Tag Archives: Coachella Festival

Well, Sean Penn did anyway, but that was expected.

Making his newly scheduled appearance from the Gobi Tent, the crowd quickly jumped to its feet before Penn took the stage. Two kids behind me said, “I’ve never heard this band.” (They didn’t quite get it.)

Launching his “Dirty Hands Caravan” campaign, Penn spoke for about 5 minutes and said it’s time for this generation to give back for the weekend of music they’ve just enjoyed.

Two biodiesel buses are scheduled to leave the Empire Polo Field on Monday at 1 p.m. to make the cross-country trip to New Orleans by May 4.

His speech wasn’t without controversy, though, as he had some words for President Bush they won’t let me print here.

“In either case, the 3,000 lives lost during 9/11 are matched by 4,000 deaths in this criminal war,” Penn said. “We let it happen… but the most powerful third party is you and me.”

About a dozen of those in the audience rushed over to the nearby tent to sign up for the trip that leaves tomorrow. Others were more skeptical.

Meanwhile, the mercury just hit 97 degrees. Though most concertgoers don’t look too affected, one guy lying facedown in the grass by the bamboo waves was a bit questionable.

— John Asbury
jasbury@PE.com

A character from the upcoming PlayStation 3 game “LittleBigPlanet.”

Singing Blur’s “Girls and Boys” at the SingStar tent.

Beyond the Garden, by Oakland artist Michael Christian.

Leaving the polo field during Prince’s set.

The crowd gets divided depending on where they parked.

Discarded flyers for bands and shows litter the ground outside the venue gates.

Photos by Kate Wood/The Press-Enterprise

Austin TV just finished their opening set on the Coachella Stage, and even though the group is from Mexico City, you don’t have to speak the language to appreciate the music, since most of it is sans lyrics.

The band’s Wikipedia entry describes Austin TV as a “post-rock/indie rock band.”

I don’t know that I like post-rock/indie rock music, but I did like them. It was slightly ethereal and haunting, but not disjointed!

It’s like a soundtrack for a dream!

From Austin TV’s Web site about why their music doesn’t have lyrics (I’ve cleaned it up a little bit. The schoolmarm in my head was most insistent):

“It’s because we want to express with the music what words can´t say.
“When we met, we started composing one song and another and we made several songs without thinking if we would have vocals or not, but at the end of the day, we decided that we would rather have the music without voice, and it became a goal for us to make music that doesn´t need vocals.”

As the third day of Coachella kicks off, there’s one thing everyone might be wondering: What is Sean Penn doing here?

Penn was added as a “performer” to Sunday’s lineup on Tuesday, though no explanation was given for his plans. It’ll probably be something political.

My friend and colleague Kim Pierceall found out it might have to do with his sponsored movement dubbed the “Dirty Hands Caravan.” On their Web site (Dirtyhandscaravan.com) the movement explains that a string of biodiesel buses will carry 300 people across the country, performing charitable community service acts until the final destination of New Orleans on May 4 for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

The Academy Award-winning actor is slated for a 30-minute set on the Gobi Stage at 2:10 p.m. and again on the main stage for 15 minutes at 6:45 p.m. It should be interesting, especially if someone insults Jude Law.

John Asbury
jasbury@PE.com

Here I am, back for day three at Coachella and I’ve already had today’s first celeb sighting — Elijah Wood, known for his work as a ring guardian named Frodo in “The Lord of the Rings,” and for going head-to-head against Macaulay Culkin in “The Good Son,” was just hanging out near the press tent.

He looked stylish — western style shirt with skinny jeans and a messenger bag. He looks like a Coachella fan, but the jeans? It’s gonna be hot today, Frodo. At least you left your cloak at home.

By the way, he is TINY, like, he’s so wee you could pick him up and put him in your pocket.

So Prince has been onstage for about an hour now.

Prince came on stage in a flowing white tunic, adorned with sequined trim, leading the Coachella congregation in a sermon of funk.

They brought people from the audience onstage to dance, the band members singing “Hallelujahs” and Prince playing guitar and hiding behing speakers and just being coy.

The first 20 minutes was a reunion of sorts, with Morris Day and the Time around to do “Jungle Love” and Sheila E. to do “Glamourous Life.”

Finally, he launched into 1999, getting the crowd (which had slightly thinned during the 1980s reunion) pumping and jumping.

He also played “Little Red Corvette,” at a slower pace and implored the crowd to sing along with the line leading into the chorus, “It’s Saturday night, I guess that makes it all right.”

But many of the songs seemed drawn out, with Prince and his band doing weird, meandering covers, such as Sarah MacLachlan’s “Angel” and the Beatles’ “Come Together.”

I think Prince was really trying to relate to the Coachella crowd, though. He played Radiohead’s “Creep” and I half-expected Thom Yorke to show up.

He didn’t.

It’s 1994, I think I just heard “Sour Times” and I’m not in my friend’s basement in Severna Park, MD.

Nope, it’s another Coachella reunion and Portishead’s only performance in the U.S. this year.

Oh, and it’s 2008.

Fellow blogger Kim Pierceall misses Kraftwerk’s beeping and booping computers. I miss the German lessons.

However, I am enjoying being the envy of all my college friends who listened to “Dummy” like it was going out of style. By the way, when I was in college, it was out of style.

Kraftwerk is currently on stage, playing their most well-known hit, “Trans-Europe Express.”

But the group also provided a public education service. During one of its songs, the band counted to 8 in German and English!

And the trippy backgrounds make it feel like the pinball number game on “Sesame Street.”

Every single Coachella story says, “Bring sunscreen.”

It is implied that since you’re in the middle of a field with little shade in a desert in the spring-to-summer season, you might get a little crispy.

But by about midday Saturday, you could tell who hadn’t heeded the warning.

Everywhere you look, you can see people wearing their sun-scorched skin like some pink badge of courage.

I get it, I guess: You wanna go back to work with a burn so you can talk all about how bad your back hurts, but it was the Greatest Coachella Ever.

But, dude, take pictures!