One of the reasons why is Coachella. This was probably one of the best Coachella line-ups so far. Although one cannot forget Radiohead in 2004, Coachella 2007 was better because of the diversity of acts. Also, since I now consider myself a Coachella pro, knowing what to do and when also makes the Coachella experience that much better.
Unlike previous Coachellas, this one started on a Friday and became a three day long event. Meriza, Sara and I arrived at Coachella under the blazing hot sun and a whole shitload of people. We met up with Jason and his two friends, Francesca and Julianne, near the beer tent. We didn't see much of each other afterwards, but we did run into each other every now and then.
First band we saw was Tilly and the Wall. I only saw them open up for Rilo Kiley at Bimbo's a while back and really didn't think much of them. They were spectacular at the Coachella tent. Despite the heat inside, the band kept us entertained with their tap dancing and just enthusiastic stage presence. Not a bad start.
Then we caught a little bit of Tokyo Police Club. They were okay and I wasn't particularly impressed.
I think we then went to the main stage and caught Arctic Monkeys. I love Arctic Monkeys and I really, really liked their set. However, it was still daylight and people were just so-so into them. They were loud and they sang their songs quick. They started off with "Brianstorm," which was just so mean sounding live. Then they just ripped through their entire song collection. They played all the hits, especially my favourite, "Fake Tales of San Francisco."
After eating the best veggie corn dogs, we caught Jesus and Mary Chain. They looked haggard and they didn't seem to be that into their set. This was the highly anticipated reunion tour, but they just looked and acted "blah." Granted, this is my first JMC show, and for all I know they're always like this, but I thought they'd be more into it. One of the first songs they played was "Head On," which is my favourite JMC song. Apparently, ScarJo sang the backing vocals to "Just Like Honey," but I could care less.
We caught a bit of Peaches, but that's because we wanted a great spot to see God himself, Jarvis Cocker. I haven't seen Jarvis since 1999 when Pulp played Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. That's when This is Hardcore came out and I've been waiting for them to return ever since. After a long wait because of technical difficulties, Jarvis emerged from the back of the stage. Accompanying him was Steve Mackey, who is one of the original members of Pulp. I didn't think his album was that great, but after seeing him live, the album means that much more. Especially "Black Magic," with the lights flashing at the exact moment Jarvis would thrust his hips and elbows. "Fat Children" was also great. And, of course, the storytelling. We couldn't stop talking about Jarvis. I wished he played longer.
After Jarvis, we caught a bit of Interpol. They sounded fantastic but we were just too tired to make any effort to get closer. We then saw Bjork who is just beyond amazing. I fell asleep a bit during Bjork's set, but that's only because of fatigue rather than boredom. By that point, it was a little after 11pm and we were there at the Polo Grounds since 1pm. We were tired and we went back to the hotel.
Day one, overall, was just amazing and I could hardly wait for day two.
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