Kevin Bronson on April 23rd, 2017

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Lady Gaga, Bon Iver, DJ Snake, Royksopp, Future, Tycho, Two Door Cinema Club, the Head and the Heart, Thundercat, Kaleo, Local Natives, Banks & Steelz

By David Brendan Hall

It’s perfectly understandable why Lady Gaga didn’t make changes to her Saturday headlining set at Coachella’s second weekend. She’s preparing to launch a world tour behind latest album “Joanne,” which will run from August to December, so what the Indio crowd witnessed either Saturday was akin to a rehearsal for that upcoming run. To boot, Beyoncé’s late cancellation meant she realistically didn’t have too much time to whip up multiple versions of the production just for Coachella, though at least a couple songs swapped would’ve been nice.

That’s not to say she wasn’t on point — it’s impossible to deny that the 31-year-old pop star was even more polished this go-round as she powered through essentials and fresh cuts alike, including “Born This Way,” “Telephone” (still no Beyoncé shout-out — what gives?), new single “The Cure” (it’s love, according to LG, by the way), “The Edge of Glory” (sweetly dedicated to friend named Sonja who is battling cancer) and fireworks-kissed finale “Bad Romance.”

True the majority of Weekend 2 fans didn’t witness the first show, but for us, everything — save for an omission, “You and I,” likely nixed due to a delayed start — was essentially a repeat, down to the between-songs banter. Which meant that runner-up main stage act Bon Iver, aided by the strength of special guests, earned top marks for the day.

Like last weekend, Justin Vernon and his impressively expansive band played through a good chunk of new album “22, A Million” in sequence, but this time, there were interjections of older songs sweetened by added singers: East London’s NAO lent her spellbinding vocal stylings to “Michicant;” Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath sang heavenly harmonies on “Flume;” those two chanteuses and Francis (sans the Lights) joined for final number “Friends,” which featured a fantastically fun recreation of the music video’s choreography. Best of all, just before that, Vernon & co. covered Don Henley’s “The End of Innocence” with help from Jenny Lewis on vocals and Bruce Hornsby, the tune’s original co-writer, on vocals and piano.

Toward the end of the band’s Weekend 1 set, Vernon admitted he wasn’t quite sure how to address the crowd about all the “fucked-up shit going on” in the world right now, so the inclusion of the poignant tune felt like the communication he sought after pondering it all week. Originally written for aging baby boomers coming to terms with the consequences of the Reagan era, the song is arguably applicable to today’s socio-political climate. “If you don’t have powerful friendships, you ain’t got shit,” he remarked at the song’s end, reminding us that large-scale festivals like Coachella should proliferate the preservation of humanity through unity and artistic expression, not just service a sex-and-drugs fueled party scene. The display was just about the best endorsement possible for the sort of spirit that will come alive at Vernon’s 2nd annual Eaux Claires festival June 16-17 in Wisconsin.

Before Bon Iver blew us away, here’s how Saturday shook down:

3:10 p.m. – “Happy Record Store Day!” says a cheery employee as I enter the fest’s resident shop and make my way over to the RSD release section. Bummer — most of the good stuff has been picked clean by this time, so I rifle through the hip-hop section for a few minutes. “I can’t find any Tyga,” says one teen to another. “Yeah, none of this is, like, commercial hip-hop,” says his pal.
I bite my tongue and make my exit.

3:20 p.m. — Banks & Steelz starting off strong with RZA raging through the raps of “One by One” as he paces the Outdoor stage alongside Interpol’s Paul Banks, who handles dreamy riffs and choral hooks to drive home the duo’s brand of indie hip-hop. The music isn’t doesn’t warrant a constant bounce from the crowd like a typical Wu-Tang gig, but a special guest spot (same as last week) from rising singer Bishop Briggs on “Wild Season” adds some oomph.

3:55 p.m. — Sophie Hawley-Weld, one half of New York duo Sofi Tukker, sits in with Local Natives on “Dark Days” (Phantogram’s Sarah Barthel handled the female vocal line last week). Her voice resonates resplendently with the LN fellas’ soaring harmonies and coaxes a few more Coachellans gather at the main stage off their feet — crowd enthusiasm is lacking a bit so far today under the unforgiving sun’s triple-digit heat. Thousands remain standing for a spirited sing-along on old-school cut “Who Knows, Who Cares.”

