Who: Phoenix on the main stage. In 3 or Fewer Words: R you kidding? Memorable Because: Hang on to your robot helmets, kids, you’ll get Daft Punk in 2014. (Odds are.) The rumored cameo by the transformer men didn’t happen Saturday night; instead, R. Kelly provided the evening’s jaw-drop when he waltzed onstage, grabbed a […]
Who: New Order in the Mojave Tent In 3 or Fewer Words: Dreams never end. Memorable Because: New Order dedicated my favorite song of theirs (“Perfect Kiss”) to my favorite city (Los Angeles). With plenty of synth hooks – if no Peter Hook – the venerable electronic rock band was itself perfect. Bernard Sumner wore […]
Who:Â Sigur Ros at the Outdoor Theatre In 3 or Fewer Words:Â High-note ambience. Memorable Because:Â Needed a religious experience in the midst of all the druggies running rampant at Coachella? Closing out the night with Sigur Ros couldn’t have been a better choice if you wanted a true outdoor festival experience, as fans who witnessed similar Coachella […]
Who: Two Door Cinema Club at the Outdoor Theatre In 3 or Fewer Words: Club was bangin’. Memorable Because: Opposite the snooze fest over at the main stage was one of the biggest parties I’ve seen at the Outdoor Theatre. No matter the reasoning behind their name, Irish dance-rockers Two Door Cinema Club made sure they lived up […]
Who: Franz Ferdinand in the Mojave Tent In 3 or Fewer Words: Better than button-pushers. Memorable Because: Franz Ferdinand was playing a main stage-worthy set in a tent while The xx was Nyquilling everybody on the big lawn. Curious, these things. It was no contest here – Alax Kapranos and his once-upon-a-time main-stagers roared through […]
Who: Descendents at the Outdoor Theatre In 3 or Fewer Words: Skate Punk Perfection Memorable Because: The looks on the faces of teenage girls jockeying for position to see Two Door Cinema Club as Descendents raged through “Bikeage” was almost as good as the show itself. Almost. Milo Aukerman and company have aged, but not […]
Who: The Postal Service on the main stage In 3 or Fewer Words: Signed, sealed, delivered. Memorable Because: “We’re an imaginary band called the Postal Service,” Ben Gibbard said halfway through the band’s turn on the big stage. Imaginary? No. Accidental? Yes, the happiest of accidents. Ten years after their shot-in-the-dark album “Give Up” blew […]
Who: Hot Chip at the main stage In 3 or Fewer Words: Geeked out. Memorable Because: “This band has been going a long time,” shared Joe Goddard, “but this is one of our best days.” It was an endearing statement, and the crowd’s eruption of cheers indicated they couldn’t have agreed more. U.K.’s Hot Chip was touring in support […]
Who: The Make-Up in the Gobi Tent In 3 or Fewer Words: Art soul revival Memorable Because: Deranged frontman Ian Svenonius first apologized for the indignities Coachella attendees had suffered to see his reunited garage-soul band, then proceeded to preach a sort of rock liberation theology standing atop the hands of onlookers. (Including yours truly.) […]
Who: Grizzly Bear in the Mojave Tent In 3 or Fewer Words: Low-lit longing. Memorable Because: Because of its downright dangerous proximity to the raves in the Sahara Tent, the Mojave proved a tenuous locale for orchestral meditations in the dark. So up close was the best place for mental and physical immersion in the […]