Paul Westerberg of The Replacements arrives onstage with a bouquet of flowers before their performance at the 2014 Coachella Music and Arts Festival on Friday, April 11, 2014, in Indio, Calif. (AP)
The Replacements, one of the big reunion acts at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, put on a stellar set at the Outdoor Theatre on the opening night of the festival. The problem was, nobody was there to see it.
Singer and guitarist Paul Westerberg walked out in a suit, bow tie and all, and kneeled and presented a bouquet of what looked like magician flowers to a passionate crowd.
For a band that had such an acrimonious breakup (literally on stage), Westerberg and bassist Tommy Stinson joked and smiled through the set, which ended a few minutes before the allotted time, allowing a number of crowd members, including yours truly, to book it over to the end of Bryan Ferry’s stellar set in the Mojave Tent. (I got there
The band opened with “Takin a Ride” and played a fun set for the Coachella alt rock faithful, including “Favourite Thing,” “Androdgynous,” “I’ll Be You” and “Psychopharmacology.”
The ‘Mats only played a handful of shows since reuniting last year, but for the highly engaged smaller crowd watching them at Coachella, it was a delight.
Westerberg was funny in between songs, too. Here are my three favorites.
-He noted that the band had an album called “Stink” and that they have matured.
“We have a new one called feculent.”
-“I dedicate this song to anyone who became an American citizen in the last day or so,” before launching into “Nowhere Is My Home.”
-“Please, please sing. The words are a challenge,” he said.
The band actually did the encore thing after finishing their main set with “Left of the Dial” and “Alex Chilton.” The encore included “Can’t Hardly Wait” and “Bastards of Young.”
If you are one of the (seemingly fewer) rock fans at the fest headed to weekend two, I highly recommend it.