Top 5 Best Coachella Moments from 1999 to 2011

[ThatGirl]

Elbow 2011, One Day Like This a year indeed saw me right :-)

That song, that whole set in fact, was pretty top shelf.

[Finlander]

1. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club- '04- They Played 3 amazing songs...then the sound went out. they were pissed but continued playing the whole set acoustic..there was only like 50 people sitting in the grass because everyone left.amazing!
2. The Black Keys- '04- rocked that tent before they got BIG
3. Carl Cox -'06- fuck n a
4. Tool- '06 I think I almost died
5. Radiohead -'04. I cried

[sddoctor]

I've been attending every Coachella since 2002...

1. Daft Punk - '06 - Epic...'nuff said.
2. Paul McCartney - '09 - playing "Birthday" on my Birthday..
3. Pixies-->Kraftwerk--->Radiohead - '04 - It seemed as if the entire crowd move from Main Stage to Sahara to Main Stage to catch this fantastic feat of scheduling
4. Arcade Fire - '05 - Their debut blew away everyone at the Outdoor Theatre
5. Prince - '08 - A true showman.

Plus, so many other great acts...too many to recall...always a great time at Coachella!

[rasooli]

Went in 07 and 10. I saw the entire Arcade Fire performance from last year on live stream and I would put that in my top 5, but I dont think that counts considering I wasnt actually there.

1. Rage Against the Machine
2. Flying Lotus ('10)
3. Orbital
4. DJ Shadow ('07)
5. tie between MSTRKRFT ('07) and Wolfgang Gartner

[bartelby]

daft punk - for all the reasons above and because the people we met last night resulted in the most magical weekend
pixies/radiohead - what brought me to coachella....so, so perfect
lcd soundsystem (08) - in the sahara, all of my friends, bliss...
teddybears - random, fun, BEARS
portishead - they were transcendant, perfect-pitch, and so much better than what was an, admittedly, awesome prince show

hon mentions:
arcade fire (05) - hype = met
broken social scene (04) - the marriage proposal, anthems, love love love
macca - macca

[juloxx]

1.) feeling the rage in the air when RATM played.
2.) sunday night at the canpgrouds (insert year)
3) sunday night at the canpgrouds (insert year)
4.) sunday night at the canpgrouds (insert year)
5.) sunday night at the canpgrouds (insert year)

4) (2011) Shrooms for Lil' B The Based God.

Christ that set put the biggest grin on my face and i was sober... this sounds glorious

[Sigur Ros Stache]

1. Seeing Trent Reznor come out in a white flowy shirt only to shed it and reveal the new Trent.
2. Watching Editors next to the "Madonna" tent and telling everyone to "shhhhh" maybe we can hear her, the crowd booing and Tom saying "well i guess we won't do our version of Holiday then.
3. Being Amanda Palmers bitch for a few hours and introduce her on stage as being one of her "letters" spelling AMANDA FUCKING PALMER
4. Just being a part of the Two Door Cinema Club audience....AMAZING
5. The first time I saw the change from day to night on the fields, it was like you had been transported to a totally different place.

[Somewhat Damaged]

3. Pixies-->Kraftwerk--->Radiohead - '04 - It seemed as if the entire crowd move from Main Stage to Sahara to Main Stage to catch this fantastic feat of scheduling

Kraftwerk played after Radiohead.

lcd soundsystem (08) - in the sahara, all of my friends, bliss...

They played the Sahara in 2007.

Mine:

1. Portishead 2008 - I usually build up my expectations too high, to the point that I'm inevitably disappointed or underwhelmed. Not the case with Portishead. The mushrooms kicked in early on into the set and helped to make the experience the best I've ever had. It set the bar so high that I question whether it can ever be topped. I was dancing so hard during "We Carry On" that I seriously felt I had been transported to another universe.

2. Daft Punk 2006 - there's a reason this is among the top of the list for so many people. Their appearance on the poster prompted me to leap out of my chair and running around the room like a 4-year-old on Christmas day. Their performance lived up to that excitement and almost ruined electronic music for me because no EDM artist since has remotely come close to touching the mastery that the robots put on display. I was drenched in sweat after 80 minutes of dancing and was momentarily not self-conscious about how I looked.

3. Fever Ray 2010 - mushrooms played a big role in enhancing the experience of seeing her for the second time and blowing the first performance out of the water. Being among so many friends, including new ones made while waiting for Karin to arrive, all wearing homemade masks, summed up the Coachella experience best.

