Tag Archives: Coachella Festival

Journey to the Ends of the Earth … or Coachella

For folks attending the festival in the days to come, know it’s a long, arduous journey — and that’s just the walk from the parking lot!

If you turn out to be as lucky as I was and park in Lot 5, count on passing by a mobile home park off Monroe (with two wary-looking security guards standing outside), turn left and walk down a looong backstage area (far from the real backstage antics), then traverse a vast parking lot (see below):

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Kimberly Pierceall/The Press-Enterprise
Where you’re going …

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Kimberly Pierceall/The Press-Enterprise
Where you’re coming from …

After traversing the parking lot, a temptation in the form of massages offered for $1 for every one minute may attempt to distract you from your course.

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Kimberly Pierceall/ The Press-Enterprise
Yes that is a massage table in the middle of the grass while walking to the entrance of the Empire Polo Field

You’re almost there … well, not really. Continue along a corridor of chain-link fences. Take a break to smell the horses. Stables line the walkway.

Also, watch out for the fountain of muddy road water that may splash you as cars drive by.

Once you see the open clearing of grass, you’re there. Enjoy the show … and hopefully you remember how to get home at the end of the night.

Parting is sweet sorrow

The lines to get checked by security before entering are divided by sex, meaning most groups of people attending Coachella together get split up before reuniting on the other side of the security officers.

This proved troubling to a young woman who clung to her boyfriend and didn’t want to leave him behind when the girls’ line moved faster than the boys’ line.

Coachella: Rogue Wave kicks off the main stage

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Vanessa Franko/The Press-Enterprise
The main stage at Coachella starts to attract a crowd as Rogue Wave plays. They’re the first band to play on the main stage at Coachella this year.

Rogue Wave has just kicked off their set on the Coachella Stage, ringing in what is sure to be a host of great performances for 2008.

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Vanessa Franko/The Press-Enterprise
Rogue Wave plays live on the Coachella Stage.

Vanessa Franko/The Press-Enterprise

A new layout for Coachella

The bands haven’t started yet but the festival is already getting positive feedback with a modified layout.

The ticket area and gates have been pushed closer to the road and there’s an open area leading to the field, with lockers and the home of environmental group Global Inheritance’s Energy Factory–where you can charge your BlackBerry by riding a bike. I have a feeling I’ll be hitting that up later today.

Anyway, there are a ton of lockers this year by the entrance, and the line to rent one was already growing long.

“There’s a four-hour stretch in the Sahara where I don’t want to be hindered,” said Chase Harrison of Portland, Ore, as he finished putting stuff in his locker.

He’s excited to check out Diplo, Pendulum, M.I.A., Santogold and Aesop Rock.

Coachella: Sights from the freeway

The gates have opened and people are starting to file into the Empire Polo Field.

Just a note that on the way here, just near the exit for Rancho Mirage off the 10, I spotted a billboard promoting the Raconteurs’ new album.

Are there really that many Raconteurs fans in the Coachella Valley or was that billboard just put up for the benefit of the Coachella crowd?

Coachella set times

Here are the Coachella Set Times

Friday
Coachella Stage
1:30-2:15 p.m. Rogue Wave
2:30-3:20 p.m. John Butler Trio
3:45-4:35 p.m. Slightly Stoopid
5-5:50 p.m. The Breeders
6:15-7:05 p.m. Tegan and Sara
7:30-8:30 p.m. The Raconteurs
9-10:10 p.m. The Verve
10:45 p.m.- midnight Jack Johnson

Outdoor Theatre
2-2:50 p.m. Luckyiam
3:10-4 p.m. Les Savy Fav
4:25-5:15 p.m. Architecture in Helsinki
5:40-6:30 p.m. Vampire Weekend
6:55-7:45 p.m. The National
8:25-9:15 p.m. The Swell Season
9:55-10:45 p.m. Serj Tankian

Sahara
Doors-2 p.m. DJ Mehdi
2-2:50 p.m. Midnight Juggernauts
2:50-3:40 p.m. Sebastian
3:40-4:40 p.m. Busy P
4:40-5:50 p.m. Adam Freeland
5:50-7 p.m. Sandra Collins
7-8 p.m. Diplo
8-9 p.m. Aphex Twin
9:20-10:20 p.m. Pendulum
10:45 p.m. Fatboy Slim

Mojave
1:15-1:55 p.m. American Bang
2:15-3:05 p.m. Redd Kross
3:25-4:10 p.m. Black Kids
4:35-5:25 p.m. Jens Lekman
5:50-6:45 p.m. Mum
7:10-8 p.m. Goldfrapp
8:20-9:10 p.m. Aesop Rock
9:35-10:25 p.m. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
10:50-11:40 p.m. Black Lips

