Who:Â Vampire Weekend on the main stage. In 3 or Fewer Words:Â Surprisingly fun. Memorable Because:Â Vampire Weekend got some flak for toting around their Ivy League egos so heavily when they first came out with their self-titled debut, but five years have gone by and their fans are more loyal than ever. All that expensive education did […]
Who:Â James Blake in the Mojave Tent In 3 or Fewer Words:Â Yawn. Not memorable because:Â Wearing a plain gray T-shirt at his keyboard, James Blake looked like that shy skinny boy who stared at you in class but never asked you out. And if you ask me, a man who doesn’t have a pair to do that […]
Who: Rodriguez in the Gobi Tent In 3 or Fewer Words: Legend, loved. Memorable Because: It is 41 paces from the back corner of the Gobi Tent to the fringe of the substance-addled area known as The DoLab. Talk about worlds apart. As Sunday evening’s onerous windstorm approached and the DoLab’s annoying something-’n’-bass encroached on […]
Who: Dinosaur Jr. at the Outdoor Theatre In 3 or Fewer Words: Fossilized joyful noise Memorable Because: J Mascis played the best guitar solo I heard all weekend when Dinosaur Jr. absolutely eviscerated “Feel the Pain,” their most recognizable tune. Every song was a gut-splitter during “classic lineup” Dinosaur Jr.’s well-received appearance, this year’s proto-alternative […]
Who:Â Kurt Vile and the Violators at the Outdoor Theatre In 3 or Fewer Words:Â No violations here. Memorable Because:Â It was the calm before the storm. Just an hour before the high-speed winds and sand wreaked havoc on festival-goers, Kurt Vile and the Violators were playing to a crowd bathing in the sunshine. With a slight breeze […]
Who:Â Jessie Ware in the Mojave Tent In 3 or Fewer Words:Â Fans on fans. Memorable Because:Â The largest crowd of the day in this tent belonged to U.K.’s Jessie Ware, and scattered among the audience were hand fans promoting her U.S. debut “Devotion.” After the entire Mojave crowd roared during the opening funky beats in “Still Love […]
Who: JEFF the Brotherhood at the Outdoor Theatre In 3 or Fewer Words: More disappointing rookies. Forgettable Because: JEFF the Brotherhood was the third drum-and-guitar rock duo to play Coachella this weekend – following Japandroids and Deap Vally – and of the three, the Tennessee brother rockers showed the greatest limitations of the configuration. (Never […]
Who: The Three O’Clock in the Gobi Tent In 3 or Fewer Words: Perfect timing. Memorable Because: Coachella’s most out-of-left-field reunionists did their mod corner of the 1980s proud, alternately jangling and shredding through 40 minutes of oldies-but-goodies (and finishing up right before 3 o’clock). Cherubic singer-bassist Michael Quercio still sounds like he’s 14, and […]
Who: The Airborne Toxic Event at the main stage In 3 or Fewer Words: So it goes. Memorable Because: The ever-divisive Airborne Toxic Event’s career is well catalogued in the annals of Buzz Bands LA, as well as on my own blog. But in recent years the band’s narrative has exhausted all the story beats, […]
[Today, in plenty of time for you Weekend Two-ers, we will finish up posting our Coachella Sunday coverage, delayed a bit due our editor’s losing the battle with Sunday’s windstorm. Thanks for following along, and here goes:] Who: Hanni El Khatib in the Gobi Tent In 3 or Fewer Words: All about context. Memorable Because: […]