Staff Editor on April 24th, 2017

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Kendrick Lamar, Lorde, Hans Zimmer, Porter Robinson & Madeon, Twin Peaks, Allah-Las, Devendra Banhart, Toots & the Maytals, Whitney, Lee Fields and the Expressions

By David Brendan Hall

If you’ve already figured out the trick behind an optical illusion, will it still impress the next time you see it?

It certainly wasn’t any less dazzling during Kendrick Lamar’s Weekend 2 headlining set at Coachella, when, like some magical martial arts master, the Compton-bred rapper appeared to balance horizontally, both legs rigidly extended, on one arm atop the shoulder of another yogi planted painlessly in the same pose, all the while firing off the affecting flow of “PRIDE” (in actuality, both of them were resting comfortably on a transparent prop).

Even if you cheated and watched the Weekend 1 live stream, the floating trick in the flesh was again the most awe-inspiring element of the 75-minute festival finale, which didn’t change much save for the omission of any guests (he still paid homage to T.D.E. kinfolk Schoolboy Q by spitting his verse from “Collard Greens” and smartly replaced Future’s useless “Mask Off” reprise with the lively and uplifting “i”). Taken as a metaphor, the faux-feat felt like a representation of the cool confidence the 29-year-old exudes on “DAMN.,” a clear-cut career climax after quickly surpassing come-up (“Good Kid M.A.A.D. City”) and the demons of depression (“To Pimp a Butterfly”).

The impact of his new material, which was again featured across eight tracks providing narrative structure along with video interludes of new alter-ego Kung Fu Kenny, posited Lamar as the master of his craft, fully in control of his creative and physical flow amid plumes of pyrotechnics, commanding and convincing like the mirage he created on stage. With his band out of sight in the wings, his one-man tour de force (featuring occasional dancers … and ninjas) was matched perhaps only by Kanye’s Spartan display in 2011.

Yet, as the tumultuous path of Yeezus showed us, this sort of seemingly untouchable greatness can result in hazardous hubris (K-Dot is already flirting with it when he raps on “GOD.”: “Everything I write is a damn eight ball / Everything I touch is a damn gold mine / Everything I say is from an angel”). But for now, there are no signs of impending lunacy or delusions of grandeur, so I say let him gab about whatever he likes. The incomparable quality of his “DAMN.” material and accompanying stage show — which will tour the U.S. this summer, ending with a hometown stop at Staples Center — validates the game he’s voicing.

Of course, though it may seem so while he’s on stage, the world doesn’t revolve around Kendrick Lamar. Coachella boasted plenty of excitement prior to that during the final day of its 18th anniversary …

3:35 p.m. – Looks like there are plenty of people getting a late start today — Coachella’s newly expanded grounds (25 acres added this year) are alarmingly empty. Makes sense: It’s another day of triple-digit temperatures in Indio. So it’s a testament to the power of soul music that classic North Carolina crooner Lee Fields and his Expressions are inspiring some movement toward the main stage with the uplifting horn-powered hooks of cuts like “Make the World” and “Never Be Another You.” Amazingly, they’re sporting sharp suits — cream and brown for Fields and matching black-and-white-speckled ones for his band). The tiny crowd’s happy gyrations and willingness to answer Fields’ calls for participation indicate that they get it. If these guys have got the gumption to groove through this afternoon’s swelter in those getups, a little dancin’ and shoutin’ ain’t too much to ask.

4:10 p.m. – Whitney drummer/vocalist Julien Ehrlich just won the award for Best Real-Life Social Media Share at Coachella: “I read this tweet that said, ‘If you die at Coachella, you re-spawn at the last Urban Outfitters you shopped at,’” he says. Beyond that hilarious aside, the Chicago band is serving up a set tailor-made for sunny Sunday fest vibes. Even “Golden Days,” a song “about breaking up at a music festival,” hits the mark with its soaring trumpet line, jangly keys and infectiously catchy na-na-na-na sing-along toward the end.

4:20 p.m. — So you’re telling me that seminal Jamaican ska/reggae group Toots and the Maytals’ booking during this time is pure coincidence? Whatever, palm tree – you’re high. (In all seriousness, TATM are sounding stellar right now – considering how small their audience is, they just roused a raucous chorus for their cover of Richard Berry’s “Louie Louie” — but I can’t escape these low-hanging clouds. Gotta go).

5:11 p.m. – “Let’s take a moment and acknowledge our braving of the heat,” Venezuelan American songwriter Devendra Banhart says with an intense edge of kookiness in his voice about halfway through his set on the Outdoor Theatre. “Think about your belly. Is it a mess of tangled-up wires? Or is it loossse? Let’s dissolve those tangled wires,” he concludes, standing on one leg like a flamingo for that last intimation. He’s always been an odd bird, but his sentiment is infectiously positive, and already he’s reminded just how affecting his songwriting can be: “Für Hildegard Von Bingen” got people off their feet with its psychedelic secret agent swagger, his ultra-chill, Lou Reed-inspired riffs and vocals on “Never Seen Such Good Things” kept that groove movin’ and his Richard Hell-esque yelps over the four, intricately woven guitar parts of “Baby” are helping folks bounce happily through the heat. Later on, during the old-school rock and roll vibes of “Long Haired Child,” all five backing band members are belting out the chorus with him — Banhart may act like a nut sometimes, but it’s amazing to remember that almost all of these musical parts fitting together so fluidly came from his mind.

