Friday, May 6, 2005 | 9:33 a.m.
At 8:45 Sunday night I stood in a dance tent, watching Dutch trance DJ Armin Van Buuren work a crowd.
Ten minutes later I was in another tent, soaking in indie-pop band Pinback, and 10 minutes after that I was in a third tent, listening to electronic duo Matmos create strange ambient music with laptop computers.
Next it was on to a giant outdoor stage, where British Sea Power played fractured indie rock. And finally, I came to rest at an even larger stage, where alterna-rock vets Nine Inch Nails raged into the night.
Sounds like some sort of fanciful late-night dream, right? But at the annual Coachella Music & Arts Festival, dreams come true for serious fans of independent music.
About 50,000 such individuals poured onto the vast Empire Polo Fields in Indio, Calif., on Saturday and again on Sunday to see 92 acts, most of which will never be played on the radio in Southern Nevada or appear on music television.
My third Coachella experience was my best yet, in no small part because of ideal weather conditions (temperatures stayed in the 80s after hovering near 100 degrees the past two years).
Organizers also smoothed several of Coachella's rougher edges, vastly improving traffic flow in and out of the parking lots, providing a running-water "oasis" for cooling off and creating better air circulation in the three tents.
Mostly, though, the music made the festival great. Rock, pop, hip-hop, jazz and electronic acts co-existed easily thanks to a crowd that appreciates good music in any form.
I caught chunks of approximately 50 sets, some full, others mere snippets. Not surprisingly, as I write this three days later, my feet still hurt. But my head is filled with great musical memories, and that's far more important.
A few observations from a very busy weekend:
Favorite Acts:
1. Gang of Four: On a bill packed with up-and-comers, the best performance I saw came courtesy of a British quartet dating to 1977. The Gang's reunited original lineup -- Dave Allen, Hugo Burnham, Andy Gill and Jon King -- conjured up the furious dance-punk of their youth on such classics as "Anthrax," "At Home He's a Tourist" and "To Hell With Poverty."
2. Boom Bip: Supplemented by a crack three-piece live band, producer/ multi-instrumentalist Bryan Hollon (aka Boom Bip) got Coachella off to a tremendous start with a grooving lunchtime stand.
3. Bloc Party: The British indie rockers lived up to their considerable hype, with a tight set in a tightly packed tent. Keep on eye on these guys.
4. The Chemical Brothers: England's renowned electronic duo kept the dance tent moving late into Saturday night with a thumping live appearance.
5. M83: France's answer to My Bloody Valentine produced wonderfully melodic crashing waves of sound.
6. The Secret Machines: The psychedelic Texas rock trio sounded far better than when I saw them last October. Their light show wasn't bad either.
7. The Arcade Fire: I raced over to catch most of the quirky Canadians' set after Gang of Four, and wasn't sorry I did. They have potential to be the best band of their era.
8. Black Star: Talib Kweli's voice was marred by a sore throat, but partner Mos Def more than made up for that with a dynamic stage presence and a string of great tunes. Chicago rapper Common also joined in for bit.
9. Wilco: Jeff Tweedy & Co. made good after last year's Coachella cancellation, and allowed me to sit down for an hour with a mellow afternoon set.
10. The Futureheads: Breakneck, jagged post-post-punk from these Brits was just what the doctor ordered heading into Gang of Four.
Other notables: Sri Lankan-born dancehall vocalist M.I.A., metal-faced rapper MF Doom and Swedish rock newcomers the Shout Out Louds.
Disappointments:
New Order: On paper, the synth-rock vets were great. They played three Joy Division songs and got the main-stage crowd dancing with "Bizarre Love Triangle" and "Blue Monday." But a poor sound mix, combined with a lackluster vocal performance by Bernard Sumner, turned New Order into a Sunday letdown.
Weezer: I didn't stick around to hear it all Saturday night, but what I did hear from the alterna-rock geeks sounded fairly uninspired. Hopefully, they'll gather up more energy for July's centennial concert.
