I managed to survive three days and nights in the California desert. But let's back up a bit...
Thursday afternoon, I drove out to Love Field to catch the first of 2 planes that would eventually drop me off in Ontario, California. I landed on time, grabbed my luggage, and caught the bus to get my rental I'd set up. As I was talking to the lovely young lady at Enterprise, the dude in line behind me inquired as to whether they had a car he could rent. After she informed him that all they had were larger vehicles, he and I discussed the idea of my giving him a ride...as it turned out, the hotel he and his friends stayed at was right next to the one my best friend Byron and I crashed at. So I took my new friend Elliot along and dropped him off safely...the two of us found we had a lot in common on the long drive, and I asked him if he'd have room for me to crash with him and his friends Saturday night, as Byron only booked the hotel for the 2 nights he planned to be in Cali (a fact of which I was aware and OK with). He thought that'd be cool, so we exchanged numbers so I could reach him later...then I dropped him off, checked into the hotel, dropped off my stuff, found something to eat, and returned to get a good night's sleep.
Friday
Byron arrived around 10am and I got ready for the day. The two of us took off down the highway in search of something good to eat since concert food is generally more expensive. After several failed attempts and u-turns we eventually wound up at a little cafe in Palm Desert where we got some decent Mexican food. Then we picked up some bottles of water and headed out...to the middle of nowhere. OK, not exactly, but close. We followed the traffic lines through the mostly run-down town of Indio and into the grassy parking lot. From the parking lot we walked along a sandy walkway past barns and other random buildings, then past the long lines of people picking up their tickets from will call (Suckers) to the standard security check/ticket scanning area...well, maybe not so standard...walking up to the area was similar to what livestock probably go through on their way to be slaughtered...herded between thinly-spaced metal railings...for a moment I wondered if we'd get knocked on the head if we'd been carrying anything we shouldn't.
Anyways, we eventually get in and the whole place is absolutely beautiful. It's surrounded by palm trees and mountains, and most of the place is grassy with the sandier areas located closest to the stages...and the stages are spaced apart fairly well (though the sound from the main stage and the "Outdoor Theatre" tend to conflict some)...and it's obvious whoever designed the layout knew what the hell they were doing. There's plenty of shaded areas to protect people from the oppressive heat during the day, and they're set up so you can watch the bands comfortably, but at a great distance, on the two main stages. The other 3 stages are located inside tents, which is good for shade but traps the heat in a little...that's not so good when the tent is packed, but tolerable when it's not. Byron and I drop money on merchandise first thing, because we want to get the shirts we want with no hassles, and then wander off to watch some bands...
Brother Ali: An albino doing hip-hop? Now I've seen it all. He was good, but didn't really blow me away. I say check him out if you haven't heard him.
Satellite Party: Perry Farrell...please quit making music. Seriously...you've already ruined everything that was good about Jane's Addiction with Strays and the performances that followed it. Just stick to booking great bands for Lollapalooza every year and leave music alone.
Silversun Pickups: Smashing Pumpkins-ish...a few songs impressed me, the rest were ok.
David J: Bauhaus/Love & Rockets/The Good, The Bad & The Queen bassist spins really old songs that I guarantee most people didn't know...hell, I didn't even recognize some of them. Highlight: as I walked up he was playing "Teddy Bear Picnic."
Arctic Monkeys: Better than I'd expected them to be, but that doesn't mean I'm running out to buy their albums.
Circa Survive: So Byron and I didn't actually watch them, but...formulaic hardcore? I'll pass thanks.
Jesus & Mary Chain: First great band I'd seen, if you couldn't tell from the list so far. They played almost everything I wanted them to (which means no "I Hate Rock n Roll"), had good energy, sounded great...it was perfect. Surprising moment: they played a new song...supposedly this show is their last ever?
Peeping Tom: Mike Patton is still the greatest frontman ever, and Butterscotch's beatbox talents continue to impress me. Much like when I saw them at Granada, they started later than they were supposed to, but the performance more than makes up for the delay. Confusing thing: Mike Patton engaging the crowd by trying to get them into the music and have a good time instead of experimenting with his vocal delivery.
