Coachella 2007
 

Looks like the dates were announced:



Yup - this year it looks like it will be a THREE day event.

Cripes that's a lot of desert.

OK, Alex. When's MA?

That's also one of the possible MA dates.

Outta my head Lisa!

I know a great place to stay...

You guessed it.

Not final yet, but that is the target.

You know what I love? Hard decisions. Especially possibly expensive ones. :rolleyes:

For a moment I thought I was back in the porn thread. This is what happens when one doesn't drink coffee.

MA and Mouseadventure on the same weekend...gee, I wonder if it's gonna be warm.

Twice as warm ;)

Maybe we can hold MouseAdventure at Coachella and the focused intensity of the sun will bore a hole to the center of the earth.

And, sad to say it booked up yesterday when the dates were announced
:(

And so I booked a room at their sister hotel - swank to be sure, but damn I'll miss that pool...

Then again, it's the music we'll be out there for, hope the line-up is good.

LA Times artivle about Coachella line-up:

Am I the only person on the planet who would have been happier if Rage Against the Machine had stayed apart.

I'd go for Willie, though.

Yeah, I don't care much about RATM. Of the bands mentioned, Bjork, Interpol, Sonic Youth and Arcade Fire sound promising though.

Maybe somebody can toss a molotov cocktail onstage during RATM...

I'm not particularly excited yet. Arcade Fire's nice, but an act I've seen there before is a flimsy draw for me. Bjork might be cool but the big names are rarely what draws me in or makes the weekend interesting. Nevermind the 3 day span thing.

I'll have to see the extended list before I can fully gauge my interest.

Oh...Crowded freaking House? Really?

Only one band will get me to Coachella ever, and it would only be for the day the band played: Gogol Bordello. I want to see them. I want to see Eugene.

And I want to have Eugene's punk gypsy baby. For lack of a bull terrier to name, I would name our love child Sputnik Sweetheart.

Holy CRAP! I just downloaded your husband's music, EH. Holy crap!!!!!

Wow! That's the band that the Pandora website keeps recommending to me.

Methinks EH1812 would like Les Negress Vertes

Hee. GD Likey.

Did I just do you a solid?!

Intoxicating. Good, good stuff. And I've heard such terrific things about their live act. In other news, Elijah Wood met the drummer/dancer/etc. from the band after he made Everything is Illuminated with the band's lead. And they're still together. Cool.

Yeah! I MUST get more. I only have 2 songs and they don't have a My Space site.

I only have their most recent CD, which I could burn for you unless you grow impatient and just iTunes the album. Every song is worth it. I think I'm going to download the rest tomorrow. [wink]

Ooooh, that might tempt me, too. Awesome live act! (Waaaa, my ex doesn't work for their record label anymore ... so free concert passes are thing of the past.)

Looks like EH1812 is going to Coachella this year:

How official is that lineup?

It's what was announced on KROQ this morning - I believe it may be posted on their website - but I don't have access to that to confirm but I'd say this has at least a 95% confidence factor.

Cool. It's not on the website yet (still showing last year's under "Lineup"), but a KROQ announcement has more credence than, say, a message board post (I noticed that neither Paul Oakenfold nor Diesel Boy were listed, so I knew it was at least semi-official and not a fan-boy's dream/rumor list).

Choosing whether to go, and then on which days, but then MA is supposed to be the same weekend, AGAIN....this kind of decision is enough to make me want to go do something completely different instead.

Even so....I'm going to start researching bands.

After last year where day 1 was largely uninteresting to me save for a couple standouts, and something about either the setup or the crowd makeup or both seemed to subtly make the stages less accessible, and then day 2 turned into one of the worst days of my life (through no fault of the concert), I was rather turned off at the prospect of returning.

But of course as it approaches, the good memories begin their pull. So we'll see what happens.

Here's the link to KROQ

Well, there's enough to love on that list to get me there. Plus, there's a lot of bands I DON'T know, and the discovery always ends up being the best part about Coachella.

DAMMIT!
 

The love of my life IS playing this year.

Oh, the expense of it all. I just don't know...

Oh!