Gobi
2-2:40 p.m. Porter
3-3:45 p.m. Battles
4-4:50 p.m. Dan Deacon
5:15-6:05 p.m. Cut Copy
6:30-7:20 p.m. Dan Le Sac Vs. Scroobius Pip
7:45-8:35 p.m. Santogold
9-9:45 p.m. Datarock
10:05-10:50 p.m. Spank Rock
11:10-midnight Professor Murder

Saturday
Coachella Stage
1:35-2:20 p.m. VHS or Beta
2:45-3:35 p.m. Minus the Bear
4-4:50 p.m. Cold War Kids
5:15-6:05 p.m. Café Tacuba
6:30-7:20 p.m. Death Cab For Cutie
7:50-8:50 p.m. Kraftwerk
9:15-10:15 p.m. Portishead
10:45 p.m. Prince

Outdoor Theatre
12:30-1 p.m. Jupiter’s Ring
1:15-2 p.m. Little Brother
2:20-3:10 p.m. Dredg
3:35-4:25 p.m. DeVotchKa
4:50-5:40 p.m. Steven Malkmus and the Jicks
6:05-6:55 p.m. Dwight Yoakam
7:20-8:10 p.m. Rilo Kiley
8:35-9:25 p.m. Mark Ronson
9:50-10:40 p.m. Flogging Molly

Sahara
Doors-1:30 p.m. Institubes
1:30-2:20 p.m. Uffie feat. DJ Mehdi
2:20-3:10 p.m. Kavinsky
3:10-4 p.m. James Zabiela
4-5 p.m. Boyz Noize go back and check
5-6 p.m. Erol Alkan
6:10-7 p.m. Hot Chip
7:05-8:05 p.m. Junkie XL
8:20-9:10 p.m. M.I.A.
9:10-11:10 p.m. Sasha and John Digweed
11:10 p.m. Above and Beyond

Mojave
12:30-1:10 p.m. The Bird and the Bee
1:30-2:10 p.m. The Teenagers
2:30-3:15 p.m. Man Man
3:40-4:30 p.m. MGMT
4:55-5:45 p.m. Kate Nash
6:10-6:45 p.m. Scars on Broadway
7:10-8 p.m. Islands
8:25-9:15 p.m. Animal Collective
9:30-10:20 p.m. Yelle
10:45-11:35 p.m. Enter Shikari

Gobi
1-1:30 p.m. Yoav
1:45-2:35 p.m. Carbon/Silicon
3-3:45 p.m. 120 Days
4:05-4:55 p.m. Bonde Do Role
5:20-6:10 p.m. St. Vincent
6:35-7:20 p.m. Cinematic Orchestra
7:40-8:20 p.m. Yo! Majesty
8:40-9:30 p.m. Akron/Family
9:55-10:45 p.m. Calvin Harris

Sunday
Coachella Stage
1-1:45 p.m. Austin TV
2-2:40 p.m. The Cool Kids
3-3:50 p.m. Shout out Louds
4:15-5:05 p.m. Stars
5:30-6:20 p.m. Gogol Bordello
6:45-7 p.m. Sean Penn
7-8 p.m. My Morning Jacket
8:30-11 p.m. Roger Waters

Outdoor Theatre
12:45-1:10 p.m. Vas Defrans
1:20-2:05 p.m. Grand Ole Party
2:30-3:20 p.m. Electric Touch
3:45-4:35 p.m. Manchester Orchestra
5-5:50 p.m. Autolux
6:15-7:05 p.m. Metric
7:30-8:25 p.m. Love and Rockets

Sahara
Doors-2 p.m. Institubes
2-2:45 p.m. Perry Farrell
2:45-4 p.m. Dimitri From Paris
4-5 p.m. Deadmau5
5-5:50 p.m. Booka Shade
5:50-7:50 p.m. Danny Tenaglia
8-9 p.m. Modeselektor
9-9:50 p.m. Simian Mobile Disco
10-10:50 p.m. Chromeo
11 p.m. Justice

Mojave
1-1:30 p.m. Plasticines
1:45-2:25 p.m. Annuals
2:45-3:30 p.m. I’m From Barcelona
3:55-4:40 p.m. Duffy
5:05-5:55 p.m. Swervedriver
6:20-7:20 p.m. Spiritualized
7:45 -8:35p.m. Sia
9-9:50 p.m. Murs
10:15-11:05 p.m. Black Mountain

Gobi
12:30-1:15 p.m. Brett Dennen
1:25-2:10 p.m. Linton Kwesi Johnson
2:10-2:40 p.m. Sean Penn
2:50-3:35 p.m. Holy …
4-4:45 p.m. The Field
5:10-6 p.m. Does It Offend You, Yeah?
6:20-7:20 p.m. Kid Sister with A-Trak
7:40-8:30 p.m. Sons and Daughters