El-P: Unfortunately I only saw the first couple of songs he did because Bjork was about to perform. What I saw, however, was really good...a very strong performance. Next stop: picking up his albums.
Bjork: 14 years of waiting, and she didn't let me down. She played a mix of songs, mostly from Homogenic and her soon-to-be-released album Volta. She sounded great, the musicians playing with her sounded great, she danced all around the stage during the entire set, and I was highly entertained and left feeling happy and satisfied. Best moment: all of it.
Saturday
Byron flies back to Texas, leaving me to get through the last two days on my own. I can handle this. I ate at the same cafe we'd gone to the day before, this time having one of the best salads I've ever had (actually every salad I ate in California was among the best I've ever had), followed by some fried chicken and french fries. Arriving back at Coachella, I wind up in the parking lot farthest from the entrance, and today the lines are a little longer than Friday, but they still move as quickly. This time I skip the merch tent and grab a spot in the shade to wait for Regina Spektor's set. But while I'm waiting I get to sit through part of the band before her...
Fountains of Wayne: Too catchy for my tastes, but easy to ignore...instead I pay more attention to the people walking past the tent I'm sitting under.
Regina Spektor: She's amazing...if you haven't heard her, go listen to her and fall in love like I did (and like so many others have). She started out with a song she did a capella, followed it with one where she played percussion on a wooden chair while playing the piano and singing, and then was joined by her backing band...she also plays guitar on some songs, and her voice is absolutely beautiful. Surprising moment: I almost cried. Yeah. Next stop: picking up the rest of her albums.
The Nightwatchman: Today the role of Bob Dylan will be played by Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioshit. Moment of stupidity: after extolling the virtues of D.I.Y., the working man, unions, and revolutionary women, he announces he'll be signing CDs over at the Virgin Records tent. (I know Rage got signed through D.I.Y., but the only reason Morello can do his Nightwatchman thing is because he's been in bands that have sold millions of albums.)
The New Pornographers: Too annoying to sit through...completely mediocre, and the singer's voice is awful. Fuck this band.
Travis: More mediocrity...when's the next Good band playing?
Daniel Ash: Bauhaus guitarist/Love & Rockets singer-guitarist/etc. spins mostly old-school punk and rock songs. Downside: I left when I should've stayed.
The Decemberists: Now I'm even more confused as to why people like them.
!!!: Dance-punk that's a little too heavy on the dance side, but these guys were really good. Great energy, the crowd was totally into it, and I got caught up in the experience too...another band I need more music by. Best thing: they have 3 drummers...and it's fucking amazing.
The Arcade Fire: Hello, another worthless 80s throwback band. Nothing original to see here...move along...
Ghostface Killah: Great if you're into that whole violent, misogynistic hip-hop thing...I'm not.
Blonde Redhead: I'm still trying to figure out how to describe their sound, and that's a compliment. I didn't know what to expect from them, and was pleasantly surprised. Yet another band whose albums I need to get now (I foresee an empty bank account in the future). Downside: In hopes the next band would be good, I left Blonde Redhead's set too early...and I really should've stayed till the end of it.
Red Hot Chili Peppers: They're in California, so I hoped they'd play a bunch of old songs and skip the last 2 crappy albums they released. Flea, Chad, and John kick out a badass instrumental jam to start things off, which gave me more hope. Then, the bottom dropped out...Anthony hits the stage and they follow a great opening with a one-two suckerpunch of "Can't Stop" and "Dani California"...anyone who doubted these are the same song with different lyrics was proved wrong. Before I can get out of earshot, I hear "Otherside" start up, which is an improvement, but not enough of one to make me want to go back. Even worse: the rest of the bands playing during their set weren't any better.
Mike Relm: So I walk past this tent and hear the all-too-familiar opening of NIN's "Closer," which convinces me to stop. I turn toward the tent it's coming from and see a projection screen with the sex scenes from Trainspotting playing, and the two fit so well together I'm impressed and I stay through this DJ guy's set. I've never before seen any DJ mix music and images in ways that are thought-provoking, entertaining, AND original, which earns Mike Relm an honorary spot from me. I need to pay attention so I can catch a full set from him. Also cool: he closed with "Imagine," which had been unexplainably in my head off and on that weekend.