This is my initial short list:

Air
Jarvis Cocker
Justice (THIS is Daft Punk - I'm almost sure of it)
Arcade Fire (The)
Bjork
Lily Allen
Manu Chao
Brazilian Girls
New Pornographers
Cornelius
Ozomatli
Damien Rice
Decemberists
Peter, Bjorn & John
DJ Shadow
Rage Against The Machine
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Regina Spektor
Roky Erickson and the Explosives (DUDE! This is 13th Floor Elevator lead!!!)
Felix Da Housecat
Rufus Wainwright
Sonic Youth
Gillian Welch
Girl Talk
Gogol Bordello
Sparklehorse
Gotan Project
Grizzly Bear
We Are Scientists
Willie Nelson

I would go just for Jarvis.

His anthem, which appeared over the closing credits of Children of Men, is in my top ten of 2006.

Here's the video. NSFW NSFW NSFW (though it should be)

Days 1 and 2! Days 1 and 2! Damn, but why couldn't We Are Scientists and Gogol Bordello be in Day 2; I'd get to eat all my cake in one day. And now I have to save money AND contemplate a vacation day...

All for you, Eugene, you beautiful Russian refugee!

Don't forget New Pornographers.

I've heard of (or heard of sufficiently that I recognize their name) exactly four of those acts.

So just out of curiosity are those mostly reasonably well known bands or a few big names with a lot of essentially unknowns?

There are about 5 categories that the bands fall into.

* There are about a dozen or so that would be considered big names that most people have heard of whether they're into music/that genre or not (Bjork, RHCP, Decemberists, Rage, Willie Nelson...)

* There's a large chunk that are considered big-if-you're-into-it, but not surprising that people who don't listen to music much or don't get exposure to a particular genre haven't heard of them.

* The names that, if you're paying attention and listening to a lot of public radio you might have heard them.

* This group really gained traction last year - the My Space bands. I still haven't really delved into that world, but it's where a lot of new bands are getting exposure.

* Unknowns/Little knowns.

There's also the special bonus category of reunited old bands that WERE big but may only be known by those of us who are a good bit above the mean attendee age. This year, that includes Sonic Youth, Crowded House, and The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Add ing to what GD said, personally one of the pleasures of this festival takes place long before the concert takes place, as you start researching the bands, listening to clips, and discovering new music. This continues at the convert, with so many bands playing it's a smorgesborg of music - and it seems the most memorable performances are never anticipated.

What are the dozen or so big "everybody should have heard of them" bands? The four I've heard of are Bjork, Sonic Youth (couldn't name a song, but the name is familiar), Red Hot Chili Peppers (I had heard of them independent of Rockin' at DL), and Willie Nelson.

Willie Nelson is the only one where I'm confident I could both pick him out of a lineup and recognize a song as his without being told.

Looking back, a dozen might be too high. Hard for me to say because I'm somewhere between the second and third category, so I know a lot of the names but I suppose not everyone would. The one glaring one that I'm surprised you haven't heard of is Rage Against the Machine. Beyond that, most of the other ones that I'd consider top-tier names (Arcade Fire, Decemberists, Brazilian Girls) reached their popularity within the last few years while the ones you mentioned have all been around well over a decade, so I can see a cutoff there. The Roots is the biggest name with longevity that you don't mention, but while they've been huge within hip hop for a couple decades, they only became widely known outside of their genre relatively recently.

I consider Jesus and Mary Chain and Crowded House to be big names too, but I have no good perspective on them.

I am not the person to tell you who is "big" or not. My view is skewed. The very first time I ever heard that "Big Butts" song was at Ken and Teresa's wedding.

I'm always surprised when someone knows about a band I actually like. I often get the black stare when I say I'm going to see a band.

Sonic Youth never broke up. They've been working and touring pretty consistantly since 1981. The members have done a lot of independent projects, but they never stopped working as a band.

I stand corrected. I guess I should drop the "reunited" from the category description. Sonic Youth fits that bill.

While I've heard of quite a few of these bands, I don't know that I've heard much if anything BY them.

Perhaps its time to remedy that. I feel musically stagnated lately. Not that I'm lacking music ... there's plenty of it in my life - - but nothing much new for a few years now.


