Kevin Bronson on April 14th, 2016

1

I’m sure all those Coachella-adjacent day parties are great, but I couldn’t tell you for sure. Never been to one. I reckon there are pools, libations and maybe some brand’s swag, along with a lot of people who would rather be seen than see. Call me crazy, but being in possession of a festival pass and then skipping half of it seems like playing hooky.

It’s your time, of course, and who knows, you might get a selfie with some EDM stud.

Me, I’m fond of the green expanse of Empire Polo Field before it is littered with humanity, so I show up as close to the crack of noon as possible. (There’s also something about my liking communal experiences that aren’t too communal.)

Besides, there are fantastic bands playing in the first three or four hours of the festival. This year, for instance, earlybirds can see Congolese sensations Mbongwana Star, Mexican pop darling Carla Morrison, cholo goths PRAYERS, transatlantic insurrectionists Algiers and U.K. rapper Skepta — all with set times before 2:30 p.m. Oh, and Mavis Staples, for cryin’ out loud. Not to mention L.A. hometown favorites like HEALTH, the Dead Ships, De Lux and Steady Holiday.

Below is Buzz Bands LA’s “Earlybird Specials” mix — which could be titled “20 Before 3.” Besides the 20 artists with pre-3 p.m. sets below, a couple of others (notably PRAYERS and Algiers) did not have songs available on Soundcloud. Click on those links to sample their wares.

And just for grins, Buzz Bands LA has a bonus Spotify playlist below that — 60 Coachella artists who have played the festival before 3 p.m. (Was anybody at Miguel’s noon set in 2011? Lunchtime with A Perfect Circle or At the Drive-In in Year 1? OneRepublic at noon in 2006?) Dive in …

||| Stream: Coachella 2016 – The Earlybirds Special mix

||| Stream: Sixty Coachella artists who’ve played pre-3 p.m. sets

Enjoy your day party.