So Coachella starts today.
Five years ago I vowed that I would never step foot in Indio, CA ever again.
In 2005, I bought tickets so my gentlemen friend and I could attend together. I really wanted to see Wolf Parade and he really really liked Eagles of Death Metal (how 2005 of us). I spent somewhere around $400 for the weekend tickets and he conveniently told me that he did not want to go, and oh, hey, I don’t really wanna see you anymore.
Stuck with these tickets, I was bound and determine to go and have a good time. I was going to show him! How could he, someone who looked like a serial killer in his Nebraska driver’s license photo, dump me?!
The only person who would buy my ticket was my 36 year-old roommate who the week prior tried to kiss me while I was plucking my eyebrows in the bathroom and he was drunk off of champagne.
So we went… and I was angry and resentful the entire time.
36 year-old roommate got so stoned that I had to carry his flat ass around the 100 degree desert. By the end of the first day, I was so blindingly upset at EVERYTHING IN THE UNIVERSE, I couldn’t even focus on the Depeche Mode concert, a band that I really liked (to this day, the only thing I remember is looking at my feet and thinking that that old dude (David Gahan) looked pretty good in a leather vest and nothing else).
Before the rush of cars left, I threw my roommate in the car and headed back to Los Angeles. As he mumbled something about circle-jerking with a bunch of male friends when he was 12 years-old, I tried everything to not veer my car off the road.
Ever since that day, I had no interest in going to Coachella….until now.
What a great line-up this year and I’m stuck in Austin typing this post.
Here are a couple of my favorite bands playing this year.
“Rise” by Public Image Limited (John Lyndon from the Sex Pistols. Probably know this song from the Rules of Attraction soundtrack)
“Take it In” by Hot Chip (Great band, and fucking awesome new single. Makes me want to start break dancing during a police raid in Baltimore)
“Home” by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros (Another amazing band from California. Saw these guys last year and they were phenom. This song reminds me of what love should feel like.)
“I Want to Take You Higher” by Sly & The Family Stone (Probably one of my favorite bands ever. Sly has a
horrible track record of actually showing up (sober) to concerts,
so I’m excited to see if he does.)
“Black and Blue” by Miike Snow (Norwegian band
that I’m ashamed to admit that I like)
“Golden Cage” by The Whitest Boy Alive (Is comprised of Erlend Oye, who you maybe know from
Kings of Convenience. His smooth voice reminds me of
my latest love, Arthur Russell)
6 Comments
If I went to Coachella I would want to see the "mainstream indie" bands (if there is such a thing)like Vampire Weekend, Ra Ra Riot, Yeasayer, Camera Obscura, The XX, Tokyo Police Club, and Spoon.
-Juliette WhereForArtThouRomeo
I have group of Brit friends who are en route to Coachella (or already there, whenever the hell time it starts)…they were able to get there from London…I'm not able to from a few states away. Such is life.
Oh, and I can't believe 2005 was FIVE YEARS AGO. WTF. I read and reread your post…only to see that it really was half a decade ago. Ummm…wow.
Anyway, I LOVE LOVE LOVE "HOME" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros as well. It came up on my Pandora station a few months ago and I've been in love since. It's a very charming song.
@Juliette- I would love to check out Yeasayer. They were just here in Austin for a double feature….and I missed it. 🙁
@Tranish- I can't believe it was 5 years ago too. Ugh. I saw Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros a few months ago here at 501. Pretty awesome. That song makes my heart happy!
I ♥ "Home" too. Makes me long for… oh, so many things.
Sly and the Family Stone! What I would I give to see them. Sorry about the Coachella experience you had five years ago, but I'm really glad you wrote about it. You are keeping me young!
This is why you should never leave Austin.
Side note: I was there this weekend visiting. I vowed that if I ran into a tattooed man with a pink mohawk I would jump his bones. Didn't think I'd actually run into this person but, I did. Later I had the pleasure of seeing two 60+ year old gay men in banana hammocks and mesh tank tops walking down Congress. I freaking love Austin and will soon be making it my place of residence.