Hmmmmmm.

Yes.

I am cool with RATM doing a show. I'd love to see them with Zach and see how that goes. See if they have any new music for these troubled political times we are having.

I am just going to sit back, though, and see what it means to the band they are in with Chris Cornell. I've enjoyed what they've put together and a few of their concerts.

Just so you can request at the next wedding you go to, the song is titled "Baby Got Back"

Quoted for no other reason than it being an amusing typo.

Oh no! I just spotted a name that may have sealed the deal (for at least one day).

Infected Mushroom. Dude.

I thought that might do it for you.

:eek: It's going to be hard to leave the phat pants at home.

Absolutely not, I'd probably have been happier if he pulled a Cobain...







.

I saw Rage at Lalapalooza in '93. They put on a good show.

So does Celine Dion but that doesn't seem to stop many people from preferring she'd be dead.

Visible Alex Mojo :)

NA's image is no longer there - you can see the lineup here.

Infected Mushroom is on Sunday, same as Anathallo and Junior Boys...gotta look up more of these.

So when do I have to decide? (Ticket sales, place to stay, blah, blah)

Tickets go on sale Saturday at 10AM (though they tend not to sell out).

Start looking for a hotel now. Remember, unless you do something like priceline or hotwire, you can cancel the ressie with little to no penalty if you change your mind.

And if you're really interested - there's a special presale of 3-day tickets tomorrow (1/25) from 10AM to 10PM - contact me for details if you need them.

Single day tickets too. :) I don't know why I haven't unsubscribed from that email list. :rolleyes:

Prices?

$252 for 3 days, or $86/day individual - add the usual ticketmaster usery fees of course.

Our two 3-day ticket - which yes I bough this morning - came to a total of $569.95

Hmm, anyone interested in splitting a hotel room? We can probably find a suite with separate bedroom/foldout couch areas and a kitchen to cook breakfast in for a decent price. (still haven't decided one way or the other, but knowing if someone's interested would be helpful in deciding).

Well, if I could watch ....


Seriously, unless I can get a serious break on the cost of somewhere to stay, this is out of my league for that particular time frame. I'm headed for the Grand Canyon a couple of weeks later, which is going to set me back almost two grand. Anything approaching the $500 realm is simply too rich for my Spring-fevered blood.

Apparently the pool of Sunday Only tickets available for pre-sale sold out quickly today. More will be available when the tickets open to the general public, but if you're thinking of just going that day, you might want to act fast on that one.

If you don't mind driving to Pomona, you can avoid some of the service charges by paying in Cash at Glass House:

Um, the TicketBastard fees would have to be pretty high for them to cost more than the gasoline to and from Pomona from the Pacific Ocean.

(are they?)


If I go, it's going to be for all 3 days. (Ugh, what am I thinking?!?) But, seeing as I'm sick as a dog today, I don't want to make any decisions. I will just assume 3-day passes will be available by phone Saturday morning. If it ain't so, then I ain't meant to go.

I really must nail down a cheap way to spend the night before I commit to this.



But this is the first time I've wanted to go ... so I hope it happens.

The three day pass is likely to be available for awhile - In the past - when this was a two day event, they were available till a few weeks before the concert.

However, It appears that Sunday single day tickets might be the first to go

It's looking more like we're not going. Like :ism:, we have other travel plans for the year that take precedent. But if we don't go it will be with the caveat that we will do SOMETHING in the live music realm this year.

I have devised a Plan B for accommodations if the Lautner does't pan out. One of my clients has a house in Palm Springs and they offered it to us previously. I'm going to talk to them. Depending on the size, it could probably accommodate a few more........

hmmm, keep us advised. With GD and CP bowing out, I'm less inclined to go. It seems like the kind of thing that's more fun as a group (though, really, the company of NA and € is always scintillating).

We've gone 3 years in a row. Both with friends in tow and alone. It's really a fantastic experience no matter which way you go. As a matter of fact, I sort of like the freedom of spontainaity that we have when we're alone. However, shared experiences are always a good thing.

IF the Lautner is a go, you can stay with us, ISM.