Black Keys: Sure, the drummer can keep the beat better than Meg White, but the White Stripes put on a better show.
The Good, The Bad, & The Queen: They took the stage, Damon Albarn announced they were going to play their album, and they did just that. The songs were a bit too mellow overall to really get me into their performance (and with the exception of David J., the band didn't put much energy into it either), but they sounded good and managed to pick up the pace a bit towards the end so I didn't fall asleep driving home. You know you're in trouble when: the crowd cheered loudest for the cool breeze that came up during their set.
On this night, I did indeed crash with Elliot and his friends. We discussed the bands we'd seen, and his friend Kevin had food for me and a pillow I could have since I was sleeping on the floor. Good people, and I was thankful that the timing worked out for Elliot and I to meet at the rental place.
Sunday
I woke up earlier than I'd intended to thanks to the cleaning lady knocking on the door at 9:30am. I tried to get back to sleep, but finally gave up and got up at 11. We all got ready for the day, and then parted company. The next time I saw Elliot was at the airport the next morning, and that was really brief. Anyways, I managed to find an Applebee's on my way out, so I ate there and took my time getting back to Coachella. Taking my time landed me back in the parking lot I'd parked in on Friday, which I'd hoped to avoid, and also forced me to wait through the longest and slowest lines of the weekend to get inside. Fortunately, I showed up early enough that I still had time to kill before Against Me! went on...
The Feeling: I didn't know who they were either...from what I gathered they're britpop, which I'm not really into. Mediocre, but ignorable.
Explosions in the Sky: An instrumental band that puts on an energetic live show and doesn't bore me? I thought I was dreaming for a moment there. I didn't get up close for them, preferring the shade of the now-like-home-to-me tent far out in front of the main stage, and I wandered off early, but what I saw I liked.
Against Me!: As far as I observed, the first pit of the day...maybe even the whole weekend. They came out and delivered another great performance, and I felt more like I was jumping around with a large group of friends than a bunch of strangers. It made me so happy. They also played 4 new songs, which sounded pretty good...one reminded me a lot of Cash's "Ghost Riders (in the Sky)." Highlight: they closed with "Walking Is Still Honest."
The Roots: They started during AM!'s set, so I missed part of their performance, but those guys jammed the whole time they were on stage...really free-form and it totally fit the atmosphere...plus it allowed me to mellow out a bit after AM!'s set. Highlight: as I walked over, they started a cover of Dylan's "Masters of War" which took them about 10 minutes to get through and went through a variety of musical changes from performing the first part to the tune of the "Star-Spangled Banner" to some guitar solos to mixing in some funk.
Willie Nelson: Every song I saw him play I knew, and I wasn't sure if that'd be the case. Another first for me, and I'd definitely go see him again...hell, I might even shell out the big bucks to see him do a full set. Downside: Placebo's set was scheduled to begin when Willie's ended, so I had to leave earlier than I wanted to.
Placebo: A very Meds-heavy setlist, which was great since I hadn't seen them yet since it came out. As usual, they performed wonderfully, but I was surprised that they've added 2 musicians to fill out their sound. Non-Meds songs played: "Special K," "Bitter End," "Every You, Every Me," and "Running Up that Hill."
Manu Chao Radio Bemba Sound System: I'd never heard of these guys before, and the only reason I was present for their performance was so I could be somewhat close when Rage played. I got the impression they were from Brazil, but they might be from another Hispanic country...I'll have to look into that. Anyways, they actually delivered a good, high-energy set, and they kept the audience entertained for the most part...not an easy task since people had reportedly thrown things at Crowded House because "they're not Rage." The hour-long set was a bit too much, however, and I spent parts of it sitting down. Proof the natives were getting restless: the moment they stopped playing, everyone rushed forward and pushed each other back and forth for most of the time it took Rage to set up. In fact, the pushing was so intense, one dude yelled out "For Sparta!"
