Staff Editor on April 22nd, 2017

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Radiohead, The xx, Phantogram, Father John Misty, Glass Animals, Bonobo, SOHN, Sampha, Stormzy, The Lemon Twigs

By David Brendan Hall

If you think everything is identical across both weekends of Coachella’s dual format, you’re fooling yourself. Even though you’re dealing with the same artists, the second run is anything but a carbon copy.

True enough, some artists will play the same set, or something fairly similar, but others, like Friday night headliners Radiohead, are gonna mix things up, for better or worse. It was the latter if you were banking on a reprise of “Creep” — looks like the odds of that ’93 hit turning up in Indio are about once every 13 years (they last dusted it off out here in 2004). But just by virtue of the sound holding up from start to finish, plus plenty of set list switch-ups during the seminal British group’s two hours —which again kicked off about 15 minutes past its scheduled 10:35 p.m. slot on the main stage — meant that Weekend 2 peeps had plenty to celebrate.

A complete “15 Step” early on (that’s where the sound began cutting out Weekend 1) followed by the wanton wallop of “Myxomatosis” made for a solid start; “OK Computer” stunners “Lucky” and “Exit Music (For A Film)” more than held up (“This is where we get cut off,” joked Thom Yorke after the former track, while the latter appeared to convert a few on-the-fence folks with its bait and switch format of quiet acoustic turns core-shaking crescendo — closed-mouth skepticism transformed to wide eyes and dropped jaws all around); flawless flings with “Pyramid Song” and “I Might be Wrong” reminded that “Amnesiac” forays are rare and immensely underrated; and louder-than-hell “The Bends” additions “My Iron Lung” and “Fake Plastic Trees” appeased the old-schoolers who stuck it out (far more people remained through this weekend’s end, marked by the 1-2 punch of glitchy grooves “Lotus Flower” and “Idioteque”). “In Rainbows” revivals of “All I Need” and main set closer “Reckoner” were also essential in establishing more of the ultra-chill vibes consistent with this balmier Friday evening.

OK, OK this is starting to sound like a fan-piece … and admittedly it is, but here’s the significance for any non-diehards: The fact that Radiohead varies their set so vastly from night to night, let alone at all (so many headliners/arena acts stick to the same set for dozens of dates), corroborates not only continually cutting-edge creativity, but also their willingness to go the extra mile for the faithful, which is pretty damn important considering they probably won’t play extensively Stateside again for at least another four or five years. If this run of Southern California shows has proven anything definitive about Radiohead, it’s that they’re one of the most generous top-tier rock bands in the biz.

Before Radiohead’s resplendent reprise, Weekend 2’s Friday came alive with plenty more memorable moments.

2:45 p.m. — Word seems to have spread about Long Island rockers the Lemon Twigs since their impressive turn at Weekend 1. The Gobi tent is twice as packed as brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario (each taking a turn as guitarist and drummer) rip, jump, harmonize and high-kick through gourmet retro-glam cuts off their 2016 full-length debut “Do Hollywood,” plus a couple from an upcoming album (“Night Song” and “The Queen of My School”). Sadly, we don’t get that fantastic Todd Rundgren cameo again for “Couldn’t I Just Tell You,” but, like the pros they already are, the LTs alter their show by adding sparse and pretty piano tune “How Lucky Am I?,” which serves a perfect transition for the D’Addarios’ impressive mid-set frontman switch-up. (For the record: the early-bird homies reported that Tears for Fears’ Curt Smith likewise didn’t return for a “Mad World” encore with Zipper Club an hour or so earlier in Mojave).

3:10 p.m. — Stormzy calls for his “energy crew” and finds them easily amongst the Coachellans gathered at the Outdoor Theatre — there certainly isn’t any lack of people moshing during the U.K. artist’s rowdier raps (“Fire in the Booth,” “Shut Up”) or dancing during his R&B-influenced jams (“Cigarettes in Cush,” a collab with Kehlani, not present, and pseudo-cover of Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You”). The way his songs inspire en masse movement to defy the 97-degree heat, it’s no wonder his February full-length debut “Gang Signs & Prayer” is the first grime record to reach No. 1 on the U.K. albums chart.

4:08 p.m. — “One of my pieces of gear is fucked up, so I have to skip one of the songs, unfortunately,” admits SOHN mastermind Christopher Michael Taylor. No one would’ve been the wiser if he’d kept his mouth shut about that, but to the English singer-producer’s credit, his humility in the matter is as refreshing as his flawlessly sung standouts “Rennen” and “Artifice,” the latter of which proves he’s got bangers in the bank along with his pretty pop pieces.

4:20 p.m. — Sampha ain’t necessarily tokin’ music, but the stoners are still staying true to the designated time under the shade of Mojave as the British singer-songwriter croons and through piano-based tracks like “Plastic 100°C” and “Reverse Faults,” which recall shades of Prince and ’90s R&B mainstays like Usher and R. Kelly. He’s a powerhouse, for sure, but that doesn’t stop herds of younger fans exiting the tent around this time — after all, Big Gigantic takes over Sahara in just a few minutes.

