Coachella 2009, day one-part one...

Friday...Friday...Friday...

Think of a monster truck rally for rock geeks...For those who have been, no further explanation is needed.
The primary thing to bear in mind is that the 'coachella experience' is extremely subjective, i.e. my coachella will most assuredly not be your coachella, or anyone else's...In reading other coverage and sharing experiences with other attendees, it basically falls under three categories:
1) damn, wasn't that cool!
2) damn, i missed that!
3) ha ha, you missed that! Everyone can fill all three categories by the time the weekend is over, and from the pudding that is my brain, i shall try to reconstruct...

The walk in is all business, the route ingrained over the years...by the end of the 2nd night, eyes will only open every 75 to 100 feet, instantly fixing location and correcting strides...but now, in the day, water bottle in hand, backup stowed in pocket, it's all business, the dusty trek towards the Promised Land.

There is nothing like the grand entrance, that first walk across the grass of the Empire Polo Grounds...it is quiet, just the humming excitement of people starting to mill about in the noonday sun. The familiar sight of the hulking unoccupied stages brings a frisson of anticipation, then the eye wanders over to the jutting art installations, some familiar, but most new, and the mind works ahead, wondering what they will look like at night, a whole world away...
It's a slow start, staying low in the heat, (which is actually the coolest in memory-mid 80's), checking out the early sets...drift by the Courteeners, (picture way above), from England, opening the main stage, past Noah & the Whale, camped out on the outdoor stage, then over to the tent to dig alt hip hop act People Under the Stairs, (picture just above), from LA... restlessness sets in, the mind momentarily seizes and panics, have we jumped the shark? Will they all be like this? Am I just jaded? Have i lost the ability to have my butt kicked? Does anything matter? Why are we here? and stuff like that...

Fortunately, the random sampling pays off, and for me, the festival begins with the first of what we shall refer to from here on out as C.M., or Coachella Moments, those specials points in time and space when you're barely paying attention to life around you, when a band seizes the moment, raises some goosebumps, and throttles your ass....

(Molotov: this picture & next)




In most cases it's expected, and a letdown when it doesn't happen...you can't will goosebumps, it just happens, and the first occurence of the festival, and certainly not the last, is the veteran Rock En Espanol act known as Molotov, who take over the stage for a righteously super.tight set of controlled chaos, dynamically reminiscent of vintage 'Rage Against The Machine' rabble rousing.
In two songs, the field in front of the outdoor stage has doubled, and the band works it's spell in the heat, crunching through a lively set. I understood not a word of it, quite frankly, but i understood it all. There is a universality about throwing your hands in the air and letting it all go that needs no translation.

The concept of dog.piling bands was the next hurdle to clear, as a mid afternoon cluster of Los Campesinos!, (picture above), the Hold Steady, and the Toxic Airborne Event all conspired to require some careful choosing.

Los Campesinos! turned in the set of the day in the Gobi tent…the seven strong group ripped through selections from their three albums at a breakneck pace, stunning the audience, then whipping them into a frenzy, climaxing with the lead singer diving into the audience, after expressing wonder that the only three year old band could possibly be on this stage…Humble to a fault, but with great pride in their unit, Los Camp won some hearts…

Initially, i plotted to split the Los Camp action with the Hold Steady, (picture left). I drifted over to the tent, and stuck for only a song. The band chugged along, but Finn apparently was pretty sick, hanging on gamely, but i pulled the plug, blew off Airborne Toxic Event completely, (both of these i'll probably live to regret...), but was rewarded with the fantastic finish of the Los Camp. set, (video below)


Then it was back to the outdoor stage to catch M. Ward, (pictured), (whose new record "Hold Time" will probably be haunting one or two year end lists). I didn't know what to expect, but he appeared with a full band from Portland, (whose name i missed in the screaming and tumult), but they more than adequately fleshed out his sometimes hermetic (in a good way) records, and made for a lively set, (the last half that i made it over for...) I took a minute to dash over & catch a bit of the Black Keys, (cut short for having seen them before, but yet another heartbreaking call).
Getting back in time for Conor Oberst, (pictured left, in hat), & the Mystic Valley Band, was the primary objective, but also getting a little more relax time on the outdoor lawn, and set up pole position for the next act, as the temps eased off and dusk stole a march. What started as another side project has grown into a life beyond Bright Eyes for Conor, as he readies a 2nd album with his new unit. The set was engaging, but not compelling, drawing off of the Mystic Valley Band material, and not seeming to connect with the crowd at large (maybe just me, but that's how it seemed)...that is, until the final number, when Oberst came to life with a riotously rocking tune that galvanized the audience and brought the field to life, and bringing down the sun for the day...
And that's where i will leave part one, as night fell...