Author Archives: Vanessa

COACHELLA 2014: No Neutral Milk Hotel photos? No problem

Before the Neutral Milk Hotel reunion show took the stage at. The 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, on the Outdoor Theatre for the coveted sunset set, an announcement was made that the band has asked that no photos or videos be taken during the performance, including cell phones.

Since leader Jeff Mangum had the same policy during his solo set a couple of years ago, it wasn’t unexpected.

When he came onto the stage he reiterated the photo policy, asking people to put cameras and cell phones away.

“Let’s just be together right now,” he said.

Even the Jumbotrons flanking the stage didn’t show the band, only the Ferris wheel in the sunset.

So, as a dedicated journalist and a terrible artist, I proudly present my rendering of what Neutral Milk Hotel looked like on stage at Coachella weekend one Sunday night.

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

COACHELLA 2014: Rocking out with The Dismemberment Plan

The Dismemberment Plan.

There’s something special about seeing a band you grew up listening to that isn’t a huge arena act. It’s special when you see their final show and even more extraordinary when you get to see them back together.

For me, The a Dismemberment Plan is that band. The post rock band out of D.C. Played up against Muse, Pet Shop Boys, Skrillex and Nas last night.

While the audience was only 200 people, it was a passionate group.

The band wasn’t fazed by the wild winds and dust that ripped through the festival during their Gobi Tent set at 12:05 a.m.

“Thanks for staying so late in the dust storm, you could have died,” singer Travis Morrison said.

His dry sense of humor delighted the crowd. But the band, which played a set with so much energy that you would have thought we were in a sold-out show at a club, paid the faithful in the crowd with lively renditions of its best work.

Among the biggest highlights were sing-alongs to “You Are Invited” and “Gyroscope,” off the band’s near-perfect album “Emergency & I.” The one-two punch of set Enders “The Ice of Boston” and “What Do You Want Me to Say?” was a great way to close put Saturday night at the festival, even if we weren’t able to climb on stage for the end.

COACHELLA 2014: Enjoying the pop-up sushi of Kazu Nori

We have been checking out the special high end food offerings and pop-up restaurants added to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Eatery: KAZU NORI
From: Los Angeles
Menu: Sushi in the desert sounds like a recipe for disaster, but this fish is high-quality. Items include 3 hand roll set ($15), halibut sashimi ($9), bay scallop hand roll, ($6) other various hand rolls and combinations ($6-$25)
Related to the famed Sugarfish sushi bars in Los Angeles, the fish is driven from Los Angeles at 6 a.m. to the Empire Polo Club daily, where skilled chefs make the sought-after hand rolls, in a pop-up sushi bar setting.
It’s one of the more exclusive venues at Coachella, because it’s only accessible to VIPs in the Rose Garden area. The bar gets jam-packed after sunset and there’s a line to get in and get some sushi.
Diners get a seat on a stool and a place set up that includes a small white pitcher of soy sauce and a tin to pour it into. Each roll is made fresh, just like sitting at a traditional sushi bar.
The hand roll has fresh, crisp seaweed on the outside and delicately flavored, sushi rice, that’s fluffy and not hard-packed and of course, the delicious fish.
There’s even a daily hand roll, which can change between toro and yellowtail. Saturday’s option was velvety fresh toro, ice cold and a fresh pop of flavor.
Kazu Nori is certainly high-end, but it is a better deal than dining in Los Angeles–the service charge is included and you don’t have to find a place to park.
–Vanessa Franko

COACHELLA 2014: Sunday set times

Arcade Fire at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Thursday, March 13, 2014. (AP Photo)

We have one more day for the final weekend of the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. 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 13, 2014.

Coachella Stage
Tombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, 12:40-1:30 p.m.
Fishbone, 1:55-2:45 p.m.
Chance the Rapper, 3:10-4 p.m.
Zoe, 4:25-5:15 p.m.
The Naked and Famous, 5:40-6:30 p.m.
Calvin Harris, 7:30-8:25 p.m.
Beck, 8:55-9:50 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, 6:35-7:30 p.m.
Lana Del Rey, 8:15-9:05 p.m.
Disclosure, 9:35p.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
Machin’, 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.-12:50 p.m.
Anna Lunoe, 1:10-2:10 p.m.
Flight Facilities, 2:25-3:25 p.m.
Showtek, 3:45-4:45 p.m.
Krewella, 5-6 p.m.
Alesso, 6:15-7:25 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.
Cooper Saver, 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 13, 2014 at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (Coachella/Contributed Image)

COACHELLA 2014: Looking back on Saturday

Oscar-winning actor and 30 Seconds to Mars singer Jared Leto snaps photos with fans at Coachella. (Vanessa Franko/Staff)

As we go through the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, we’ll be sharing photos, videos and insights not just from our staff on the ground, but also our readers. If you want to be included, use the hashtag #PECoachella on Instagram or Twitter. Here’s your recap of Saturday. It also includes Jared Leto.

