Coachella, Day 2: One for the ages?
Kevin Bronson on
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More than one veteran of multiple Coachella festivals were heard repeating the same theme on Day 2: Saturday’s might have been the best single-day lineup in the event’s history. Capped by cinematic main-stage sets by Animal Collective (pictured), whose intro was something right out of “Close Encounters,” and Arcade Fire, whose unconstrained exuberance exceeded even the dazzling visuals that accompanied it, the middle day of this year’s also featured dance-tent spectacles anchored by Paul Van Dyk; folky frolics from Jenny and Johnny, Delta Spirit, the Swell Season and the Felice Brothers; strong turns from veterans Big Audio Dynamite, Wire and Suede; bawdy spectacles from Gogol Bordello and Empire of the Sun; and raucous rock from the Joy Formidable, Cage the Elephant and the Kills.
Coverage from Buzz Bands LA staffers Kevin Bronson and Seraphina Lotkhamnga and contributors Richard Cromelin, Travis Woods, Ben “Mouse” McShane and Jeff Miller follows.
Photo by Jim Donnelly
Except that Animal Collective flat-out sucked. I mean, that was unlistenably atrocious.