Ack, this all hurts my head. No way we're doing 3 days, but then you gotta decide which to not do. There's MA. GD's sister and husband aren't going. I'm just feeling more and more like I'm not up for this, but I have got to get my ass out to see SOME music, do SOME dancing, SOME time. Just doing Coachella covers that just fine. Finding something else to do would require a different kind of effort and energy.

I'm still putting off deciding.

Do I sense a hippie drum circle coming on?

Exactly why I'm thinking, despite the difficulties, Coachella is the right thing to do. Life's needed music enlivement in one fell swoop.

I'm not sure I'm up for 3 days either, but I'd certainly buy a pass for all days ... and leave the decision making more in the moment when the time comes.

Don't forget, EH 1812 is inclined to attend at least one of the days - Gogol Bordello

You could combine Lollapalooza with your Chicago trip...

Well, Sunday single day tickets are already sold out - three day tickets are still available

And more Sunday tickets have been released...

Still needing ultra-cheap place to stay. My enthusiasm is really dampened by feeling so completely ill at the time tickets go on sale, but that's the way it is.

Single Day tickets for both Saturday and Sunday are now "sold out" - but three day tickets are still available. In time, more single day tickets may be released.

Well, iy looks like the three-day tickets are sold out now, so it appears Firday single day tickets are all that's available - so last chance to see Gogol Bordello or Bjork.

Meh ... I had really wanted go. Truth is, I simply cannot afford it. I am dirt poor ... deeply, deeply, deeply in debt ... and cannot continue my lifestyle of do whatever I please ... much as this would have pleased me.

Decision by indecision. Guess we just weren't motivated for it.

One of the local DJs here said he had heard a rumor that The Police might play Coachella.

I had heard that too.

What audience are they going after, exactly?

Sigh -

I'm beginning to wonder if we'll make it this year. The loss of our primary hotel is turning out to be a greater set-back than imagined. Right now it seems the only available places are going for $350 a night or more. A steep price for any accommodation, but these are for one and two star hotels.

I have a list of smaller accommodations not found on the major travel reservation systems, but that means spending a good chunk of time on the phone getting a place in the $200 a night price range with little foreknowledge of what exactly we're getting.

Another alternative is it seems a number of enterprising people have booked reservations for many of the available rooms and are selling the reservations on eBay. All hail the Capitalist market, but it irks me to bid $100 for the chance to get into a Motel 6.

For the same potential cost of going this year, we could go to Tokyo for a week. Not to mention the potential for trips to SF (Vivian Westwood) or NYC (Hi Steph) - not to mention the amount of CDs we could buy, or shows at the Troubadour and other venues. I love Coachella, love the variety of music, the scene - but I'm starting to wonder if maybe we should look into Glastonbury or some other Euro festival and make a real vacation of it.

I still have an email in to the Lautner to see if they might reopen in time, but I'm not holding my breath.

€urofestival! €urofestival! €urofestival! €urofestival!

Well, you could simply drive out for Friday, go home ... take Saturday off ... and drive back for Sunday.

Driving back and forth all three days might be too much travel with too little sleep. But the festival is less than a 3-hour drive, and I think doable as a commute for two of the 3 days, with a rest day in between. The gasoline shouldn't cost nearly as much as a hotel room.

Good point, iSm. The tickets are a sunk cost and alone are not worth sinking copious amounts of money into being able to stay for the whole thing - perhaps a drive or two to get some mileage out of the tickets would be worth it.

Since the festival sold out early it would be easy resell the tickets (and maybe even make a modest profit), so I don't see them as a sunk cost. I suppose driving is a possibility, but with the noon to midnight hours plus the usual horrendous traffic to get in and out (add another hour at least - unless we leave early), I'm not sure it'd be worth it.

Ahh, yes, I wasn't even thinking in terms of re-selling the tickets.

I'd say sell and do other things.

Well, the Reading Festival looks interesting this year... or of course there's Epcot's 25th birthday in October... and you know that Shiina Ringo will be announcing some dates soon...

And the EMP still has the Music of Disney exhibit.

Oooooh! I totally forgot that one.