Rage Against the Machine: The last time I saw Rage was a disappointment. This was not. The crowd was a bit too violent (or maybe I was getting too tired), so I only played in the pit for the first half of their set. The setlist and video footage are online now if you're interested...all you have to do is look it up. All I can say about it was AWESOME. Will they reunite permanently in the near future? I'd say there's a good chance...those guys were definitely having a great time playing their songs together again...Zack did a lot of smiling and jumped around and was totally into it, and the rest of the band put out a lot of energy as well. Setlist: Testify, Bulls On Parade, People of the Sun, Bombtrack, Bullet in the Head, Know Your Enemy, Down Rodeo, Renegades of Funk, Guerrilla Radio, Calm Like a Bomb, Sleep Now in the Fire, Wake Up. Encore: Freedom and Killing in the Name. Propaganda: Zack gave a short speech during "Wake Up" about how if we held our leaders up to the same standards we held the Nazis up to, they would've already been "hanged, tried, and killed," and then went on to tell the crowd that the only way to keep the system that's currently in place from being passed on to each new generation is to break it now.
After Rage's set, I spent 2 hours waiting to leave the parking lot. Before their set and all the way to the parking lot afterwards, I randomly screamed "RAGE!" and others either joined or cheered after I did it....good times. Once I was able to leave the parking lot, I made the long, slow crawl out of Indio toward the freeway...Near Palm Springs I caught up with post-Coachella traffic and decided it was time to find a Denny's. After that, I made the trip to the airport, dropped off the rental, and awaited my flight home. There was no time for sleeping other than on the planes, but I couldn't get comfortable enough on the planes to get much sleep...thus I stayed awake all the way back to Dallas, through my final presentation that evening, all the way back to Denton, and then a little longer as I caught up with some people before forcing myself to go to bed.
Bottom line: I want to go again next year, and I want as many of my friends to go with me next time as can afford to. It's a wonderful experience, and I want all of my music-loving friends to share it with me...from the beauty of the location, to the enthusiasm of the masses, to the fact that every band's sound was high-quality regardless of what I thought of them...Come on, let's go next year.
Current mood: Indescribable
Listening to: Regina Spektor--Begin to Hope
Thursday afternoon, I drove out to Love Field to catch the first of 2 planes that would eventually drop me off in Ontario, California. I landed on time, grabbed my luggage, and caught the bus to get my rental I'd set up. As I was talking to the lovely young lady at Enterprise, the dude in line behind me inquired as to whether they had a car he could rent. After she informed him that all they had were larger vehicles, he and I discussed the idea of my giving him a ride...as it turned out, the hotel he and his friends stayed at was right next to the one my best friend Byron and I crashed at. So I took my new friend Elliot along and dropped him off safely...the two of us found we had a lot in common on the long drive, and I asked him if he'd have room for me to crash with him and his friends Saturday night, as Byron only booked the hotel for the 2 nights he planned to be in Cali (a fact of which I was aware and OK with). He thought that'd be cool, so we exchanged numbers so I could reach him later...then I dropped him off, checked into the hotel, dropped off my stuff, found something to eat, and returned to get a good night's sleep.
Friday
Byron arrived around 10am and I got ready for the day. The two of us took off down the highway in search of something good to eat since concert food is generally more expensive. After several failed attempts and u-turns we eventually wound up at a little cafe in Palm Desert where we got some decent Mexican food. Then we picked up some bottles of water and headed out...to the middle of nowhere. OK, not exactly, but close. We followed the traffic lines through the mostly run-down town of Indio and into the grassy parking lot. From the parking lot we walked along a sandy walkway past barns and other random buildings, then past the long lines of people picking up their tickets from will call (Suckers) to the standard security check/ticket scanning area...well, maybe not so standard...walking up to the area was similar to what livestock probably go through on their way to be slaughtered...herded between thinly-spaced metal railings...for a moment I wondered if we'd get knocked on the head if we'd been carrying anything we shouldn't.