5:50 p.m. — “Thank you for being here,” says the Allah-Las’ Miles Michaud gesturing outward at the packed Sonora Tent. “There are a lot of places to be here — Weekend 2 was worth it, all right.” Coachella’s new air-conditioned haven currently hosts more bodies than it has all weekend, giving it the club show environment it was meant to foster. All(ah) the love makes sense, too — they’re a Los Angeles-bred act that has worked hard to rise above the milieu of surf- and psych-influenced garage rock. It’s especially fitting then that the gem among their 17-song set is a cover of cult L.A. psych group The Human Expression’s “Calm Me Down,” sung by lead guitarist Pedrum Siadatian, a fine reward for the faithful locals indeed.

7:10 p.m. – The gals of Spanish indie-pop outfit Hinds – along with about a dozen or so others lingering side stage – just joined Twin Peaks on stage in the Sonora Tent to sing backup on and lead a dance party during “Sweet Thing.” At this point, the Chicago garage-rockers are already 21-ish songs into their set (and they’ve still got three more, including a shred-heavy version of the Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers”). The sheer volume of songs played alone makes this side-trip to Coachella’s secluded indie tent well worth it, then add to that the band’s incredible tightness and impassioned playing that rivals half of the weekend’s acts, and you’ve got yourself one of the weekends strongest, most underrated performances. Each member of the quintet is so into the music — as great as the show was in this intimate space, their wonderfully catchy cacophony would’ve acted like a rock ’n’ roll tractor beam on a more public stage, drawing in unaware passersby to form an audience twice the size. Take note, Coachella: put ’em on the Outdoor Theatre next time.

7:33 p.m. – After another round of pyro erupts across the front of the main stage to signal the end of another upbeat banger, 24-year-old DJ Porter Robinson pipes up: “Coachella, this may be the most special night of me and Madeon’s life. We met on a music production message board when he was 12 and I was 14, and this is the last time we’re gonna play together. We never thought it would get to this level.” With that, they bust into “Beings” (another track from their pre-planned Shelter Live Tour set list), which was originally produced by Madeon but here is remixed and given live vocal treatment by Robinson. The duo’s heartfelt performance – plus the fact that their live approach includes live instrumentation (Madeon kills on those “Pixel Empire” keys) — sets them a cut above many of the weekend’s electro acts. They absolutely deserve this splendid sunset slot.

7:55 p.m. – Spicy Pie Part Deux: Return of the Spicy Pie. I’ll tell you when I’ve had enough.

8 p.m. – Once again, it’s baffling how many teens — who realistically look like they’re ready to charge over to Sahara for Marshmello at any moment — cheer when German composer Hans Zimmer announces his “desert cello concerto.” But when the strings and slew of other instruments featured in the full orchestra (!) on the Outdoor Theatre build to the familiar thundering crescendos of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” themes, the reaction makes more sense. It’s still mind-blowing that millennials on the younger end of the spectrum appear to know Zimmer is responsible for these works, but there aren’t many Coachellans who can resist reveling in at least one of his scores, which this night include the most famous selections from “The Lion King,” “Inception,” “Gladiator” and “The Dark Knight” trilogy. Even without the nostalgic aspect and the absence of Pharrell (we got him Weekend 1 for “Freedom”), the instrumentation is more overwhelmingly epic than 90% of the push-button EDM blasting from the Sahara Tent. Hans Zimmer is a G, ya’ll.

9:23 p.m. – Lorde just sang a snippet of Don Henley’s “The Heart of the Matter” as an intro to new tune “Liability,” one of five songs pulled from upcoming full-length “Melodrama.” Yes, she was referencing how much she loved Bon Iver’s Saturday evening version of “The End of the Innocence” (featuring guest appearances by the song’s co-writer Bruce Hornsby and Jenny Lewis), but is it strange to anyone else that Henley — an artist that probably very few under-20s out on this field have probably even heard of — has been covered twice this weekend? In this moment, it doesn’t matter much, because the 20-year-old Kiwi pop star’s voice sounds gorgeous as she croons it, and it’s really the cherry on top of a stellar performance that leaves no doubt she’ll slay as top-headliner for a ton of fests this summer. Compared to her last shows a few years back (when she was a mere 17 years old!) her command has flourished. She’s adopted the confidence of best bud Taylor Swift (all that hang time paid off) but incorporates far more bad-girl attitude — when she sings the “let’s blow shit up” hook after absolutely nailing the “femme-C”-style verse delivery on “Homemade Dynamite,” she comes off fiercely convincing.