Author Archives: Vanessa

COACHELLA 2014: 25 things we’ll remember about the festival

Concertgoers enjoy the Lightweaver art installation by Alexis Rochas during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Sunday, April 13, 2014. (Rodrigo Pena/Freelance Photographer)

If I count up all of the hours I spent at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on the grounds of the Empire Polo Club, I think I spent 76 solid hours wandering the fields and seeing the music and more.

This is what we’ll remember about Coachella 2014.

1. “Escape Velocity,” a.k.a. the Coachella astronaut
While our old friend Helix Poeticus the Coachella Snail wasn’t around, artists Poetic Kinetics made a giant roaming moon man that moved around the field, posing for pictures with tens of thousands of adoring fans. He did get to check out some music, too, including Big Gigantic’s big Sunday night set on April 20. The art was really stunning this year.

2. Arcade Fire
Whether it was how Arcade Fire ended its sets with a New Orleans second line musical parade into the crowd with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, covering Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” with Debbie Harry during the first weekend or punking everyone weekend two with fake Daft Punk, Arcade Fire put on two memorable performances.

Pharrell Williams performs at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (Tom Bray/Staff)

3. Pharrell Williams’ parade of stars
Pharrell Williams’ two sets at Coachella could have been used to cast a remake of “The Love Boat” and “The Love Boat Returns.” Joining you on this desert cruise are Gwen Stefani, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, T.I., Usher, Jabbawockeez and a guy named Jay-Z. See photos of Pharrell.

4. The Replacements
Um, guys, The Replacements played together twice within a week. And they got along. And week two, Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day became a replacement Replacement. See photos of The Replacements.

5. OutKast’s reunion
While OutKast’s highly anticipated set weekend one had Janelle Monae twirling and singing “Tightrope,” Andre 3000 and Big Boi turned up the energy and changed up the order of the set list to keep people to dancing to songs such as “Ms. Jackson” and “The Way You Move” without rushing through them at the end on the second weekend.

6. Beyonce’s dancing
During weekend one, Beyonce joined sister Solange on stage for a dance break and everyone there freaked out.

7. Real bathrooms
Seriously, real bathrooms might be the greatest Coachella gift of all. Thank you, Goldenvoice.

8. High-end food
Forget pizza and garlic fries–Coachella got high end with some really amazing restaurants creating pop-ups for the festival weekends. My favorite was sitting at the sushi bar at Kazu Nori.

9. Craft Beer Barn
So many different beers and only $1 more than a large Heineken–the Craft Beer Barn might be the second greatest Coachella gift, after the real bathrooms. Also, some Inland breweries were represented, including Wiens in Temecula and Hangar 24 in Redlands.

10. The Do Lab’s new home
This year there was no threat of the Do Lab drowning out some more intimate acts, like Rodriguez in 2013, because it was moved to the Terrace area. It also made traveling across the field much easier.

Neutral Milk Hotel didn’t allow photos at their set, so I improvised. (Vanessa Franko/Terrible Staff Artist)

11. Neutral Milk Hotel
You have to remember this one, because Jeff Mangum wouldn’t let you pictures during this sunset set. This was another hotly anticipated reunion show.

12. Girl Talk’s dance party
So much confetti. So many balloons. So many mashups.

13. Este Haim’s bass face
Haim not only played two solid sets at Coachella, but Este Haim’s face while she’s playing the bass is the best.

14. Saxophones
Whether it was Fishbone, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Arcade Fire, Blood Orange or Big Gigantic, saxophones are the best.

15. Unlocking the Truth
The three junior high students who make up metal trio Unlocking the Truth were one of the best things about the festival this year. They are the youngest band to ever play the festival.

16. Dust storm redux
If you were at Coachella weekend 1 in 2013, you remember the brutal dust storm that ripped through Sunday night and you were less than pleased when another one came through Saturday of weekend one.

17. Future Islands
The squatting dance moves of singer Samuel T. Herring combined with his somber, melodic voice that sometimes turns into a metalcore growl will not be forgotten by anyone in the Gobi Tent for the set.

18. Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Real music played by real musicians–the 5-plus decade long tradition of Preservation Hall traveled from New Orleans to the desert.

19. The Dismemberment Plan
Anyone who caught either of the two Dismemberment Plan sets will agree that it was the best set they saw that day. Even if we couldn’t rush the stage for “The Ice of Boston,” it was still a blast.

People check out large art installation called “Reflection Field” created by Phillip K. Smith III during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Friday, April 11, 2014 (Stan Lim/Staff Photographer)

20. “Reflection Field”
Next to the Coachella Astronaut, Phillip K. Smith III’s stunning “Reflection Field” installation was the most memorable, and photogenic, of the fest. During the day it was a mirror and at night, colorful blocks of light.

21. GOAT
It was sensory overload with the Swedish band wearing masks, costumes and tribal rhythms. Plus, there were feathers, fringe, finger symbols, a rhythm ribbon, woah.

Lorde performs at the 2014 Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Saturday, April 12 in Indio. (Tom Bray/Staff)

22. Lorde
The 17-year-old was one of the Coachella favorites out of the two weekends. She could very well headline (or close to it) on her next trip to the fest.

23. Coachella Art Studios
The Coachella Art Studios might be the coolest activity at the event. You can make your own souvenirs and get creative and be part of the arts in the name of the festival.

24. Big Gigantic
Big Gigantic brought out a band for its Sunday night Sahara Tent–the Shadow Hills High School marching band straight from Indio. That has to be a first for the Sahara, right?

25. Beck
Beck’s Sunday night set was jam-packed with his hits and random stories. Weekend one, he talked about the first time he played Coachella. Weekend two, he mentioned waiting in the rain to see a little band called the Arcade Fire play a show in Los Angeles more than a decade ago.

What are you going to remember about Coachella 2014?

COACHELLA 2014: Let’s get creative and share the art

“Escape Velocity,” a.k.a. the Coachella astronaut, travels into the path of the lasers at the Sahara Tent during Big Gigantic’s set on Sunday, April 20, 2014. (Vanessa Franko/Staff)

Even the giant roaming astronaut had a big smile on his face at the end of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival’s 15th year.

On Sunday, art installation “Escape Velocity,” Coachella’s very own moon man, had a yellow happy face smile painted on his visor during the day.

The interactive art installations have been getting bigger each year and have been bigger hits.

If you know someone who attended the festival, then there’s a 97.6 percent chance that they took a photo of the large art at Coachella.

But if you didn’t make it to Coachella, you likely won’t have a chance to see some of the work.

A few of previous years’ installations ended up at the Do Lab’s Lightning in a Bottle Festival at Lake Skinner Recreation Area in Winchester last year, but since that is moving up north for 2014, that’s not going to be an option for local art lovers.

If you can participate in the music part of Coachella by tuning in via YouTube and AXS and celebrating “Couchella” world, why not get more folks engaged in the art?

“Anybody who’s making art is making art for people to see,” said Scott Froschauer, who was the construction lead on James Peterson’s interactive piece, “Cryochrome.”

The installations for the festival almost always make their debut for Coachella before going anywhere else.

“A lot of what we’re doing is talking to people out here,” Froschauer said, in hopes of taking the piece to other places, but nothing was set just yet.

What about opening the art to visitors for viewing, not unlike the Rose Parade floats?

Global Inheritance, the environmental nonprofit that has been having activities at the festival for years, often displayed the colorfully and creatively decorated recycling bins that make up its TRASHed initiative before the festival in Los Angeles.

Since the Stagecoach Country Music Festival takes over the Empire Polo Club next weekend and requires a reconfiguration of the stages and field (in previous years the main stage is moved to a corner to allow maximum audience space for the popular country acts), any showing would have to be between the twin Coachellas. You wouldn’t want to open the field to people before Coachella’s first weekend in order to keep it a surprise.

Some groups of schoolchildren did come in to tour the art on Thursday morning between Coachellas.

Goldenvoice has donated money every year to local charities in the Coachella Valley.

But an art walk-through could have a minimal charge and the proceeds could benefit community groups, maybe to help the big health fair it has sponsored the past couple of years.

