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Coachella 2007: A view from our eyesApril 27, 28, and 29th of 2007 marked The 2007 Coachella Music and Arts Festival. GenerationQ was granted press access to the event, this is the review...from our eyes. By: Justin Phillips, Music Festival Reviewer
Supporting Story by: Justin Boren Photography by: Justin Boren and Paul Schutkowski for GenerationQ This year's 2007 Coachella Valley Music & Art Festival turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. After last year's killer lineup, I waited in eager anticipation for months for the release of this year's lineup. The best adjective I can think of to describe my reaction to the initial lineup release was dumbfounded. I sat in stunned silence, and kept looking at the lineup over & over. Could it really be that all three headliners were repeat headliners? Where were the big electronic acts such as Massive Attack & Daft Punk from last year? At a stretch, the only things that really piqued my interest were Bjork, Willie Nelson, Air, and Peaches. To be fair, much of this disappointment came from the hopes & dreams of of the largely wishful thinking Coachella Message Board. (http://www.coachella.com/forum/) For those who are not familiar, Goldenvoice runs a year-round message board for fans of the festival to sound off, give input, or just generally rant & rave about nearly anything. The message board is dominated by people, such as this reviewer, whose ever larger pipe dreams of nearly impossible lineups borders on the ridiculous. I mean, even Coachella cannot raise the dead. However, I succumbed to the madness and actually let myself believe that the lovely people over at Goldenvoice had a psychic channel to my brain, and all the bands of my wet dreams would be there this year. After the initial stubbornness wore off, and I realized that "No, Justin, Portishead and the Cranberries will not be there this year", I decided it was time to pony up, and start learning some new music. After all, isn t that the real reason for attending music festivals? What fun would it be if you only saw a whole bunch of bands you were already familiar with, and knew every word to? So, I started doing my "Coachella Homework", in order that I could attempt to at least utilize my short 36 hours of music time at Coachella to give our readers some insight to the best live acts out there today. So, here it goes.... Anyone who has never been to Coachella can never really fully understand the magnitude of the event. This is not just some concert or really even music festival, it is truly a life experience. Anyone who has a genuine interest in music should definitely experience Coachella in their lifetime. We arrived at the venue on Thursday around 2 PM, and we did not leave until about 10 AM on Monday. In order to get the full Coachella experience, one really must camp onsite. The festival is held on the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, CA, so it can hardly even be called camping. The setup is all on plush green grass, and there are portable showers, vendors, and even a full bar on site. One of the only hiccups we had all weekend came at the very beginning. Goldenvoice states on their website, and past experience has proved, that if you are camping in a group you just let the counselors know how many are in the group when you arrive, and they set aside an area for you. You then give them a name, and as the rest of your party arrives, they let them know where you are. Since there were 15 of us coming from 5 different states, this obviously was very important to our group. However, on arrival, the counselors stated that they would not be doing that this year, and that we would all have to arrive together. After a few minutes of getting to the right people, we had the situation worked out, and ended up with a fantastic spot, but, nevertheless, the camping seemed much less organized this year than in year's past.  Â Â Â Â Hundreds of people line up waiting for a camping spot at Coachella 2007 The fantastic part about the onsite camping is that it truly is an entirely separate universe for those 5 days you are there. You immediately meet all kinds of new people from, literally, all over the world. You have everything from people who just show up with some pillows & blankets to sleep on the grass, to large groups of people who bring materials to build their own little village while they are there. We brought 4 tents, a shade canopy, flags from all the states that we represented, various crazy flags that we could find, and the artist in the group made a banner that had our theme for this year "Coachella, Queen of the Desert". All of this hubbub proved to make us quite popular, and within minutes of our camp being setup we had everyone visiting from the Canucks, to the Brits, to the Furries (oh yes, it's what you are thinking). Literally every possible group of people you can imagine are represented in the fantastic Coachella Universe. Many people in the camp, use the first night as the big party night because everyone has just arrived and adrenaline and anticipation are high, but knowing that we had to survive three days in the 100 plus degree weather, I called it an early night. And so, to the reason of all this..... the music! Coachella 2007 packed a punch like never before. From the much anticipated reunion of Rage Against the Machine to the as yet mostly undiscovered opening acts, the music proved to be eclectic, groundbreaking, nostalgic, and absolutely amazing. While it would be impossible to give to the details of every single act that we saw, but I will give you the highlights and lowlights of my personal experience. I made it a personal goal this year to seek out & discover the lesser known gems, and forgo the big name acts that everyone else would be seeing. Hopefully, this will help our readers discover new music they otherwise may not know about. FRIDAY- April 27, 2007