COACHELLA 2014: Pharrell Williams dazzles with hits, guests

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

With the glitz and glam of backup dancers and a roster of super special guests, Pharrell Williams put on essentially what was a headlining set on Saturday night at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Opening with “Lose Yourself to Dance,” which Williams sang on Daft Punk’s excellent “Random Access Memories,” he set the stage for a giant dance party that seemed to draw the attention of the entire Coachella crowd.

Williams kept apologizing for his voice amid the gusty winds and subsequent dust, but he sounded great and the spectacle was so much fun, even if he didn’t, it wouldn’t have mattered.

Williams, who is not only known for his work behind the microphone, but also his work behind the mixing board, brought out a blend of his own songs and work he did for others.

And with the hits came the stars. “Hot in Herre,” made famous by Nelly, but co-written and produced by Williams as part of The Neptunes, was the first number that brought out a star during the set. Nelly was there and that just kicked off a star-studded adventure that was packed full of more talent than Prince’s 2008 set.

Snoop Dogg, another former headliner, joined Williams for “Drop It Like It’s Hot.” Diplo, Busta Rhymes (who also showed up during Girl Talk’s set Friday night) were among the other stars.

And then, wait for it, Gwen Stefani came out to do “Hollaback Girl.” It was bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

When Williams got to “Blurred Lines,” his hit with Robin Thicke and T.I. that dominated 2013, I was surprised to see Williams going it alone. We only got a little taste of it, though.

Williams wrapped up his set with “Get Lucky,” another hit of 2013, but there were no French robots in sight, and then his big hit “Happy.”

The dance party was a blast, everyone seemed to have a good time and the star power was staggering.

OutKast, you might want to take some notes for next week.

But Williams wasn’t the only one bringing out the starpower during the gusty night. Solange brought out sister Beyonce to dance and Bey’s husband, Jay-Z, a headliner in 2010, joined Nas onstage, too.

COACHELLA 2014: The Afghan Whigs howl and yowl in the Mojave

The Afghan Whigs perform at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (Tom Bray/Staff)

I know I’m in the minority, but the artists I’ve been the most excited about at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival have been those who came to fame with their rock music in the ’90s.

Two of those sets stuck out for me yesterday–Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, a power trio whose charged, psychedelic blues garage rock set likely rocked harder than tonight’s headliner, Muse–and The Afghan Whigs.

The band has a new album coming out, “Do the Beast,” and included some of that new material in the set. Singer Greg Dulli was as acerbic as ever, yowling “You’re gonna make me break down and cry” in the new opener and then “Your kiss is poison” in the second song from the set.

Singer/songwriter Van Hunt joined the band for some of the new songs.

However, the band shined the most on its classics, with “Something Hot,” “Algiers” and set closer “Miles Iz Dead.”

Want more Afghan Whigs? Check out our photo gallery.

COACHELLA 2014: The Replacements delight with reunion set

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.

COACHELLA 2014: Saturday set times

Muse lead singer Matthew Bellamy performs on the Coachella stage during the 2010 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (File Photo)

Ready for day 2 of the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival? Visit the iGuide Coachella site for photo galleries, live coverage and more from the fest.

These are the Coachella set times for Saturday, April 12, 2014.

Coachella Stage
Unlocking the Truth, 1-1:30 p.m.
Graveyard, 2:05-2:30 p.m.
Cage the Elephant, 3:15-4:05 p.m.
City and Colour, 4:30-5:20 p.m.
Kid Cudi, 5:45-6:35 p.m.
MGMT, 7:05-7:55 p.m.
Foster the People, 8:20-9:10 p.m.
Queens of the Stone Age, 9:40-10:35 p.m.
Muse, 11:30 p.m.

Outdoor Theatre
Saints of Valory, Noon-12:30 p.m.
Syd Arthur, 12:45-1:20 p.m.
Foxygen, 1:45-2:30 p.m.
Ty Segall, 2:55-3:40 p.m.
CHVRCHES, 4:05-4:55 p.m.
The Head and the Heart, 5:20-6:10 p.m.
Capital Cities, 6:35-7:25 p.m.
Lorde, 7:55-8:45 p.m.
Sleigh Bells, 9:10-10 p.m.
Pharrell Williams, 10:35-11:35 p.m.
Nas, Midnight

Gobi Tent
AFTA-1. 11:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Laura Mvula, 12:30-1:10 p.m.
The Internet, 1:30-2:10 p.m.
White Lies, 2:35-3:20 p.m.
Banks, 3:45-4:20 p.m.
Holy Ghost, 4:45-5:30 p.m.
Washed Out, 5:55-6:40 p.m.
Future Islands, 7:05-7:55 p.m.
Solange, 8:25-9:10 p.m.
Galantis, 9:35-10:25 p.m.
Darkside, 10:50-11:40 p.m.
The Dismemberment Plan, 12:05 a.m.

