Tag Archives: Coachella Festival

Rodrigo Pena / The Press-Enterprise Rage Against the Machine rocks the house during the final day of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Sunday.

Rage Against the Machine may have been the most important and historic performance in Coachella existence.

It was the first time the politically-charged band played together in nearly seven years and they closed the first three-day installment of the Indio festival.

As soon as Zack de la Rocha, Tom Morello, Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk played the opening of “Testify” it was like an instant time warp to a time when there was no war in Iraq and before 9-11.

A sea of digital camera screens lit up the crowd and 60,000 fists pumped in the air.

The set hit the best of the band’s three original albums, as well as included their cover of “Renegades of Funk.”

During “Sleep Now in the Fire,” a track from “The Battle of Los Angeles,” pieces of fire flew up in the air facing the left side of the stage. However, the sporadic flames were quickly controlled.

The band may have played harder than any other at the festival, with de la Rocha bounding across the stage, jumping higher with each beat. Morello and Commerford followed suit and Wilk wailed on the drums.

However, it seemed to me that the sound wasn’t as strong for Rage as it was for all of the other mainstage acts. You could tell the guys were playing ridiculously hard but it seemed toned down in the mix.

The politics the group is famous for didn’t come into play until near the end of the main set, when de la Rocha raged against the current administration.

“They should be hung and tried and shot,” he said.

“It’s a system that we have to break down generation after generation,” he continued.

Whenever de la Rocha pointed the microphone to the crowd, the audience gladly filled in the blanks of the well-known songs, as if they were a national anthem for Generation X.

Rage came back for an encore and performed “Freedom.”

The band closed the encore with “Killing in the Name,” the explosive hit off the band’s self-titled debut.

The foursome locked arms and bowed to the packed crowd.

New Zealand popsters Crowded House played a set on the Coachella Stage Sunday night to a crowd of not-so-enthusiastic people who were merely waiting for Rage Against the Machine.

Singer Neil Finn tried to get the crowd to sing along to “Don’t Dream It’s Over” without much success. However, as the set went on, more people started filling the field.

The band also played hits such as “Locked Out” and “Something So Strong.”

Finn thanked the crowd at the end of the set, telling them he was taking a “mental snapshot.”

Nothing says fun like a solid cover song and British guys The Feeling obliged by playing a stellar cover of The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” Sunday afternoon on the Coachella stage.

It looked like about half of the thousand or so people watching them were really into it, clapping, dancing and singing along. The other half stood motionless–either they’re too cool for school, drained from the heat or quite possibly born long after that song was popular.

The Feeling’s set was peppered with bright and airy pop songs and singer Dan Gillespie said the band had been in the United States for two weeks and are headed back home on Monday. He thanked everyone profusely for welcoming them in the country and included Canada as well.

One of the things people talk about at Coachella every year is the surprise guests and performers.

“Lost in Translation” actress Scarlett Johansson already joined the Jesus and Mary Chain on Friday night to sing backup on “Just Like Honey” and today Serj Tankian, singer from platinum metal artists System of a Down, joined rockers Fair to Midland in the Mojave tent early Sunday afternoon.

Tankian signed the Texas band to his label last year.

While the guys in Fair to Midland jumped around and played hard, when Tankian joined them on stage for their second song, he just stood there, singing backup vocals and occasionally bobbing his head.

After he finished the songs, a bunch of people from the already sparse tent left, too.

The Coachella stage definitely has the most eclectic lineup for Sunday. Rapper Lupe Fiasco is on now, Willie Nelson is playing later and Rage Against the Machine is closing the day. The lineup started off even stranger with next-big-pop-thing Mika taking the stage at 1p.m.

“Good day,” Mika greeted the crowd. “This is the first festival of the season for us. I really don’t think it gets any posher than this–it’s a polo field.”

On his album he sounds a lot like the late Freddie Mercury of Queen, so imagine my surprise when he came onstage and sounded a lot more like Andy Gibb with some disco like beats behind him.

Mika must have broken out his Ouija board because when he started the third song he sounded like a reincarnation of Mercury.

By noon on Sunday Carmen Zacarias had already staked out her spot for Rage Against the Machine’s set, which is slated to start at 10:40 p.m.

Zacarias and friend Omar Castillo traveled from El Paso, Texas to get a spot at the front of the Coachella Stage for the Rage Against the Machine reunion.

“I’ve waited six-and-a-half years for this,” Zacarias said.

Zacarias said she didn’t mind waiting another 10-plus hours to keep her vantage point. She’s not worried about getting water, either.

“Our plan is to beg the security guards,” she said.

They weren’t the only ones who already started lining up for Rage. John Puga of Santa Paula, took a spot a couple of rows back and planned to enjoy the acts before the headliners. He said he paid $200 for his single-day ticket.

“I want to see Rage Against the Machine. I want to jump around and go crazy,” Puga said.

Indio’s Police Department had to quiet down 250 or so campers in Coachella’s “tent city” (pop. 15,000) at 3 a.m. Sunday but Indio police spokesman Benjamin Guitron said it wasn’t an unruly crowd — no bottles thrown, no fires, no injuries.

“They were still in their festivity mode,” Guitron said, nothing more. Only one person was arrested. The police reasoned with the remaining campers that sleep would be best.

Guitron said media had reported a riot, but that didn’t happen. If the media had reported it, it’s already been retracted. In a Google search, I couldn’t find any mention of “Coachella” and “riot”.

Day three of Coachella has finally arrived and all everyone seems to be talking about is the Rage Against the Machine reunion.

Early Sunday afternoon, people blasted Rage throughout the parking lot. It may just be my perception, but judging how most of them don’t have sunburn or look fatigued, it must be their first day.

Rage isn’t the only reunion today. New Zealand popsters Crowded House take the Coachella stage at 7:45 p.m. and Happy Mondays play the Sahara tent at 9:40 p.m.

I’m off to see metal guys Fair to Midland in the Mojave tent. Word on the field is they’re having a very special surprise guest.

Flea is a great bass blayer, John Frusciante is an otherworldlly guitarist and Chad Smith plays drums like an octopus — then there’s Anthony Keidis, who’s now sporting a mustache. Unfortunately the charismatic front man just doesn’t have any vocal chops or an ability to assemble a dynamic melody. The Chili Peppers are a great live band, but if they had a different person helming the vocals they’d be one of the all-time greats. At this stage they have to settle for being one of the all-time goods. They definitely have the star power to carry Saturday’s headlining slot, but next to Bjork and the mystique of Rage we’re looking at the No. 3 choice.