Coachella '07 - Friday Concert Wrap
Coming off a most excellent concert high (thanks in no small part to the fact that Coachella is basically one giant, secondhand smoke-filled bong), one can't help but conclude that despite their draconian "no outside food" policy, Coachella's wide selection of acts and artists is a pretty damn good deal for the price. Friday alone was enough of a draw and a deal that going for one day was totally worth it; though Tiesto would've been fucking nice, Nat and I have only got so much money, after all.
Snarled traffic and a generally assy freeway notwithstanding, we still got there in time for Of Montreal, which sounded great but suffered from the curse of curses for all performances - the dreaded tech issue. Plus it was 5, hot, and the sun was baking us all. But the lead in fishnets and short-shorts with clown makeup made up for that. Most excellent music, but there was something about the mix.
Next, Nat wanted to see Arctic Monkeys, so we ambled over to the Coachella stage. They were ADORABLE. Seriously. SO cute. Charming Brit post-punk and an infectious energy that you couldn't help being swept up into, set to the backdrop of palm trees, mountains, and a waning desert sun in the late afternoon.
Nat and I parted ways after a quick and overpriced snack - me to the Sahara tent to see Felix da Housecat and her back to the main stage for The Jesus and Mary Chain. It was a tough call, but I wanted to see both of them, so I split them somewhat democratically. The dance tent was a little too much like a rave, and while Felix is sweet, being there for too long felt a little cheap given the cost of admission. (I'd rather just go to a rave for the rave experience.) Still, nice set, though a little hard to get into, and also the single greatest collection of shirtless guys in the festival (a commodity that was, I should stress, in NO short supply). I did head back to catch the end of JMC's set and enjoyed it, then met Nat under an edifice we could only describe as "that giant fucking eye of Mordor."
We pushed our way through the crowd at the main stage, braving pot smoke and scenester alike, trying to line up a good spot, but it sure wasn't out of any particular desire to see Interpol, the most boring band of Friday's experience; we were just trying to get in good for the set after them, which was sure to be a crowd. The experience of seeing Interpol live, aside from the OVERWHELMING SMELL OF POT IN OUR HAIR AND CLOTHES, was best and aptly summarized by a woman we overheard when leaving the concert: "You could've listened to their CD and held up a picture of Interpol, and it would've been the same experience."
Despite the prevalence of excellent performances, it's worth stressing that nothing short of Björk would convince me to pay $80 and gas for a three-hour trek to the desert, and her set was absolutely amazing. Her presentation was fantastic; she opened with her new single, Earth Intruders, wearing some bizarre mushroom-like outfit, after which she donned an adorably flowing multicolored skirt with a skeletal breastplate. Backing her up was her Icelandic brass band, wearing flowing Polyphonic Spree-like robes and waving flags mounted on their shoulderblades. The electronic setup included some expensive and incredibly cool new synth toys, most notably the ReacTable, which is the single coolest device I have ever seen. Songwise, she treated us to old favorites and some of the best tracks from her forthcoming album Volta, namely Earth Intruders, Innocence, and Wanderlust. Everything was an astonishing blend of senses - the waving flags, Bjork's skirt threads and hair blowing dreamily in the wind, colors, lasers, and video, and an infectious energy, with such a tightly-packed and energized crowd that they moshed to fucking Army of Me. Speaking of which: Army of Me was on steroids - the familiar industrial groove and sound have been modernized for a more contemporary and brutal Björkocracy. In a set filled with high points, it stands out in particular as an amazing rush of adrenaline and confrontation. All in all, the set left us totally psyched for her new album Volta, which has like, totally been leaked on the internetcomes out next week. And, not long after memorably intoning "it's so nice to be here with you all... in the desert," in her cute girl-woman manner, she left us with a single encore: Declare Independence from the new album. The crowd energy was perfectly suited to clapping along and screaming "Raise your Flag! Higher! HIGHER!" - but as for the new songs, I'll get to those another time. Seeing Björk - who'd might as well be a pagan shamaness - at the end of the long day, after the odyssey of travelling to this scenester mecca in the palms, let the evening end with an almost spiritual tint.
Long story short, Coachella was great, and, the hassles notwithstanding, I'd still like to go next year if the acts catch my fancy. But that's a tall order - not just anyone or any act can get me to make a pilgrimage of body and wallet like that.
-Tommy