Anyways, we eventually get in and the whole place is absolutely beautiful. It's surrounded by palm trees and mountains, and most of the place is grassy with the sandier areas located closest to the stages...and the stages are spaced apart fairly well (though the sound from the main stage and the "Outdoor Theatre" tend to conflict some)...and it's obvious whoever designed the layout knew what the hell they were doing. There's plenty of shaded areas to protect people from the oppressive heat during the day, and they're set up so you can watch the bands comfortably, but at a great distance, on the two main stages. The other 3 stages are located inside tents, which is good for shade but traps the heat in a little...that's not so good when the tent is packed, but tolerable when it's not. Byron and I drop money on merchandise first thing, because we want to get the shirts we want with no hassles, and then wander off to watch some bands...
Brother Ali: An albino doing hip-hop? Now I've seen it all. He was good, but didn't really blow me away. I say check him out if you haven't heard him.
Satellite Party: Perry Farrell...please quit making music. Seriously...you've already ruined everything that was good about Jane's Addiction with Strays and the performances that followed it. Just stick to booking great bands for Lollapalooza every year and leave music alone.
Silversun Pickups: Smashing Pumpkins-ish...a few songs impressed me, the rest were ok.
David J: Bauhaus/Love & Rockets/The Good, The Bad & The Queen bassist spins really old songs that I guarantee most people didn't know...hell, I didn't even recognize some of them. Highlight: as I walked up he was playing "Teddy Bear Picnic."
Arctic Monkeys: Better than I'd expected them to be, but that doesn't mean I'm running out to buy their albums.
Circa Survive: So Byron and I didn't actually watch them, but...formulaic hardcore? I'll pass thanks.
Jesus & Mary Chain: First great band I'd seen, if you couldn't tell from the list so far. They played almost everything I wanted them to (which means no "I Hate Rock n Roll"), had good energy, sounded great...it was perfect. Surprising moment: they played a new song...supposedly this show is their last ever?
Peeping Tom: Mike Patton is still the greatest frontman ever, and Butterscotch's beatbox talents continue to impress me. Much like when I saw them at Granada, they started later than they were supposed to, but the performance more than makes up for the delay. Confusing thing: Mike Patton engaging the crowd by trying to get them into the music and have a good time instead of experimenting with his vocal delivery.
El-P: Unfortunately I only saw the first couple of songs he did because Bjork was about to perform. What I saw, however, was really good...a very strong performance. Next stop: picking up his albums.
Bjork: 14 years of waiting, and she didn't let me down. She played a mix of songs, mostly from Homogenic and her soon-to-be-released album Volta. She sounded great, the musicians playing with her sounded great, she danced all around the stage during the entire set, and I was highly entertained and left feeling happy and satisfied. Best moment: all of it.
Saturday
Byron flies back to Texas, leaving me to get through the last two days on my own. I can handle this. I ate at the same cafe we'd gone to the day before, this time having one of the best salads I've ever had (actually every salad I ate in California was among the best I've ever had), followed by some fried chicken and french fries. Arriving back at Coachella, I wind up in the parking lot farthest from the entrance, and today the lines are a little longer than Friday, but they still move as quickly. This time I skip the merch tent and grab a spot in the shade to wait for Regina Spektor's set. But while I'm waiting I get to sit through part of the band before her...
Fountains of Wayne: Too catchy for my tastes, but easy to ignore...instead I pay more attention to the people walking past the tent I'm sitting under.
Regina Spektor: She's amazing...if you haven't heard her, go listen to her and fall in love like I did (and like so many others have). She started out with a song she did a capella, followed it with one where she played percussion on a wooden chair while playing the piano and singing, and then was joined by her backing band...she also plays guitar on some songs, and her voice is absolutely beautiful. Surprising moment: I almost cried. Yeah. Next stop: picking up the rest of her albums.
The Nightwatchman: Today the role of Bob Dylan will be played by Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioshit. Moment of stupidity: after extolling the virtues of D.I.Y., the working man, unions, and revolutionary women, he announces he'll be signing CDs over at the Virgin Records tent. (I know Rage got signed through D.I.Y., but the only reason Morello can do his Nightwatchman thing is because he's been in bands that have sold millions of albums.)
The New Pornographers: Too annoying to sit through...completely mediocre, and the singer's voice is awful. Fuck this band.
Travis: More mediocrity...when's the next Good band playing?