And of course there's the Once Upon A Time Walt Disney exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

AND, I've been threatened with buddy list expulsion if I don't get to NY soon. ;)

Ugh, that damnable Ric Burns documentary series has me wanting to see New York again before I die.


Whereas a month ago I would have said I'd rather die than see New York again.



Sigh, too many travel committments this year already. I hope the trip to Florida for Epcot's 25th pans out. That would be fun. All my plans are sort of stetchy, and it will be a pleasant surprise if any of them end up happening.

I can't imagine not wanting to see a place again. Then again, I suppose I haven't ever lived anywhere long enough to want to do that.

I'm headed to Florida this summer, it looks like - though I'm wondering if I could pull off an Epcot trip in October... Hmmm... Seems so doubtful. But... so intriguing.

I'm going to that one in May. :)

I will also likely be running the WDW marathon again in January 2008.

NYC! NYC! :D

I take it you've never been to either Ozark, Alabama or Amarillo, Texas.

I've been to both and I'd go back.

Admittedly, I'd not want to live in them (Amarillo, particularly, since vasts tracks of cows get boring) but being on the road makes any place interesting enough to be worthwhile.

Is anyone taking video at coachella? You probably aren't allowed to but.... is anyone going to ignore all that? ;)

As you probably know I am a huge Bjork fan but there is no way in hell I am going to be able to wiggle out of work on a Friday for Coachella. (I already have my tickets for a full Bjork concert on May 19 up in the bay area at Shoreline Ampitheatre so I will see her then). However, I am so annoyed that I am going to miss the debut of her new album's songs in a live version.

So if anyone is taking video (or audio) you happen to tape Bjork, please please send me a PM and I'll make you something good to eat or give you head. Even if you're a lady.

Yes, I really really love Bjork.

*ahem*

Just because it made me think of NA, and because I had to laugh out loud when I read this:

Now, I have NO idea if this is acutally anywhere near your event, but still, it made me laugh.

Derailed Train Spills Blue Cheese Dressing Into Canal

You know, Gogol Bordello are playing Bumbershoot this year.

Um, huh, "Bumbershoot"??

OOOH! I'LL GO TO BUMBERSHOOT!

I just don't like that Main Stage tickets are sold separately from the festival tickets. Is that typical? Or am I misreading their page?

They've been doing it for awhile now. The main stage tickets are free, but they're handed out first come-first served the day of (inside the festival). They started doing it once they started having real big names for the main stage because they need to control capacity some how.

from their website

Well I booked us a room at the "Marriott's Shadow Ridge Villas at Palm Desert:" - a bigger price than I originally hoped to pay, but at least the amenities are a bit more thanebayed Motel 6 ressies going for the same price are far less than the $500/night the remaining hotels in the area seem to be charging. We'll save a bit by checking out Sunday and going home from the venue. Our room can accommodate 4 people, so if anyone should chance upon some tickets - I know a place you can stay.

Now back to researching the bands...

OKay - I know no one else is going, but set times were announced and it looks like we're going to have to make some hard choices - or just keep running from stage to stage. Friday closes with Bjork - DJ Shadow - Gogol Bordello.

Other tough choices/sprints across the polo field include:
Interpol - Faithless - Brazillian Girls
The New Pornographers - Peter Bjorn & John
The Decemberists - !!!
The Arcade Fire - Coco Rosie
Blond Redhead - Justice
Gotan Project - LCD Soundsystem - Sparklehorse
Tiesto - Cornelious
Air - Lilly Allen
Manu Chao - The Teddybears
Rage Against the Machine - Infected Mushroom

On the plus side it seems things get off to a later start this year, hopefully the hotel's a nice place to hang out. Oh and it looks like we may hit triple digits this weekend.

I heard that, also.

I had heard something else and was going to post it but forgot. :rolleyes:

But, have a great time and enjoy the hotel, too. Sounds like a nice place.

Erica's Vote (Not that it counts)

Interpol - Faithless - Brazillian Girls

The New Pornographers - Peter Bjorn & John (I looooooove The New Pornographers, but I think PB&J (aside from having a sort of peanut butter & jelly sound to it) might provide a really interesting show. Or it'll be horrible. I have no research to back that up, just instinct.) (Oh, the other thing is about the crowds. PB&J have a song out currently, which might drag people out, so it could be a teeny bit more crowded.

