DIGITAL JOURNALIST
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.
There’s a certain curiosity factor about Lorde that seemed to bring out the big crowds on Saturday evening at Coachella.How does the 17-year-old New Zealand native do it?
Everyone apparently wanted to know, from the younger crowd packed around the center of the Outdoor Theatre stage, to the older generation — and even several parents with young kids — who planted themselves on the outskirts.
Lorde, who’s real name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, manages to incorporate mysterious, cool and family friendly all into one. And for someone so young, her stage presence was remarkable. There was this casual banter with the crowd throughout the set that could easily have come across as forced, yet instead sounded entirely natural and experienced. She paced the stage, making big, dramatic arm motions, her dark hair whipping in the high winds that tore through the festival grounds tonight. It was captivating.
And with her huge, slowed-down single “Royals,” a catchy yet introspective song critical of pop artist luxury, out came a sea of cameras. She followed that up with “Team,” a more upbeat tune that had everyone grooving.
I’d pay to see Lorde again as-is, but at her age she’s only going to get better.
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.
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.
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.
You can buy a kale salad for $12 at this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. (Luke Ramseth/Staff)
All of the usual festival food staples are here this weekend at Coachella: Burgers, fish tacos, pizza and gyros.
There are also kale salads, pastas and spiced chick pea dishes from Los Angeles-based restaurant Crossroads Kitchen.
Crossroads is just one of a slew of high-end pop-up restaurants added this year to The Terrace food section of the festival. Most of the new additions hail from the greater Los Angeles area, though Stripped Back is based in London and Salt & Straw Ice Cream calls Portland home. All of the new additions focus on using local and sustainable ingredients.
I was feeling brave, and went with the kale yesterday afternoon. It came on a little cardboard plate, included pine nuts, currants, a strong lemon basil vinaigrette — and it cost $12. At Crossroads, this was the cheapest thing on the menu.
It was tasty, though the powerful lemon vinaigrette became a tad overwhelming after awhile — a likely side effect of needing a dressing strong enough to drown out that bitter kale flavor.
My recommendation: Give the fancier pop-up tents like Crossroads a go, but don’t ditch the greasy festival staples altogether. The $8 lamb gyro I had last night was mighty tasty — and it was just a tad more filling than that little kale salad.
What should I should try today? Tweet at me, @lramseth, or shoot me an email, lramseth@pe.com.
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.
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. And don’t forget the 11 things you should bring with you to Coachella each day.
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)
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.
Title Fight performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Friday, April 11. (Tom Bray/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 Friday.
The Orange County native Aloe Blacc kicked off his Coachella set with the “I Need a Dollar” single on Friday.
It was a good call.
What started as a packed Mojave tent crowd for the soulful singer/songwriter/rapper was soon overflowing out into the sunny exterior — the place was hopping by the time he hit his other two biggest hits, “The Man” and Avicii collaboration “Wake Me Up.”
Blacc is a pretty fun live act, but it’s the full band behind him — including a knockout trumpet and tenor saxophone player — that made it a worthwhile stop.
Plus, who else does videos like this?
