Please post your review/pictures of Coachella in here. Thanks.

[bballarl]

It will probably be less of a clusterfuck to do so in here rather than the Coachella-related subforums. I look forward to hearing about your weekends and seeing your photographs. I also enjoyed meeting those of you who I had not met.

[suprefan]

Yeah, good seeing you Andrew. Pics and thoughts coming soon. (and HD video)

[bmack86]

Reserving my spot here. I'm gonna start with a list of the bands I caught, and then that'll be edited into a review tonight or tomorrow.

Friday-Alberta Cross, Ryan Bingham, Aggrolites, Gui Boratto, Cage the Elephant, Molotov, The Hold Steady, Los Campesinos!, The Black Keys, Franz Ferdinand, The Bug, Leonard Cohen, Morrissey, Beirut, Silversun Pickups, A Place to Bury Strangers, Paul McCartney
Saturday-Billy Talent, Liars, Blitzen Trapper, Paolo Nutini, Superchunk, Amanda Palmer, Tinariwen, Calexico, TV on the Radio, Fleet Foxes, Booker T and the DBTs, Band of Horses, Glass Candy, Turbonegro, Mastodon
Sunday-Vivian Girls, No Age, Fucked Up, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Lykke Li, Antony and the Johnsons, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Late of the Pier, The Horrors, My Bloody Valentine, Christopher Lawrence, The Orb, The Kills, Throbbing Gristle, Etienne De Crecy, The Cure

Bolded are full (or almost full; missing a song or two) sets

[Creeper]

Will post em soon!

[suprefan]

45 acts seen. Bold means full or 90% of full set.

Aggrolites
Gui Borrato
We Are Scientists
People Under The Stairs
Steve Aoki
Los Campesinos!
Buraka Som Sistema
Franz Ferdinand
Leonard Cohen
Ghostland Observatory
Beirut
Morrissey
Patton Rahzel
The Presets
The Crystal Method
Macca
Chemical Brothers
TVOTR
Band of Horses
Fleet Foxes
MSTRKRFT
Henry Rollins
Crookers
Amanda Palmer
Bloody Beetroots
Surkin
Para One
Liars
Zane Lowe
Zizek Club
The Cure
Etiene De Crecy
MBV
Throbbing Gristle
The Orb
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Antony And The Johnsons
Plump DJ's
Busy P
BJM
Supermayer
Shepard Fairey
Themselves
Friendly Fires
Marshall Barnes

[pancakespancakes]

I saw about 30 bands this weekend, give or take a couple.

These are the 20 that stick out most in my mind, in order:

1. My Bloody Valentine
2. Fleet Foxes
3. Paul McCartney
4. No Age
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
6. Calexico
7. Fucked Up
8. Liars
9. A Place to Bury Strangers
10. Throbbing Gristle
11. The Chemical Brothers
12. Band of Horses
13. The Brian Jonestown Massacre
14. The Orb
15. Crystal Castles
16. Beirut
17. Gang Gang Dance
18. Ghostland Observatory
19. The Cure
20. Antony & the Johnsons

[bmack86]

I just want to say, as well, that everyone who saw No Age up front, wasn't that a fucking blast?

[pancakespancakes]

Each day progressed upon the previous day.

Friday, I didn't get there until about 5:30, had the tire of our car blow out in Hemet and had trouble with a counterfeit craigslist ticket at the door that ended up setting us back about 2 hours. But everything I saw in the evening was wonderful, walked in on Crystal Castles tearing the Sahara apart, and it was golden from there.

Saturday, spent most of my time on the rail at the Outdoor Theatre, and got to see Liars, Calexico, Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses in the process, then had my face melted by Chemical Brothers.

Sunday, had in insane afternoon in the Mohave with No Age and Fucked Up, then had Yeah Yeah Yeahs into MBV, and then The Orb into Throbbing Gristle... and between those 6, plus The BJM, this was probably one of the finest Coachella days I've had in my three years, if not the finest.

[pancakespancakes]

I just want to say, as well, that everyone who saw No Age up front, wasn't that a fucking blast?

Oh my lord. I don't think I realized how much I loved that band until I witnessed Everybody's Down in the Mohave yesterday. Fucking perfect. They knew exactly what to do at Coachella...

[pancakespancakes]

Oh and... I'm sad I missed: Tinariwen, Blitzen Trapper, TV on the Radio, Los Campesinos, The Black Keys, Public Enemy, Buraka Som Sistema, Drive-By Truckers, and an unfortunately large portion of The Orb, but I'm sure I'll see them all again sometime soon...

[bballarl]

I just want to say, as well, that everyone who saw No Age up front, wasn't that a fucking blast?

