COACHELLA | 04.27 – 04.29 | INDIO, CA
By Team JamBase May 9, 2007 • 12:00 am PDT

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
04.27.07 – 04.29.07 :: Indio, CA
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Rage Against the Machine’s set wasn’t just no-nonsense, hard-charged rock, delivered with sober venom by Tom Morello and Zach de la Rocha – from “Testify” to the double encore “Freedom” and “Killing in the Name Of” – it was a political rally, a non-violent display of power. Armed with pellet guns, the police were ready for anything. RATM’s music was always revolutionary, but out there in the desert, as 60,000 young people sang along, the lyrics never packed as much power as they did on this warm California night where the crowd jumped up and down on the green grass of polo fields originally built for the wealthy. Whether you were Black, White, Latino, Asian, Native American or any other color or creed, the call to action reverberated within and united people.
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Putting RATM on at the end of the day could have resulted in a riot, but the heat and opening bands did their job of keeping things mellow. The only casualty was Crowded House singer Neil Finn‘s microphone, which was knocked over by a water bottle during “Don’t Dream It’s Over.” It was a shame because the classic ’80s song was sounding really good, but those are the breaks at a festival.
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Coachella was more crowded than ever this year. It’s a different kind of festival because while many people camp, lots of others rent houses and stay at luxury hotels. It’s a festival for people who don’t like the festival experience. Coachella is actually three or four festivals combined into one. The Burning Man vibe was also more prevalent than in years past, with art installations and performers dotting the grounds. The dance tents were constantly packed, all day, every day, and the chance of two people experiencing the same acts over the course of the festival was practically nonexistent. There is something for everyone at Coachella, which makes it simultaneously delightful and maddening.
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The Kaiser Chiefs also performed on Sunday, delivering an energized set including the bouncy tracks “Everyday I Love You Less and Less,” “I Predict a Riot” and “Modern Way” from the band’s 2004 album Employment, which resulted in a few thousand fans dancing frenetically to the new wave rock. The sun was still out and Ricky Wilson defied the temperature (an all black outfit) and gravity (climbing up the scaffolding). Wilson is a great frontman and the set was a nice leap forward for the Brits to penetrate the American market.
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The Teddybears made a great impression and their Weezer tinged cover of Iggy Pop’s “Punkrocker” caused smiles all around.
It might have just been the beautiful scenery and mass adoration, but the brief taste I got of Lily Allen‘s set in the Mojave tent was very strong and much improved over the performance I saw a few weeks earlier at the KCRW Sounds Eclectic Benefit. Another act I saw at the KCRW show, and couldn’t wait to see again was Rodrigo Y Gabriela. Once again, the Mexican duo of acoustic-metal virtuosos absolutely killed it. The entirely instrumental set was a highlight, but the covers – Metallica’s “Orion,” Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” and best of all, a sing-along version of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” – were true festival highlights. If you are reading this and thinking, “How good can acoustic-metal be?” do yourself a favor and see this band. You will be amazed.
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I was trapped up front by the masses after Kings of Leon but was happy to be so close for Arcade Fire. I was very thirsty and nearing exhaustion after Arcade Fire, so I pushed through the crowd coming in to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The fact that I saw RHCP at the Roxy a few months ago gave me the freedom to check out the end of Ozomatli‘s high-energy set and catch the start of LCD Soundsystem in the Sahara Tent. Yes, it’s electronica, but it’s live electronica with a huge band that rips. Sounds were exploding in my ears from everywhere. It was an experience I wasn’t expecting, and that combined with the quality of the music made it special.
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I want my life to make more sense
I want my life to make amends
I want my life to make more sense to me
Hansard is about to get much more popular in the US as the indie film, Once, starring Hansard as an Irish street musician, was the recipient of an Audience Award at Sundance and will soon be released nationwide.
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To end Saturday night, I chose to be side stage at The Black Keys in the Mojave Tent instead of stuck in the crowd at Tiesto or The Good, The Bad & The Queen. The decision was easy. The Black Keys freaking wail, and side stage was the place to be as the duo of Dan Auerbach (gtr/vox) and Patrick Carney (drums) let the delta blues flow through them and blasted the tent with just enough noise and plenty of emotion, proving drums and guitar are all a band needs if it’s done right.
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I saw the end of Stephen Marley and Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley as I made my way over to catch the end of the Artic Monkeys set. Stephen looks very much like his father… if Bob had been raised with money instead of in the Trenchtown slums. This isn’t meant as a dig, it’s just my observation, and Stephen sounds a lot like his dad, and has plenty of Rasta soul to do the songs justice. He is definitely the best representative of the Marley legacy. The Artic Monkeys seem like they are trying a little too hard to live down the hype, and from what I saw their performance was good, but they didn’t quite connect with the audience.
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I caught a little bit of former Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton‘s weird and wonderful project, Peeping Tom, and some of Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker‘s solo set before settling into Interpol. It was my first experience with Interpol, and I definitely will go see them again. My NYC friends always rave about them, but the band didn’t move me the way the Secret Machines do. However, the storytelling in the lyrics are apt descriptions of city life in the new millennium, and the bass player was sporting an amazing mustache. “Slow Hands” is a great song and even though I missed most of Sonic Youth‘s set, it was worth waiting for that song.
As much as I wanted to stay for Bjork or rock out with Gogol Bordello we called it a night, exhausted from the traffic and from staying out late the night before in Hollywood at the Viper Room for a Kings of Leon hosted Coachella kickoff party featuring The Shy’s, a young band from the OC. The Shy’s are the real deal, and they closed their set with a raucous cover of Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone.” Then we drank until 3 a.m., waiting for a rumored Kings of Leon set that never happened. Caleb and Nathan Followhill were in attendance, drinking near us, constantly chased by a bevy of models all around the club.
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The best way to experience Coachella is to go without a game plan, prepared to ditch your friends to chase live music based on stranger’s recommendations. It’s kind of like taking a trip to a foreign country. The guidebooks are a great place to start but you’re only going to get the inside information once you get there. Just make sure your phone is up to the task and wait until the sun goes down to drink!
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