Anyone go? I know Bosco went--I'd love to read some highlights from the festival.

The newspapers seem to love covering Prince, but not much else...

No, but Pandora and my PS3 news feed won't stop advertising it! I was actually surprised to see Coachella on both. I didn't know it was getting so much press.

I will let Bosco do the talking, but from what he said it sounded like he had a good time. He's currently making the trek back home.

And he managed to not get sunburnt! Given the ridiculously high temps over the weekend, that in itself is a miracle! Bosco's a pretty brave guy. I must be getting old because as much as I love Coachella, the thought of being out there in the blasted heat all day is enough to make me exhausted.

Vorpal - Coachella has definitely picked up steam since 1999 and has been getting tons and tons of press with each passing year. It didn't get much press back then and that first year I think they (Goldenvoice promotions) might have lost money. It certainly wasn't very crowded (in comparison to now) when I went in 1999. But the line-ups each year are well rounded and it's proven itself to be a festival that caters to all types who dig music from across the spectrum. Its growing popularity has been both good and bad imo: Good in the sense that the more successful it is, the more likely it is to keep on going and it's a good thing to have an ongoing annual festival like this in the States. It's a fun thing to look forward to especially when the Chems play. :mrgreen: And it's bad in the sense that the prices have gone up tremendously over the years, it's harder to get tickets, and it's gone from more of a hippie to hipster "I'm gonna go just to be seen" event.

I have a love hate relationship with the Coachella festival, in that there are aspects of it that I love, e.g. it is one of the only places in the U.S. where a good number of quality electronic acts come together to put on some amazing performances; and aspects that I loath, e.g. the limited number of single day tickets which have sold out in the past, the expansion of the festival, and the hype surrounding it.

I just wish more festivals would pop up here in the states that had some electronic alternative offerings to all the rock festivals. The Outside Lands festival featuring Radiohead, Beck, Tom Petty & others is a perfect example--why not throw some awesome electronica in the mix?

10. Man Man

Holy Shit. Incredible energy. Crazyness is godliness. Gogol Bordello x 10 - the gypsy music

9. MGMT

was really surprised how well this one turned out too. I've seen the Youtube videos of them and the looked horrible. Vocals came out clear and they pretty much played the songs to perfection. Great ordering of the set list too. I see a really bright future for these guys. Andrew and Ben need to ditch the instruments while they are on stage and turn them selves into a flamboyant on stage act like the Flaming Lips.

8. Roger Waters

Only got to see the last hour of his show which was the full run through of Darkside of the Moon and some encore songs from 'The Wall'. Great Gig in the Sky = Thank you very much

7. Kraftwerk

3rd row. People around me were really lame. Awesome visuals on the big screen. Great set list. Deserved a longer time slot. They had tribute to Tchernobly at the end of of Radio Activity. It was kinda of an awkward moment.

6. Portishead

Very Chill performance. I was really afraid that Beth's vocals would be drowned, but they came out crystal clear. Wish she would say a little something in between songs. 2nd row for this one as well and I got to touch her hand when she was reaching out in the crowd. "Over" was awesome.

5. Simian Mobile Disco

Visually beautiful, very impressive. Thank you Mr. Pooter for the heads up with this one! Sleep Deprivation and Hustler where amazing. Had the best spot in the Sahara tent right behind the sound booth.

4. Modeselektor

Same spot as SMD. The bass exploded during "the dark side of the sun," it was nuts, the speakers just couldnt handle it. Awesome visuals. 2nd best act in the Sahara all weekend. Hope they tour the states again and hit Chicago next time around. Hyper! Hyper!

3. Mum

Actually never heard them before and gambled on this one and received a giant pay out. Incredible show. Check them out.

1 a. Aphex Twin probably the most bizarre music experience I've ever had. He played old rave house, hip hop, breaks, and then by the time he reached the halfway point he switched on to his drill and bass IDM stuff. Fucking awesome. He even waived to the crowd and gave the crowd a thumbs up. I hope it was sincere... Anyways, really hope to see him again soon.

1 b. Prince was 2nd row. waited 5.5 hours for this set and was well worth it. Creep (radiohead) cover was awesome. Loved 1999 and Controversy. My feet were about to fall off by the time I got back to my camping tent.

