COACHELLA 2009 WRAP UP OR: HOW I USED MY ANTHEM COACHELLA GUIDE AND STAYED AWAY FROM GETTING SUNBURNED
Coachella 2009 is in the books and my feet hurt. Though I wasn’t able to go on Friday or Saturday I was able to watch the webcast were I saw bits of a historic Paul McCartney performance, a totally improvised M.I.A performance and a humbling Killers performance. Is it just me or does the bassist of the Killers look a lot like a bearded Wes Anderson? Sure it was fun to see these performances but I would’ve loved to have seen a webcast of this year’s Anthem party which unfortunately I couldn’t attend. To all those who hung out at the Anthem Ranch and saw Aeroplane/Cage & Aviary/Trouble & Bass/Cool Cats all the while doing cannon balls into the pool or even better just chilling out on the lake…yeah.. I have one thing to say to you... I’m totally envious.
It's okay you don’t have to show any sympathy. Actually please do because for a brief second I thought my Sunday trek to the desert was going to be a complete and utter disaster. After a brief peak at the Brian Jonestown Massacre I walked over to the Outdoor Theatre to catch Swedish ingénue Lykke Li whose icy electro while good could’ve been more effective in one of the three Coachella tents. Also suffering from Outdoor Theatre troubles was Antony and the Johnsons, who’s afternoon set was spruced with new electronic arrangements (courtesy of frequent Bjork collaborator Matthew Herbert) but unfortunately was riddled with sound issues particularly for “Another World.” Thankfully the issues were gone during mid song and Anthony’s angelic voice powered through but sadly I had to leave so that I could get a good spot to see one of my favorite rap acts today, Clipse. After My Bloody Valentine, Clipse were the most anticipated set for me on Sunday. So it was much to my dismay that the Clipse weren’t even in Indio as a mysterious voice in the Gobi tent informed everyone that the Clipse had cancelled their performance. Boos were heard and my heart sank deep.
So it was 6 PM and I barely heard any music. I followed my Anthem Coachella guide to a tee (I texted frequently and I visited the Sony PlayStation booth a lot for that oh so sweet A/C) but with no music whatsoever to hold on to I almost felt like one of those hipsters that just goes to Coachella to not listen to music but to just walk around aimlessly. Thankfully my day started to look a bit brighter courtesy of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and their sunset spot on the main stage. A bit subdued than usual (in terms of performance and outfit) Karen O. still had the charisma to engage the thousands in front of her. And while the set included a few too many songs off their new record It’s Blitz!, the pairing of both sun setting and that of “Maps” was almost too perfect.
I’m not so sure who has it worst, the residents of Indio, CA who have to endure 100 degree heat everyday or The Cure fans in front of the main stage who were more or less sonically assaulted by My Bloody Valentine. To be honest I was pretty scared to be really close to the stage as my ears are feeble and I didn’t get those earplugs that were passed around. I can say right now that my ears are still intact and that My Bloody Valentine have entered into my list of “transcendent OMFG performances.” Words really can’t describe what occurred. Bilinda Butcher looked stunning as she played with her whammy bar ever so stoically. Right beside her, Kevin Shields (in his Ben Franklin like cut) pretty much obliterated the polo grounds with his guitar. I imagine the group’s sound could probably be heard all the way back to L.A. especially during the white noise section of “You Made Me Realise.”
Around 9:30 PM I felt that I got my money’s worth and that after MBV I was all but done for the night but nope, there was still one more act to see. Playing from their impressive catalogue (hits like “911 is a Joke” to “Welcome to the Terrordome”), Public Enemy straight up killed it, as I danced like a fool even though I was still wobbly from what I had experienced prior. Chuck D laid out the wisdom and the rhyme and Flavor Flav was pretty much Flavor Flav (i.e. the best hype man ever). Decked out in a jester hat, Flav climbed the stage rigging, jumped into the crowd (feet first!) and introduced everyone to his son, Karma. Once “Fight the Power,” hit everyone lost their collective minds as a sea of fists in the air filled the Outdoor Theatre.
I was never a big Cure fan but as I was leaving Coachella to sign off on a great night, I could hear “Pictures of You,” from a far which quite honestly put me in the right mood as I exited.
Plus it only took mere minutes to find my friend’s car!
Best Coachella ever. See you next year!