4. Arcade Fire 2011 - I had seen them twice in the past few months, on top of having seen them 3 other times previously (including their first 2 Coachella performances), so I knew what to expect. But the band came out and played with an enthusiasm and energy that showed they still possessed the same passion that had garnered them such a fervent following 6 years earlier and laid to rest any questions about whether their headliner status had been warranted. It was as if they still felt they had something to prove. They weren't resting on their laurels or phoning it in; they were putting on the performance of their lives. And then the LED balls dropped at the end of the main set, letting us know that the best was yet to come.

5. LCD Soundsystem 2007 - "Yeah" was so insane, there was some probably-Ecstasy-addled kid jumping up and down behind me, bumping into me with each leap, and I wasn't bothered at all because the band was just killing it so completely. It was a year after Daft Punk and James Murphy & co. showed that live instruments could get you to dance that maniacally just as well.

Honorable mentions:
Prodigy 2002
Soulwax 2007
Underworld 2003
Nine Inch Nails 2005
Paul McCartney 2009

[JonnyB]

1) Rage Against the Machine - 99
2) Mix Master Mike battle Rahzel - 99
3) Tool - 99
4) Discovering the insane sounds of DnB for the first time. 99
5) Pavement getting 'booed' off the stage and the crowd yelling "Rage, Rage, Rage" in between their songs 99

[Vodkagirl]

Disclaimer: I've only gone the last two years so I have limited experiences to choose from.

1. Muse 2010-This was my first real experience at the Coachella stage.
2. Band of Skulls 2010- SO happy they'll be back this year. This was one of the best crowds I've ever had the pleasure to be a part of.
3. Foster the People 2011- the band was incredibly humble and you could just see the disbelief on their faces that so many people were crammed in the tent to see them.
4. Mumford and Sons 2011- singing Little Lion Man with thousands of fans.
5. Cage the Elephant 2011- matt schultz was higher than a kite and stage diving in his little red dress. Again, an amazing crowd!

[lt.roast.a.botch]

Only been 2 years as well:

1. Trentmoller 2011 sunset was everything I hoped it to be
2. Sasha 2011 - was taken for a journey
3. LCD Soundsystem 2010 - Losing My Edge and I was losing my mind. I was there.
4. Arcade Fire 2011 - liked them but understood why to love them
5. The xx 2010 - Watching the mainstage on fire during sunset. I wanted to see something else but went along with friends. I dont remember what that was and I will always remember this moment.

[garrett1008]

Only been the last 2 years (going this year!)

5. The XX 2010 - Incredible set.

4. Hot Chip 2010 - Just constant dancing.

3. Miike Snow 2010 - The crowd participation was incredible.

2. DJ Lance Rock 2010 - The biggest surprise because I didn't even notice him on the lineup.

1. Arcade Fire 2011 - It's pretty hard to have a surprise during your favorite bands set. You have certain expectations. This set exceeded them.

[zircona1]

Last year was the first year I went, but my #1 moment was the start of the Chemical Brothers set, with the crowd getting hyped up, waving glowsticks, and then when they dropped "the time has come to...........GALVANIZE", it just set everyone off, throwing glowsticks and getting showered by them as that song blared across the Polo Fields. It was a fucking joyous moment.

[hotpantsdiva]

I loooved Chemical Brothers last year. The visuals, the dancing, the glow sticks. Everything about the set was fantastic.

[hotpantsdiva]

2011 - Cut/Copy tent. Everyone was dancing their ass off, and the energy was amazing
2009 - Morrissey because it was for the fans and his voice still sounds like butta
2008 - Hot Chip. The sun setting behind the crowd as the dance party begins.

[garrett1008]

I will never forgive myself for missing Cut Copy's set.

It is more regrettable than missing LCD in '10.

[TomAz]

Leonard Cohen
Roky Erickson
Linton Kwesi Johnson
Thelonious Monster
Gang of Four
Gillian Welch
Kraftwerk
Battles
X
PiL

[darthlaker]

Now I will add Tupac Showing up on Dre and Snoop's set weekend 1. That shit was EPIC!

[amyzzz]

Leonard Cohen
Roky Erickson
Linton Kwesi Johnson
Thelonious Monster
Gang of Four
Gillian Welch
Kraftwerk
Battles
X
PiL

Your forgot Daft Punk.

[DagnyTag]

1. Arcade Fire '05, '07, '11 their energy is infectious, and I always have a gigantic smile on my face when I watch them
2. Portishead - I never imagined I would see them live (I have since seen them again, but Coachella was better) Beth was incredible and sounded amazing. My friend wasn't feeling well and wanted to leave with her bf after the 2nd song, I stayed put and was in a trance during their set. Speechless
3. Radiohead 2004 - I had never seen them live, that set was perfect
4. Prince/ Roger Waters/ Paul McCartney - incredible performances by music legends that I never thought I would see live
5. Phoenix followed by Thom York &AFP at the Outdoor 2010 - clusterfuckchella, yet this is what I remember

There are so many more, hard to pick. Just walking onto the polo fields on the first day is a "best moment"

[ez-flirt]

Hello,
All replies are very good.
Thanks to all.