I don't think I had more fun all weekend than that and Fucked Up back to back.

[suprefan]

Some pics, more later...

Los Campesinos!




Friendly Fires




Buraka Som Sistema





Band of Horses



MBV






Bloody Beetroots





Random yet epic photos

[cansei de ser sexme]

haha awesome.

[wmgaretjax]

anyone see Ariel Pink?

more thoughts on the Gristle? from what i've heard, they kicked ass to a small audience.

[roberto73]

I just want to say, as well, that everyone who saw No Age up front, wasn't that a fucking blast?

[bballarl]

Keep it coming.

Jared, I only heard about 10 minutes of Throbbing Gristle, but it sounded fantastic. They were in the middle of kind of a desert-y version of Hamburger Lady when I left.

[suprefan]

They totally did Jared, sucks you couldnt go. Next year?


Part 2


Bloody Beetroots



Leonard Cohen



Throbbing Gristle





Yeah Yeah Yeahs




Plump Dj's




Antony and The Johnsons




Busy P




Brian Jonestown Massacre

[wmgaretjax]

next year for sure Chris.

rad pictures.

[suprefan]

Thanks, I try my best, where is Greg and Mike though, I wanna see what they got, since we are camera nerds and all. Couple more batches and Ill be done for this year. Lots of video coming.

[faxman75]

I'm currently uploading pics. Here is who I saw this weekend.
Alberta Cross
Aggrolites
Cage the Elephant
The Hold Steady
The Black Keys
Leonard Cohen
Girl Talk (only 10 minutes, smoked some intense shit and walked to the main stage)
Paul McCartney
Cloud Cult
Joss Stone
Blitzen Trapper
AMANDA FUCKING PALMER
Calexico
Crookers/Chemical Bros (about half of each)
The Killers /Mstrkrft (If I was 15 I might have loved the Killers watched the first 4 songs)
The Knux
Okkervil River (bailed early because the heat was cooking me boo)
Perry Ferrell
Yeah Yeah Yeah's
My Bloody Valentine
Finished going between The Cure, PE, The Orb, Throbbing Gristle and Etienne.


Pictures to come. My Bloody Valentine, Leonard Cohen and Amanda Fucking Palmer were the best sets of the weekend for me.

[Sushov23]

anyone see Ariel Pink?

more thoughts on the Gristle? from what i've heard, they kicked ass to a small audience.

I saw most of Ariel Pink, and it was a great set.

[ivankay]

Thanks, I try my best, where is Greg and Mike though, I wanna see what they got, since we are camera nerds and all. Couple more batches and Ill be done for this year. Lots of video coming.

i got so many to sort through. i was so tired at the end of each night, i fell asleep while flagging my favorites. i still need to settle at home and get ready for werk tomorrow. i'll try to get in a few.

Oh, once again, great picture Chris. Cohen shots were complicated. Low lighting and big crowd. i got shut out of the photo pit due to over crowding. Tried to get some from far away. Still need to see the results.

[suprefan]

Thanks. Cohen was a nightmare for me, the direct white light with nothing else to help pissed me off to no end. Anything else I got that was semi clean, was washed out to s**t. I turned to B/W and it kind of worked but yeah, I only have that one to really show.

[sin213]

i had a great time...another great coachella in the history books! i met sooo many of you this time around. it was great! and it was of course great to see those of you i already knew. i'm a full set person, so all of these were 90% to full sets except where noted...standout acts highlighted.

friday was a busy day: aggrolites > people under the stairs > the black keys > leonard cohen > patton/rahzel > the presets (3 songs) > crystal method

saturday was a dancin day: amanda fuckin palmer > bloody beetroots > trv$dj-am > crookers > chemical brothers > mstrkrft

sunday was a chill day: the knux > brian jonestown massacre > perry farrell (5 songs) > yeah yeah yeahs > mbv > the orb > throbbing gristle (4 songs) > etienne de crecy

i'm not a picture person, so no pics from me. there is no way the pics would even start to compare with supre and ivankay's. however, the acts highlighted in red were recorded and links to the audio will be available over the next week or so. so if you're a bootleg fan, stay tuned...

I LOVE YOU COACHELLA!!! SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!!!

[suprefan]

How did MBV come out Jason? I got YMMR in full in HD. Overdub?!?!

[MarkO]

Heartbroken that I couldn't go this year. Damn responsibilities !!