Daniel Ash: Bauhaus guitarist/Love & Rockets singer-guitarist/etc. spins mostly old-school punk and rock songs. Downside: I left when I should've stayed.
The Decemberists: Now I'm even more confused as to why people like them.
!!!: Dance-punk that's a little too heavy on the dance side, but these guys were really good. Great energy, the crowd was totally into it, and I got caught up in the experience too...another band I need more music by. Best thing: they have 3 drummers...and it's fucking amazing.
The Arcade Fire: Hello, another worthless 80s throwback band. Nothing original to see here...move along...
Ghostface Killah: Great if you're into that whole violent, misogynistic hip-hop thing...I'm not.
Blonde Redhead: I'm still trying to figure out how to describe their sound, and that's a compliment. I didn't know what to expect from them, and was pleasantly surprised. Yet another band whose albums I need to get now (I foresee an empty bank account in the future). Downside: In hopes the next band would be good, I left Blonde Redhead's set too early...and I really should've stayed till the end of it.
Red Hot Chili Peppers: They're in California, so I hoped they'd play a bunch of old songs and skip the last 2 crappy albums they released. Flea, Chad, and John kick out a badass instrumental jam to start things off, which gave me more hope. Then, the bottom dropped out...Anthony hits the stage and they follow a great opening with a one-two suckerpunch of "Can't Stop" and "Dani California"...anyone who doubted these are the same song with different lyrics was proved wrong. Before I can get out of earshot, I hear "Otherside" start up, which is an improvement, but not enough of one to make me want to go back. Even worse: the rest of the bands playing during their set weren't any better.
Mike Relm: So I walk past this tent and hear the all-too-familiar opening of NIN's "Closer," which convinces me to stop. I turn toward the tent it's coming from and see a projection screen with the sex scenes from Trainspotting playing, and the two fit so well together I'm impressed and I stay through this DJ guy's set. I've never before seen any DJ mix music and images in ways that are thought-provoking, entertaining, AND original, which earns Mike Relm an honorary spot from me. I need to pay attention so I can catch a full set from him. Also cool: he closed with "Imagine," which had been unexplainably in my head off and on that weekend.
Black Keys: Sure, the drummer can keep the beat better than Meg White, but the White Stripes put on a better show.
The Good, The Bad, & The Queen: They took the stage, Damon Albarn announced they were going to play their album, and they did just that. The songs were a bit too mellow overall to really get me into their performance (and with the exception of David J., the band didn't put much energy into it either), but they sounded good and managed to pick up the pace a bit towards the end so I didn't fall asleep driving home. You know you're in trouble when: the crowd cheered loudest for the cool breeze that came up during their set.
On this night, I did indeed crash with Elliot and his friends. We discussed the bands we'd seen, and his friend Kevin had food for me and a pillow I could have since I was sleeping on the floor. Good people, and I was thankful that the timing worked out for Elliot and I to meet at the rental place.
Sunday
I woke up earlier than I'd intended to thanks to the cleaning lady knocking on the door at 9:30am. I tried to get back to sleep, but finally gave up and got up at 11. We all got ready for the day, and then parted company. The next time I saw Elliot was at the airport the next morning, and that was really brief. Anyways, I managed to find an Applebee's on my way out, so I ate there and took my time getting back to Coachella. Taking my time landed me back in the parking lot I'd parked in on Friday, which I'd hoped to avoid, and also forced me to wait through the longest and slowest lines of the weekend to get inside. Fortunately, I showed up early enough that I still had time to kill before Against Me! went on...
The Feeling: I didn't know who they were either...from what I gathered they're britpop, which I'm not really into. Mediocre, but ignorable.
Explosions in the Sky: An instrumental band that puts on an energetic live show and doesn't bore me? I thought I was dreaming for a moment there. I didn't get up close for them, preferring the shade of the now-like-home-to-me tent far out in front of the main stage, and I wandered off early, but what I saw I liked.
Against Me!: As far as I observed, the first pit of the day...maybe even the whole weekend. They came out and delivered another great performance, and I felt more like I was jumping around with a large group of friends than a bunch of strangers. It made me so happy. They also played 4 new songs, which sounded pretty good...one reminded me a lot of Cash's "Ghost Riders (in the Sky)." Highlight: they closed with "Walking Is Still Honest."
