Coachella rolls on

By Spencer Patterson

Thursday, April 15, 2010 | 2:57 p.m.

Coachella junkies, be extra thankful for this weekend's festival. It almost didn't happen.

Organizer Paul Tollett tells us he had a "big talk" with his Goldenvoice staff last October. At stake: whether the 11-year-old event should take 2010 off. "The economy was hard on us last year, and I even think we felt it in 2008, before the crash had [officially] hit," he explains. "So it was, do we do the show or not do it this year?"

Passing wouldn't have been unprecedented for Coachella, which skipped 2000 in the face of early financial struggles. Goldenvoice's All Points West Festival won't return for a third installment in New Jersey this summer. But ultimately, Tollett says, the rough economy actually helped drive Goldenvoice's decision to bring Coachella back to the Southern California desert, uninterrupted.

"If everyone in the world decided not to do things like Coachella, if we all put our heads in the sand, the economy would really get crushed," he says. "But by bringing a festival to an area and by paying laborers to work it, hopefully you become part of the solution."

That verdict sure looks like the right one. Tickets are completely sold out, with a crowd of around 75,000—an all-time festival record—set to attend. "That tells us people think this year's lineup is one of our best," Tollett says.

Among the 130-plus acts on the three-day bill are a slew of infrequent performers—Sunday-night headliner Gorillaz, the reunited Faith No More and Pavement, Thom Yorke's new Atoms of Peace project, U.K. electronic brother-duo Orbital and throwbacks like Sly Stone and Public Image Ltd. Tollett speculates Friday-night headliner Jay-Z has also helped drive ticket sales, as have bands with new albums out or coming soon, such as LCD Soundystem and MGMT.

Tickets moved briskly despite a significant sales-policy difference: For the first time this year, single-day tickets were completely phased out; only full-fest passes were offered, at $303 a pop, including Ticketmaster fees.

Don't like it? Just think of it as another reason to hate on Phish. Tollett credits that jam band's '09 Goldenvoice-promoted Indio performances for the change. "We only sold three-day passes for that, and it promoted such a good feeling of community," he explains. "We want to have that, too."

And those who either can't afford three days of Coachella? "I knew going in there would be people who were unhappy with the decision," Tollett says. "But between the way we're pricing camping this year [$55 per car, rather than per person], and our layaway option, hopefully most people have the chance to do Coachella if they want to this year," Tollett says.

Patterson's picks to click!

Fever Ray (Friday, 11:10 p.m., Mojave Tent): Karin Dreijer Andersson doesn't just roll out of her trailer and hop onstage. Performances by the Swede's "Knife side project" are as much about avant production value as the shadowy electronic pop pouring out of the speakers. Miss this at your peril.

Gil Scott-Heron (Friday, 6:55 p.m., Gobi Tent): He's a 61-year-old, stone-cold legend, but this ain't no nostalgia trip. Gil's got a fresh new record, I'm New Here, blending soul, blues and spoken-word. The revolution will not be televised, so don't miss it in person.

Faith No More (Saturday, 7:55 p.m., Coachella Stage): As of now, Mike Patton's reunited alt-metal giants have exactly five U.S. shows scheduled. This is one of them. That's reason enough to wander over, even if fish flopping out of water aren't your thing.

The xx (Saturday, 6:25 p.m., Outdoor Theater): This year's fest is silly with blog-buzzed indie outfits — Grizzly Bear, Yeasayer, MGMT, Dirty Projectors — but most are based in the U.S, so they'll probably be around again. The xx hail from London, so soak in their hypnotic dream-pop while you can.

Flying Lotus (Saturday, 10:45 p.m., Gobi Tent): There are bigger electronic names (Tiësto, Orbital, deadmau5, Plastikman) on the poster, but the smart money's on this LA laptopper. Three reasons: last year's much-touted dome performance, Thom Yorke's personal endorsement and FlyLo's new album, Cosmogramma, a toggling mellow/noisy array of experimental electro.

Pavement (Sunday, 7:45 p.m., Coachella Stage): They epitomized '90s indie slack, but SM, Spiral and the rest actually put on a damn fine show in their day — at least, when they felt like it. This is probably as close to Vegas as they'll ever come, so if you've ever dreamt of shouting "You're my summer baaaaaabe!" with the guys who wrote it, now's the time.

Gorillaz (Sunday, 10:30 p.m., Coachella Stage): Reports from the rarely seen "virtual" band's 2002 tour were fairly tame ("cartoons on a wall with the musicians behind," one eyewitness describes). Given how far technology has come, we're guessing this will be a bit more mind-melting. If it isn't, you can always keep busy counting up the guest musicians sure to join in on the action.

Coachella survival kit

If you go, we recommend you bring sunscreen, comfortable shoes, earplugs, cash, a hat, a well-charged phone, hand sanitizer, sunglasses and breath mints or gum. It's hot during the day but can drop into the 50s at night, so plan your wardrobe accordingly (there are lockers onsite). Choose an emergency meet-up spot, in case you get separated from your friends. And be sure to note exactly where you parked; in the dark, after the lots fill, vehicles can be mighty tough to locate.

— Originally published in Las Vegas Weekly