Coachella Music Festival 2007 Recap

Coachella Music Festival Recap

Friday, April 27 - Sunday, April 29

Indio Empire Polo Fields, Coachella, California

On Site Reporting by Damon Kellard

It was that time again, the time to embrace the feeling of adventure and throw away an unmitigated sense of self reliance, to witness for yourself the hard rocking collection of unprecedented talent and unimaginable physical presence (Whoa, what did I say?). Coachella! The festival that showcases a variety of multi-conglomerate, corporate owned, superstar bands, to the more independent, lesser known….bands…. Either way, you end up paying up the “wazzoo” to rush back and forth between stages, just catching a glimpse of your favorites. Unless of course, you are a hardcore Rage fan, and you spend your day moving closer and closer to the front, through the sea of sweat covered, drug induced individuals.

FRIDAY,The Journey Begins:

The day started a bit slow, leaving me with not much of a journey to embark on. The lines for every aspect of the event were, as usual, grossly over populated. Parking, the entrance, bathrooms, food, water, everywhere you looked it was crowed with festival-goers alike. But, slowly and surely, I made my way over to the Outdoor Theatre (big stage) to see Of Montreal. I had heard so much of this band, and I did enjoy their CD. With their reputation, and a great production value, how could a band fail to impress with their live show? Well, it is definitely possible, and in this case, the performance was weak and unintelligible. They entered the stage with full costume and face paint, elaborate instruments and full confidence. But their egotistical escapades were not enough to compensate for their dull, and frankly boring live show. None of their songs had any depth to hold onto, and their programmed drums only amounted to a lesser talented drummer.

So, it was time to move on to the next band. Silver Sun Pickups! A band truly deserving of their most recent success, and I am sure that each member was absolutely stoked on playing the Coachella stage (Main Stage). The crowed was huge, and the band was in high energy. You could feel their passion and angst for their music, which screams Silverlake with each chord. And with Coachella being a primarily “LA” event, the crowd was ecstatic. They were solid, and beautifully rehearsed. The songs were upbeat and energetic, and their impressive rock antics were a pleasure to watch and take part in. But, with so many more bands to see, I was unable to stay longer then three songs. But that does not hinder my opinion on their performance. It was fun and entertaining, and I gained more endurance as a result of it, which pushed me forward through the sun-soaked festival.

So it was now time to change my pace a bit, and land my self in the middle of the Sahara Tent (The Techno Tent) to see Benny Benassi. With no idea as to who Benassi was, I was welcomed with hard driving deep, deep bass, and ear piercingly high pitched melody. Dancing my way through the crowed, the music carried me safely with the busy techno beats to the photo entrance. There I was able to understand just how much intricate sound was being produced by just one man. Looking at the crowed, Benny Benassi was grooving them so hard that the entire tent was a pit of ecstasy induced dance comma patients. Whether the influence of substance was actually there, the outcome of the crowd’s energy would have been the same.

Being not the biggest dancer, I felt that I had to make my move. So it was off to see Jesus and Mary Chain, then over to Sonic Youth at the Outdoor Theatre, to eventually fall back onto the main stage to finish the night off with Interpol, followed by Bjork. Wow, intensity filled my veins as this decision was made. So many good bands, and so little time, so my overview is as follows: I wanted to see more rock music, and the long awaited reunion of the Scottish rock group did just that, The Jesus and Mary Chain. With a live performance as impressive as their name, they knew what they were doing and were happy with the experience. Sonic Youth’s reunion was equally as long awaited and they proved worthy of their weight (wait?). Their fans were more than responsive and the show was a pleasurable listening experience. What a boring description, I know, but you have to understand that being at Coachella, you don’t necessarily get much out of each band, unless you make the journey for the purpose of being moved and swept off your feet by your favorite band. And with me being a somewhat harsh critic, I can’t say much about bands that I originally am not particularly fond of. So bear with me. Although, Interpol, a band that I was never able to fully involve myself with, due to their popularity, and my skewed music opinion, definitely took be by surprise. I was thoroughly impressed with both their presence and music. The songs were as interesting as they were powerful, and the wave of instruments was an invitation for a newly founded likeness for the band. But enough of this unimportant poetic babble, let’s get to what everyone wants to hear, the main attraction of the night, Bjork. I am sorry to say, but I don’t have a lot to report on this show. Other than the fact that the photo pit was just as populated and eager for shots as the crowed was. She entered the stage in a full, beautifully decorated, white, middle eastern-esque, costume? I was not entirely sure what it was, but it was quite the spectacle. Accompanied by a miniature orchestra, and a slew of what looked like digital synthesized space mechanisms, the show was quite a, for lack of a better word, show. Bjork's voice was impeccable and the many musicians onstage did not even come close to approaching representation of Bjork's rein of intricacy. Though I felt that DJ Shadow deserved more attention. With the misfortune of them having the same set times on separate stages, I rushed over once again to the Outdoor Stage to see for myself how one man puts together so much music…. And my impression was correct. DJ Shadow delivered! With only a desk of computers, turn tables, samplers, drum machines and his mind and hands at his disposal, he exploded with a wall of digitized sound waves, implicating a variety of beats, mixed in with sampled quotes, rhythms and unpredictable dynamics. The music, including the visual performance (showed on a white back drop behind him) was for me, the main attraction of the night, and what a night it was. With the idea that there was still two days left of this mayhem, I quickly went to my bed and dreamt of the day.

