Coachella Festival 2010 (#5 for me)

Thanks to some good friends, I’ve been crazy enough to go to the Coachella Music and Arts Festival every year since 2007 (though only the first day in 2007). This year was the 10th time Goldenvoice has put on the event. Coachella is recession-proof since it was totally sold out this year, and there were only 3 day passes available. This is also the first year that they started using wristbands with microchips for all the festival attendees in place of scanning 3 paper tickets. The first day was a bit slow because everyone (all 75,000 people) had to show one ticket and get a wristband put on.

Weather-wise it was probably the mildest Coachella yet. The hottest it got all weekend was 90 degrees on Sunday, with a bit of humidity. It was actually cold and windy during the end of each night (particularly Saturday). The crowds were even worse than usual because it was sold out and 75,000 people in attendance is probably way too much for the Empire Polo Grounds. There were the usual interesting art installations, but of course, the main thing was all the great music from the hundreds of bands, DJ’s, and solo artists performing each day.

It would be impossible to see every performance, but I managed to catch a lot more than I expected to. Despite all the cancellations from the UK and European acts stranded due to the Icelandic volcano eruption, there was still more than enough to fill the missing bands’ places. Despite the very late start on the first day due to unavoidable traffic and extremely long lines, we still saw tons.

Tips for Surviving Coachella

Coachella is a learning experience for everyone: the artists, the volunteers, the staff, and especially the attendees. One of the first things you learn is that it is never a good idea to leave right after the main headliner because you will get stuck in a slow moving crowd, no matter how much you try to avoid it. It’s best to either leave early (during the headliner) or super late (if you like waiting awhile for crowds to clear). Considering the intensity of the event, I prefer leaving early even if it does mean missing some of the headlining acts.

Extreme exhaustion kicks in quite easily if you leave when everyone else does because you will be slowly herded through the main entrance, then walk a long distance to your car, and wait hours in traffic to get to one of the exits in whatever parking lot you managed to park in. It is important to have enough cash on hand to pay for at least 2 big meals each day because lines for ATMs are so long and they must charge a ton of fees for those machines. If you are into buying band and festival merch or music, credit and debit cards are recommended since they accept them there but not in the food tents.

The last and probably most important if not most obvious thing is to buy water (either using the bottle they sell w/free refills, buying refills or bottled water, or finding 10 empty bottles for 1 bottled water). It is absolutely essential in the desert to stay hydrated since the heat is strong and you will be walking and standing around a lot. Having a big breakfast before you get to the Polo Grounds is also very helpful in saving money and being energized enough to get around once you do get there.

Coachella 2010 Summary

Coachella Stage = C
Outdoor Theater = O

Gobi = G
Mojave = M
Sahara = S

Friday, April 16

4-5:10 Proxy (S) – cool opening DJ set
4:20-5:10 Yeasayer (M) – not what I was expecting, did they change their sound?
5:35-6:25 Ra Ra Riot (M) – entertaining indie pop band
5:45-6:35 She & HIm (O) – 60’s style music w/Zoey Deschanel and M. Ward
6:20-7:20 The Specials (C) – skankin fun music w/one of the ska pioneers
6:25-7:40 Wolfgang Gartner (S) – DJ music you can groove to
7-7:50 Passion Pit (O) – high pitched vocals and dance rock, very packed
7:50-8:40 Them Crooked Vultures (C) – super group doing their super best
8:05-8:55 Grizzly Bear (M) – probably didn’t hear enough of them
8:35-9:25 Echo & the Bunnymen (O) – they’ve still got it after all these years
9:05-10 LCD Soundsystem (C) – quirky and danceable electronic music
9:20-10-10 Imogen Heap (M) – very special solo performance, cool props
9:35-10:20 Little Dragon (G) – caught a bit of their set, better than expected
9:55-10:45 Vampire Weekend (O) – strong performance from a fun band
10:15-11:30 Benny Benassi (S) – another good DJ w/danceable grooves
10:50 Jay Z (w/Beyonce) (C) – did a duet of “Forever Young” w/his baby girl
11:10-12:20 Fever Ray (M) – pretty different, cult-like music
11:35-12:50 deadmau5 (S) – a mouse DJ, that’s right, cool music
11:55-12:45 The Whitest Boy Alive (G) – slightly mellow indie-tronica

Saturday, April 17

1-2:35 Sam XL (S) – fun hip hop w/electronic beats
2:35-4:05 Jason Bentley (S) – awesome DJ set by a Coachella favorite
3:10-3:55 Camera Obscura (M) – bittersweet indie pop, sounded great
4-4:45 The Temper Trap (O) – funky dance rock from down under
4:25-5:15 Beach House (M) – mellow pop music w/interesting stage setup
4:35-5:20 Band of Skulls (G) – dirty gritty rock n’ roll, packed tent
5:20-6 Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros (O) – country tinged folk
5:45-6:35 The Raveonettes (G) – love their music, but had a strange set
6:25-7:10 The XX (O) – very cool female fronted band from the UK
7-7:50 Corinne Bailey Rae (G) – lovely folk singer/guitarist from the UK
7:35-8:25 Hot Chip (O) – popular electro-pop group does well outdoors
8:50-9:40 MGMT (O) – a bit disappointing due to the weak 2nd album tracks
9:35-11:05 Muse (C) – excellent high-energy performance w/great pyrotechnics
11:05-12 The Dead Weather (O) – so weird to see Jack White on drums
11:40 Tiesto (C) – world famous DJ for a reason, amazing headliner
11:50-12:45 Devo (M) – hilarious new wave punk from the 80’s, still got it
12-12:50 Sia (G) – she’s a talented singer, but on way too late for my taste

Sunday, April 18

12:55-1:40 The Soft Pack (M) – quality music from San Diego rockers
1:30-2:15 Babasonicos (C) – great music, Spanish lyrics, good performance
2:05-2:50 King Khan and the Shrines (M) – very entertaining, funky music
3:15-4 MUTEMATH (M) – awesome band in terms of music and performance
3:20-4:04 Mayer Hawthorne and the County (G) – surprisingly good
3:35-4:20 Deerhunter (O) – caught this in passing, but not too interesting
4:30-5:15 Florence and the Machine (G) – quite crowded, but cool music
5:35-6:20 Julian Casablancas (M) – didn’t see up close, songs sounded good
5:40-6:30 Charlotte Gainsbourg (G) – kept us waiting way too long
5:55-6:45 Jonsi (O) – amazingly good music, quite an Icelandic treat
6:30-7:20 Spoon (C) – solid performance from this Texas band
6:45-7:45 Infected Mushroom (S) – psychedelic trance from Israel rocks
6:45-7:30 Miike Snow (M) – really cool electronic music and vocals
7:10-8 Phoenix (O) – this French band has come a long way, solid
7:55-8:45 Yan Tiersen (M) – amazingly good multi-instrumental artist
8:10-8:55 Little Boots (G) – cool female electronic singer
9-10:30 Thom Yorke (O) – impressive performance, quality music
10:30-12 Gorillaz (C) – made an appearance in human form, how novel
10:45 Sly Stone (M) – postponed performance was not worth the wait