Coachella (Indio Polo Grounds, 28 April 2007)

Coachella day two. After an amazing day one, we arrived at Coachella refreshed and ready to roll. We were used to weather by now, and we know the ins and outs. The line up for Saturday proved to be a great one. Although Jarvis stole day one, and probably the entire weekend, the acts overall for day two easily surpassed day one because it was the dance party set. Everywhere I went, there was some dancing involved.

It didn't start out that way though. We first saw The Cribs who were fun but I wasn't really that into them. They were energetic, yes, but the new songs from their second album wasn't as great as their first. I just really wanted to hear "Hey Scenesters," which they played horribly.

After baking in the sun and drinking a couple of beers, we then caught Hot Chip. It was so fucking hot inside the tent that I thought I was going to faint. But Hot Chip were just awesome, despite my dizziness. A lot better than their Mezzanine show, that's for sure. I actually appreciated their act a lot more when I drank water from a guy who had hoardes of them. I was actually dancing this time. At Mezzanine, I was in the back just sipping my vodka. This time, I was dancing with a water bottle.

After more veggie corn dogs and iced tea, we then caught Travis. I haven't seen Travis in a long time, and I was so happy to see them. Their new album, The Boy With No Name, is a fantastic release. And they were top notched and I sang every word to every song they played. Especially ones from The Man Who like "Turn" and "Writing to Reach You." The new songs also came out well, like "Selfish Jean" and "The Big Chair."

While Travis played their last song, "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?," Meriza and I skipped our way from the main stage to the tent to catch what's left of Peter, Bjorn and John. We arrived just in time to catch the tail end of their set and caught the song everyone was pining for, "Young Folks." After they played that, everyone started to leave. I actually liked their set, but I was glad to catch more of Travis than PB&J.

We rested for a bit and ate more veggie corn dogs. Good thing, because it is Arcade Fire time in the main stage. I was determined to go as close to the stage as possible, risking it all. We arrived at the main stage, where there were thousands of people watching Kings of Leon in all their shirtless, redneck splendor. We inched our way closer, only to be met by several road blocks of hicks and sweaty men with dreads. After Kings of Leon left, there were tons of Red Hot Chili Peppers fans trying to score a sweet spot for their set after Arcade Fire. This really pissed me off, because I was surrounded by fratty RHCP fans, hardcore AF fans and trapped Kings of Leon fans.

Meriza and I were really close to Arcade Fire and we just acted all crazy during their 60+ minute long set. We were drenched in sweat, and constantly protected each other from the maniacs. I love Arcade Fire and all, but that's probably the last time I will go all out to see them at a Coachella like stage. It was just crazy. Crowd surfers everywhere trying to get out. Pissed off RHCP fans punching at people. Just sweat everywhere. But Arcade Fire played their hearts out and I sang every tune out loud. Once their set was over, I was covered in sweat and my skin was wrinkled because of the perspiration. I thought I was going to die, but it was well worth it.

We then went to our sanctuary, which is the Heineken beer tent. We drank some much needed liquids and then slowly crawled to see LCD Soundsystem. Meriza and I just sat way in the back of the tent and just took in the sounds. They were just great, and I had enough energy to see them, but decided to lay low.

While Meriza left to see The Good, The Bad & The Queen, I stayed to see The Rapture. They were fucking awesome and their 60 minute set encompassed every single song I wanted to hear. Granted, it would have been better if I had people to dance with, unlike all the wackos around me, but whatever. I'm looking forward to seeing them again with Daft Punk later in July.

I then caught a little bit of The Good, The Bad & The Queen. That band is tight. Damon sounded great and the rest of the band of all-star musicians played perfectly and effortlessly. The only part of the set that was pure rubbish was when that Syrian rapper came out. He was a total waste of space.

Beer Rating: 1/2