It would be a way to get the local art lovers involved and continue to support the Coachella Valley.

For more coverage of Coachella, go to http://x.pe.com/coachellahome

COACHELLA 2014: Weekend two wraps with Arcade Fire’s Daft Punk prank

John Newman performs Sunday, April 20, 2014 at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (Vanessa Franko/Staff)

After six days of absorbing the music of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, here’s what happened on day three, weekend two.

Arcade Fire: After last weekend’s spectacular Arcade Fire performance, which also included a barb from Win Butler about the classism of Coachella and a jab at electronic artists when he gave a shout out to musicians who still play instruments, the band pulled the ultimate Coachella prank. Arcade Fire brought out two robots designed to look like the much revered and oft-rumored Coachella performers Daft Punk. However, Butler introduced them as “Paft Dunk.”

The band put on another spot-on set. Butler paused before “Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)” to talk about the band’s Coachella debut, when they played the song and how it was the first festival Arcade Fire ever played.

“We’re so happy and our hearts are so full,” he said.

It also got a little political–Butler voiced support for gay marriage and same sex equality before going into the song “We Exist.”

The band also brought a surprise Easter guest wearing the Pope Francis Papier Mâché head–fellow Sunday night performer Beck.

They performed a cover of Prince’s Controversy. It didn’t quite have the punch that Debbie Harry’s guest spot on “Heart of Glass” did last week, but was still fun.

Just like last week, there was confetti everywhere as Coachella became Rio for a few minutes during “Here Comes the Night Time” and the band ended with “Wake Up” and a crowd sing-along. This time, the band went into the actual crowd on the field for the second line with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Lemmy Kilmister of Motorhead sings during the band’s performance at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Sunday, April 20, 2014. (Vanessa Franko/Staff Writer)

Motorhead: The Mojave Tent had a good crowd to show respect for the great Lemmy Kilmister. It might have been the loudest set I’ve heard since My Bloody Valentine a few years ago. The best part was that Lemmy just kept saying variations of “We’re Motorhead and we play rock ‘n’ roll.”

Slash came back again this week and also Lemmy’s son joined him on stage for a song.

Here’s what else I caught during the day, in chronological order.

Trombone Shorty: I was moving too slow to be able to see all of Trombone Shorty’s set, but the last half was fantastic. If you’re local, Trombone Shorty will be at Thornton Winery in Temecula this summer and he is quite a performer and has a fantastic band backing him up.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band: I needed more New Orleans flavor, so after Trombone Shorty, I went to a top-notch set by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, where it was an Easter brunch dance party.

These are some of the best musicians to ever play in Coachella’s history. When 81-year-old Charlie Gabriel sang “I Think I Love You,” off the band’s first album of originals, “That’s It!” he had a huge smile and clearly appreciated the crowd of young and old in the Mojave Tent.

Bombino: Talk about musicianship–the Tuareg guitarist played an amazing early afternoon set in the Gobi Tent. He’s got some psychedelic flair.

Courtney Barnett: She could very well be the second coming of Liz Phair–“Exile in Guyville” Liz Phair, not pop Liz Phair.

Superchunk: Fuzzed out punky power pop by North Carolina’s finest never disappoints. Jon Wurster is a beast on the drums. However, like The Dismemberment Plan and weekend one of The Replacements, I have to add them to the list of acts that should have had more attendance. They truly rocked.

Blood Orange: I left Superchunk to brave the sun again (Sunday was the brightest and hottest of the three weekend two days) to catch Blood Orange on the recommendation of some Twitter followers and I’m so glad I did. I got there just in time for some sweet, sweet saxophone. If The Roots ever need to take time off, perhaps Blood Orange could slow jam the news with Jimmy Fallon.

Neutral Milk Hotel: The band still sounded great, Jeff Mangum still asked people to refrain from taking pictures, more people were there to bask in the Neutral Milk Hotel sunset set than last week.

Punk band The Toy Dolls jump in the air during a performance on Sunday, April 20, 2014 at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (Vanessa Franko/Staff)

The Toy Dolls: I saw the band during weekend one and they were so much fun I came back just to take photos and I still had a blast.

