Coachella
7 out of 10 - Enjoyable.
Saturday, April 30, 2005
Saturday | Indio Polo Fields
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SATURDAY
Wilco, Peretz, UNKLE, Rilo Kiley, Four Tet, Bauhaus, The Chems
Highlights:
Heiny tent, Deaf DJ, Recycle art, Drum exhibit, Tesla Coil, Shade Tent, Free water, Event Staff
Writing a review for something as massive as Coachella can be pretty daunting but here we go anyway. I participated in the entire event this year, arriving Friday night for camping and attending both very full days of the music and art festival, and then leaving early Monday morning.
Long lines were expected but for the most part everything moved with considerable ease (especially in comparison to previous years). Most of the 3500 plus event staff were fantastic. I had a lot of interaction with staff and security during my four days at the polo fields and I found them to be both personable and full of insight into the inner workings of a seemingly chaotic event. I was shocked to find out that the average work shift for a Coachella employee is 16 hours and yet they kept a smile on their faces and continued to be helpful.
Security for the campgrounds was minimal. We smuggled everything from beer to fireworks, and everything made it in. Mostly security was concerned about glass, for the obvious reasons. Luckily the campgrounds were right next to the event this year, so when the sun got too hot we simply stumbled right onto the polo fields. Security for the actual show seemed to change depending on the time of day and how long the lines were. On Saturday April 30th, I had no problem getting my pipe, sandwiches, ecstasy, and a couple smoke bombs. Sunday May 1st, I got there really early and security was more intense. Of course, with the ease of Saturday’s entrance, I brought even more contraband, i.e. mushrooms, pipe, extra weed, and water. I then proceeded to have a close call with a very nice security officer, who wondered what the hard object was in the middle of my rolled up sweater. A simple Jedi mind trick allowed me to easily bypass this formidable obstacle and I was inside the event before the nervous sweat dried from my forehead.
Saturday April 30th
The weather was mild but the sun was bright. I stayed in the Sahara tent for most of the afternoon, soaking up the sonic rays and watching some fine, if repetitive visuals. Someone preceded Peretz but it was not the scheduled Evil Nine and I never found out whom (but a solid DJ set none the less to whoever you are!). The Peretz set was great. Perry has come a long way since the early days of his botched DJ sets. He played a good mix of music, sang during several songs, danced, and brought a general air of celebration to the tent. He even dropped a couple block rockin’ beats that rivaled The Chemical Borthers!
After a bite to eat and some water, I saw UNKLE aka James Lavell. The man sure knows how to work a beat like no one else. He is relentless with the drum rolls, which came so hard and fast, it seamed like they were going to tear the roof off the tent.
Next I caught a bit of Rilo Kiley, who seemed perfectly fit for the Outdoor Theatre. Then I made my way over to Wilco at the Coachella Stage and caught a little banjo diddy – not my scene but the fans were just drinking it up.
After dinner, it was time for a bit of Four Tet. Mixing two laptops DJ style, Four Tet rocked the nerd set. Crazy methodic beats, screaming pads, and tinny beeps were woven into complex audio circuitry. I got my ‘dance on’ for several songs before departing to catch Bauhaus.
Bauhaus opened with Bella Lugosi’s Dead on the Coachella Stage. Thickly dark sounds dripped from the stage, an ornate gothic-rock backdrop to Peter Murphy’s vampire persona. PM made his usual dramatic entrance suspended from a chain, singing the entire song upside down. Oh Bella!
Nervous about missing a moment of The Chemical Brothers set (or maybe the ‘e’ kicking in), I missed the end of Bauhaus for a bathroom break and the long walk from the Coachella Stage to the Sahara Tent. The Brothers definitely worked it out but there was no room to dance. A tent is simply not big enough to house such a huge sound. 2002 Coachella gave The Chemicals Brothers the main stage and it was incredible having all that room to freak out under the stars! The sound coming out of the monitors in the back of the tent was a couple milliseconds off from the main PA, making the beats sound like shit. I had to go around to the side of the tent to watch the rest of the show. Despite the cramped quarters and the sound problems, The Brothers had a fantastic show. They played most of their standards and mixed in some new ones from the new album. As usual it was a stunning multimedia event, full of sights and sounds. Everyone looked like they were having a goodtime, including The Brothers who ended the show with a hearty high fives and huge smiles plastered to their faces.
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