The Roots: They started during AM!'s set, so I missed part of their performance, but those guys jammed the whole time they were on stage...really free-form and it totally fit the atmosphere...plus it allowed me to mellow out a bit after AM!'s set. Highlight: as I walked over, they started a cover of Dylan's "Masters of War" which took them about 10 minutes to get through and went through a variety of musical changes from performing the first part to the tune of the "Star-Spangled Banner" to some guitar solos to mixing in some funk.
Willie Nelson: Every song I saw him play I knew, and I wasn't sure if that'd be the case. Another first for me, and I'd definitely go see him again...hell, I might even shell out the big bucks to see him do a full set. Downside: Placebo's set was scheduled to begin when Willie's ended, so I had to leave earlier than I wanted to.
Placebo: A very Meds-heavy setlist, which was great since I hadn't seen them yet since it came out. As usual, they performed wonderfully, but I was surprised that they've added 2 musicians to fill out their sound. Non-Meds songs played: "Special K," "Bitter End," "Every You, Every Me," and "Running Up that Hill."
Manu Chao Radio Bemba Sound System: I'd never heard of these guys before, and the only reason I was present for their performance was so I could be somewhat close when Rage played. I got the impression they were from Brazil, but they might be from another Hispanic country...I'll have to look into that. Anyways, they actually delivered a good, high-energy set, and they kept the audience entertained for the most part...not an easy task since people had reportedly thrown things at Crowded House because "they're not Rage." The hour-long set was a bit too much, however, and I spent parts of it sitting down. Proof the natives were getting restless: the moment they stopped playing, everyone rushed forward and pushed each other back and forth for most of the time it took Rage to set up. In fact, the pushing was so intense, one dude yelled out "For Sparta!"
Rage Against the Machine: The last time I saw Rage was a disappointment. This was not. The crowd was a bit too violent (or maybe I was getting too tired), so I only played in the pit for the first half of their set. The setlist and video footage are online now if you're interested...all you have to do is look it up. All I can say about it was AWESOME. Will they reunite permanently in the near future? I'd say there's a good chance...those guys were definitely having a great time playing their songs together again...Zack did a lot of smiling and jumped around and was totally into it, and the rest of the band put out a lot of energy as well. Setlist: Testify, Bulls On Parade, People of the Sun, Bombtrack, Bullet in the Head, Know Your Enemy, Down Rodeo, Renegades of Funk, Guerrilla Radio, Calm Like a Bomb, Sleep Now in the Fire, Wake Up. Encore: Freedom and Killing in the Name. Propaganda: Zack gave a short speech during "Wake Up" about how if we held our leaders up to the same standards we held the Nazis up to, they would've already been "hanged, tried, and killed," and then went on to tell the crowd that the only way to keep the system that's currently in place from being passed on to each new generation is to break it now.
After Rage's set, I spent 2 hours waiting to leave the parking lot. Before their set and all the way to the parking lot afterwards, I randomly screamed "RAGE!" and others either joined or cheered after I did it....good times. Once I was able to leave the parking lot, I made the long, slow crawl out of Indio toward the freeway...Near Palm Springs I caught up with post-Coachella traffic and decided it was time to find a Denny's. After that, I made the trip to the airport, dropped off the rental, and awaited my flight home. There was no time for sleeping other than on the planes, but I couldn't get comfortable enough on the planes to get much sleep...thus I stayed awake all the way back to Dallas, through my final presentation that evening, all the way back to Denton, and then a little longer as I caught up with some people before forcing myself to go to bed.
Bottom line: I want to go again next year, and I want as many of my friends to go with me next time as can afford to. It's a wonderful experience, and I want all of my music-loving friends to share it with me...from the beauty of the location, to the enthusiasm of the masses, to the fact that every band's sound was high-quality regardless of what I thought of them...Come on, let's go next year.
Current mood: Indescribable
Listening to: Regina Spektor--Begin to Hope
oh well, at least i got to see Sage for free once and he rapped at/about me at one point.