Kevin Bronson on April 15th, 2013

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Write your own punchline about what might have enraged the Coachella gods, but festival-goers were left gasping at the finish line on Sunday when a persistent windstorm wreaked havoc on eyes, noses, skin and lungs. The skies turned angry at midafternoon (that’s an un-color-corrected image above), and the rest of the day was a coughing fit waiting to happen, unless you were one of the smart ones with a kerchief.

There was refuge in the tents. On the main stage and at the Outdoor Theatre, the likes of Vampire Weekend, Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Pretty Lights and Wu-Tang Clan soldiered on despite increasingly thinning crowds. Red Hot Chili Peppers thrived in their role as hometown heroes, gamely thrilling their fans with hits even though some of their planned visuals and pyrotechnic displays were scotched due to the weather.

Coming up: our recaps from selected Sunday sets.