Headliners:
Coldplay: I ditched most of Coldplay to see the Chemical Brothers, a decision I'm glad I made. I did catch three of the melodic rock band's tunes, which were far from festival highlights for me. More distressing were reports of frontman Chris Martin dissing Las Vegas to a crowd that included several thousand Vegas residents. Nice way to treat hardcore fans who drove four hours to see you play.
Nine Inch Nails: The industrial rockers have never been my favorite band in the world, but I have to give them credit for a powerful performance. Leader Trent Reznor was in top form after a five-year layoff, much to the delight of the black-garbed devotees packing the main field.
Magic moments:
Batting practice: Late in Gang of Four's set, vocalist Jon King grabbed a black baseball bat and began thrashing a microwave oven. When the appliance fell of its perch, a crazed King continued beating it on the floor for several minutes before falling to the stage, exhausted.
No quit in Mos: Black Star was forced to cut its festival-closing performance short because of Indio restrictions requiring music to end at midnight. Mos announced he would take care of the fine personally and continued working, until his DJ's power was cut and the rapper was escorted off the stage.
Winning dive: Arcade Fire leader Win Butler celebrated his band's highly successful Coachella debut with a surprise dive over the photo pit and into the arms of his devoted fans.
Quick hits
A look at a few of the shows scheduled to hit Southern Nevada in the next week:
R&B vocalist Brenda Russell kicks off the annual free "Jazz in the Park" concert series at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Clark County Government Center Amphitheater.
Russell, who released her latest album, "Between the Sun and the Moon," last summer, has written or co-written songs performed by Stevie Wonder, Sting, Barbara Streisand and Luther Vandross, among others.
Future "Jazz in the Park" installments: pianist Jacky Terrasson on June 4, drummer TS Monk (son of piano great Thelonious Monk) on June 11 and the Tony Scodwell Big Band on June 25.
Concertgoers are permitted to picnic at the site prior to "Jazz in the Park" performances. Pets, glass bottles and smoking on the lawn are prohibited.
Popular emo rock band the Used plays a pair of shows at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel at 8 p.m. tonight and Saturday. Tickets are sold out for both nights, but several sets were available on eBay for around $10 over the original $20 price at press time.
Team Sleep, a rock band fronted by Deftones' founder Chino Moreno, stops at Jillian's at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Tickets to the all-ages show are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.
On sale
Alicia Keys has added a third MGM Grand Garden Arena show for May 29. Tickets are $50, $75 and $150 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the MGM Grand box office, at Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 and at www.ticketmaster.com. Keys is still scheduled to play the venue on May 27 and May 28.
Judas Priest and Queensryche team for a July 9 show at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Tickets are $36.75, $47.25 and $68.25 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Mandalay Bay box office and through Ticketmaster.
Rascal Flatts and Blake Shelton share a July 16 bill at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Tickets are $36.23, $57.23 and $68.25 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through the Mandalay Bay box office and Ticketmaster.
The Black Eyed Peas play The Joint on June 3. Tickets are $75 and go on sale at noon Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel box office and through Ticketmaster.
Jonny Lang lands at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on Aug. 18. Tickets are $30, $40 and $45 and go on sale at 10 a.m. at the House of Blues box office and through Ticketmaster.
Hot Hot Heat performs at the House of Blues with opening acts Robbers on High Street and the Blue Van on June 18. Tickets are $15 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through the House of Blues box office and Ticketmaster.
Cafe Tacuba stops at the House of Blues on June 29. Tickets are $22, $30 and $35 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through the House of Blues and Ticketmaster.
Sum 41 plays the House of Blues on June 12. Tickets are $17.50 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through the House of Blues box office and Ticketmaster.
The House of Blues hosts Porcupine Tree on June 14. Tickets are $20 and $30 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday through the House of Blues box office and Ticketmaster.
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