ok i'm somewhat alive now...
FRIDAY:
got to indio early around 4pm... so first thing my friend & i did was start drinking. hung out at the pool for a bit, ate dinner, drank more booze. attempted to meet up with dalen but punk ass wasn't at his room when we stopped by there!
so we headed out to the filter party early... the line for the shuttle was long but i knew you had to get there early because open bar + hipsters= madness. boy, was i right. the shuttle picked us up and took us to god-knows-where... but it was at some ranch. there was a lake in the middle and all around the lake was a walkway and bars EVERYWHERE. not only were there bars EVERYWHERE but it was all FREE. usually open bar means open bar until 9pm, but no. tequila, vodka, heineken, YUM! so i tried calling tom and everyone to try to get there but i was kinda wasted so sorry if i was a jerk. oh yeah, managed to drunk dial chad (swiateck) since it was his birthday and all.
the dj's were alright but i wasn't too impressed with anyone... i think i missed the rakes' dj set which bummed me out but we were too drunk to even notice. so finally they stopped serving around 12:45ish then we attempted to head back and boy it was a bitch getting back to the casino. managed to stumble to dana & tom's room... then went back to our rooms because my crew had arrived late so partied with them more.
SATURDAY:
since i was too damn hungover to want to go early, we just started drinking some more then got there in time for wolfmother.
WOLFMOTHER- high energy, sounded great. damn they rocked me.
TV ON THE RADIO- been dying to see these guys live and they didn't disappoint. i thought the vocals could've been a bit better... he sounded off on some parts but hearing "playhouses" live ruled.
SIGUR ROS- holy hell!!!! PERFECT sunset set. i can't believe dude sings so high-pitched like that, i always wondered how it would be live... it was intense and beautiful.
FRANZ FERDINAND- yeah they were good. high energy, they are adorable... but at that point i had to take care of my friend's co-worker because he was a bit too drunk so i couldn't really pay attention.
DEPECHE MODE- so then i had an episode where i almost fainted because of being too close to the front and everyone was trying to crowd in... not to mention i was REALLY drunk by that point-- mental note: don't ever drink whiskey in the heat ever again. i don't know what the hell i was thinking. anyway, depeche mode was great... i never had the chance to see them live so i was stoked but we cut out early to head over to daft punk...
...which brings me to my favorite act of the weekend:
DAFT PUNK.
i'm getting chills as i'm writing this. daft punk was one of the first electronic acts that got me liking electronic music before i even knew what it was. this is one electronic act i've been DYING to see forever... so when i saw that stage light up, the lights shine over the 2 "robots," the beats going THUMP THUMP THUMP, and the crowd going INSANE... it was truly a moment that words can't even express. they just wouldn't stop. the beats kept getting harder, and the crowd was just going wild. and more wild. i don't think i EVER seen an electronic act have control over the crowd like that. the way they kept teasing the vocals from around the world and one more time into other tracks, not to mention throwing some booty bass in there... DAMN. it was absolutely fucking INCREDIBLE.
SUNDAY:
LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES- my friend josh introduced me to these guys years ago and we were totally stoked to catch them live... and boy did they rock it. i kinda wish they were playing at sunset because that would've been perfect... dancing in the desert as the sun is going down. it was the one set that i was actually with ALL of my friends at, so it was great.
TED LEO &
MAGIC NUMBERS- went back & forth between both sets... both great. i dug magic numbers a LOT. i like the new songs they played. ted leo was ted leo (not saying that in a bad way).
PHOENIX- heard a couple of songs, they didn't sound too shabby.
METRIC- finally got to catch them, they were great.
WOLF PARADE- fuckin technical difficulties cut their set late and short. but, i waited ever so patiently up in the front and it was well worth it. i like wolf parade.
GNARLS BARKLEY- okay, they sucked. sorry.
YEAH YEAH YEAHS- FINALLY! i have the worst luck in trying to see this band live and it finally happened. karen o's stage presence is intense... she was all over the place and even though i wasn't too fond of the new album, it played well live. and they played old tracks i didn't expect to hear: tick, black tongue (fuck yes!!), maps, and art star (she was holding the mic in her mouth and screaming into it. bad ass. i love her.)
MADONNA- well, what can i say? it's madonna. besides the fact she was half an hour late and only played 5 songs, i truly enjoyed watching her live. she's a bit self-absorbed though. "come on, don't be selfish! i can't hear you!" to get the crowd cheering for her. geez. i think for all the hype she should've played a longer set.
MASSIVE ATTACK- oh good god. that shit was intense. especially when liz frasier came out. hearing angel live= another moment that words cannot express. but by that point, "it" hit me. "it" being 2 days of walking everywhere, drinking during the day, etc. it was a great way to end the night.
i'm bummed about missing jazzanova & art brut but we were SPENT so decided to take off after that.
i feel like i didn't catch as many bands as the previous years but the quality was definitely worth it for me.
best coachella ever.
