Coachella Day 3

I don’t feel as rough as I usually do on a Day 3, which is comforting. We take our time getting there, having a leisurely breakfast. Traffic is once more a non-issue (where are all the cars?) and we get to the polo fields in pretty short order.

It’s supposed to be the hottest day of the weekend, but there’s a little cloud cover that masks the heat a bit–it’s actually quite lovely.

Have just enough time to catch the last two songs of Holy F*uck. They are great! Hypnotic, melodic, driving soundscapes; like a more kinetic M83. Great energy. I definitely want to check out more of them. B+

Heading over to the main stage, I catch the last two songs of the Shout Out Louds. They actually sound greatly improved from when I last saw them. Perhaps their live act has improved with some seasoning on the road. B

The Field was cancelled, due to problems they had getting into the country. Boo.

DeadMau5 wore a mouse stuffed head for a good part of the set. That didn’t change the fact that the music sounded like all the other new hottness djs. Well mixed, but I think I’m already sick of the sound. C –

Stars are still on and I catch the last portion of their set. They also sound much better than the last time I saw them at the Fillmore. Go Canada! Get to hear a few of my favorites while lounging in the grass. B

Swervedriver look old, heh. They sound good though and I relive some college music days with JD. B

Does It Offend You, Yeah? had the place hopping — electro dance party with good energy, but feels very flavor of the month to me. C

Gogol Bordello was a raucous gypsy dance party. Very impressed with their energy levels and though it wasn’t really my thing, musically, it was fun to watch for a bit. C+

Metric overcame some tech issues (when do they not have them?) to put on a good show, though I have seen them better. I think they are probably more suited to an indoor show, where the sound can bounce around and fill the room a bit more. Still, it was quite enjoyable. Emily was working a space-disco leotard/skort thing and was her usual crazy freaked out ringleader self. B

Love and Rockets were the highlight of my day. They were loud and tore up the outdoor stage with a fantastic set that included: Dog End of a Day Gone By, Haunted When the Minutes Drag, Kunalini Express, Ball of Confusion, No New Tale to Tale, Motorcycle and a few others. There was also a surprise appearance by the Bubblemen that culminated in a pillow fight. I hope the do a tour because I’d like to see them again. A

Had a bit of a sit down after that and took in some of Roger Waters. Most impressive visuals — huge projection(?) screen with very neat visuals (started with an old time radio with a bottle of whiskey and a hand would tune in different stations. Then huge balls of fire and other visuals. The sound was insane — they had set up surround speaker cabinets all around the field so that as they were playing, weird ambient textures would wash up around/behind you. Very trippy. He played some different stuff off of different albums before an intermission and then Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. I had left by then, but caught a few songs, including Wish You Were Here, which was pretty special. I did come back to catch some of the Dark Side performance, which was pretty impressive as well. B+

Simian Mobile Disco were disappointing. I figured out what’s bugged me about most of the djs and electronic performers this weekend: a complete lack of narrative — it’s all just song after song. Here’s the formula: play decent to good track, get the crowd pumped. Drop the bass. Tweak the EQ a bit, maybe shuffle a beat or too. Drop the beat. Crowd goes wild. Chris get irritated and confused at why people seem to be satisfied with this. C –

Chromeo was even worse. They haven’t changed much from when I saw them several years ago. Then they were like an electronic comedy act–more entertaining for the farce they perpetuate than for their actual music. Seems the kids really dig them now. “This is the new sound,” he “sang.” Uh, no. It’s not — it’s old sounding and boring and you suck. D

At least Chromeo’s suckage gave me the opportunity to check out Black Mountain, who were awesome. Huge, heavy sound — sound as if they stepped right out of 70s guitar heaven. They had a keyboard too to add some interesting textures and a male and female singer. I very much plan to check out more of them. B+

Justice closed Coachella. They had some good beats/tracks, but see earlier above wine-a-bration about my thoughts. C

Overall, it was a pretty good weekend. I initially came for the electronic music, but it was the rock and roll that did it for me (plus Kraftwerk). Go figure. My faves for the weekend:

Black Lips
Kraftwerk
Prince
Holy F*ck
Love and Rockets
Roger Waters
Black Mountain