4:32 p.m. — A couple of kids carelessly cut me off as I head toward the main stage: “That’s Sahara, where it gets fucking crazy but you can dance, that’s main stage, and over there is Gobi and Mojave …” relates one Coachellan to an obvious newcomer. But rather than sparking annoyance, the brief roadblock inspires nostalgia — at the tailend of my 11 years and 17 Coachellas (every double weekend included), it’s more heartwarming than anything to witness a new generation discovering the fest for the first time. Guess I’m not (too) old and jaded yet.

4:45 p.m. — It might be that Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are slated to perform in the Heineken House today, but the line for the air-conditioned, first-come-first-served indoor space is exceptionally long right now — Coachellans are desperate for a reprieve from this stifling heat.

5:13 p.m. — “Damn!” shouts one bulky, tank-top-touting bruh as Bonobo’s flautist steps up for his solo during the British artist’s heat-hammered main stage set. It’s always surprising how the power of music succeeds in breaking down certain stereotypes … just wait ’til he hears the expanded horn section about to add a truly epic layer to some of the strongest off chart-topping new album “Migration.” Dude’s gonna freak.

6:24 p.m. — Brace boot be damned, Glass Animals frontman Dave Bayley is down on the barricade for “Gooey,” leading tens of thousands in the choral reprise “I can’t take this place, no I can’t take this place / I just wanna go where I can get some space.” After buttering up his audience toward the set’s beginning — “So … Weekend 2, the good weekend, that’s what I hear” — he’s attained full command of the crowd. It helps that the band’s catalogue is loaded with electro-beat-backed bangers, too.

7:08 p.m. — Spotted: a young teen wearing a shirt depicting Rafiki’s prophetic painting of Simba in The Lion King — gawd, I hope he’s here for Hans Zimmer (and based on the surprising number of youngsters permeating last weekend’s crown for the renowned German composer, there’s a good bet he is).

7:52 p.m. — “Try something ambitious the next time you get bored,” sings Josh Tillman, aka Father John Misty, on new tune “When the God of Love Returns There’ll be Hell to Pay.” For the sparse, mostly millennial crowd spending more time glancing at their phones than watching the dramatic moves of the singer on the main stage, that lyric might be the most important message they hear all weekend. Misty deserves better: His voice is at times both fierce and angelic, and this stage show is bolstered by the addition of live strings and horns, a necessity for the strength of material off new album “Pure Comedy,” and a bonus impact boost for older cuts like “Ballad of the Dying Man” and “True Affection.”

8:08 p.m. — “Coachella! You picked the right weekend,” shouts Phantogram vocalist Sarah Barthel, drawing deafening cheers toward the beginning of the group’s massively attended set on the Outdoor Theatre. Does this mean they’ll bring out a special guest?! Nope, but no matter — Barthel and partner in production Josh Carter delivered one of their strongest performances in years, propped largely on the strength of material off new album “Three” (standout included “Run Run Blood,” which combines the hip-hop swagger of Big Grams with heavy, industrial tones, the piano-led beat drop of “Cruel World” and show-closing single “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore”). None of the sounds felt recycled and the showmanship was a cut above (with an extra keyboardist behind them these days, Barthel is free to strut the stage; she easily owned the hulking Outdoor structure tonight). With this inspired new material and stage show, the duo has solidified their rights to their reign as rulers of their own genre, dark-pop.

9:05 p.m. — “I’m gonna play this next song on my own, which is really scary, but I’ll try my best,” says The xx guitarist-singer Romy Madley Croft, before taking on quick, stirringly quiet love song “Performance” — a gem off new album “I See You” — in a spotlight by herself. The line is identical to her words and inflection from Weekend 1, which kiiinda sucks, because it suggests that her vulnerability is somewhat staged. That said, it’s no less genuinely spellbinding when she sings over soft guitar strokes, “You wont see my hurting / when my heart it breaks / I’ll put on a performance / I’ll put on a brave face.” And really, the brief script reveal didn’t detract in the slightest from a performance that portrayed a 200% increase from their early days (when they were teenagers, mind you) in confidence and stage presence. The British trio is abspolitely capable (and deserving) of commanding headlining crowds at the many fests they’re booked for this year. Weekend 2’s highlights: ditching “Lips” for a pair of first-album faves “Intro” and “VCR,” an amped-up techno remix of “Shelter” (nice one, Jamie XX) and closing with “On Hold” instead of “Angels.”

10:50 p.m. — No “Creep” but … bravo, Radiohead.

12:45 a.m. — Overheard on the walk to the parking lot:

Boyfriend: “I fucking hate this place — we’re not coming back.”

Girlfriend: “But we have to come back … next year its Beyoncé.”

Well, somebody didn’t dig Radiohead.
LOLOLOL