The Decemberists - !!! (Who is !!! ? I'll go with The Decemberists)

The Arcade Fire - Coco Rosie (Tough call, with the Arcade Fire, you might see a guitar get smashed, but the crowds will probably be out of control)

Blond Redhead - Justice

Gotan Project - LCD Soundsystem - Sparklehorse (all good choices... I'd go with your mood. They're each distinctly different from one another. Just guessing, but Sparklehorse will have the smallest crowd of the three.)

Tiesto - Cornelious (again, mood... hell, all of them could be mood. I'd be most interested in Cornelius, though)

Air - Lilly Allen (ahh... ****)

Manu Chao - The Teddybears

Rage Against the Machine - Infected Mushroom (As one of their former biggest fans, and after meeting Zach on several occasions... I just couldn't buy into the whole RATM scene any longer. Now, the rest of the guys kick ASS. Zach - well, I hope his time off gave him a little humility.) (Oh, and I can't even begin to guess the kinds of crowds that will be there to see RATM get back together.)

AT&T is webcasting from Coachella this year from 3 pm until midnight. The web address is http://www.attblueroom.com/music in case you're up for a vicatious experience.

These are some mighty tough choices. Here's how I'm feeling today (subject to change)

Bjork - DJ Shadow - Gogol Bordello. - This is the toughest choice. I want to see all 3!
Interpol - Faithless - Brazillian Girls - We've seen Brazillian Girls and I am leaning towards Interpol at the moment.
The New Pornographers - Peter Bjorn & John - PB&J get my vote.
The Decemberists - !!! - !!! All the way!
The Arcade Fire - Coco Rosie - Arcade Fire - I've been wanting to see them live again since the previous Coachella.
Blond Redhead - Justice - Justice in where I'm leaning.
Gotan Project - LCD Soundsystem - Sparklehorse - I'm thinking LCD Soundsystem.
Tiesto - Cornelious - Cornelious
Air - Lilly Allen - Air
Manu Chao - The Teddybears - Tough call, but Manu Chao is winning - unless Iggy Pop shows up.
Rage Against the Machine - Infected Mushroom - Eh, either or .....or just go home.

My thoughts for the day:

Bjork - DJ Shadow - Gogol Bordello
I also want to see all three, but I think I’m leaning towards Bjork for just the anticipated showmanship. I may still sneak out to catch a song or two of Gogol bordello – I just hate to miss seeing any of their set.
Interpol - Faithless - Brazillian Girls
Yeah we’ve seen Brazillian Girls, but I really loved their show – especially all that between song banter about Sabina Sciubba's pussy – they know how to work a crowd. I’m still listening to Faithless to see how much I like them, but Interpol is probably winning
The New Pornographers - Peter Bjorn & John
PB&J gets my vote too, which is too bad because in pulling all the Coachella bands into my iPod I’m discovering that I still really like the New Pornographers
The Decemberists - !!!
!!! are also loaded on my ipod and consistently come up in those moments when I say, “oh I like this one, what band is that?” – so punctuation wins of the polysylabicists
The Arcade Fire - Coco Rosie
We saw Arcade Fire in 2005 and they were one of if not the most memorable bands that year – awesome performance all around, so in some ways I’m worried that if they really don’t bring down the house this repeat performance might not seem as good - I've really liked what I’ve hear of Coco Rosie and they’re probably one my favorite new finds from Coachella, but their sound seems like it’s mostly a product of the studio, so I’m wary of what they are like live. On the other hand, I thought the same thing about the likes of DJs and electronica bands like Crystal Method or Daft Punk. I may have to sneak out to see them to find out.
Blond Redhead - Justice
I’m thinking Justice will be the new Daft Punk, so I’ll definitely want to check it out – they do a long set in the Sahara (DJ) tent so it may be easy to squeeze some Blond Redhead in.
Gotan Project - LCD Soundsystem - Sparklehorse
I'm loving LCD Soundsystem, so I’m leaning that way too, but I’ve got to see some Gotan Project, I love their remixes
Tiesto - Cornelious
I agree, Cornelious wins
Air - Lilly Allen
Again, great memories of Air playing sunset on the Coachella Stage, but they go on later this time. Lilly Allen is probably a pop-chart blip, but her music is infectious and I’d love to see how she performs live, but maybe catching her in a club is a better venue.
Manu Chao - The Teddybears
Heh, I’m hoping Iggy Pop shows up.
Rage Against the Machine - Infected Mushroom
I want to see infected Mushroom, Rage is closing the main stage, so we’ll catch some of the show either way. Sunday sold out due to all the rage fans, so we’ll be watching from a distance anyway.