SATURDAY, Day 2: This Heat is On:

With it being the hottest day of the year, I took the liberty to spend a little more time preparing myself for the day, and decided to arrive at the festival a little later. This meant I was forced to miss such highly anticipated acts such as Fountains of Wayne and Steve Aoki. Dear, what a tragic misfortune. But I was just in time for !!! (pronounced: chick chick chik) and their wild empire of layered dance rhythms. With what seemed like too many members to have on stage at one time, !!! enveloped guitars, synthesizers, vocals and two drummers all into a solid collection of songs. Not missing a beat, the band was able to move audience members to a unique and highly entertaining movement of energy. Though, as much as I love energy and all, their stage presence was a bit too ecstatic for me, and as their show rolled along I felt less and less inclined to take part in their silly dance routines. Neeeext…

Ghostface Killah was up to bat at the Outdoor stage, and again the stage appeared to be holding just too many members. In the case of Ghostface though, half of the members were not members at all, and their purpose was, I think, to chill and or kick it while the music was blasting. Now yes, I know what you are thinking, “why in gods name did you not see Arcade Fire?! And why on earth would you miss such a show for Ghostface?!” well the answer to that is, I have no answer. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think it could have been because I saw them two years ago at Coachella and felt others needed coverage. I feel the more concrete answer though, is the fact that the group I was with was more interested in seeing Ghostface, and with cell phones completely obsolete at Coachella, I felt it was necessary to stick with my ride home. And yes, I indeed regret my decision, seeing as how Ghostface was something of unimportance when they went on to rant about absolutely nothing at all. So forgetting my unforgettable decision, it was on to the next act.

Blonde Redhead, to Mike Relm to Cornelius! (After Ghostface “Whatever” was finished, Blonde Redhead took the stage, and they produced a very strong performance. Being a three piece, it would be expected that their sound would be lacking. Though this powerful trio delivers more than what my original expectations lack. And that is a strong sense of hard rock music, with an adorable lead female vocalist. Bravo! Without wasting time, the Gobi Tent (another tent) was next. Mike Relm it was; the infamous DJ known for not only his talent and ability to mix sound and music, but his aptitude in mixing together video, which correlates perfectly with the music. I was just in time for a few highlights, and I was able to see his mix of Bjork and her screaming back and forth, in and out, with his records, coinciding with her music video. The same goes for the “Oh Face” guy from the movie “Office Space”. Mixing scenes from the movie to produce a crazy record-scratching groove. Amazingly executed.

The end of the night was nearing, and the most anticipated band of the night was gearing themselves up for a highly diverse and intricate textual experience. Cornelius was perfecting their every last detail, and when their makeshift curtain revealed this four-piece band from Japan, my attention was focused. They exploded with perfectly executed dynamic, producing a sort of post modern, progressive math rock feel. The show consisted of an impeccably solid drum and bass rhythm section, with mind boggling interweaved guitar lines, made audible with powerful chords and complicated finger tapping. Everything from the instrumentation to the vocal melodies and harmonies consisted of perfectly timed execution. The band knows no bound and exceeded all expectation. They are currently tour for their newest album “Sensuous” and to put your money to a good cause, I suggest buying it, and if you haven’t already done so, their previous albums are as worthy, if not better.

SUNDAY, A Clean Sweep:

This is the day that mattered most to all the people attending, the day where everyone’s favorite bands were making their appearance. nfortunately, this was the same day were my cash flow was winding down, and my money was spent on consistently hydrating myself, and paying for high priced food, which was delicious. But nonetheless, this was the day I was most excited for, and what better way to start your day off then a live performance by Explosions in the Sky. As a fan I was pretty excited seeing them perform. The sheer power and “explosive” song are clearly eminent on their recording, and they reproduced that sound perfectly for their live performance. My only troubling critique of this bands music is the fact that their repertoire of songs consists of the same mood and tone throughout all their albums. I feel that they build and ascend through their set the same way with each song. It gets a little dull after awhile and some times I wish they had a change in mood or tone. Regardless, I stayed for the whole set, and it was indeed a show of rock and power.

From here on out, it was a battle between the Coachella Stage and the Outdoor Stage. Making the plan to jump back and forth to see Against Me!, The Roots, Placebo, Air, then Manu Ciao and finally, Rage Against the Machine, with a little Ratatat in between. It was a busy idea, but results proved conclusive and I was able to see them all. Against Me! attracted a crowed of listeners hungry for the bands political angst. As I was one of the many who enjoy Against Me! for not only their hard rock, punk/rockabilly type sound, but their intelligible lyrics and message. Their presence was strong and their set was benevolent.