[bmack86]

Thursday night: My dad came down from Bishop to join me for a scholarship reception put on by LMU law. They pampered the shit out of us, and I’ve decided that I’m going to be going to LMU for law school. My dad headed out to Coachella after that, and I went to pick up my friends from the airport. We then went to MBV at the El Rey. While in line, I turned around and saw Trent Reznor standing in line. He was short. Kurt Heasley of the Lilys opened, and he was pretty boring. He needs a band to flesh out his songs. MBV did their standard setlist, and I didn’t complain at all. It was great to see them at such a small, great sounding venue. Only Shallow, in particular, knocked me out of the park. For the first time, I thought the mix was just right for that song. The Holocaust section was insane, and my friend, who didn’t know what was coming, said it was one of the most amazing things he’s ever heard. We picked up another pal and headed out to the fest.

Friday morning: Dad and I left the hotel and got to the grounds around 12:30. We stood in line to get in (first time I’ve done that since 2004!), bought our water bottles and went to see some music. Alberta Cross were on the Outdoor stage, and we were both quite impressed with them. I loved the singer’s voice, and the band was kind of reminding me of a spacy version of MMJ. After that, we wandered into the Gobi and heard the start of Ryan Bingham. His first few songs were pretty great bluegrass numbers. Lots of mandolins. When he switched to the acoustic guitar and then electric, it got very boring very quickly, so we made our way over to the Aggrolites. They were a blast. A ton of energy, and they did a fantastic ska cover of Don’t Let Me Down by the Beatles. I saw TomAZ rocking out to them. We then went to go get some beer at the tent by the Sahara, and listened to about 20 minutes of Gui Boratto. He was really really relaxing and fun. It sounded more like music I’d expect in the Gobi, but I really enjoyed it. My dad wanted to check out Cage the Elephant, so we went into the tent just as they started (about 5 minutes early). Musically they don’t do much for me, but they have great stage energy. They really rocked out, and the front man was thrashing about like a nutcase. At the end, he crowd surfed all the way to the back of the tent. That was cool. I wanted to see Molotov, as I’ve listened to some of their stuff. I got over there, and the first thing I heard from the stage was a guy repeatedly screaming “CHINGA TU MADRE.” Fuck that. It reminded me of bad RATM, so I went to meet up with people for the Hold Steady. They came on, and the mix was weird, plus Craig sounded worn down vocally, so I ran over to see Los Campesinos! instead. I am so happy I did that. They had a metric ton of energy and stage presence, and live their songs came off so much better. I’ve never much cared for the albums, but they really really brought it to the next level. One of the coolest sets I saw. My dad and I met up again for the Black Keys. I was a bit worried that their spare sound would be lost on the big stage, but I thought they had a fantastic energy that came across really well. Plus, they played tons of old stuff as well as a few things from Attack and Release. A great set. I caught the first two songs of Franz Ferdinand with pa, then wandered for a bit. I heard a few songs from The Bug, and was really disappointed that the bass was mixed so low. It seemed like Warrior Queen was the real focus, so I went to get a good spot for Leonard Cohen. There, I ran into a bevy of board folks, and we watched the genius perform. He’s in his 70s, but he sounded fantastic. The sound was low, but the mix was so astoundingly perfect that it didn’t matter. During Hallelujah, I tried to sing along and realized that I was so choked up that words wouldn’t even come out of my mouth. Tears streamed down my face for the rest of that song. It was one of those sets that I know I’ll tell people about for years to come. Unfortunately, as he had started late, we got to hear Morrissey bleed over during the last two songs. That should have been a sign to me that I should leave well enough alone, but then I heard Girlfriend in a Coma start. I ran over, heard him walk his way through that and two other songs before I realized that I didn’t have to stay and listen to that incredibly boring and pompous man droll on any longer. Easily my least favorite set of the weekend. I ran back and caught most of the second half of Beirut. They sounded stellar, and I wish I wouldn’t have spent so much time with Morrissey. My dad and I met up again at Silversun Pickups. They had a huge crowd and sounded good, but we both agreed that it wasn’t what we felt like listening to at that point. I guess that should have been an indication that we weren’t really in the mood for A Place to Bury Strangers either. I love their noisy cacophony, but Friday was pop day for me, so we just went to McCartney. Fuck. What a set. It started out a bit slow (although I absolutely loved hearing Got To Get You Into My Life), but once he hit onto the Beatles stuff, I was enraptured. I was amazed when I stopped to think that, wow, I’m seeing the man responsible for some of the most enduring and amazing music in history. His voice sounded great, he had good energy, and he played HELTER SKELTER! I don’t think I could have asked for much more. We stayed close for the whole set, and walked out grinning. We got to the parking lot, saw a huge line of cars, and then noticed that there was another route with nobody on it. We thought it must be closed, but figured it was worth checking since we had to wait anyway. We went down and got out of the lot and onto the street in 5 minutes. Great day.