After arriving at the festival, we were immediately drawn to the main stage where Flosstradamus featuring Kid Sister were playing. If you are not familiar with this duo of Chicago DJs, you should be. They have an amazing flair to mix fantastic hip hop/dance beats, and when Kid Sister came out on vocals, they really got the party started. Everyone who was there that early was dancing, and it was a perfect way to start the weekend out! Next, we were off to the Sahara Tent to see the always funky Charles Feelgood. And, as prescribed, he did just that. This disco house staple rocked the tent and had a very sizable crowd for having such an early set. Charles is one of my favorite house DJs, but I hadn't seen him in years, and wondered if he still had it in him... Well I am happy to announce he has only perfected his art. If you are in the mood for some good booty shaking house, check out Mr Feelgood. I had heard that Of Montreal puts on an amazing stage show, so we meandered on over to the Outdoor Theatre to check them out. They definitely are unique, and I would be willing to bet that if that had not been playing in the heat of the day, outside, it could have been a fantastic show. Their outlandish costumes were very interesting, but without the ability to really have any special effects during the day, it was actually pretty boring.  Â Â Â Â Â Of Montreal plays a fun set in the Coachella Sun We attempted to go see Amy Winehouse next, but for reasons unknown to this reviewer, they had her in the smallest tent at the venue, the Gobi. The tent was completely full and the crowd extended back almost all the way to the fence behind, and to the tents on either side. We were so far back, I could not even see her, and we could barely hear the music. So, god bless you, you crazy drunk, but it seemed a little pointless to try & watch you. Now it was back to the Sahara Tent to see those crazy German boys Digitalism. Let me tell you, these guys are possibly the greatest electronic act you have never heard of. I discovered them on Daft Punk's MySpace one night. Then, when I found out they were going to be at Coachella, I was really excited. After finding out they had been relegated a midday time slot in the Sahara, I was a little worried they might not be so good, nor pull much of a crowd. Well, was I in for a pleasant surprise. Jens Moelle and Ismail Tuefekci are primed to be the next big electro duo, and definitely solidified themselves as one of the Top 10 acts of Coachella this year. These boys performed a live set, without the use of headphones, and minimal equipment and they were absolutely flawless. I predict that they are the next Daft Punk, waiting to happen, but let's hope they don't start wearing robot helmets because Jens is very pretty to look at. Peaches was next on our agenda, and was one of my most anticipated acts of the entire weekend. Unfortunately, she would also be the biggest disappointment. I am not sure if it was actually a bad show or just because she was on the Outdoor Theater. The sound at the Outdoor Theatre left much to be desired all weekend, and it has not always been that way. Last year, some of the best acts were on the Outdoor Theater. This year, however, it seemed that the sound was consistently overpowered by the main stage next door. At any rate, we were not all that far back, but you could barely hear the sound at all, and she certainly didn't live up to her expectations as the Raunch Queen. It all seemed very subdued, and, as with most of the crowd, we only stayed for a few songs, then left. From there, we went to catch the end of Felix Da Housecat, and it certainly made me wish we had seen the whole thing. Felix was also one of the things I wanted to see most, and it was a very tough decision when they scheduled him the same time as Peaches. You could hear the thumping beats of Felix's signature Chicago House from quite a distance, and the crowd was going crazy. This was the first time of the weekend the Sahara tent would be packed to the brim, and Felix did not disappoint. Felix has earned his reputation as a Top DJ, and, having never seen him, he lived up to every expectation I had formed. After sitting through a boring, repetitive Benny Benassi set, we worked way up to the front of the stage for what proved to be not only the best act at Coachella, but also the best act I have ever witnessed in all my years of musical experiences. This act is Faithless. Anyone who remembers the Trip Hop movement of the 1990s will remember them for their hit single "God Is A DJ". Faithless is made up of producer Rollo Armstrong, multi-talented musician Sister Bliss who makes most of the music, and vocalist Maxi Jazz. Along with them, they brought a percussionist, a bassist, a guitarist, and the coolest damn drummer I have ever seen. It is nearly impossible to describe the set this crazy woman was playing. It was bigger than she was, and completely surrounded her, even over her head. It was breathtaking to see this master perfecting her art right in front of us. Sister Bliss had two walls of keyboards that she tore up. Maxi Jazz proved he still has what it takes to get every person in the audience moving, even 12 years after they started. Let me tell you, folks, this was a religious experience, and completely blew my mind. Every year Coachella has that act that no one expected, but blows everything else out of the water, and this year it was Faithless. Let's just hope that they don't make this first jaunt over the pond their last.  