Saturday begins weirdly. For mainly the wrong reasons I end up heading to the first day of Coachella on my own, despite staying with a group of friends in a Tiki Resort hotel in Palm Springs. For those of you not familiar with the Coachella festival, its in Indio, which is the kind of place I wouldn’t want to live. Its very nice, but super hot (its in the desert basically, but more in the desert than LA), and it looks like the only thing to do is form a band (cool) or drink and do drugs (cool for some, but not my thing). On my yearly pilgrimage here, I never see anyone on the streets…its just too hot. This year we are being given a respite, as its low nineties. On a previous year it was 108..and after foolishly dancing to drum and basser Musiq shortly after arriving I kept thinking I would pass out. Here I go digressing already. By the way, the aforementioned Tiki means that there are a few tiki heads and bamboo around the place, and its actually a motel not a hotel, but it’s a nice place. For you euro people reading this – Coachella is a breeze compared to any euro –fest, but people here are not into roughing it too much, so staying at a hotel is de rigueur, and certainly not a poncey thing to do like it would be in the UK. No one in LA would put up with three days of ankle deep mud at Glasto for instance. So, most people who go stay in a local hotel, although there are a smattering of tents and RV’s (recreational gas guzzling vehicles for the euro kids). Nothing like the ghetto-fabulous never ending sea of tents at a Reading or Glasto. First planned band of the day for me are local LA daughters of the rich and famous The Like. I like the Like, they are sweet and stand awkwardly with their guitars, and they have some good songs and a nice vibe. Next band up are White Rose Movement, who I haven’t seen or heard, but come with strong recommendations and mentions of the Faint. However, their charms remain a mystery to me, as I get stuck in an interminable line of cars from the freeway to the “free event parking”. It’s about 20 or so miles to Indio from Palm Springs, and it takes me about half an hour to do that, and an hour and a half to get into the parking. Then its 20 minutes walk from parking to gate entry point, and then another 45 minutes trying to get through the gate. Its day one, so security frisks everyone and checks bags for water and survival rations, which must be purchased inside. Guns and ammunition are OK, as that’s not on sale inside. (Hint: if you come on day 2 the security have given up bothering to frisk or check much, so the line moves way quicker.) Anyway, I get in just in time to catch the third band on my must-see list. By the way, I come prepared with set running times, and a flow chart indicating what stages I need to be moving to. Pretty anal, yet essential festival preparation for me and many others – I mean there are five stages and 50 competing acts each day – this has to be planned for. I feel a bit weird as everyone seems to be in groups, and my group is probably somewhere here but I don’t know where. However, this works to my advantage, as there are no compromises or dragging people to see bands they don’t want to see, or losing someone, or waiting for someone to go to the toilet, or being with someone who passes out and u have to waste time deciding whether to carry them or leave them in a pool of their own vomit … all things which slow u down when there are bands to see. No, none of that baggage for me, but also no one to share that moment of awesomeness with when some band just leaves u freaking out for more. Hey, just to give you an idea, or set the scene if u will. The fest takes place on a nice flat polo field, surrounded by palm trees, and some mountains in the distance. It’s fairly picturesque, and probably the nicest outdoor spot for a rock fest I’ve ever been to. The organizers have obviously borrowed the line-up eclecticism from euro fests, so there is a nice mixture of stuff to see. No out and out metal, and less dance stuff than the years before (although one tent is geared entirely towards various world class DJ’s)….but for my money the line-up is a dream line-up, and veers towards the indie spectrum, with the addition of one mature English hottie Madonna. As for facilities, its not bad, plenty of portaloos and no out and out squalor. Beer drinking is only allowed in designated areas (beer gardens), so no doubt that would freak out a few. Fine for me, 95 degrees and I don’t need any beer to help me de-hydrate anymore than I already am doing. Food and drink is pricey as we are a captive audience, but it’s also not too bad in terms of quality either…although I heard a few complaints from British bands about warm flat $7 cups of beer. Sounds just like home to me. Weird food item of the weekend was stalls selling coconuts that you could drink the juice out of and drop on the ground afterwards. I kept thinking if this was anywhere else, those rock hard coconuts would have become deadly festival missiles, probably filled with urine (Anyone remember the Donnington Monsters of Rock festivals? Oh the joy of dodging piss filled flying pint glasses). Anyway, this is Coachella, and thank god people are civilized enough not to want to throw stuff (apart from during the Tool set where a few glow sticks hurtle around…but in a good natured way). OK, so where was I? Third band on my must-see list…… ok, that must be … to be continued………
Just tell me you went and saw Deerhoof. You can't not see Deerhoof if they are playing anywhere near you.
What is Deerhoof? What style? Never heard of them. And Coconuts - I can just think of those here at the footy or cricket - especially the cricket. Not sure if you still look over the cricket Muton, but I'm sure Parka would be up with the Aussie cricket crowds come the summer one-dayers. Sheer madness. To get pissed and be thrown out is pretty much a badge of honour (people in certain sections of the crowd will actually sing a chant of "Goodbye, Goooooodddbbbbyyyyye, Goodbye" as the cops drag some guy out by the head). The idea of coconuts here would be insane.
When I went to see Maiden at Download (Donnington) a few years back there was a customary piss pint throwing contest when Manson came on. I was sitting down as the ground was curved which meant you could see without standing (yay!) and you could not see the stage for the sheer amount of bottles and pint cups being thrown. Football doesn't get much drunkeness compared to cricket. I dread to think what would happen if a football match(es) lasted all day with beer on tap!
I would die in the 108 temperatures of the past. So what were Tool and Madonna like? Yes, I have diverse musical tastes...
Sorry for the silence - been trying to edit a video of the weekend together, as well as writing more stuff, as well as lining up fo sales, as well as having a haircut.....
The only thing I bought was food and drink. No tees for me...altho I wanted a Rakes shirt or Wolfmother, but didn't see any...plus the mech booth was insane-o.
