Coachella 2008 (...yeah, we were there!)

So how was it?  Killer!  Every artist we saw put it down big time!  The journey to Saturday's event in the desert was not for the faint of heart, as we braved traffic, fires (no joke!) and 101-degree heat, but for those with courage, the rewards were bountiful.  Here's our play-by-play recap of Saturday at Coachella 2008.

After braving previously mentioned traffic and fires (pictures to come), we arrived in the parking lot to the opening riff of Cold War Kid's "We Used To Vacation."  A quick dash to the entrance and a pit stop for security and we were inside to catch the rest of the band's set on the main stage which briefly featured Devendra Banhart guesting on percussion.  Simply put, Cold War Kids rocked it!  2 years after the buzz has died down, these guys prove that they're here to stay.  Can't wait for them to get back into the studio. Highlight of the set: 'Hang Me Up To Dry.'

Next up was Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks.  We arrived at the second stage to catch the entire set, which leaned heavily on the band's latest, Real Emotional Trash.  Unfortunately, SM didn't pull out any Pavement tunes for the special occasion but it was still an awesome performance.  Malkmus laid down some fancy guitar work and drummer Janet Weiss, formerly of Sleater-Kinney, certainly takes the award for best drummer of the day.  Highlight Of The Set:  'Baltimore.'

After a break to grab some organic wraps, we headed back to the main stage in time to catch Death Cab For Cutie.  To all who were at the Davis show, how I wish you were here.  Although much shorter, the Coachella show was a sight for sore ears after the experience with crappy sound and crappier fans this past Tuesday.  (More to come on that later.)  Saturday's performance featured three new songs from the forthcoming album, Narrow Stairs, and with each listen, these songs grow more and more beautiful.  (Early prediction: Narrow Stairs tops year-end lists.)  Highlight of the set: 'I Will Possess Your Heart.'

After another break to grab some Heinekens (the only beer available at the event), we moved over the Sahara tent, a.k.a. the 'techno tent', as did everyone else at the festival to catch the day's most highly anticipated performer, M.I.A.  When we say highly anticipated, we mean highly anticipated.  You couldn't pack more people into a tent if Jesus himself was speaking.  In fact, much like when Jesus spoke, people climbed into the rafters of the venue just to get a better glimpse of the world beat hip hop star.  M.I.A. hadn't even come on stage yet and this was already one for the ages, and when she did finally come out, it was apparent why all these strangers were willing to pack into a sweaty hot tent and  to get so close to each other.  She burned the fucking place down!  As soon as the beat dropped on 'Bamboo Banga,' the anticipation in the room exploded into exhilaration.  Maybe it was the heat getting to me but in that moment, between the bangin' beats and the wave of cheering, the sounds of sirens and gunshots, and the dope rhymes of this Sri Lankan MC, it occurred to me that perhaps a moment like this is the closest we'll ever come to world peace, a moment in which all the bullshit is erased away and a tent full of total strangers unite to put their hands in the air in the shape of a gun for the "Bang! Bang! Bang!" of 'Paper Planes.'  Music Will Change The World.  That may sound a little off but if you were there you'd know what I mean, or maybe it was just the heat getting to me.  

Following M.I.A.'s barn-burning show and my moment of enlightenment, we booked it to the main stage for Portishead's, already in progress, first U.S. performance in almost a decade.  As good as M.I.A. was, this was even better, but in a different way.  Portishead's set was eerily captivating.  From the spacey trip-hop beats to the eery black and white video to the devastating victory of Beth Gibbons vocals, you could not turn away.  New songs from tomorrow's Third, stood strong next to timeless classic from the bands previous two albums.  What a note to end on.  Highlight of the set:  'Cowboys.'  Highlight of the day: 'Cowboys.'

Quick Note:  When we say we, in the case of this post, we really means we, as opposed to all other posts, in which we is used to mask the singularity of the authorship of this blog.  Thank you and good night!