Big Gigantic: What a fun set! Even “Escape Velocity,” the Coachella moon man, came to check out the beats mixed with saxophone player and producer Dominic Lalli and drummer Jeremy Salken. It was chock full of goodness from new album “The Night is Young.” The set included a guest spot from Flosstradamus, who threw a T-shirt into the crowd, and Indio’s Shadow Hills High School marching band.

John Newman: Holy moly this kid is incredible. He’s got the pipes; he’s got the dance moves; he had a sweet white suit. Some of the most powerful vocals and emotion of the weekend came from Newman. He also made a guest appearance with Rudimental earlier on Sunday. I think he has the potential to be the next kind of Amy Winehouse Coachella breakout singer.

COACHELLA 2014: Teen metal band Unlocking the Truth rocks festival

Malcolm Brickhouse of Unlocking the Truth crowd surfs after opening the Coachella Stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, April 19, 2014. (Vanessa Franko/Staff)

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival always has a few hard rock acts in the mix, but this year, the festival changed things up by having the youngest group in its history–Unlocking the Truth, a metal trio of power players who are only 12 and 13 years old, perform on the main stage.

(Check out photos of Unlocking the Truth performing during weekend one at the Coachella Festival).

They dominated an opening set on Saturday and ended it by crowd surfing.

“When I say ‘Rise,’ everybody bounce,” guitarist and singer Malcolm Brickhouse commanded from the stage.

In an interview after the show, he said Corey Taylor of Slipknot was his inspiration for his stage banter.

Brickhouse said the weekend two crowd was better, but that weekend one had an edge when it came to crowd surfing.

“Last week I went all the way in the back,” he said in the post-set interview.

Drummer Jarad Dawkins, who formed the band with Brickhouse after meeting at a birthday party, said he hadn’t heard of Coachella when the band booked the date. He had to look up information about it and was impressed by the list of performers.

“This is the real deal,” he said.

Dawkins said the festival will likely be the show that helps the band ascend to being recognized on the street.

The band sounds like the thrash of Anthrax with the guitar work of Iron Maiden, and they’re only a trio.
Unlocking the Truth just signed a record deal, have a few dates coming up on the Warped Tour and a documentary in the works.

Brickhouse and bassist Alec Atkins didn’t get to enjoy a lot of the festival last weekend, but did catch Skrillex. Dawkins was hoping to see Skrillex this weekend, as well as Pharrell Williams.

Check out a photo gallery of Unlocking the Truth from weekend one.

COACHELLA 2014: Craft beer, real bathrooms among festival’s positive changes

People check out the Craft Beer Barn at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 12, 2014. (Charlotte Bray/Freelance Photographer)

One of the things that has made the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival such a success is how the festival has morphed over the last 15 years. This year, permanent bathrooms and craft beer are among the changes.

A server pours in the Craft Beer Barn at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 12, 2014. (Charlotte Bray/Freelance Photographer)

Craft Beer Barn: Hands down, the number one change for 2014 that people have been raving about is the Craft Beer Barn adjacent to the Yuma Tent. While Heineken still dominates the main beer gardens at the festival, dozens of craft brews are on tap in the Beer Barn, where a pour is $10, and size varies on the alcohol content of the beer. (For reference, a small Heineken goes for $7 and a large goes for $9.)

The structure is kind of barn-shaped, but open. You can hear the beats of the nearby new location of the Do Lab and the pulsing rhythms of the Yuma Tent, but it’s away from the main action.

“This is kind of the oasis,” said Vivek Hungund, of Los Angeles, enjoying a blonde beer while attending his first Coachella.

The craft beers feature breweries from around the country, including some from the Inland region. Wiens Brewing from Temecula and Hangar 24 Brewery in Redlands both had offerings in the dozens of rotating beers.

“The fact that they’re changing it up every hour–you have to try everything,” Angel Soriano, of Menifee, said.

He also liked the food offerings exclusive to the beer barn, which included Tony’s Darts Away and Beer Belly, pop-up versions of restaurants from Burbank and Los Angeles, respectively.

Soriano was a fan of the strong Belgian ales on tap.

