In Concert Reviews
Before I get started on the specifics of the weekend, just wanted to give a brief overview of the weekend.
Full Sets Seen: 14
Total Acts Seen (at least one song): 37
Highest Temperature: 102 Degrees (mid-day Saturday)
Number of Beers Consumed: 0 (alcohol? in that heat? no way!)
Stage Directory:
Main Stage - exactly what it sounds like, the biggest stage
Outdoor Theatre - this is the second largest stage, it has the same atmosphere as the main stage but with a less powerful sound system and no video screens
Sahara Tent - this is the largest of the three tents and is home, primarily, to electronic acts, though some bands did play there this year
Mojave Tent - medium-sized tent, notorious for getting extremely hot inside
Gobi Tent - smallest tent, can get really packed, but also has excellent ventilation
Friday, April 27
Friday was the only day that we got there before the first act even went on. I was so excited I could barely contain myself and I was flipping out as the security people were taking forever to check bags and frisk the patrons. Finally I got in, just before the 2 PM start time, and ran directly to the main stage.
Flosstradamus featuring Kid Sister (Main Stage)
The bass was loud, and these guys put on a pretty decent dance party, but maybe it was the heat or the lack of alcohol in my system, but I just could not get my groove on for the life of me. Chicago DJs Flosstradamus do the mash-ups quite well, but 20 minutes in, I was already starting to lose interest. I was hoping Kid Sister would liven up the show, but she only succeeded in annoying me and I left as soon as the next act I wanted to see came on. It wasn't the greatest start to the weekend, but thankfully it was not an omen of things to come.
Noisettes (Mojave Tent)
Ahhh, here we go, now this was the proper start to Coachella 2007. I really wasn't familiar with much of the Noisettes' music, so this was a pleasant surprise. Singer Shingai Shoniwa thrashed around the stage, jumping off the drum-riser and bringing so much energy that the crowd couldn't help but to go nuts for them. Their music is pretty straight-forward garagey rock, but the force it's delivered with and the huge smiles on their faces made them a pleasure to watch.
Comedians of Comedy (Gobi Tent)
Now this was a brilliant idea. Other festivals, like Bonnaroo, have entire tents devoted to comedy, but this was the first time that Coachella gave it a go. Not only were the comedians amazing and hilarious, but this gave people a chance to sit down in the shade during the hottest part of the day. It was a fantastic way to conserve energy and my feet were definitely thanking Patton Oswalt, for coming up with this idea, later in the evening. I left the Noisettes set for a few minutes to see Aziz Ansari, who had the audience rolling on the ground laughing. I left for a few minutes and then returned to see the core members of the Comedians of Comedy, Maria Bamford, Zach Galifianakis, Brian Posehn and Patton Oswalt. All of them were awesome and I understand why they work so well as a group, as they all have very different styles so there's really no chance of them infringing on each other's territory. The highlight of the show was definitely the end of Zach Galifianakis' set, where he took off his shirt and pants to reveal a dress underneath. Suddenly "Tomorrow" from Annie started blaring over the soundsystem and Galifianakis was dancing around, lip-synching and tearing pages off a giant sketch pad. The crowd erupted into a standing ovation when the final page was torn off, but I won't reveal the punchline. Watch it here (it's three parts, be sure to watch part 1 first).
Tilly and the Wall (Mojave Tent)
I've always wanted to see Tilly and the Wall live to see the tap-dancing in action, but I never liked their music enough to actually motivate myself to buy a ticket, so this was the perfect opportunity. Even though I only saw their first two songs, I feel like I got a pretty good idea of what they were all about, and honestly, they were quite good. They oozed energy and enthusiasm and had there not been a band I really wanted to see playing at roughly the same time, I would've stuck around for more of their set. Now if they could just write some stronger songs. . .
Of Montreal (Outdoor Theatre)
Even though I had just seen Of Montreal at the State Theater a couple of months ago, I had to go back and see them again, they're just that good live. Unfortunately, the start of their set was marred by sound problems and singer Kevin Barnes was clearly getting annoyed. "Heimsdalgate Like a Promethian Curse" just didn't have the oomph behind it that it's supposed to have and the crowd was clearly starting to get restless when all was saved by a fantastic version of "She's A Rejecter." They finally had the crowd's attention and Barnes' mood cheered up almost instantly. They stuck mostly to material from the new album, dipping slighlty into Satanic Panic in the Attic and The Sunlandic Twins. When Barnes climbed the ladder and put on his final costume during the set's penultimate song, "Gronlandic Edit," he had the crowd in the palm of his hand and they went nuts.
