Tag Archives: Coachella Festival

Death Cab For Cutie is on the main stage and the band is hitting some of my favorites on their setlist, including the LA-dissing “Why’d You Want To Live Here,” “The New Year,” and new single “I Will Possess Your Heart,” off the band’s upcoming album “Narrow Stairs.”

They closed their set with “The Sound of Settling,” probably my favorite song, but they did not do the handclaps. It’s ok, I did them from the audience.

Lead singer Ben Gibbard asked the crowd if they were excited for Prince and when they responded with a loud cheer he said, “Me too.”

“He’ll be landing in his purple helicopter soon,” he mused. He said Prince would then climb into a purple limo to drive him 100 feet to walk down a purple carpet to the stage.

Oh, and during the set, someone in the band said, “Hello Bonnaroo.”

And by the way, it’s 7:17 p.m. and David Hasselhoff just walked by me and fellow blogger Kim Pierceall again.

7:06 p.m., in front of the main stage while Death Cab For Cutie played, a beleaguered-looking David Hasselhoff walked by wearing a backwards blue visor advertising the movie “Click” and a gray tank top.

I didn’t ask him if he ate a cheeseburger today. I didn’t want to hassle the Hoff.

Kimberly Pierceall/ The Press-Enterprise

The Hoff, second from the left and surrounded by ladies, walks by during Death Cab for Cutie’s set. Nobody hassled the Hoff.

See Saturday’s early acts at Coachella.

Slideshow: Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival – Day 2

Last night, when I went to see Fatboy Slim, the tent was at capacity. I couldn’t even ease my way in using my patented tactic of slipping my foot into a space, then pretending, “Where’s my foot gone? How did it get over there? I should catch up,” and moving closer to the stage a foot at a time (pun intended).

I thought it was loaded simply because it was Fatboy Slim.

Even my mom has heard of Fatboy Slim. (Though, to be honest, she’s also a Vampire Weekend and Kate Nash fan.)

But I came to the Sahara again to catch Hot Chip and the tent is full AGAIN. Wall to wall people. Fans have congregated in groups of 4, 7 and 20 in the massive area outside the tent, as their plans to dance inside the tent have been foiled.

What is it that makes the Sahara tent such a must?

Maybe it’s time for a bigger Sahara tent, or to move some of the artists to the bigger stages? What do you think?

Could Junkie XL play the Coachella Stage?

Expecting mayhem at a concert with thousands of largely young music fans in the heat of Indio? Sorry to disappoint.

The ninth annual Coachella Music Festival has been fairly free of arrests and medical emergencies.

Ben Guitron, public information officer with the Indio Police Department, said there had been 29 total arrests Friday and 9 arrests as of 6 p.m. Saturday. All the arrests were drug and alcohol related, he said.

“You still have those challenging few,” he said. But overall, he said, the numbers appear to be down.

The department introduced “amnesty bins” at last year’s show where fans in possession of drugs entering the concert could turn over their drugs no questions asked.

So far, no one had overdosed.

Guitron said Riverside County Fire had transported three people to the hospital on Saturday..

I was right. Bonde Do Role was awesome. I haven’t seen that much pogoing since a Goldfinger show in 1996.

First, they looked like the staff of the Denny’s over by UCR and one dude even had on a Paula Abdul shirt.

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Vanessa Franko/The Press-Enterprise

Bonde Do Role rocks out on Saturday at Coachella 2008.

But not only did the Paula fan play and smash a purple toy guitar, but he busted a move or 15 that even Young MC would envy.

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Vanessa Franko/The Press-Enterprise

Hey, at least it’s not a keytar.
Bonde Do Role rocks out at Coachella.

Plus, the group sampled Alice In Chains’ “Man In The Box” and “Summer Lovin’ ” from “Grease.”

And as if that weren’t enough, Architecture In Helsinki came out to do the Bonde Do Role free-form dance party with the song “Office Boy.”

Junkie XL, also known as Tom Holkenborg, the Dutch electronic dance artist, was the first Coachella artist chosen to DJ the inaugural Coachella Express ride that sent campers on a musical tour from LA’s Union Station to a temporary platform in Indio. He was clearly honored.

It’s not the first time he had DJed a train — the other was a disco ride in Europe.

“That’s how we go to festivals in Holland,” he said, but they don’t serve alcohol — unlike Coachella — he said, with a bit of a smile.

The performer, who famously remixed Elvis’ “A Little Less Conversation,” said Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” is his favorite album of all time. Really. Nothing else tops it. But he seemed a little wary of Roger Waters’ performance scheduled to close the festival Sunday night since it would lack former Pink Floyd vocalist and guitarist David Gilmour.

He recently passed on seeing the remaining members of his favorite band, The Who, perform live.

“I didn’t want my memory to be blown away by something that is real,” he said. “You want to remember the way it was. I want it to be pure.”

Wondering what Junkie XL might remix next? Just after his Elvis remix hit it big, he was asked to remix The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” and turned it down.

Not regretting that decision, Holkenborg is eyeing new music.

Haha, I made a Prince funny.

Which is cruel, ’cause this has nothing to do with Prince, except that he’s playing Coachella tonight (yay!).

Catchphrase of the Coachella ’08: Carpoolchella.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, here’s the evidence:

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Kate Wood/The Press-Enterprise

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Kate Wood/The Press-Enterprise

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Kate Wood/The Press-Enterprise

Looking to save cash at Coachella? It may be more cost-effective to be a carnivore.

An organic food booth is selling Tempeh (meat-like substitute) and tofu-based delights.
$9 – Tofu or Tempeh burger or wrap
$10 – tofu salad
$7 – fruit smoothie
$4 – 16 oz. apple juice.

Prices at the BBQ tri-tip and pulled pork sandwich booths surrounding the organic tent.
$8 a sandwich
$7 a turkey leg

On the second day of my second Coachella music festival, I thought I’d share some wisdom. Huddle around my campfire, kiddies, you won’t want to miss this:

1) You’re going to sweat — a lot. But don’t get self-conscious. Everybody sweats at Coachella, it’s just the extent that differs. Don’t pretend you’re going to go and be as comfortable as if you were watching a concert DVD at home with 60,000 of your closest friends.

2) Be careful about what shampoo/lotions/etc. you use. I have a feeling the fruity apple-strawberry-kiwi potions I use are attracting more than a fair number of flies.

3) Don’t forget what lot you parked in. It can be easy to forget to remember this when you’re excited about getting to the show. But if you forget, you’ll end up wandering down the super-dark Avenue 52 for 40 minutes at 11:30 p.m. on a Friday night, crying on the phone to your husband because you don’t remember you parked until eventually he asks if he should just come and pick you up — FROM RIVERSIDE — so you can drive around the different parking lots until you find your car … (erm) not that that ever happens (blush).