Next were The Roots, and I have to say, that over all, they were the best performers of the entire three days. I am not the biggest fan of the actual music, but when it comes to solid rhythm sections and fantastically sung lyrics and harmonies, The Roots is a band that has it all figured out. Quest Love on drums, is by far, the most metronomic drummer that I have ever experienced in a live show, and the addition of a baritone Tuba player (It looked a lot bigger than a regular Tuba) was not only comical, but a great addition to the bands Hip-Hop ideals. He was playing perfectly while in the midst of dancing to the beat on stage. They are solid as solid can be, and the songs surpass your basic entertainment and danceable rhythm.

Placebo… Well they had some good songs in their time, and their Coachella debut was not necessarily bad, just a little weak. The singer frankly is a bit too whiney for me to handle, but their ability to bring forth an impressive amount of sound is definitely noteworthy. Not something to necessarily be featured in historical live performances, but something to remember. To get things moving along though, it was then time for Crowded House, and man, what a disaster it was. The band was not bad, and they have a reputation for writing catchy hit songs, although their placement on the bill was a complete misfortune. With 2 spots away from Rage, the fans were anticipating their favorite bands reunited glory. And with no patients for Crowded house, the band was booed and heckled, and people seemed to be just plain uninterested. Without an eye witness account, it was said that during the bands most popular song a water bottle from an audience member was thrown at the stage, and landing itself perfectly upon the lead singers face. I wasn’t there to see it, but my source was reliable, and I hope I’m not stating untrue press. Either way, Crowded House’s reunion did not match up to the others.

Air was next, and was quickly disregarded. They were 45 minutes late to their own set, and I didn’t have the time nor the patients to sit through songs I had seen at previous Coachella years. And If I am not mistaken, their opening was the same as their first appearance at the festival, although I could be delusional. Anyway, next was Ratatat, which I was particularly curious to see, being as there is no live drummer on the recordings, and upon my arrival, my curiosity was fulfilled with the site of two guitarists, and a bassist with a floor tom. It is a brilliant idea for a techno style live band, the songs were thick and rich with melody, and their timing and drum sample triggering were flawless. But with the crowed growing more and more as their set progressed, I made the decision to travel back over to the Coachella stage to see the final two bands, Manu Ciao and Rage Against the somthingorother… Machine! Right well away, I went to find myself far, far behind thousands upon thousands of screaming and dancing Manu Ciao worshipers. The band had the audience in the palms of their hands, and was moving each individual back and forth, and side to side. The crowed was a sea of dumbstruck, Manu Ciao cult followers, singing along to their every lyric, dancing perfectly in their up tempo, highly energetic attitude. The band was involved closely with the members of the audience, wooing them with political discussion, addressing the most recent issues with Bush, and the war in Iraq. But no band at Coachella was more politically involved with the social mishaps of the enormous audience as Rage Against the Machine was. It started with a very crowded, and very competitive photo pit. With just as little room to move as there was space for heavy moshing amongst the crowed, I had my camera ready, and the excitement was high. As they entered the stage for the first time in years, Rage was quickly welcomed with an overwhelming amount of applause and encouragement. This was the band that was expected to manipulate the actions of the crowed, and security was on high alert. They started their night out with, what I would say, was their biggest hit, “Testify”, taking you through a set featuring their entire career. The people were incredibly responsive, and the band fed off of the energy, which was so clearly eminent among the thousands of individuals. The songs sounded great, and very well rehearsed, though the shakiness of a first show was still present with in the performance. The show went on, and the crowed continued to flourish. With their unorthodox style of playing, the bass and drum grooves were completely and utterly in sync, and in the pocket, while the rhythm was played with synthetically configured guitar tones, being played very uniquely and organically. The guitarist fascinated the crowed, turning his guitar pickups on and off while simultaneously fretting the chords with his left hand, producing a more diverse and strange sound. The show went on smoothly, and eventually winded down to a long, drawn out spoken word break down, in which the lead singer gave a speech stating a comparison to the political figures in power during Nazi Germany, and the American figures present in our offices today. He called for the same punishment received by Germany’s dictators to be bestowed upon our own hierarchy in our own government. This was a request for the trial and public hangings of all “rich, white” political figures, due to most recent issues with the war and oil scandal. Which, in agreement, I can say that the actions taken place today can be easily compared to other political mishaps and scandal, but I don’t believe that violence solves problems. Although the people were responsive to his statements, I am not quite sure that their words carried into the ears of the listeners, but straight through them. So regardless, they played through their songs, finishing with “Killing in the Name”, leaving the crowed with bleeding ears and brains of mush, as a result of their face melting guitar riffs. So this was my time to leave, returning home before their encore encouraged people to riot the night away.