Mojave Tent
WoodtsProduce, 11:15-11:45 a.m.
Young & Sick, noon-12:30 p.m.
Bear Hands, 12:50-1:20 p.m.
Drowners, 1:45-2:15 p.m.
Temples, 2:40-3:25 p.m.
Bombay Bicycle Club, 3:50-4:40 p.m.
Julian Casablancas, 5:05-5:50 p.m.
Warpaint, 6:15-7:05 p.m.
RL Grime, 7:30-8:20 p.m.
Pixies, 8:50-9:40 p.m.
Mogwai, 10:05-10:55 p.m.
Pet Shop Boys, 11:35 p.m.

Sahara Tent
Revell, 11:30 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
UZ, 12:30 p.m.-1:20 p.m.
MAKJ, 1:30-2:20 p.m.
Headhunterz, 2:30-3:20 p.m.
TJR, 3:30-4:20 p.m.
Carbon Airways, 4:30-5:20 p.m.
GTA, 5:30-6:25 p.m.
Dillon Francis, 6:45-7:45 p.m.
Fatboy Slim, 8:15-9:15 p.m.
Empire of the Sun, 9:50-10:50 p.m.
Skrillex, 11:25 p.m.

Yuma Tent
Lesto, 11-11:45 a.m.
Ricoshei, 12:45-1:45 p.m.
Sander Kleinenberg, 1:45-3 p.m.
Aeroplane, 3-4:30 p.m.
Guy Gerber, 4:30-6 p.m.
Cajmere, 6-7:30 p.m.
Nicole Moudaber, 7:30-9 p.m.
The Magician, 9-10:30 p.m.
Tiga, 10:30 p.m.

Set times for Saturday, April 12 of the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (Coachella/Contributed Image)

COACHELLA 2014: OutKast’s reunion divides the crowd in Indio, at home

Andre 3000, left, and Big Boi of hip hop group Outkast perform behind a screen during their headlining set on the first day of the 2014 Coachella Music and Arts Festival on Friday, April 11, 2014, in Indio, Calif. (AP Photo)

Andre 3000 and Big Boi reunited as OutKast for the first time in a long time Friday night at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

It’s the first of dozens of dates the Atlanta hip-hop duo has booked.

Now, the world was watching OutKast at Coachella on YouTube and the world of Coachella was watching it in person. There are wildly different reviews out there about the set.

Here’s what I can tell you about how it went down. (I curated what other folks were saying about the show further down).

-Everyone with the Coachella app got an alert early in the day that OutKast was going to go on earlier than scheduled. The new start time was 11:05 p.m., 25 minutes ahead of the announced 11:30 p.m. time.

-Colleague Luke Ramseth and I met up and staked out a spot about 20 minutes before the new start time. The field was filling up and we were about 2/3 of the way back. More and more people kept coming in. It was a very full field.

-The new start time passes and no OutKast. We were far back so I couldn’t see what was going on. They ended up on stage just after the original 11:30 p.m. start time and gave a blistering performance of “Bombs Over Baghdad” that brought energy and liveliness to the set. People were excited, they were into it.

-The set goes on and that excitement starts to fizzle. At one point Big Boi addresses why they’re walking around a table in a circle–it’s how they used to write rhymes at his aunt’s house, walking around a kitchen table.

-The horn section is the most lively addition to the set and brightens the songs throughout. People around us in the back were dancing hard and singing along for the next three songs or so, but then the set list starts to fizzle a little bit. Some people start leaving, not unusual for a headliner set and anyone who has sat in the parking lots of Coachella for 2.5 hours after a day of music. (2008, Prince, I think it was 5 a.m. when I finally got back to the hotel), but it seems like it’s a steadier stream than usual.

-Enter special guest Janelle Monae and her hit “Tightrope.” She was like James Brown up there. Monae performed at Coachella in 2013. The horn section is still awesome. This gives the set an adrenaline shot. She tells the crowd they are witnessing history. At some point we find out Prince is in the audience.

-The set starts to fizzle again. It feels like there’s a disconnect with the audience. More people start leaving. It reminded me a little bit of The Cure back in 2009. After Paul McCartney played a record-breaking 3 hour set on Friday night, The Killers shot off fireworks on Saturday night and then The Cure wrapped the show. I was in for about 10 songs and they weren’t playing anything I was dying to hear and it was more of a mellow-paced set. I think the same thing happened tonight. It wasn’t that the music was lousy–it wasn’t. It was just an odd set list.

Here’s what Setlist.FM has listed as the playlist.

It’s just like when you created that perfect mixtape for someone special. You want to kick it off high, but also have a build. I think the set started out at that high level, but then dipped low. Monae brought it up slightly, but instead of building to a crescendo, it just dipped and flattened out again. “Ghetto Musick” should have been a high point below Monae, but it seemed a little flat, like Big Boi wasn’t into it. We left out during “Behold a Lady,” a few songs after Monae.

I also think part of it is that there wasn’t the flash of Paul McCartney’s pyrotechnics or a Kanye West crane and dozens of ballet dancers. When there’s a hyped performance, much like OutKast’s reunion was, I think there’s a higher expectation for that pizzazz and being trapped in a box like mimes probably wasn’t it (It didn’t come across on the video screens well for those in the back.)

That being said, I am interested in seeing what Outkast does next week, because I think a simple set list restructure could give more boost to this set.