“I want to have a strong beer that also has a lot of flavor,” Soriano said.

Bathrooms: After all of that beer, well, you might need to find a facility. While Coachella does have decent portable restrooms (including a number of air-conditioned trailer-style ones), one of the biggest changes of 2014 is that there are finally real restrooms at the festival.
Unfortunately, it’s only for women this year, but there are dozens of stalls in a concrete structure across from the Beer Barn with real flushing toilets, sinks, hand dryers and the all-important items of toilet seat covers and toilet paper.

Also, they’re clean, we’re talking cleaner than Disneyland clean. The maintenance was top notch.

COACHELLA 2014: Set times for Sunday, April 20

Coachella-goers walk across “Reflection Field” at night at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on April 19, 2014. (Vanessa Franko/Staff)

We’ve got one final day of the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. It’s going to be a hot one, too. Visit the iGuide Coachella site for photo galleries, live coverage and more from the fest.

If you want to get involved and share what you’re seeing with us, use the #PECoachella hashtag on Twitter and Instagram and follow our Coachella guru Vanessa Franko at @vanessafranko on Twitter and you could see yourself here.

These are the Coachella set times for Sunday, April 20, 2014.

Coachella Stage
Tombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, 12:40-1:30 p.m.
Fishbone, 1:55-2:45 p.m.
Chance the Rapper, 3:10-3:55 p.m.
Zoe, 4:20-5:10 p.m.
The Naked and Famous, 5:35-6:25 p.m.
Calvin Harris, 7:25-8:20 p.m.
Beck, 8:50-9:45 p.m.
Arcade Fire, 10:20 p.m.

Outdoor Theatre
Ratking, Noon-12:30 p.m.
J. Roddy Walston & the Business, 12:50-1:25 p.m.
Surfer Blood, 1:45-2:30 p.m.
STR…, 2:55-3:40 p.m.
The 1975, 4:05-4:50 p.m.
Blood Orange, 5:15-6:05 p.m.
Neutral Milk Hotel, 6:30-7:25 p.m.
Lana Del Rey, 8:15-9:05 p.m.
Disclosure, 9:35 p.m.

Gobi Tent
Bo Ningen, Noon-12:30 p.m.
Factory Floor, 12:40-1:25 p.m.
Bombino, 1:45-2:30 p.m.
Courtney Barnett, 2:50-3:35 p.m.
Frank Turner, 3:55-4:45 p.m.
Superchunk, 5:10-6 p.m.
AlunaGeorge, 6:25-7:10 p.m.
The Toy Dolls, 7:35-8:25 p.m.
John Newman, 8:50-9:35 p.m.
Jhene Aiko, 10-10:45 p.m.
Lucent Dossier Experience, 11:10 p.m.

Mojave Tent
CIVX, 11:25 a.m.-Noon
James Vincent McMorrow, 12:15-12:55 p.m.
Preservation Hall Jazz Band, 1:20-2:05 p.m.
Poolside, 2:30-3:10 p.m.
Classixx, 3:25-4:20 p.m.
Rudimental, 4:45-5:35 p.m.
Flosstradamus, 6-6:50 p.m.
Little Dragon, 7:15-8:05 p.m.
Daughter, 8:30-9:20 p.m.
Motorhead, 9:50-10:50 p.m.
Netsky, 11:10 p.m.

Sahara Tent
John Beaver, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m.
Anna Lunoe, 1:05-2:05 p.m.
Flight Facilities, 2:20-3:20 p.m.
Showtek, 3:40-4:40 p.m.
Krewella, 4:55-5:55 p.m.
Alesso, 6:10-7:20 p.m.
Big Gigantic, 7:55-8:50 p.m.
Adventure Club, 9:10-10:05 p.m.
Duck Sauce, 10:25 p.m.

Yuma Tent
Equip, 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Juicewon, 12:15-1:45 p.m.
The Martinez Brothers, 1:45-3:15 p.m.
Scuba, 3:15-4:30 p.m.
Lee Burridge, 4:30-5:45 p.m.
Art Department, 5:45-7 p.m.
Maceo Plex, 7-8:15 p.m.
Laurent Garnier, 8:15-10:15 p.m.
Bicep, 10:15 p.m.

