Coachella @ Empire Polo Fields

Coachella Main Stage Day 3

Got in early on Day 3 to see The Night Marchers, a recommendation from Moz - the new band from members of Rocket From The Crypt. Great start to the day, you can definitely hear the RFTC influence in this band.  Recording by Moz

On the same stage afterwards was The Gaslight Anthem. This is a band I was really hoping to see. But something was wrong. I wasn't feeling well (headache, stomach). So instead of being up close, I was way aways, lying in the shade listening to The Gaslight Anthem pump out a lot of The '59 Sound and other great songs. So sad that I couldn't get into this, but I had to stay well for later.

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Next up was the Brian Jonestown Massacre in the Mojave Tent. I gotta admit, I went to see the train wreck that I saw on the "Dig" documentary. What I got was a great show of melodic rock (and in the shade). The band gelled well and had the crowd in the palm of their hand.

Next up were the Murder City Devils. A metal act with punk spirit. I was suitably impressed with a band who I stuck around to see, because I had a spot in the shade of the Mojave Tent and was feeling marginally better.

Went back to the main stage for the rest of the evening. First up were the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who I thought were a lot more punk than they turned out to be. Was a good show regardless - some of it was the Karen O poses, some of it was the fact that they had the coveted sunset time, but for me it was the Cramps cover of Human Fly.

Next up was My Bloody Valentine. I used to like that fuzzed out rock (Ride, Swervedriver, etc) but no longer. Songs bled (like my ears) into one another, and even if I was a fan, I'd rather of heard 2 more songs than the 10 minutes of one-chord-wall-of-noise. I understand that this is their shtick, but not for me anymore.

And finally The Cure. Ahh my beloved Cure. I have waited 11 years to see them again and after tonight's show, I will not wait that long again. They were superb! Now, on stage as a compact 4 piece, The Cure has such a selection of songs to chose that even if they don't play the songs you want to hear, there were so many other greats instead. I had my spot 30 feet from the stage and blissfully listened to great song after great song. Every new one bringing huge cheers from the crowd. The longer the set went on, the more Robert Smith conversed with the crowd, but talking was to a minimum. It had to be to squeeze 33 songs into 3 hours. Eventually they couldn't fit it all in. In the final encore as the band started Boys Dont Cry, the sound was cut to the crowd. Luckily I was close enough to hear it through the monitors. Not to be deterred, The Cure played Jumping Someone Else's Train, again with no sound, or video or lighting. By the time Grinding Halt started the promoter had cut the sound completely, leaving the band to wave while walking off stage. Another epic Cure show done.

So Coachella for me was a success. Although there were supposedly 50000 people a day, being on a large field made it seem not so crowded - unlike the Big Day Out with the main stage in a stadium, which always seems packed. Great ideas with the water. By a container on the first day for $10 and have it refilled for free for the next 3 days, or bring 10 empty bottles to a recycling station to get a free bottle. And it took only one time for us to work out what's best with parking. But not giving away my secret. Great Music + Cool Crowd = Awesome 3 days. I know I say this all the time, but this may be festival retirement (until the next great line up comes out I suppose). I had a blast at Coachella, but 3 days in the desert sun was a killer - and I saw Paul McCartney and The Cure within the space of 48 hours. How can I top that?

The Crap Facts
This is my 282nd concert.
This is my 3rd concert at Empire Polo Fields
This is my 3rd concert in Indio.

This is my 4th concert in California.

This is my 90th concert in the USA.

The Night Marchers are the 349th band I've seen.
Gaslight Anthem are the 350th band I've seen.
Brian Jonestown Massacre are the 351st band I've seen.
Murder City Devils are the 352nd band I've seen.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are the 353rd band I've seen.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs are the 150th different American band I've seen.
My Bloody Valentine are the 354th band I've seen.

My Bloody Valentine are the 700th time I've seen a band.
This is my 2nd Cure concert.