Â Â Â Â Faithless surprises Coachella with a powerhouse performance Rushing from Faithless, our group made our way over to the main stage to catch the middle of Bjork, the Icelandic sensation. While this was not her first Coachella appearance, it sure was an incredible experience. Her use of new technology to produce incredible and captivating sounds was some of the best produced music I have heard in a long time. Her new album is incredible and tells the story of the plight of any people looking to achieve freedom. While she did play to the audience and give us many of her old standards, the new material was incredible erupting in a Coachella encore like no other! SATURDAY- April 28, 2007 I have to say that Saturday was the weakest of the three days, but it was a good day to relax and catch up on a little rest, and get prepared for Sunday. We started the day by catching the end of Fountains of Wayne, whom I had seen open for Matchbox 20 on their last tour, and I was not impressed with. I have to say they did a very respectable job of crooning their slow alternative stuff in the heat of the afternoon. It was a nice surprise. Next up on the main stage was Regina Spektor, who recently has become more popular with radio play of her song "Infidelity". If you are like me, and that is the only thing that you have heard, be careful not to judge her on that song. That song does nothing short of making my skin crawl, and it is an absolute injustice on the part of her record label for putting that out as her single. Regina has a fantastic vocal range, and her songwriting skills are at their peak. If you are a fan of the emotional woman singer/songwriter, Regina deserves a listen. She also did well in the blazing sun, and drew the most sizable midafternoon mainstage crowd that I saw over the weekend. We were on to the Outdoor Theatre now to see the New Pornographers, followed by the Decemberists. I love Neko Case, and it was too bad that she wasn't with the band, despite that they still put on a good show (Editor's Note: Neko Case appeared at the Stagecoach festival the weekend following Coachella). They were definitely my favorite Outdoor Theater act of the weekend. These folks from Vancouver did an outstanding job, considering the bleed over from the main stage was so loud at one point that Carl Newman actually said "Hey Travis, could you keep it down over there?" This was just one more example of the problems that seemed to plague the Outdoor Theatre this year. It seemed that any act that played there had an immediate handicap as the sound was loud enough, and the need for screens to project to the audience was painfully obvious. Hopefully all of that will be fixed next year. The Decemberists also did a nice relaxing set. It was the perfect way to spend a hot desert evening, sitting in the shade.  Â Â Â Â Â The Decemberists please the crowd with their fun soft style The Arcade Fire was next on our agenda, and I have always liked them, and they certainly get quite the hoopla written about them these days. Win Butler had been battling a sinus infection since the beginning of the year. It ended up rendering him completely unable to sing, and the band was forced to cancel the last 9 dates of their European tour. Rumors spread like wildfire that they would cancel their North American tour as well, with Coachella being only the second stop on that tour. Well, it didn't happen, they made it to the show, and they stole the show. This was definitely the best main stage act of Coachella 2007. The energy and dynamics of this Montreal based octet is unmatched by any other band today. From the moment they took the stage until they walked off, they were 100% full force, and absolutely captivating. I have to say that they are my new favorite band, and I can't wait to see them again at Sasquatch. We finished off the night in the Sahara tent with Justice, LCD Soundsystem, and the Rapture. I was largely unfamiliar with Justice until their announcement lit up the Coachella Message Board. I did a little bit of research on them before the festival, and decided that we should definitely check them out. Apparently, I was the only electronic music fan who did not know who they were. Let me tell you, they had everyone in the crowd bouncing and singing along with every song. I stood in stunned silence & took in their signature "burning cross" they have illuminating through the show & the enthusiasm of the crowd. Their first cd is scheduled for release on July 10, and everyone should be waiting in line to pick it up. If you like European electronic music Gaspard Auge and Xavier de Rosnay should definitely be on your radar. I found LCD Soundsystem to be one of the most over hyped bands of the entire festival. They definitely pulled a large crowd who were into the music, but I found it to be very dull & repetitive. We utilized the down time to relax on the side of the Sahara Tent, and get prepared for one of the Top 10 acts at Coachella, The Rapture. The Rapture were definitely this years "let your hair hang down & let's