Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (Archive)

So, here’s how it went for me...

Happy Mondays—they were alright, I suppose, though nothing particularly life-changing for my taste. That frontman who just bounces all over the stage, though? He was absolutely incredible.
Sonic Youth was easily the highlight of the whole festival for me. I honestly wasn't expecting much, but they blew me away. I managed to snag a spot in the second row right in front of Thurston, and it was totally FTW! 🙂

The others were decent enough. They put on a pretty good show.
As for The Hold Steady, even though they’re often called the best little American band out there, I found them to be a bit underwhelming, personally.
ADF was probably the biggest letdown of the weekend. I haven't really kept up with them since their days with R. A. F. I., so I guess I wasn't even aware of how much the lineup had shifted. It felt like a mix of maybe one or two old tracks and way too many new ones, which didn't really grab me. Such a shame.
I only hung around for a couple of minutes during !!!, but I wasn't particularly impressed, I guess.
Iggy and the Stooges were fantastic. I’ve never been much of a listener when it comes to them, but they really nailed the performance.

Overall, I had a wonderful time. There were a few hiccups with the organization, but I don't think anything really ruined the vibe of the concert. Regarding the wristbands, they told us at the entrance that we weren't allowed to take them off, so we just went along with it. I imagine things will run a bit smoother next year 🙂.

So now it’s just some tiny little thing??
Anyway, if you're part of that crowd too afraid to admit they've still got some life left in them—it's a solid choice.

nanogVica.

Oh, absolutely.
Myth Lakes. 🙏 Honestly, 🙏 if you actually 🙏 take a moment to 🙏 sit down and 🙏 really dig into 🙏 what they're doing,
you'll see why they matter.

A total blast? 🙏

🤣 I caught on to Lake Tahoe, but I didn't really feel like getting into it... though I totally missed out on a certain funny pipe... 😬

Honestly, calling it a "funny pipe" isn't a bad way to describe certain body parts.
Though I... (Djihad's hair is standing on end waiting for the rest of the sentence, while a heavy, cinematic roar echoes through the streets of Chicago, like, please just give me one thing worth painting 😈, scream: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

stop listening to those Spelinng Miskates😬

look at this 😲

"Iggy and The Stooges showed up at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival as part of their world tour, and they played their hits on the VIP Stage from a career spanning 40 years—defined by five classics—namely the albums The Stooges, Fun Hose, Raw Power, Lust for Life and The Idiot."

who even lets these people write 😳

What the hell did they do to those damn Ace of Base tracks 😢

Day one was alright. Sonic Youth second day was killer 🙂
Day two we rolled in earlier so we actually caught more of the lineup, just like we planned.
Organization was a complete disaster. I spent an entire hour standing in line just for a single damn pancake 😠
because they were cooking them one at a time... genius move right there. And the voucher system? Absolute trash. I’m not feeling it.
I read some reviews about those fluorescent PLASTIC wristbands and I totally get why people might find them annoying—like if you have a job where you can't be flashy or whatever.
Look, at the bigger festivals, they give you woven fabric ones that you can actually wear without being obnoxious. You don't have to worry about them looking fake or falling off. I heard these plastic ones kept snapping, so people were either ditching them or trying to get them off. Honestly, they should invest in better, embroidered ones... it's worth the extra cash...
All that "love" the organizers got from selling vouchers while half the crowd didn't even use them? Maybe they should try using that money for next year instead... (you know what I mean, lol)

A little more on the food situation. The selection was pathetic, way too few vendors, and the lines were endless. Getting drinks wasn't a huge issue—at least for us—but the food situation was a joke. The pancakes were a nightmare, and the Chinese food line was just as long.
Americans are basically people who live to eat and drink, so you really have to be prepared for that. I mean, any crowd is going to be hungry when they're jumping around, losing their minds, singing, etc. And thirsty 😎

And don't even get me started on how they handled the burgers and sliders. They had zero clue what they were doing...

Okay, okay, I'll stop whining now.

The bands on day two were awesome; the only thing I missed was Usklicnik because I was stuck waiting forever for that aforementioned pancake. 🙄

I really wanted to catch let Stuke, and they were fantastic.
Iggy Pop was incredible—that guy is made of rubber. He didn't stop moving from the start of the set until the end. Wow. Major respect. 🙏

Oh, right. New York Dolls were so cool. It's such a shame we rushed off to see SY; we actually had a prime spot right in the front row for the Dolls. That frontman is something else: he's like a mix of Steven Tyler, Johnny Ramone, and Mick Jagger all rolled into one 😁 and honestly, he looks totally feminine, especially when he starts moving those hips, haha

The mothers were great. I wouldn't call myself a massive fan, but I dig good rock and roll. I won't say a word about Bara....

And if you missed Kultur Shock, you missed out. You don't even have to be a fan to check them out just out of curiosity—they are a literal "culture shock," a blend of musical genres that actually lives up to the name. Seriously, amazing. After their solo show in Cleveland, I could barely wait to see them again. 🙂

Alright, that's all for now. Here's the link to the photos if anyone actually cares...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...1&id=500399631

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...2&id=500399631

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...b&id=500399631

wanderingraven20 said:stop being such typos... 😬

Dead Carrot said:actually, I take back everything I said about typos

🙂
Can we please just learn once and for all that you shouldn't write the word itself wrong when you're making fun of it? You have to do it the way it's supposed to be done—you know, with the actual mistake. Otherwise, it's just not funny... 🙂

If I ever had a band, I'd call it Tifpeleri. Or maybe Spelinng Miskates. 🙂

So, after all that massive drama over the wristbands, anyone actually hearing anything about how the first-day crowd is holding up? Did people even manage to get back in for day two?