Set times for Sunday, April 20, 2014 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (Coachella)

COACHELLA 2014: Pharrell brings A-list, Empire of the Sun dazzles in weekend two

Luke Steele of Empire of the Sun performs in the Sahara Tent at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, April 19, 2014 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. (Vanessa Franko/Staff)

I’m back out at the Empire Polo Club for the second weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Here’s a haiku about how Saturday, April 19, went.

Pharrell sets the bar
Empire of the Sun. Woah
Where is the spaceship?

Here’s my full wrap-up–the haiku-free version–of day 2 of weekend 2 of the festival.

Empire of the Sun: Um, where did they park the spaceship? Is spaceship parking next to the luxury camping over on Lake Eldorado? I mean, I remember how much Empire of the Sun blew me away with the stage theatrics the last time the group played Coachella, but I was not prepared for the spectacle inside the Sahara Tent on Saturday night. The Australian group put on set that could be seen all the way at the back of the tent–which is the size of an airplane hangar. I even think everyone was there to see them, not just waiting for Skrillex.

On stage there were robotic female dancers dressed in blue and so many costumes and headwear and makeup. Usher showed up in the photo pit to watch the spectacle. Seriously, guys–where did you park the spaceship?

See photos of Empire of the Sun at Coachella.

Pharrell Williams: Last year, some of the weekend two folks got frustrated that there weren’t as many special guests from weekend one For example, R. Kelly’s jam with Phoenix. Pharrell Williams did not let another crazy packed field down. If last weekend’s performance by Pharrell was a star-studded affair, he put just as much effort into weekend 2. Among the A-list artists was Usher, who must have left Empire of the Sun early to make it on stage in time. He was one of the new guests this week, as was TI, who joined Williams on “Blurred Lines” (Robin Thicke still didn’t show, though). However, the biggest cheers were for a guy named Shawn Carter, who you might know as Jay Z. Busta Rhymes was back again, because who doesn’t love Busta?

I would not have been surprised if Madonna (who has been spotted in an area grocery store this weekend) showed up. And since his set had so many cameos it feels like “The Love Boat,” Charo could have made an appearance and it would have worked.

At one point before performing “Get Lucky,” Williams said “Give it up for Daft Punk” and there was a moment of anxious waiting to see if the French robots were there. It was just an appreciation, though. The set, which ended with “Happy,” was just as packed as last week and without the dust storm, even better. Williams was really gracious, too. One of my Twitter followers, @wsixbolter, said it best when he tweeted me last night with “So basically, Pharell just slayed the 2 weekends of Coachella like no other. He has set the BAR.”

My response: pretty much.

Best text of the night, from a friend: “I’m covered in Pharrell-fetti,” after the confetti cannons went off.

From here on, I’ll go chronological with the day.

DJ Lesto: I started my day in the Yuma tent to see DJ Lesto, a.k.a Gabe Real. He has performed at the festival many times over the years–his first appearance in 2001, but I believe this is his first time under the name Lesto, which was his DJ name back in high school.

Every year, I regret not spending more time in the Yuma Tent. It’s air conditioned, the beats are good and the decor is awesome. There are actually couches and you feel like you’re in a nightclub.

Unlocking the Truth: I love metal. I also love how metal these junior high students are. The power trio had a complete command of the audience and played better than most bands out there. I think Motorhead will have a lot to live up to–yes, that’s how good these kids are. I interviewed them after their set. Read my interview with Unlocking the Truth.

Foxygen: Imagine David Johansen of the New York Dolls with psychedelic power pop and jazz hands, and that’s kind of what Foxygen was. Even the malfunction of a keyboard couldn’t bring down the weird, fun energy of this group. Plus they had backup singers–always a plus. See photos of Foxygen at Coachella.

TJR: I enjoyed when 2Pac and Dr. Dre’s “California Love” morphed into AC/DC’s “TNT.” Sahara Tent fun.