Honorable mention to The Jesus and the Mary Chain, since rumor has it Scarlet Johansen will be singing with them, I may have to check that out.

Infected Mushroom! Rage is Rage, yawn. How often do you get a chance to see the premier Israel Psy Trance act?

Not often enough, damnit.

Well we're in the desert - in our condo for the weekend. I think the place is bigger than our house, full kitchen and place settings for 6 - so if anyone wants to come play in the desert - call us we've got the room...

Recently converted, I'd go for Shiina Ringo!

Having just seen Bjork on SNL...see Bjork!

The Bjork/Gogol Bordello conflict is REALLY bugging me. I woke up singing "Not a Crime" I wish I knew when GB was playing again.

I know I'm in the minority, but Bjork doesn't interest me in the slightest. I'd definitely check out Gogol Bordello.

Tour dates. The closest they get in the next 4 months seems to be Ottowa.

Of course, I bet Dublin is nice in July.

We're about to head out. We'll see what decision we end up making. This evening is filled with conflicts.

Wow. WOW! What a way to end the day! We saw Bjork for about 6 songs the headed over to Golgo Bordello. AMAZING show! I blew out my ears AND my knee because I was jumping up and down over and over again. I'm not sure what they played first, but we got there just in time to hear Not A Crime, followed by Dogs Were Barking and then a ROUSING version of Start Wearing Purple. There stage show was a mass of humanity on stage - dub rappers, show girls with cymbols and a big drumb, the Hells Angels with the violen. I wanted the show to go on and on even if my body was screaming at me to stop dancing. Definately, that was this year's Daft Punk. Too bad they are going to France for a long time".:)

Other standouts of the day were:

• a fantastic performace by Amy Winehouse. How does that voice come out of that tiny body?
• Tilly and the Whale was a complete surprise as was
• Digitalism.
• Jarvis Cocker is soo wonderful. He opened with "Fat Children"" and it just got better each song.
• Caught a bit of Jesus and the Mary Chain and Charlotte Johanson did join them for one song.
• Peaches and Faithless were not favorites today but
• The Brizilian Girls are still hot.

I started they day be getting dehydrated and needing a medic when we first got there. It was 105 in the sun and I was standing in it for quite some time. I didn't faint, but my eye went blind. I didnt know where Chris was and I was hanging on to my last bit of awareness using sheer willpower.Thankfully, it all came together an, after lots of ice on my neck ad some gatoraid, I was almost back to normal

Great recap.



Um, stay alive out there!

Prescription: one linen rectangle, water. Wet linen. Wrap around head. Enjoy your medieval do rag. Report back on the next batch of musical discoveries.

I'm employing the "don't drink too much coffe, eat earlier in the day, drink lots of water before hand, stop at store for Gatorade" method today. This is the first year I didn't bring ANY of the following items:

Personal cooling device
Personal fan
Bandana
Emergen-C

Except for the fan, I rarely needed these things. Go figure.

Moral of the story - overpacking is not a crime.

My pictures suck but my video is not bad. But, I'm to lazy to upload any of it.

Maybe Chris has a decent one of Rufus Wainwright in what I swear is a robe from the Beat Hotel.

I wonder if Perrier makes an IV.

As Lisa said Gogol Bordello was the best way to close the day



We got off to an iffy start - Seeing the "Medic Tent" instead of the Gobi, Mojave, or Sahara, but NA was in good Company, the 105 temp had people dropping all over. So we took it easy.