get down & dirty" dance act of the year. Front men Luke Jenner & Matt Safer at the top of their game, and were ready to rock! And rock we did! It was amazing that any tent that could have so many people packed in it could still have people just going absolutely crazy dancing, and I don't just mean rocking back & forth. If you weren't having a good time & dancing with your neighbor, then clearly you were not there. All of this despite Matt Safer apparently not feeling well. I have no confirmation of what was wrong with him, and many of the audience may not have noticed anything was, but we were up against the stage, and at one point he had to walk off the stage and bend down for a few minutes. Luke Jenner's antics had the crowd so captivated, he was probably not even missed, but he sucked it up, came back on, & finished the show. This was one of my most anticipated acts of the weekend, and this New York quartet far exceeded my expectations, even with Matt not being 100%. Great job boys! Some of our group walked back over to the Main Stage to see DJ Tiesto. Nothing can really compare to the sight of thousands of trance fans dancing in the warm desert air to the sounds of melodic and vocal trance from Tiesto. He put on a powerhouse show and I am certain created an entirely new fan base. SUNDAY- April 29, 2007
Alright, if you don't already know who Mika is, stop reading this article right now, add him to your MySpace, download his album, and then come back. This beautiful Brit is poised to be the next big pop star ladies & gents. This boy put on such a good show for 30 minutes at 1 in the afternoon, in the blazing heat, that I was in tears. He definitely had a decent size crowd for opening the last of 3 days, and he was magnificent. Mika utilized his time beautifully to show his versatility and wide range of his one album. Mika is not only beautiful to listen to, but beautiful to look at, and look out world, because here he comes. Mika is Freddie Mercury incarnate, as he referred to in his single you may know "Grace Kelly". He sang about a man who comes to terms with his homosexuality in "Billy Brown". And you for all you luscious ladies out there, he didn't forget you, "Big Girl (You Are Beautiful)" had the whole crowd dancing and reminded us all that we don't have to look like Kate Moss to be beautiful. In many ways, he was my dark horse of Coachella, and I think given a better time slot, and more time, he easily would have been the best act there. Considering he has one album, and is relatively unknown, give this boy some time, and he will be a household name. Mark my words, Mika is the next big thing.  Â Â Â Â Â Mika kicks off Sunday with a fun performance After Mika's fantastic start, I knew it was going to be a fantastic day. We had to run over to the Gobi Tent to catch Kid Beyond, who had already started. I discovered this San Francisco based human beat box when he opened for Imogen Heap on her last tour, and I suspect she probably introduced him to the good folk at Goldenvoice. I have to say that is unfortunate that to truly appreciate the musical genius of this man, you really have to see him live. Every single sound that you hear when he is on stage is created with his mouth. You stand & watch while he creates, from the baseline up, entire songs. His rendition of Portishead's "Wandering Stars" was absolutely incredible, and got the whole crowd jazzed, as Portishead is rumored to be there every year. I mean, he even makes the harmonica sound. His musical style is similar to Imogen's, in that he records himself on stage, and then loops the sound back to create layers of an entire song. For being relatively unknown, and doing such a fantastic job, Kid Beyond was definitely one of the Top 5 acts at Coachella. Back to the Sahara tent to check out DJ Dayhota. Ladies, this one is a hottie! She wisely decided to wear a beige bikini for her Sahara tent opening time slot and boy, was it hot in that tent! Her dirty funky house beats just dared you to not move your feet. She had a relatively small crowd due to her time slot, but that did not deter her. She gave 200% for her entire set. It has been a long time since I have seen a DJ so clearly loving what they do. She danced & sang along to every track & pumped the audience up the whole time. I don't think anyone else could have persuaded me to dance for 90 minutes in the scorching desert heat, but every time I tried to take a break, she would drop a new beat, and I was back on my feet. She was definitely the least expected gem of this year. Off to the Main Stage to check out Explosions in the Sky. This was another band that was done a great disservice to have a daytime set, but, unfortunately, it has to be someone. This Austin based quartet is made of up 3 guitarists and a drummer. It really was blazing hot for the set, and borderline miserable. The set was so well done, that despite my body's desire to go find some shade, my soul made me stay & watch. These guys definitely know their instruments & how to manipulate them, and they manage the oft difficult task of their instrumentals being so interesting, you don't even notice the lack of vocals. You could tell from their stage presence & mastery that, at night, this show would have been mind-blowing. Go buy their newest album "All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone" for some truly excellent instrumental rock. Soulwax Nite Versions, followed by Richie Hawtin were up in the Sahara Tent, so back we went. Both of these