Ok, well after the 3rd viewing of the link posted in the other thread, there's no way I can take a nap so I've rounded up some thoughts and managed to string them into somewhat coherent (hopefully) sentences.
I will say right now that if any of you are looking for a set list, then please skip past this long winded post and wait for someone else to chime in. :)
So. We headed out to the desert on Friday and sort of got off to a late start. The good thing was we checked into our hotel with ease and getting to the venue and situated in a parking spot was a breeze.
Friday was a great day - met up with Bosco, saw Tom Rowlands walking across the field through the Leonard Cohen crowd (he then evaporated into thin air) and got to hear Morrissey whine on stage about the smell of cooking meat wafting in the air. But the highlight of Friday without a doubt was Paul McCartney's set which was just so awesome (fireworks included).
This was our 5th Coachella, and as usual the festival goers and freaks were out full force along with the pretty bikini clad hippie pixies skipping across the fields with flowers in their hair. And there were plenty of hipsters with their witty t-shirts and fedoras as well as the raggedy ann ravers milling about, waiting for the sun to go down before they could crack their glow sticks.
But of course, the Chemical Brothers were the main reason we went, so I'll try and cut to the chase.
makeskidskill (aka 'stash) and I got to the venue sometime after 3. Security was significantly looser this time around than it had been in previous years and barely a finger was lifted to rifle through my little back back. It was warmer on Saturday than it was on Friday, so once we were in, we grabbed a cocktail, found a shady spot and watched life's rich pageant walk past us as we settled into Day 2. We weren't terribly bothered if we saw anyone else play that day because it was all about meeting up with the kids and seeing the Chemical Brothers - so in an effort to conserve our energy, we took it easy, avoided hanging out in the direct sun for too long, and opted to mill about from area to area catching snippets of whoever was playing as we strolled slowly past. And we also happened to check out the mercifully air conditioned smoking lounges as well as talked to any random people who happened to approach us or vice versa. Half the fun of these festivals are the people you meet, as everyone has a story and a "this is what I went through to make it to Coachella" tale they need to get off their chest.
We met up with Bosco again that day as well, then veered off and did our own thing as he did his. We were still waiting for Pooter and Biff to arrive since they were coming all the way from San Francisco which is 9 hour (at least) drive out to the Coachella Valley.
Finally we got the text that they were there, parked and heading in. We met them up by the entrance as the sun was setting and casting that beautiful golden light everywhere, staining the surrounding mountains so they looked like purple silhouettes looming on the horizon. By the time the stars came out, we moved closer to the Sahara tent where the Brothers would be playing later that night and sat in a huddle just talking sense and nonsense. Good to be with friends.
We met up with Bosco as well as inchemwetrust, then huddled for a little while longer. It was nearly an hour before the Chems were on and more and more people moved like shadows toward the massive tent. We contemplated then decided to make our move inside to catch the last bit of Crookers and inch our way forward as much as possible. The front of the tent was jammed and I could tell the minute we entered there was no way we'd all be able to snake our way to the front without causing a riot - so our little crew secured our place behind the mixing desk about halfway back, smack dab in the middle with a perfect view of the stage.
Crookers set seemed angry but there were a lot of people digging on it and the crowd seemed up for it. Crookers handed the stage over to the Chems. I hope someone recorded the Crookers introducing the Brothers because that announcement got everyone riled up!
Tom and Ed came out and the place erupted as they took their spots at the decks!
About 3 seconds in, I knew this was going to be a good set. I could feel it. Sirens started wailing, we started yelling, and Song To The Siren went off.
Thankfully the boys in our crew let me stand at the rail so I could have something to hold onto, because as the set went on, I found myself holding onto it for leverage (also I found it is handy to hang on to a rail if you're jumping up and down, ha). No drinks, no nothing for me - all I had was water coursing in my veins, my husband, my friends and the tunes and I'm glad, because I was sweating like crazy and dancing like a mad woman.
The set overall was a bit darker, a bit moodier tune-wise than the other 2 times I've seen the Chems dj - but what distinctively set this one apart from the others I saw was that this set was damn near perfect. It was streamlined and seamless, mixed beautifully and flowing from one song to the next in what felt like a sonic train of thought winding through peaks and valleys.
The Chemical Brothers played a lot of their own material this time around, and when they weren't playing their own tunes I could swear I heard bits and pieces of their own material and sounds sprinkled in. I could be wrong (or maybe I'm exercising my weak trainspotting abilities, or perhaps I was just lost in the moment) but I swear I also heard a bit of Leftfield's Open Up in there somewhere. I also heard it Doesn't Matter which is a dj first for me, and they also broke out No Need which thrilled Bosco to no end as hands clapping to the beat filled the air. Saturate was played as well and that went down well with the crowd proving to be a dj set crowd pleaser.
Of course the fun part was identifying the new tracks! I hadn't listened to any of the youtube links in the Fabric thread because I wanted to be surprised. But with Tom and Ed, even from where we were, we knew when they were playing a new tune because they'd get these smiles on their faces, lock hands all excitedly, and raise their arms in a slow, fluttered motion as their track reached it's summit before pushing the audience off the cliff into frenzied fists-in-the-air oblivion.
There were parts of these songs - these summits - that were so intense it was like they permeated every molecule in the place in a wall of sound that could have easily created their own wind patterns inside the tent...
For lack of sleep and a thesaurus at the ready, I must say there were some interesting 'noises' going on in the set. There was one in particular that sounded a bit like an echoing, clanging noise scurrying loudly through an air duct. The noise kept getting louder and louder, building such intensity that eventually no other noise existed in this world or the next... except that noise we were hearing at that moment in time. It sounds a bit strange but that noise sort of reminded me of what interference your brain signals transmit to your ears when you've been given nitrous oxide at the dentists. And maybe it's coincidence but that noise is the sound you also hear right before you faint (those who've fainted might know what I'm talking about). Hearing that noise engulf me like a tsunami of sound, along with the heat of the boisterous crowd - the moment was so... ferocious that I was sort of... gobsmacked really.
stash left us dancing in search of water and a place to lounge outside the hot tent with its contents emitting the smell of sweat that was beginning to hang rather thickly in the air. Maybe he'll post a bit, but likely he'll just let me do the blabbing but the report from stash is that he scoped out the grounds outside the tent during the Chems set. It was packed with people in the grass all the way over to the next tent - everyone dancing to the Brothers. On the other side of the tent he managed to find a loved up raver huddle amidst the other dancing fools, and sat with them and enjoyed the rest of the set. He was out, and with the mad swarm of people and the set reaching its climax, there was no point of re-entry.
It is true what the front page of this site says with regards to the set being devoid of all the bells and whistles a live gig offers. There were no visuals, only lights and letting the music speak for itself. And I think the crowd gave Tom and Ed a great welcome and response to the desert and helped make the show as great as it was. Glow sticks: check. Beach balls bouncing their way around the tent: check. Our crew happy, hydrated and complete with Bosco and Biff getting their Chems dj set-cherries popped: check. Pooter giving out hugs: check. inchemwetrust braving to find a spot closer to the stage: check. I looked behind me a few times past our crew and saw a jam packed scene of people getting their groove on, some with hands raised and their heads lolling from side to side. To the front of me it was a tightly packed mad house of bobbing bodies and fingers reaching into the air. There were some people in front of me to my right (facing the stage) who had these sparklers that lit up like puffs of twinkling fairy dust. That little crew were fun, all smiling, waving around these sparkling (and likely highly flammable) balls of light over their heads. They were well into it! A little over to the left with their backs against the rail directly in front of the mixing board were these 2 curly headed girls that didn't stop jumping up and down and going crazy the entire night. And yes, there was even a crowd surfer gently being carried over the ebbing sea of festival heads.
Drenched and nearly exhausted, the end of the Chems' set was drawing to a close. I've been trying to come up with the right way to express in so many words how incredible, exhilarating and all encompassing this last tune was. And I can't because either I'm tired right now or once again the Chemical Brothers have left me with only feeling and no words. I must have typed and erased and retyped how it sounded and felt, these last few minutes... but it just doesn't feel right in my words. But I suppose it's for the best. The memory is mine alone... But goddman though! Fantastic, utterly fantastic closure to a fantastic set. There was a lot of love going on up on stage, and a lot of love going on in the crowd... When it was all over, we escaped the perspiring tent into the freedom of the cool night air. Even though we were worked and I felt exhausted and could feel the blisters swelling on my toes, I walked away with such awe and was feeling jubilant from this set. Those of you who were there know how much I've been wanting and looking forward to this weekend and it wouldn't have been as incredible if you hadn't all been a part of it and my life. Thank you for that. The memories of this weekend, the experiences, this incredible set will last a lifetime. And yeah, I've been feeling that sweet sweet afterglow all day long.
All righty - I'm going to sign off now and head to the jacuzzi. That sounds real nice right about now...
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