This was my 2nd Coachella. The only other one I went to was 2007. This years was way better. I felt 80% of the bands/groups I saw were above average performances.

Other Acts I saw that were good:

Pendulum

Battles

Red Kross

LuckyIam

Cafe Tacvba

Holy Fuck

American Bang

Acts that were not so good:

Fatboy Slim

Swervedriver

Spiritualized (not totally their fault, sound guy fucked up there set big time)

Diplo

Uffie

Camping isn't that bad. The only thing that sucks is the toilets. Fuckin porta potties are terrible. Weather was pretty hot, but you just need to wear light clothes and drink ALOT of water and your fine.

Some awesome merchandise this year too. Spent way too much money on it...

Thanks for the review, Bosco! Damn, quite a detailed one, too.

::thumbs up, smiles::

ah ,you missed Gogol Bordello?

WHAT'S THIS NAY SAY ABOUT UFFIE?!?!?!?!?1!?1?1/?!

(kidding)

great review, glad to see you got a nice mix of good musicians.

yeah, I missed out on Gogol Bordello, but I already saw them last year. Plus, I'm probably gonna see them again this year at Lollapalooza so it all works out good.

and Speaking of which, Eugene is putting out a documentary. Looks pretty cool.

Uffie's Got It! There was all these mini Uffies, probably about 15 years old, out in the crowd...it was very humorous

here is an awesome finale video of Simian Mobile Disco (about the same view I had except a about 10 feet back)

sounds like they took a few notes mr. tom rowlands ;)

http://www.youtube.com/v/IVKArmTvAJw

Great read Bosco! Youve seen a lot of wicked bands. Woul love to see Prince live and ROger Waters as well as portishead and battles.

I'm not a big Uffie fan too to be honest, in fact i dont rate her at all, it's to hakka takka soul-less.

Seems u had a wicked experience.

Awesome.

Fuck me that SMD clip looks wicked.

woah simian mobile disco = new chemical brothers ???

glad to hear you had a good time bosco. =)

mmm mmm damn! That Simian Mobile Disco clip looks good! That one clip seems to be a nice illustrative example of how their set moves and builds these peaks of intensity. Definitely whets my pallette and makes me realize I am in desperate need of some new tunage in my life.

That said there's only one - and one only - Chemical Brothers. ;)

SMD absolutely floored me, and I think, Bosco, the only reason you didn't see them as the second best electronic act ever is because you weren't rolling your ballz off like I was.

I can say with certainty that the drop in Tits & Acid was one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. For those of you who have no idea--T&A has this part in the middle of the song where everything drops out, and when SMD performed it live, they did the same with dropping everything out, making complete silence, but they held it. And there's this moment of expectation where everyone is waiting for it, and then...

B O O M

A shockwave of bass blasts out, and everyone's fucking face melts.

And while the Chemical Brothers will forever be the ones and they only, Simian Mobile Disco carry with them the same intensity that I've found at Chems shows, without question.

I don't think, though, anyone can deny there will be no other Private Psychadelic Reel, or Sunshine Underground. :-) I don't know what it would take to surpass the Bros...

lol... I made my last post here while I was at work and couldn't see the video.

The video Bosco put in --is-- Tits & Acid. NICE!!! The moment I described above is at 2:45 in the video. :-D :-D :-D

grrrr....I'm starting to have Coachella withdraw now. As stupid as it sounds I already miss waking up to 100 degree heat and going to see awesome live music for 12 hours. :(

must play more GTA4....

Bosco, I downloaded the Fatboy Slim set, and I love it. Easily my favorite set of his I've heard, so maybe you'd have to be there, but this is an excellent set imo! Good summery/california set, he knows where he is and what he should play. Anyway, I don't hold any resentment for you because I got the golden ticket today I got the golden ticket today (runs home fast and trips)

Hahahaha!

Awesome. I have this image in my head of Biff skipping home with a Chemical Brothers ticket in hand.

@Biff--where'd you get the Fatboy set from Coachella?

you can get the set off the good ol' mixingboard.org, or torrentz, if you're ratio is in the pits