Kevin Bronson on April 19th, 2009

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[Contributor Ali MacLean stations herself at the main stage:]

On Saturday, the main stage at Coachella resembled the KCRW World Music extravaganza, Paolo Nutini, Michael Franti, M.I.A., and, ahem, representing the exotic Las Vegas Mormon contingency, the Killers. But no group was more of the world than TV On The Radio.

Touring on their new album “Dear Science,” arguably one of last year’s best, TVOTR took the stage with a glorious swagger and came prepared to entertain and uplift the crowd. Charismatic front man, Tunde Adebimpe, looks more like your local IT guy than a charismatic, excitable ball of energy, but he crossed the stage with double-jointed fist pumps like an indie rock Montel Williams. Their newer tunes came off more mellow than electronic, but their “Return To Cookie Mountain” hit “Wolf Like Me” made those Vampire kids look like punk posers.

Joined by Katrina Ford, TVOTR delivered a set that blended all their influences beautifully – at once flaunting their brass section orchestra, world beat sound, proggy indie chords, jazzy riffs and jags of Morphine-styled Honey White. It’s a mélange that the average audience – namely the crowd waiting on the Killers – probably couldn’t, or was too disaffected, to access. TV On The Radio just might be too inventive, too brilliant – before their time. And that is a world problem.