French teenage electronic duo Carbon Airways performs in the Sahara Tent on Saturday, April 19, 2014 while a man performs tricks on a bike at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. (Vanessa Franko)

Carbon Airways: The French teenage siblings in Carbon Airways are one to watch. Lots of energy from them in the Sahara Tent and the music is really, really good. They also had a guy perform bike tricks on stage with them. See photos of Carbon Airways at Coachella.

The Head and the Heart: The group was a perfect fit for the late afternoon sun on the Outdoor Theatre and sprawling on the grass and soaking up the sun and the music was a much needed respite. Also, they had a super fan who danced and did cartwheels in the crowd. She was loving it.

Future Islands: What a weird, wonderful band. Electronic and rock but more moody, the real fun is watching the expressions and squatting dance moves of singer Samuel T. Herring. They were also very appreciative of the opportunity to play Coachella and the audience that spilled out of the tent.

“This is a beautiful event we’ve been having so much fun,” Herring said. “It’s an honor to be up on this stage.”

I caught Arcade Fire’s Win Butler and comedian/actor Dave Foley in the crowd, too.

Solange: So everyone showed up to see if Beyonce would come out again with her sister (she didn’t), but Solange was delightful, bouncing across the stage and just beaming with energy and great grooves. She also might win best dressed of the festival this weekend. See the photos of Solange. Also, OutKast’s Andre 3000 was watching her from the barricade in front of the stage. .

Pixies: Caught more of the Pixies’ set than I did last week, but “Wave of Mutilation” still rocked. I thought what i heard last week was a little stronger, but this was still solid.

Empire of the Sun and Pharrell: See the top of the entry. I am still looking for Empire of the Sun’s spaceship.

Pet Shop Boys: Britain’s finest put on another spectacle, but I left before there was any antler action this week. I did really enjoy when they played “Opportunities.” I just couldn’t skip another rare opportunity to see the band I closed my night with.

Travis Morrison of The Dismemberment Plan performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, April 19, 2014 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. (Vanessa Franko/Staff)

The Dismemberment Plan: Another intimate set, but everyone there agreed that it the Washington D.C. band’s set was the best thing they’d seen all day.

“Did we just do a duet with Skrillex? And Nas? It’s like the Three Tenors. But skinnier for the most part,” singer Travis Morrison joked about the sound bleed in between songs.

“The Ice of Boston” is always a great point in the set, but I was stoked to hear “Back and Forth,” which we didn’t get last week. Singer Travis Morrison taking off his belt and whipping his guitar as the band broke into part of OutKast’s “Ms. Jackson.” As the show ended, the power was cut off, but The Plan kept rocking out. Great, great way to end my night. See photos of The Dismemberment Plan at Coachella.

COACHELLA 2014: On weekend two, OutKast shines among clouds

The sun sets with cloudy skies on Friday, April 18, 2014 at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif. (Vanessa Franko/Staff)

I’m back out at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival for another round of music and sunshine–and at least on Friday, April 18, some dark storm clouds. Here’s my wrap-up of day 1 of weekend 2 of the festival.

Here’s a photo gallery of the opening day of Coachella’s second weekend.

Weather: The weather entering Coachella yesterday was beautiful. It was cooler than weekend one, and while a little humid, pretty darn pleasant. By the late afternoon, dark clouds rolled in and Coachella issued a warning through its app that a storm was brewing, but it just bypassed Indio so we didn’t have a repeat of 2012’s Rainchella.

OutKast: Andre 3000 and Big Boi were so much better than last weekend. The set list was tweaked. “Bombs Over Baghdad” still opened the set, but “Ms. Jackson” and “The Way You Move” were bumped up earlier, getting the attention they deserved rather than being rushed at the end. They still walked around that table, which someone compared to a David Mamet play, but the crowd was definitely more into it. There also seemed to be a lot more color in the lights and production this week. If you have AXS TV, watch the replay from home if you were a weekend one goer.

This blurry image is Billie Joe Armstrong playing with The Replacements on Friday, April 18. (Vanessa Franko/Staff)

The Replacements: I couldn’t stay away from The Replacements again (I mean, how many times are we really going to be able to see this?) and I’m so glad I did. Paul Westerberg injured his back sometime during the week and played a good chunk of the set from a couch on stage, but to help out, the band got a replacement Replacement, in the form of Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong. There were a few changes from last week’s set list, too. We didn’t get “Androgynous,” but we did get “Kiss Me on the Bus.”