artists put on excellent sets, which were very enjoyable. Unfortunately 3 days of desert heat were beginning to wear on us, so we enjoyed these sitting in the back of the tent in the shade. I actually regret this, as I think they both put on superior performances. Willie Nelson was up on the main stage, so there we were again. I thought Willie would be one of my favorites at Coachella, but, unfortunately, he goes in the same category as Peaces. He was definitely one of the biggest disappointments. We all know he is getting up there in age and smokes his fair share of the ganja, and it definitely shows. His voice sounded strained & nearly unrecognizable. We only ended up staying for a few songs of the set, and I actually heard that he got better as he went along. Then we were back to the gremlin plagued Outdoor Theatre. First up was Placebo, followed by Air, and Damien Rice. I have seen Placebo before, and I just feel that their full effect was not felt on this stage. We were about even with the sound booth, and you could not see the band at all. They did a decent hob with the songs they did, but they cut their act 10 minutes short. I am not sure if this was planned, or if they were unhappy with quality of the sound at this stage as well. They got most of the popular songs in, and it was, overall, enjoyable.  Â Â Â Â Â Air puts on a great but short and very delayed show at the Outdoor Stage Now we move on to Air. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Air. Air, Air, Air. This was the hardest conflict decision I had to make at all of Coachella, and, unfortunately, I made the wrong decision. Air was scheduled to come on at the same time as Lily Allen. I decided to go with experience over current popularity and chose Air. The same stage problems that seemed to be beleaguering everyone really came to a head for Air. We decided that as soon as Placebo was over, and people were leaving, we would go opposite the crowd, and make our way to the front. We succeeded in securing a prime position center stage, about 10 people back. Then we waited..... and waited.... and waited..... Waited for nearly an hour that is. Halfway through half the group gave up & left, but I was not about to leave this spot until we were officially told it was cancelled, and it didn't seem to be, as there were techs working the entire time. I will assume that their was something really wrong with the stage, and that it was not the band's fault, as this seemed to be a recurring theme on the Outdoor Theatre, but I was a little surprised that someone from the band did not make any sort of announcement. After about 30 minutes, the crowd was booing, and people were leaving. When they did finally come out & play the 5 songs they got in before their set was cut, without their knowledge (they had guitars in hand, ready to play), they were incredible. I got to hear "Cherry Blossom Girl" and "Sexy Boy", so overall I made out alright, but I would have preferred to see an entire Lily Allen set, then a 5 song Air set. Ballad crooner Damien Rice was next, and the crowd was pretty much cleared out, as people were trying to get into position at the Main Stage for Rage Against the Machine. This was all the better for us, because we were able to get right up front and see his beautiful face sing his beautiful songs. Damien is my favorite male singer/songwriter, and seeing him live was like being in a dream. Literally, by the end of his set, we were all so relaxed we were laying in the grass staring up at the star filled desert sky. It was truly euphoric, and one of my favorite memories of any Coachella. Thank you Mr Rice! Unfortunately, it all had to come to and end sometime, but, fortunately, we got to do that with Israeli electronic duo, Infected Mushroom. Amit Duvdevani and Erez Eizen were, far and away, the second best act at Coachella. The only bad thing was they had the same set time as Rage Against the Machine, so they literally had the smallest crowd I saw at the Sahara Tent all weekend. This was, however, good for us, because it gave us plenty of room to boogie down, and close out our Coachella to the pounding sounds of Infected Mushroom. They brought along with them one unbelievable electrical guitarist and a fantastic drummer, and blew our minds. I thought this was going to be two guys standing there spinning records. Oh no, folks, this was one killer live electronic act. They are going to be playing at Electric Daisy Carnival this year in Los Angeles, and it would be worth attending the festival just to see them. Infected Mushroom is something that every electronic music fan needs to see.  Â Â Â Â Â Infected Mushroom closed Coachella out with an electronic orgasm! Anyone who has never been to Coachella can never really fully understand the magnitude of the event. This is not just some concert, or even just a music festival, it is truly a life experience. Coachella is the premier American Music Experience of our lifetime, and some day your kids will ask, "Did you ever go to Coachella?" There is truly no other music festival in the states that brings out both the best electronic and rock acts of our time. Thank you, once again, Goldenvoice, for continuing to top yourself year after year. I know that I will not miss a Coachella until it does not exist anymore, or I am physically unable to attend. Anyone who has a genuine interest in music should definitely experience Coachella in their lifetime. See you next year! 
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