Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Columnist Spencer Patterson: Audiences feel the heat at Coachella festival

Searing temperatures and record-breaking crowds were the least of music fans' concerns at last weekend's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif.

For most, the toughest part about the two-day, five-stage, 85-act extravaganza was deciding whether to see the Rapture or Stereolab, Broken Social Scene or Elefant and Bright Eyes or Dizzee Rascal.

Never heard of any of them? Don't feel bad, most people haven't. Apart from headliners Radiohead and the Cure, and a few others such as Beck, the Pixies and the Flaming Lips, you won't find household names on the Coachella bill.

But that didn't stop roughly 100,000 people from hiking around the massive Empire Polo Fields in 100-degree-plus heat for up to 12 hours a day.

For devotees of independent rock, electronica and hip-hop music, there's simply nothing like Coachella.

The festival's fifth year brought its first ticket sellout, 50,000 attendees per day (though Saturday's crowd felt far thicker).

As you might expect, additional bodies resulted in logistical snags. Thousands turned out to see Beck perform in a tent designed to hold a few hundred comfortably. And the man played acoustic.

The expanded audience worked just fine for the Killers, the only Las Vegas-based act ever to play Coachella. The band's 45-minute set packed that same tent Sunday, though obviously not to such epic proportions.

After the performance, dazed Killers vocalist Brandon Flowers surveyed the scene around him while a few Vegas supporters worked their way to the stage to say hello.

"That was cool," he said, looking starry-eyed. "It's so pretty here."

Not quite as pretty was the traffic backup fans encountered after the festival shut down each night at midnight. Some reported waiting more than two hours to exit the giant parking lots.

It's doubtful many wouldn't repeat the experience, however. At $75 a day or $142 for both, Coachella offers an affordable way to see favorite acts -- some of which rarely make West Coast appearances -- and gain exposure to plenty of others with potential.

Opting for a sample-and-move-on approach that rarely had me in one spot for more than 30 minutes, I managed to see roughly 40 bands and artists over the weekend. A few personal observations:

Top Acts:

1. The Rapture: The New York City quartet's edgy dance-rock stole the show Saturday night, no easy task with Radiohead and the Pixies on the same bill (See Patterson's Picks, page 9E).

2. Pixies: Some may call it nostalgia, but the recently reunited alt-rock legends never sounded this tight live the first time around.

3. Mogwai: The Scottish droners rained their trademark heavy symphony upon their adorers Sunday night, dedicating their final piece to the Pixies.

4. Bright Eyes: Omaha, Neb., folk-rock hero Conor Oberst showed what all the fuss is about with a moving, lyric-driven Sunday set.

5. Hieroglyphics: Rapper Del tha Funky Homosapien led the Oakland-based hip-hop crew through a high-energy routine in the brutal Saturday afternoon heat.

Other notables: British house masters Basement Jaxx and genre-bending Mexican rockers Kinky.

Headliners:

Radiohead: Fears of a cancellation proved unfounded, as Thom Yorke's voice held up just fine. His frenetic stage presence jived with Saturday night's intense atmosphere, but a booming bass from the second stage sabotaged the Brits' softer stuff. Consistent and memorable, but you couldn't help feeling this band can soar higher.

The Cure: A disappointing capper to Sunday's outstanding lineup. Muddy sound, a poorly devised set list and general stage apathy sent thousands to the exits early. By the time Robert Smith started stringing hits together, most could only hear them through their car windows.

Names to Know:

!!!: How's that for a cryptic band name? (It's actually pronounced "Chk-Chk-Chk"). The group's New York City disco-punk anthems sounded powerful in Sunday's live setting.

Dios: Sun-soaked California dreamin' from these Beach Boys devotees kicked off Sunday's proceedings.

Broken Social Scene: With a lineup that swelled to around 10 musicians, the eclectic Canadian indie rock collective took a guitar-driven stance Sunday.

Locals:

The Killers: The band's first album doesn't hit stores for another month, but judging from their turnout -- and the fact that a few people are already singing along to their tunes -- they've managed to generate a solid buzz.

The Killers had some technical issues; Flowers' keyboards were non-present for the first half of the set. On the whole, though, the Las Vegans rose to the occasion, seizing their chance to impress with their batch of ultra-catchy tunes.

The Las Vegas quartet also made a lasting visual impression, bringing Indio's 20-piece Mt. Calvary Holy Church Choir onstage for closing number, "All These Things That I've Done."

The Crystal Method: Native Las Vegans Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland live in Los Angeles now, but we can still claim them as our own, can't we?

Fans of electronic dance music packed the tent for Crystal Method's two-hour performance, as the duo created thumping beats on an array of synthesizers. A laser show and giant video screens completed the setting for one of the club scene's reliable favorites.

Memorable Moments:

Boy in a bubble: You've got to admire 53-year-old Wayne Coyne's childlike enthusiasm for life. The Flaming Lips oddball frontman opened his band's Sunday set by climbing inside a giant, clear bubble and rolling himself over the top of the crowd. A quintessential Coachella moment.

Legends in concert: During the two o'clock hour Saturday, rock legends Perry Farrell (Jane's Addiction, Porno for Pyros) and Ian MacKaye (Fugazi, Minor Threat) performed within 300 yards of one another. Farrell spun records in the dance tent under his pseudonym Peretz, while MacKaye played in another tent with his new duo, the Evens.

Natural abilities: Rapper Supernatural showed off his freestyle skills early Sunday, working in words tossed to him from the crowd and descending into the audience to rhyme about objects held up by fans.

On sale

Toby Keith plays the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Aug. 27. Tickets are $45, $65 and $85 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Mandalay Bay box office, at TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at www.ticketmaster.com.

Talib Kweli performs at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay with opening act MF Doom on June 5. Tickets are $20 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the House of Blues box office and through TicketMaster.

Reel Big Fish teams with RX Bandits, Catch 22, Lucky Boys Confusion and Jenoah for a House of Blues show on July 21. Tickets are $17.50 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday.

The Pietasters stop at Courtyard at the House of Blues on Aug. 8. Tickets are $10 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday.

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