Larry Cooper40 said:And after all that massive drama over the wristbands, is there seriously zero follow-up on how people who wore them on day one actually fared? Did anyone even manage to get back in for the second day?

I highly doubt it was possible. I read somewhere that the organizers were being total jerks whenever anyone tried to ask them anything...
I actually caught this happening—or at least heard it—while I was heading out on the first night. There was this girl just sobbing because her wristband snapped. At the entrance, it was just her, her friend, and two cops basically telling them, "Look, those are the rules, blah blah blah, our hands are tied..."
Apparently, her band broke or whatever, and once she realized it might be an issue, she did the honorable thing and went to ask for help, only for them to tell her she wasn't getting back in for day two unless she bought a whole new ticket.😠 Honestly, if that had been me, I would have absolutely lost it.
There are definitely better ways to handle wristbands. If they think they're such big shots, they should try harder.
Next year, I’m totally sneaking in and bringing my own food in a waterproof bag because you know I'm gonna be starving...🙄

peronospora ***** 🙏 care 🙏

I’m officially taking back everything I said about The Hold Steady. Pure joy and positivity here—they were honestly the surprise highlight of the whole festival.
During let Stuke, I only caught one song with truly incredible lyrics son, does your old man teach you how to suck dick 😲 I wonder if their other tracks are just as engaging? 🤣
If it had been ADF, I probably would have been bored. Honestly, replacing a great frontman with three random guys you find on a street corner is actually a pretty brilliant move 👍
As for !!!, there's really nothing left to say. If you weren't dancing, you must just hate the world 🎉
I didn't quite get around to checking out Kultur Shock, even though it was clearly a total mosh pit in there. I don't know, I've just never really been into Dino and his band...
I only caught the tail end of The Stooges (where Watt is basically mating with the amplifier 😍) and from a distance, it sounded "okay"... but I bet it's absolutely incredible right up in the front row, especially if you're a bit buzzed. My only gripe is that the saxophonist was just drowning everything else out. Still, little electric chair is a great tune 🙂

Nicholas Perez33 said:Man, I have nothing left to say. If you weren't out there dancing, you're just part of the problem.🎉

Honestly, that was the one band that didn't even make me budge. I listened to maybe two songs before deciding to go sulk in a corner somewhere... 😈

The reason? Asian Dub Foundation absolutely wrecked me—I must've lost at least two liters of fluids. By the end of it, Iggy Pop had completely drained my soul... 😬

New York Dolls

The Hold Steady

mother Dolls

The Dolls were personally the absolute highlight of my musical life. Just pure savagery and hyper-energy. Someone once mentioned that the frontman is this bizarre cocktail of different personalities, and honestly, I found myself thinking the exact same thing. Looking at the crowd, you could see half of the "best small band from Cleveland" jumping along to the exact same beat. 😬 Justice was finally served regarding that slight against the Nokia stage. For me, they are that band—the one you show up specifically to see! awwwww! 👋
The Hold Steady? It’s basically literature performing live... people who play instruments and jump around. Like moose said, it's all about those mic-driven pleas for positivity and those nerdy guitar solos played in thirds... that's exactly why we love them. 😍 ..
mother Dolls... man, that set. 🙂 Bara practically summoned a bluesy rainstorm to wash away our sins... and it actually happened right after. It’s a shame it was only an hour long, but what a beautiful hour it was. 🙂

Otherwise... I skipped Sonic Youth because of that "best thing to ever happen in music" comment. I did catch the end of their set though, and it looked brilliant... my only grievance is that these two bands overlapped! 🙂 Monday was happy... that guy with the bell 😲 ..you wouldn't believe it. What else... TBF... just good vibes, people sitting on the grass, sunshine... and
Iggy... he wasn't really my cup of tea, and when I tried to get closer to him, the wild crowd pushed me right away from my friends. I ended up standing there all alone and unsupervised, and you know me—when I'm left unsupervised, I tend to cause some kind of trouble😳 ....but everything is fine now 😉 It's strange how Iggy felt almost irrelevant to the whole experience, even though, technically, he was the reason I bought the ticket in the first place... logically everything checks out, but he just didn't give me KICKS!!

Yeah, I guess I'll throw some blight in too 🙏 : inspiring fella!

Solid gig overall.

literature taking center stage

Alex Rogers91 said:literature on stage

...well, just say they aren't 😁

goldenhound8 said:...well, just say they aren't 😁

Alex Rogers91, you’re essentially part of an interactive collective known as walking fine art... 😈

I just wanted to say that I had an absolute blast and I’d totally 🙂 again. Honestly, the people who ruined a potentially killer time because they couldn't wait their turn are just total idiots. 😳

The fact that I was swearing under my breath while waiting in line didn't exactly ruin my night—honestly, looking back, the experience itself ruined me. I’m sitting here today finally able to take a full breath without feeling like I’m about to pass out halfway through the sentence. I suppose we can all just hope the organizers learn their lesson, maybe next year they'll tighten things up so there aren't so many distractions and massive logistical headaches. Ideally, it would just be nonstop music from start to finish, zero wait times, and—this is a crucial point, really—some actual cocktails or spirits available besides just beer. Because, let's face it, how am I supposed to act like a complete fool if I'm not even buzzed?

😳