Saturday: We got there in time to do board picture, as that was something I was looking forward to. Sadly, that meant listening to Billy Talent, who, as my dad said, were lacking an integral part of their name. Board picture was cool though, and through it I got to meet Patrick (souldischarge) who came with me to Liars, where we met a large group of other people. They played quite a few new songs, and had a ton of energy, as usual. Closing with Plaster Casts of Everything is always a great call. I was sad I missed Bob Mould, and even moreso when I talked to MountMcCabe and he told me that they did Girl Who Lived on Heaven Hill. Sacrifices we make. (as a side note, I got a text from him a little later saying that Real Talk had seen us talking via the webcam. Odd). I met with my dad and a slew of friends to watch Blitzen Trapper. They don’t have energy on stage, but they did sound great, and they played every song off Furr, which was cool as I love that album. It was a really good set to hear during the day in the hot hot sun. We went to get more water and heard Paolo Nutini doing a cover of I wanna Take You Higher. It was actually not horrible, and I wondered if maybe it was someone other than him, as I’ve never liked a song from the guy. I went with many board people and watched Superchunk. They didn’t let the sun get them down at all. Loads of energy onstage, they sounded absolutely fantastic, played songs from their whole career and closed with Slack Motherfucker. It was one of the best sets of the weekend. I went from there to hear the last little bit of Amanda Palmer, and ran into Brandon (hawkingvsreeves). We heard her playing Creep, but couldn’t see anything. All of a sudden, we caught a glimpse of a bass headstock poking out of the crowd. She was in the midst of the crowd, and it seemed like they were eating her up. It sounded really good too. After that song, I went into the Gobi to hear Tinariwen. They were expectedly fantastic, but their sound was pretty similar, so I left halfway through to see the rest of Calexico. They were great as well, and I wish I could have seen the whole set. The cover of Alone Again Or that they do is awesome. I went into the beer gardens with Tom and Corinna, and heard the last two songs of TV on the Radio. They sounded great as well, and was sad I missed them. We had dinner in the beer garden and heard the start of Fleet Foxes. They sounded really nice, but also quiet, and I hear that they were drowned out once the main stage started. However, we instead went to see Booker T and the DBT. They played Hey Ya, Green Onions and Time is Tight, and it was all great. Booker seemed like he was having a blast and the Drive By Truckers were a fantastic soul backing band. I met up with my dad again to watch Band of Horses. I wish the sound was a bit higher for them, but other than that they were amazing. I love their sound, and the reverby stuff sounds great in the desert night. I went over to see Glass Candy, who were really really enjoyable. One of the better dance sets of the weekend without a doubt. I got over to hear the end of Turbonegro, and it wasn’t very interesting, but it meant I got a really decent spot for Mastodon, who played their whole new album from front to back. It was only new material, and it was a hell of a set. They were so heavy that at times the screen behind them would just fail. They had great things going on with the video though, showing clips from the crazily overblown narrative that is the new record. It was so much fun. After that I just met up with my friends and went home. Once again took us less than 5 minutes to leave.