Silversun Pickups (Main Stage)
Unfortunately, I only caught their last song, but it was rather epic and I immediately regretted not having watched more of their set. Damn conflicts! This happens all the time at Coachella, where multiple bands you want to see are playing at the same time. I'll have to catch the Silversun Pickups and their re-hash of the Smashing Pumpkins-esque streamlined shoegaze sound the next time they come to the DC area instead.
Amy Winehouse (Gobi Tent)
Alright, will the guy at Goldenvoice who decided to put Amy Winehouse on the smallest stage at the festival please come forward to be slapped upside the head? What were they thinking doing this? The Gobi Tent was more packed than I have ever seen it in my 3 years of Coachella, with people spilling out of both sides as well as way out of the back of the tent, interrupting traffic and angering both those trying to watch Ms. Winehouse and those trying to get to other stages. I wasn't able to get remotely close to the stage, but from where I was, Amy actually seemed somewhat sober, which shocked me. Her lack of alcohol didn't seem to affect her perfomance at all, however, as her voice seemed spot on. It still amazes me hearing that incredible voice come out of that little body. After a few songs, I got too annoyed with the crowd and went to get food. I made it back just in time to catch the set closer, a stunning rendition of "Rehab," which had the crowd (much smaller at this point, I think a lot of people were pissed) grooving.
Arctic Monkeys (Main Stage)
I hadn't really planned on seeing them, but I decided that to get a good spot for Jesus and Mary Chain, I needed to start making my way to the stage in the middle of the Arctic Monkeys' set. They put on a decent show, but I really don't think I'm the one to review one of their shows, I'm just not a huge fan. I like some of their singles, but I just can't get into most of their stuff. Still, these guys are soooo young, and I'm rather impressed they've been so successful at such a young age.
Jesus and Mary Chain (Main Stage)
These guys are one of the main reasons that I travelled all the way across the country, and though it wasn't the best show of the weekend, it was still pretty damn good. Brothers Jim and William Reid stood at least 15 feet apart at all time, perhaps to help quell the urge to punch one another in the face, but it didn't hinder the set at all. They mowed down all of their big hits, "Head On," "Happy When It Rains," "Sidewalking" and just about everything else from the first half of the 21 Singles compilation. What surprised me was how straightforward the songs were. I had heard stories of the crazy amounts of noise and feedback that these guys delivered live in the older days, but this performance was just hit after feedback-less hit, most of the songs sounding almost identical to the recorded versions, a pretty remarkable feat for a band that hadn't performed live together in ten years. The most talked about moment is sure to be when they brought out a special guest to sing backup on "Just Like Honey," a song many people from my generation know from the film Lost in Translation, and the guest happened to be none other than the film's star Scarlett Johansson. She was never formally introduced, but even clad in a hat and scarf she was easily recognizable. She turned in a so-so performance, but it hardly mattered, the song went down almost flawlessly. They closed the show with "Reverence" from 1992's Honey's Dead and Jim Reid's snarling screams of "I wanna die!" over and over will be one of my fondest memories of the weekend.
Jarvis Cocker (Outdoor Theatre)
When I first heard that Jarvis Cocker would be playing Coachella, I about jumped through the roof at the thought of finally hearing all those old Pulp songs live. Unfortunately, I would later find out that he doesn't play any Pulp songs live anymore, and my excitement quickly waned. I liked his new solo album, Jarvis, but I wanted more. I came over to the Outdoor Theatre with tempered expectations, but Mr. Cocker quickly showed me that even though he wouldn't be playing any Pulp songs, he was here to entertain us thoroughly. After a bit a delay (which caused me to miss Faithless, but I'll survive) due to some problems with the keyboardist's equipment, Jarvis jumped right into the hardest rocking song from the new album, "Fat Children." After seeing him flail his arms, jump awkwardly, shake his ass and show off some off-kilter dance moves, I knew I was in for a treat of a show. Not only does he rock, but the man is also legitimately hilarious, one of the few musicians who is almost as entertaining when he tells jokes as he is when he's singing. Despite having to cut a song or two from the set because of technical problems, he still played 9 songs or so, sticking entirely to the new album with the exception of one brand new song, "One Man Show," where he talked about the fascinating life of a single 40-year old (baked potatoes, woo!). The show closed with the crowd singing, at the top of their lungs, "cunts are still running the world!" over and over again. Definitely one of the highlights of the weekend.
Ingredients:
Grease up a loaf pan with some sort of shortening or buttery substance for no stick purposes. Bake at 375° in greased loaf pan (4 1/2" x 9" x 5") for 45 minutes or until inserted wooded toothpick comes out clean. Cool and remove from pan.