Tilly and the Wall as a great surprise - who knew thier percussion included tap dancing?



Amy Weinhouse pulled a great performance, it's amazing to see such a voice come out of such a small body, I swear these is a 400 pound black woman hidden inside her somewhere



Of course, she had a drink in hand...

Rufus Wainwright appears to have stayed at the Beat Hotel - perhaps we can claim him as one of us?



Unfortunately the sound wasn't great, but his performance was fun. A lot more "queeny" in this venue as opposed to Hollywood Bowl where he played with his father...

I did catch Scarlet Johansen's bit with the Jesus and the Mary Chain, and even snapped this from the Jumbotron:



We caught a song and a half from the Brazilian Girls. Sabina had on this Hoola-hoop-reflector outfit that served as a portable spot light - I love this band - Between Interpol and Faithless, having also caught a few songs from each, this appeared to be the best show:



And although Gogol Bordello took the show, we did catch the beginning half of Bjorks set - but she was hard to see - my best effort:



This year the art has been spectacular - especially at night, which means very hard to photograph, but what's Coachella without giant arachnid robots?



And this year not only is there an extra day, there's an extra Tesla Coil!



That's all for Friday

I can see the meetings now:

"You know what's better than a giant tesla coil?"

Only thing missing is the Mutaytor :)

I told you to take that personal cooling device! Silly woman.

While I'm not jealous about your emergency tent visit, I'm jealous of everything else! :) Looks like you guys are having fun.

Only 103 today. It's cooling down!

And I didn't end up at the medic tent either! Plus we got a prime parking spot in Lot 1.

LOTS of great music today.

• Arcade Fire gave another AWSOME show. They are sooooo much better live than on their recordings.
• Roky Erickson (from the 60's psychodellic band 13th Floor Elevators) can still play a mean guitar and sing like a madman - mental illness not withstanding.
• Gotan Project was a perfect penultimate end to a great day.
• Cornelious was the PERFECT end to a great day. And, I so wish MousePod could've been there with us to share some Japanese love.
• LCDSounsystem was fricken awsome but so incredibly crowded I just about died. They have such a Pere Ubu/Buzzcocks feel to them, I love them! I want to see them again very soon.
• Peter, Bjorn and John needed a bigger tent. It was the Gnarles Barkley syndrom from last year - the band too popular too fast and outgrew their tent even before they played. The result was not good for us. I was really looking forward to seeing them, and they were great - there was just too many bodies to hear well.
• !!! - LOVED them and need to see them again. Soon.

We saw more, but I'm fried.

Check out time's 10:00AM tomorrow so I doubt I'll get to post any pictures till we get home - I've been taking lots of blurry pics and it takes awhile to find the less painful ones.

Today was another great day - I concur with Lisa with a few additions:
!!! - A California band that I somehow managed to miss< these guys are awesome, that wonderfull layered polyphonic sound that seems like it's almost ready to fall apart - I love them

The Arcade Fire - put in another brilliant performance playing the Coachella stage at sundown their energy was amazing. I think they need to fire their producer, because their CDs just sound to "pretty" compared to their live sound - or they need a live album.

Justice - was fun but hurt my ears, being the first set in the Sahara today. Which reminds me - yesterday I caught a bit of Digitalism to satisfy my German/Kraftwerk heritage and loved what I heard, I'll definately be picking up some of them at my next CD binge.

Gotan Project - was amazing becasue all these sounds I thought were tapes and loops were done live. Great stuff, but they started late and got the plug pulled on them after playing 20 minutes beyond their set time.

Tomorrow, less conflicts and a wide open afternoon - I think we're going to spend some time exploring the art and seeing the circus.

PS to Matt - nope, no Mutaytor - but there seems to be a lot of connections - Peaches/Cirque performers/Pyro/Robots/Burning Man veterans - I'll see if I can capture some good photos of such tomorrow.

I think we're too tired to talk about the third day. However, i will say one thing......


GO SEE RODRIGO Y GABRIELA!

They ROCKED the Gobi tent on Sunday. It was incredible! Their live energy is amazing. it's not even the type of music I seek out - but it is so good!