucking and bloody keyboard). The large, enthusiastic crowd was another big plus, and when they screamed along "I guess we’ll just have to adjust" on the first song "Wake Up"*, I knew it was going to be a great set.
Aesop Rock went on about 10 minutes after Arcade Fire. About as good a set as I could expect from an dense, abstract rapper. I’m a big fan, but his style of quick, obtuse lyrics doesn’t lend itself to a live show. From the shows I’ve seen, the more catchy mainstream rap acts are more fun to see live, hence the surprising success of Jay Z’s Unplugged album. Still pretty cool to see live, though.
The Faint were next (Actually NIN was next, but we were eating - blasphemy!). I was blown away both by the quality of their live show, and the size and enthusiasm of their following. I knew Arcade Fire would have a large and eager crowd, but I thought The Faint were kind of still a band on the margins. The fans seemed to know every word - even more surprising considering the set was from the most recent album, Wet from Birth. I had heard a few tracks when it first came out, and dismissed it, thinking it a poor follow up to their other great albums. The live set showed me the error of my ways. The show seemed an odd mix of sexed-up rave and political rally, as the crowd went from shouting "Erection" to "Paranoia", reflecting the album’s amusingly schizophrenic obsessions. Top notch performance, great crowd, and the best video wall show I’ve ever seen, even topping the Flaming Lips New Years Eve Madison Square Garden setup.
I couldn’t have asked for a better experience to have with my brother in L.A., and I’m sure he’ll say the same thing. I love live music, but I hate crowds and heat. Thankfully, the weather was pleasant, and I could feed into the energy of the audience instead of constantly feeling like I’m going to be trampled by sweaty teenagers - my normal concert experience. Great Fucking Time. **
* My vote for rock moment of the year, at 2:52 in the song.
**Keep in mind my only other all-day festival experience was at Charlotte’s 106.5’s Weenie Roast - when you’re waiting around in 95 degree heat for Tonic, you know something’s horribly, horribly wrong.
