Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (Empire Polo Grounds, Indio, CA, 30 April 2006)

My friends and I woke up around 10am on Sunday after an exhausting first day at Coachella. I woke up to the bright sunlight and the high heat, which was around 90 degrees already. We took our time getting ready, and even opted to finish watching a movie called The Perfect Score with the ever so lovely Scarlett Johansson. We just couldn't leave until we find out how they stole the S.A.T. from ETS. They didn't, but instead worked together. Boo!

I then went to the concierge desk to pick up my special gift package. I got this great deal at the Westin where for $199 you get a whole weekend plus $125 to spend on anything in the hotel. The lady told me that they'll up it to $250 plus a 50% off coupon if I attend their damn timeshare thing. I told her after my spa appointment tomorrow. Needless to say, lunch was on the Westin that day.

The concierge also told me that the best way to beat the Coachella traffic is to go on Jackson St. off the 10. So we did and we saved a boat load of time getting there! The walk from the lot to the fairgrounds was long, but I'd rather be outside the car rather than waiting in it.

What I forgot to mention was that on Saturday, we saw this guy wear this outfit:





















Which I thought was cool and all because it made me less afraid to wear this:

Yeah, thanks to J.C. who egged me on to wear this complete American Apparel ensemble. My friends asked if I brought my pants with me, which I did to settle their fears. Let me tell you, make fun of the outfit, but I was always comfortable with it on.

I didn't take that many pics since my camera was running out of juice. I wanted to save it all for Madonna.

We started off with The Magic Numbers on the Main Stage. They actually played really well, despite the cheeziness of their songs. And they had quite a following. The band really thanked the crowd for their support. They also played a number of new songs which I don't have the titles of.

We then went to see Phoenix in the Gobi Tent and Metric iin the Mojave tent since they were right next to each other. Phoenix was a bit odd, since their new songs sound too much like The Strokes meets The Stills. We stayed for two songs and were not that impressed.

We then walked over across the way to see Metric. Emily was looking great as always, and was hyper. The band was pretty into it as well. They started off with "Empty" which is the typical song they start off with in this tour. I think they followed it up with "Glass Ceiling." I wanted to catch more of them, but we were on the outside of the tent and wanted to see what's happening on the Main Stage.

We passed by Phoenix again and caught them doing their rockin' version of "If I Ever Feel Better." We stayed for that song, watching from afar, but then proceeded to the Main Stage.

We waited a bit for Matisyahu before he came on. I don't really care for this guy, but I wanted to see what all the hype is about. And to see a Hassidic Jew rap in a reggae style is pretty entertaining. I was bored from the get go. Probably the most interesting thing he did was do those record scratching noises with his mouth.

I was so bored that I went back to the Neighborhoodies booth to get my shirt. This is what I got:


It's from Blur's "Advert" if you don't know.

After Matisyahu was Sleater-Kinney on the Main Stage. These rrrrriot grrrrls were so great! I really didn't like them until The Woods came out. And I am wondering why I didn't like them before. They were fantastic and I enjoyed them a lot. I only knew the new songs they played like "The Fox" and "Rollercoaster" but now I have to get their other albums.

Now the moment has arrived. We left after Sleater-Kinney and went to the Sahara Tent to get our spot for Madonna. But first, we had to endure Paul Oakenfold and his DJ set.

When we arrived at the Sahara Tent, it was already very full. We were able to find a spot that was similar to our spot at Daft Punk the night before. At first we were in front of these Bears. Then we were out of the hairy woods.

Paul Oakenfold played a pretty good DJ set. He really knew how to hype up the crowd, settle them down and then hype them up again. He played Underworld's "Born Slippy" which was mixed with something else. It was good.

After Oakenfold left at around 8pm, the mad rush came in for Madonna. The crowd was getting anxious and every time another background tune played, boos would come out. People were hot, sweaty, anxious and ready to dance.

She finally came out at around 8:45pm. Which seemed like an eternity after just standing there in front of all these people.


Then, the curtains opened, revealing what you see above. Then the familiar ticks of "Hung Up" came on and I was going crazy! The disco ball in the background actually opened up, revealing Madonna and her slew of dancers. The crowd was flashing numerous photographs and everyone was going wild!

Unfortunately, Madonna only played six songs. She also played "I Love New York" which is below:



She also played "Ray of Light" and ended with "Everybody." Madonna was just oozing sex on stage. Despite her age, she looked better than most 20 year olds. She teased the crowd by ending up in a one piece leotard at the end of her set. She even asked the crowd if her ass was still alright, in which we all resoundingly said "YES."

People were disappointed though that she only played six songs. But, I thought it was fine given the situation.

We then walked over with a slew of people towards the Main Stage to check out Massive Attack. We were so tired from Madonna that we just laid down and rested. I also got a veggie gyro to curb my appetite. Massive Attack was more like background, chill music before we went on the next act.

After a 30 minute rest, we walked over to the Outdoor Stage to see The Go! Team. They were energetic and fun as always, but that damn Ninja's voice is just too annoying sometimes. The crowd seemed very into it, and so was I from afar.

Our final stop was the Mojave tent to see a bit of Dungen. They were actually pretty good, despite me not understanding what they were saying. There was a sparse crowd, which was a welcome surprise given the Madonna fiasco.

After Dungen was one of my new favourite bands, Art Brut. They came on really late, and only had time to play a few songs...theoretically.


Lead singer Eddie was in top form as always. He kept on telling the crowd that if they go beyond their midnight curfew, they will be fined $2,000 per song. Well, they went way over their curfew, playing at least 4 songs. Highlights included "Formed a Band," "Emily Kane," "These Animal Menswear" and "Modern Art." For "Modern Art", Eddie went down to the crowd and sang, like he always does. For "Rusted Guns of Milan," he said that the song was about a certain band member and he looked at Jasper Future for that one. After their last song, "Good Weekend," they played a long final instrumental. Their tour manager was constantly signaling them to stop, yelling at them even, but they refused to do so. It was classic!

After another long wait to leave the place, we walked the long trail back to our car. We left the place pretty quickly and got home at a semi-decent hour.

Another great Coachella adventure! I will definitely be there in 2007.

Overall Beer Rating for Day 2: