It was brought to my attention that Coachella is this weekend. I have not been to Coachella since they made it a three-day festival, in fact the last Coachella I attended was in 2004 when Radiohead headlined, dang 2004, I am really getting old. At that time, I felt that a two day festival made for a long weekend, it was a lot of bands to get through and the temperatures were almost certainly at 100 degrees, so I can’t even fathom the kind of marathon energy it would take to get through three days. Also, until a few years ago, you were able to buy single day tickets, which I think was a much superior option for people who are either too poor or simply don’t want to attend all three days because at about $300 just for the tickets alone, that is one expensive weekend.
Enough with the hating, Coachella has always been about the music and this year is no exception. There are some really good bands playing from my favorite dance party band, “!!!,” to more mainstream fare like Kings of Leon. With Kanye West headlining Sunday, it is good to see to usually rock and electronic heavy line up include more hip-hop artists; such as: Wiz Khalifia, Raphael Saadiq, Nas, Damian Marley, and the incomparable Ms. Lauryn Hill.
A few other bands worth checking out are Crystal Castles, Cut Copy, Robyn, Sleigh Bells, The Black Keys, Warpaint, and YACHT on Friday. Animal Collective, Arcade Fire, Delta Spirit, Empire of the Sun, Scissor Sisters, The Kills, and The New Pornographers on Saturday. And Best Coast, Chromeo, HEALTH, Lightning Bolt, Menomena, PJ Harvey, The National, and Yelle on Sunday.
So if you are going to Coachella this weekend be sure to wear sunscreen, bring lots of cash, don’t drink too much (this is based on a personal experience of drinking too much and throwing up in a porta-potty bathroom in 2005 after watching The Prodigy), and enjoy the start of the summer concert season.