From here on, I’ll go chronological through the day.

Gabba Gabba Heys: I started my day of music with a cover band. The Gabba Gabba Heys are the closest I’ll ever get to seeing The Ramones and man, they were spot on. Who doesn’t want to hear “Pet Sematary” at high volume at Coachella? The singer sounded just like Joey. I was curious as to why Goldenvoice booked them, but it was definitely a fun start to the day.

GOAT performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Friday, April 18. (Vanessa Franko/Staff)

GOAT: I am still trying to process that set, but I liked it. The Swedish band had full on masks and costumes and tribal rhythms. Feathers, fringe, finger symbols, a rhythm ribbon, woah.

Title Fight: Title Fight sounded great. I love when Coachella captures the punk spirit. Definitely put the band on my list of albums to pick up post-festival.

Gareth Emery: Emery’s “Drive” is one of the finest electronic albums of 2014 and once again, he had the Sahara Tent going absolutely bonkers on Friday afternoon.

Neko Case: Case was hilarious. She kept talking about the juxtaposition of her nighttime music being played during the day. The best line was when she compared playing her music in the day to doing a striptease at an elementary school to the theme from “Ghostbusters.” Her set was happening as the clouds rolled in.

The Afghan Whigs: I cruised over to see the last few songs of The Afghan Whigs. They sounded even better than last week. Go get the new album, “Do the Beast.” It’s good stuff.

French electro swing group Caravan Palace performs at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif. on Friday, April 18, 2014. (Vanessa Franko/Staff Photo)

Caravan Palace: Holy moly that was a party. This French group merges swing jazz and electronica. It was like being in a futuristic speakeasy or stuck in some kind of time-traveling phonebooth for a set. I didn’t stay for too long so I could catch more of OutKast, but they were thoroughly enjoyable.

Parking: I have to say, one big improvement I’ve noticed this year is leaving the festival. There are actually people directing traffic inside the lots, not just at the exit. Anyone else notice this or are you still stuck in the same Coachella traffic?

COACHELLA 2014: Help keep Coachella beautiful

Fans walk across the Empire Polo Club during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Friday, April 18, 2014. (Vanessa Franko/Staff)

Tucker Gumber, a.k.a The Festival Guy, noticed that the grounds, which are normally impressively clean, had more litter than usual during weekend one.

So he started a campaign, “Clean Up Coachella,” to get people to pick up their trash. (If you’re on social media, the hashtag is #CleanUpCoachella.)

“People throw things down because they think that they’re just one in the crowd,” he said.

He said that when you think about up to 100,000 people in the crowd, that adds up.

After Friday night of weekend one he took a ride from the campground to Target to get poster-making materials to encourage people to stop littering.

He and a group of friends carried a sign and canvassed the field, with another friend holding a trash bag to collect the refuse. People came up and high-fived and thanked him, he said.

“Everyone wants it to be clean,” he said.

He posted on his website www.thefestivalguy.com, a challenge to Coachella weekend 2 attendees: be cleaner than weekend one.

“When you pick up one piece of trash, you’ve made the place cleaner,” Gumber said.

I’ll check in with Tucker to see what he thinks about weekend 2. I’m not so sure it’s cleaner, I stepped on about 5 watermelon rinds around the field last night. Seriously, people, throw it away.

COACHELLA 2014: Looking back on Friday, weekend two

Fans walk across the Empire Polo Club in Indio at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Friday, April 18, 2014 while dark rainclouds threaten overhead. (Vanessa Franko/Staff)

The first day of the second weekend of the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is in the books and it was a good time and the big rainclouds that threatened overhead just rolled right through.

Check out the collection of insights, photos and more from our staff, readers and more. If you want to be included for weekend, use the hashtag #PECoachella on Instagram or Twitter.

View the story “COACHELLA 2014: Looking back on Friday, weekend two” on Storify