4:21 p.m. — Not sure why I thought Kaleo was another pop singer (maybe confused with Kehlani?), but the scene at Gobi tent is the opposite of a beat-fueled dance party. Every song is a swampy, start-stop blues-based rock anthem – bolstered by frontman JJ Julius Son’s deep growl and lead guitarist Rubin Pollock’s rippin’ riffs – that erupt into en masse handclaps while recalling anything from early Black Keys to classic AC/DC. It’s not what one might expect from an Icelandic act, but it’s perhaps the most straight-ahead rock featured at this Coachella, and would likely draw twice as many people at Stagecoach next weekend.

5:03 p.m. — A group of flower-crowned Coachellans join hands and begin blissfully spinning in circles as the Head and the Heart bust into the title track of their strongest album to date, “Let’s Be Still.” Countering the message of the tune’s title, thousands of fans packing the main stage field are twirling, bouncing and singing along at full volume — the only thing that could make this moment galvanizing would a coinciding sunset.

5:20 p.m. — “Ain’t that amazing?” asks a security guard, pointing at my half-consumed ice cream sandwich as she shows me out of the media area. As I make another futile attempt to clear the sweat from my brow with the back of one hand while taking another cold bite, I respond internally, “Why, yes ma’am, this little morsel is saving me right now.”

5:43 p.m. — Thirteen minutes late, prolific bassist/neo-soul wizard Thundercat takes the stage sporting what looks like a spiked war helmet and shrunken-head shoulder pads that might’ve been stolen from Gwar. His entrance and every song after earn raucous applause — the crowd was getting impatient, doing the speed-clap every couple minutes, as if that would get him out any faster. But the wait pays off: No, Michael McDonald doesn’t rejoin for another round like last week, but Reggie Watts comes on to provide surprisingly incredible falsetto guest vocals for house cat odes “Tron Song” and “A Fan’s Mail (Tron Song Suite II).” Sadly, the musically inclined comedian’s mic doesn’t seem to work for most of the first tune, but it’s turned on in time for him to nail a wild yet on-key “meow solo” during the latter jazzy track.

6:21 p.m. — Tough Choice Time: Spicy Pie pizza, or Two Door Cinema Club? Luckily, the food stands are in close proximity to the main stage … both it is.

6:44 p.m. — Two Door busts out aptly titled “Sun” as Saturday’s glowing yellow disc hovers above the line of palm trees and mountains visible in the western sky. It’s a perfectly timed play sandwiched between first album hits “I Can Talk” and “What You Know,” which still hold up as the Northern Irish outfit’s most dance-worthy works (above anything off new album “Gameshow”), and now sound one hundredfold more powerful after seven years of polishing.

7:26 p.m. — Beacon singer Thomas Mullarney joins Tycho — essentially Explosions in the Sky’s more danceable cousin — to sing on ethereal, ultra-groovy new tune “See (Beacon remix)” at the Outdoor Theatre. The occasion marks the first time the group has ever officially incorporated vocals in its heavy yet uplifting instrumental soundscapes, adding another layer of otherworldliness the desert’s final touches of magic hour, which tint the surrounding mountains a deep shade of purple. Dancing like nobody’s watching or lounging in the grass: Either is appropriate during this sublime set.

7:46 p.m. — Hearing Future chant “I just fucked your bitch in some Gucci flip-flops” as I walk past the main stage makes me feel good about skipping the Atlanta trap artist to catch Royksopp in the Sahara tent. Any trace of FOMO dissipates completely when it becomes clear that not a single guest (no Travis Scott, no Drake) will join Future for Round 2. In his case: no guests, no game.

7:50 p.m. — The decision to catch the Norwegian DJ duo looks even better upon arrival at Sahara — it’s like walking into a dance-pop themed version of a Tron. The tent is alive with dazzling 360-degeee lights and hands raised exultantly as Swedish singer Joanna Lee, clad in shimmering isis wings atop a platform behind Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland, leads the charge through fierce renditions of Robyn collaborations “Monument” and “Never Ever.” The production and energy permeating the space made Gaga’s production feel lame and rushed by comparison.

9:00 p.m. — Bon Iver commences one of the most meaningful and monumental sets of either weekend. Vernon truly went the extra mile.

10:28 p.m. — Overheard near the Outdoor Theatre as fire rises up around the heavy dubstep of DJ Snake: “Extra! Extra! Read all about it — it’s lit, fam!” Is it? I guess the pyrotechnics count …

12:08 a.m. — Halfway through her set, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Gaga wont deviate from her Weekend 1 set list. Once again, she performs “Telephone” without even a peep about Beyoncé. It feels like a massive missed opportunity that she doesn’t even acknowledge what an honor it is to fill in for Queen Bey. How cool would it have been if LG FaceTimed the pregnant pop singer to feature during that tune remotely, or even just to say hello as a quick homage?