[Drewski27]

So here goes...

1. The first time I stepped foot onto the polo grounds in 2007 and just taking everything in. I will never forget that very moment.
2. The crowds energy for Rage Against the Machine. I have never felt that kind of energy prior to that moment.
3. Camping for the first time in 2009 and hearing Paul McCartney sound check while setting up camp. When it finally came time for his show, the four different groups of people we were with all seemed to merge from being separated from throughout the day at the exact same time all singing "Nah na na nahhhhh" for Hey Jude. So special.
4. Prince.
5. Weekend one of 2012 for Radioheads' set. Right after completing Karma Police, as they were fading out you could here everyone in the crowd start singing out the chorus "For a minute there, I lost myself. I lost myself." And then Thom joined in for a quick second. Made the entire two weekends right there for me.

[kvnty]

2011 - Cut/Copy tent. Everyone was dancing their ass off, and the energy was amazing
2009 - Morrissey because it was for the fans and his voice still sounds like butta
2008 - Hot Chip. The sun setting behind the crowd as the dance party begins.

I will never ever ever forget how balls out amazing Cut Copy (and the crowd) was in 2011. I still watch the YouTube videos and get chills.

[kvnty]

I will never ever ever forget how balls out amazing Cut Copy (and the crowd) was in 2011. I still watch the YouTube videos and get chills.

... and this mofo does a decent job of capturing the vibe.

[bmack86]

1. Throbbing Gristle absolutely destroying Persuasion with a brightly lit, sparsely attended Mojave tent.
2. Daft Punk pyramid. It was that good.
3. Peter Murphy of Bauhaus dropping from the rafters and singing all of Bela Lugosi's Dead while hanging from his feet.
4. Q and not U -> The Evens -> Beck in the Gobi. Hot damn that was a great 1-2-3.
5. Arcade Fire 2005. The glowballs were spectacular, but they owned the field completely when Win chucked his mic into the crowd at the end of Rebellion.

[FEELS]

1. Jeff Mangum, weekend II 2012. Against the railing front and center, having him say "thanks and that it's really special when he hears that" to me for telling him his music changed my life, and seeing him basically save a fainted attendee. Definitely one of the most amazing hours I've yet to experience.
2. My Bloody Valentine, 2009. Nothing much to say about that one, if you were there, you know. Being drowned out by that beautiful noise was something else.
3. Walking onto the polo fields for the first time in '06 at a ripe thirteen. Will never forget that
4. Arcade Fire, 2011. Yes, the glowballs, along with the thousands of people screaming AaaahhHHhh during Wake Up.
5. Sunday night/morning in the campgrounds, weekend I 2012. It was my first time camping this past year. Walking around drunk with my best friend, meeting loads of cool people until the sun came up.

[algunz]

1. Walking on to the polo fields for the first time every year
2. Driving past the windmills on the way in
3. Lying on the grass & counting the laser lights in the sky
4. Finding my groove & dancing like nobody is watching
5. Picking up the schedule booklet & flipping through it for the millionth time

[Neighborhood Creep]

Disclaimer: I've only gone the last two years so I have limited experiences to choose from.

1. Muse 2010-This was my first real experience at the Coachella stage.
2. Band of Skulls 2010- SO happy they'll be back this year. This was one of the best crowds I've ever had the pleasure to be a part of.
3. Foster the People 2011- the band was incredibly humble and you could just see the disbelief on their faces that so many people were crammed in the tent to see them.
4. Mumford and Sons 2011- singing Little Lion Man with thousands of fans.
5. Cage the Elephant 2011- matt schultz was higher than a kite and stage diving in his little red dress. Again, an amazing crowd!

Sucks to be you

[Neighborhood Creep]

5. Picking up the schedule booklet & flipping through it for the millionth time

I feel like I stare more at that than the acts

[kimbico]

5. Weekend one of 2012 for Radioheads' set. Right after completing Karma Police, as they were fading out you could here everyone in the crowd start singing out the chorus "For a minute there, I lost myself. I lost myself." And then Thom joined in for a quick second. Made the entire two weekends right there for me.

Did you go weekend two as well? After Karma Police ended, the audience all joined in and kept singing "For a minute there, I lost myself, I lost myself..." and Thom started laughing and just said, "Beautiful!"

It was one of the best moments of my life.