Sunday: We made sure to get in right at the start of the fest so we could catch Vivian Girls. We ran over and probably only missed one song. They were perfect for a hot tent early in the day. They don’t have much stage presence, but they sound really decent and I like their songs, so it was a no brainer that I really enjoyed them. We wiled our way up to the front for No Age (and ran into TheStripe!). They were absolutely in command of the tent. The front of the crowd was rowdy, but it was one of the most friendly and joyous pits I’ve ever encountered. Everyone seemed to be having a blast, and Dean and Randy were just killing. They played quite a bit of both Nouns and Weirdo Rippers, and also did a new song that I’ve not yet heard. It was really heavy and cool. At the end, they threw a piñata into the crowd, and people tore it apart, sending candy flying. Great way to close the set. Fucked Up were next, and they were one of the best sets of the weekend. They really ramped up their energy, and the crowd responded. People went nuts. Pink Eye smashed himself with the mic and bled all over the audience. They did quite a few older, more hardcore songs in the middle section, and I blasted into the audience. At one point, this chick was crowdsurfing, and I turned to pass her along. I don’t know quite how it happened, but somehow she got hurled towards me with no other people holding her. She flew with one leg over each shoulder and hit me in the face. I fell to the ground, and she wound up sitting directly on my face. It was so bizarre. I digress. They killed the whole set, closing with Police, which made the audience go even more nuts. I went back and sat with a bunch of board members to listen to Brian Jonestown Massacre. They were really good, and, according to Corinna, they played mostly older classics. I loved it. I left about halfway through, as I’d been in the tent for some time and wanted to get out. I met my dad and we watched some Lykke Li. She sounded really awesome. I didn’t know her stuff really at all, but it sounded pretty great, and it made me want to see more of her. We left after she was done to get some food. The bbq shack was fantastic. I strolled back over to the Outdoor to see Antony and the Johnsons. It was incredible. There were a few sound issues, and they played a short set, but the songs were absolutely amazing. Matthew Herbert and a string quartet backed Antony, they meshed perfectly, creating new backings for some of his songs. It was really gorgeous, and quite impressive. After that, I ran over to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Despite a somewhat weird guitar sound, I really liked the set. It was mainly newer, calmer material, but they are awesome performers, and they sounded great. I really liked Heads Will Roll, and I can’t wait to see them on their inevitable forthcoming tour. I didn’t care how close I was for MBV, so I wandered around a bit. I caught the end of Late of the Pier, and they were really impressive. Tons of energy, and I liked their dance-punk sound. I’d check them out again. The Horrors began a few minutes before MBV, so I caught their first two songs. It wasn’t what I expected, although I’ve heard that the second album is quite a change from the first. Very shoegazey. While that was cool, I figured I’d watch the best proprietors of that sound. They were fantastic, with a particularly great vocal mix. During You Made Me Realise, I decided to see how far back you had to go to no longer be able to hear the wall of noise. I saw the end of the Horrors as I walked past. It sounded good. I had to get into the Sahara tent before I lost the noise completely. Christopher Lawrence tranced it out. I saw a couple wheeling a baby without earplugs right by the speakers. ‘tards. I went to the Gobi and laid down for some of the Orb, but they kind of bored me with the dubby set. It didn’t do much for me after 20 minutes, so I walked over to the end of The Kills. They were just as good as always, and I was happy to watch them, but I was also kind of lost in anticipation for Throbbing Gristle. I got quite close, on Genesis’ side, and they started with Persuasion. It was a wickedly eerie rant over minimal ambience. They proceeded to absolutely destroy. Hamburger Lady was so eerie, and the closing trio of songs (especially Discipline) was the most demented dance music ever. They sounded vibrant and energetic, not at all like a band that has existed for thirty years. It was a shockingly good set, and I’m so glad that I got to see it. Afterwards, Patrick, Zenidog, Josh and I saw Sleazy, so we went to thank him for the show. He was really nice, and we then saw Pink Eye, so we gave him a hug and thanked him for the set as well. It was really cool, and he said he was having the best time. We saw a bit of the cube. It was cool in its size, but I didn’t really feel like listening to that kind of music after Throbbing Gristle, so I went to catch the Cure encores. I got there for the first one, and stayed all the way through Jumping Someone Else’s Train. It was very telling that, unlike many other bands that would have stopped playing on time, The Cure decided to keep going. Even when they had all the power cut, they didn’t stop. They are such an energized band right now, and it’s amazing to see how strong they still are after all this time. It was a fantastic way to close out my favorite day of Coachella that I’ve yet attended.

[rskapcat]

Uploading pics right now...will post some in a bit.

Acts I saw:

Friday
Aggrolites
Hold Steady
Black Keys
Ting Tings
Crystal Castles
N.A.S.A.
Beirut
Morrissey
Paul McCartney

Saturday
Ida Maria
Bob Mould
Blitzen Trapper
Amanda Palmer
TV On The Radio
Thievery Corporation (We tried to catch some of Fleet Foxes, but the sound bleed was so bad that we only stayed for 3 songs.)
Band Of Horses
Turbonegro
The Killers

Sunday
Friendly Fires
Fucked Up
Gaslight Anthem
Brian Jonestown Massacre
Peter Bjorn & John
YYYs
MBV
Bit of The Cure
Throbbing Gristle

My standouts were Amanda Fucking Palmer and MBV. I was out of sorts on Friday, so unfortunately that colored my take on the acts I saw. C'est la vie.

[sin213]

How did MBV come out Jason? I got YMMR in full in HD. Overdub?!?!

i actually haven't given that one a listen yet. and the other stuff sounded good, but i only got to check out a little bit of it.

and yes, if you want to overdub your ymmr vid with my audio, go for it. i'll start editing my shows tomorrow. for now, i'm pretty much spent...damn sun was brutal on sunday and this morning while packing up the tents. i'm gonna get some rest...

bmack, great review. i'll try to post something more detailed later. it was great meeting you, even though it was only once and very brief.

[faxman75]

Cloud Cult



Joss Stone



Amanda Fucking Palmer



Calexico



Throbbing Gristle



The Knux