Hot Winds and Neon Palm Trees
Coachella 2005
by Margaret Pitcher
photos by David Vann

Ah, festivals. For me this is holiday season. There's something about having a palette of music to choose from, jumping around from stage to stage or venue to venue, checking out old favorites and getting turned on to new artists, connecting with friends and meeting new ones. Though I'm claustrophobic and have a fear of crowds I can always find a comfortable zone whether at a multi-venue fest in the city or a camping festival in the sticks. The real challenge is deciding which festivals to catch, especially since the festival scene has blown up in the last few years with large and small events popping up everywhere.

A few weeks ago, at the kind behest of some friends, I got a last-minute invite to attend the Coachella Valley Music Festival. This marked my first time at Coachella and my first foray into this year's festival season. As I'm somewhat of a rock mama, its format – hip-hop and electronica in addition to indie rock, pop and other genres - was a bit of a departure for me. Yet Coachella, like all festivals, is whatever you make of it. With 90+ acts on five stages there's a lot to choose from and it's nearly impossible to catch all the great music. And while I'm still kicking myself for missing out on certain bands at the same time I got a good earful and overall had a very fulfilling weekend.

For those who haven't been, Coachella is held on a polo field in Indio, CA near Palm Springs. The nearby town of La Quinta is a bizarre upscale golfing community in the middle of a desert, making its lush green and flowered lawns all the more surreal. There's not much incentive to camp onsite as they forbid alcohol and curfew is at 11pm. Plus it's hot as hell during the day, though this year's pleasant arid heat was a far cry from last year's scorching 107 degrees. The site itself is well laid-out and user-friendly: it's basically a grassy lawn with the stages and tents set up along the perimeter, allowing you to move very easily from stage to stage. Several art installations were set up on the grounds, some that left you scratching your head (as though-provoking art should do) and others that were more hands-on. The Bike Rodeo was a great idea and The Drum Orb and Horn Massive were inviting and hypnotizing. At night the palm trees which surround the grounds were lit up in blue, green and fuchsia, water images and other light designs were projected on the white tent tops, and rays of white light shot up from the perimeter to form a giant luminous tee-pee over the festival. The vibe of Coachella was a bit LA yet surprisingly cosmopolitan. Not only were the Brits well represented on stage, you could also hear that and various different accents among the 50-60,000 music fans in attendance.

As for the music... The first day was a bit overwhelming and regrettably I ended up at the main stage most of the time. Snow Patrol and Keane were enjoyable, as were Wilco and Weezer - nothing really out of the ordinary, they did their thing which seemed to please most fans. Bauhaus threw a much-needed wrench into the scene with melodramatic stage effects and a very theatrical performance. Coldplay finished up the main stage on Saturday night. It was a decent set but pretty mellow as Coldplay tends to be; I suppose it was nice to chill out at the end of a very hectic day. I was able to catch some of Rilo Kiley's afternoon set which was impressive. Their sound is rockin' pop with an element of alt-country, and though their hit single "Portions For Foxes" is catchy and pleasant enough it's just one in an arsenal of good songs that's gaining widespread recognition for this young band. Jean Grae, a sassy, sexy, foul-mouthed MC from NYC, came on very strong when she rocked out the Gobi tent. You've probably heard her voice on various hip-hop collaborations yet her talent certainly warrants individual attention. Definitely someone to keep an eye on.

By the second day I was more acclimated and that, coupled with the more temperate weather, made it easier to navigate between the stages. Once again I missed out on the earlier acts - such is the hazard of staying off-site - but once we arrived I hit the ground running. M.I.A., the fast-rising superstar MC from England via Sri Lanka, had the Gobi tent in the palm of her hand. (Score another one for women in hip-hop.) Hard-rockin' Brits Kasabian delivered an excellent set and proved that they're going to blow up huge. Bad-ass MC Beans was riveting, fittingly backed by a band called Holy Fuck. The Arcade Fire was excellent, with a myriad of instruments that created a whimsical feel and a sound that's slightly Poi Dog-esque yet completely original. Aesop Rock is a trip, and for his set the colorful MC brought out the illustrious Mr. Lif from The Perceptionists (who played earlier that day) for some lively wordplay. Japanese turntablist DJ Krush emitted global-flavored hop-hop beats. The Dresden Dolls brought us back to a 1930s-style cabaret. Sets by the recently reunited Gang of Four and New Order were solid, although the real rockstars were Nine Inch Nails. Also back from a long hiatus, and obviously aware of its audience's anticipation, NIN pulled out all the stops with a tight, gripping set that ended with the anthemic "Head Like A Hole." Obviously they've been building up steam during their time-out and for me their set was one of the highlights of the entire Coachella festival. It would be hard to top that, but we finished the night with the last few songs from Bright Eyes. This sensitive songwriter put on a fine live performance, backed by a full band complete with strings and two drummers. Now I know why he's been on the cover of every other music magazine in the last few months.

Next stops: Back to the rock garden at Bonnaroo and High Sierra.