coachella valley music festival
april 30-may 1, 2005 • empire polo field, indio, ca • review and photos by karen


review: I HEART Coachella! I am so proud that we have a festival of this caliber in the US! We heard many an international language being spoken while at Coachella this year! That is fantastic! The combination of ideal weather (highs in the 80s, low 60), amazing music, and friendly folks makes this one not to miss. I am already looking forward to next year!

We tried to catch as much as we could this year. Sometimes that means only hearing a bit, but it makes for a fantastic weekend! First act of day one was Boom Bip! They were fantastic. Had the crowd ready to go at 12:30 in the afternoon! Great show. Checked out Gratitude from SF. They had amazing energy! The lead singer had just lost his grandfather and was giving it his all in tribute. Super fun band! Went to check out Snow Patrol, but something was up with their sound. Just didn't do it for me. They really sounded off. That was a disappointment. Could hear Ambulance LTD and determined that they sound just like every other band on the radio. Made the decision to head back to the main stage (the Coachella Stage) to see Keane. They were great! Had the entire audience singing along. Sounded perfect! Best moment on that one were the two Asian boys behind us singing along with every song! Loved them!

Went to check out Rilo Kiley, but I think the venue was too large to really capture their sound. It took all she had to project to the huge Outdoor Theatre crowd. Decided to take a cocktail break near the main stage and listened to Wilco. Perfect music for chillin' and having a libation as the sun went down. Didn't really need to see them, hearing them was enough. Sounded great, as usual. Went over to the Sahara tent which housed the electronic music and caught one track from Swayzak before Four Tet came on. The crowd loved him! It's so amazing to see people going off on that music at 8:30 in the evening! Went back over to the main stage and caught a bit of Bauhaus. Glad I saw them in the day. Looked old and didn't do much for me. The crowd was into them though. Next up was the headliner for the first day...Coldplay! What can I say? AMAZING! I really can't gush enough. Chris Martin was perfection! The new songs are stunning! This is going to be cd of my summer. I really was blown away! He had the crowd mesmerized! Loved them. Loved them and loved them some more.

Day 2 saw us sleeping in a bit and heading to the grounds a little later. Got through security (man they check everything) and headed over to the Sahara tent for some dancing. Matthew Dear was on deck. Can I just say that he is a BUTTON!? Great set. Really had everybody shakin' it! I love dancing in the daytime! It just feels so good! Right after Matthew was Ben Watt. Hearing him spin in that tent in the afternoon was a treat! It was appropriate that he was up on Sunday as his sets feel like going to church. I even "blew out my flip flop" while dancing and spent the day in bare feet!! We were dancing close to the front and saw Marques Wyatt up there dancing away! He was down from LA to see Ben's set. Ben is spinning at Marques' club DEEP in LA next Sunday. So cute! Miss Kittin was next up and opened with a Go Team! track that shifted gears very nicely in the tent. That was our cue to head for some food and a drink and no water is not $6 a bottle like the news reports say. It's the alcohol that is so costly! Cruised past the Mojave tent and heard The Bravery playing. Again, a sound I have heard a million times before. They had a full house loving them! After some food and drink, a quick trip to the ever wonderful port-o-potty was in order...man they can be wicked on a hot day. Had to pass the outdoor stage and heard some of the Arcade Fire. I have to say I like them on CD, but think the venue may have eaten up their sound. It's tough to play to a huge outdoor crowd like that.

Headed back to the main stage to start gearing up for the beloved New Order. Gang of Four was up and sounded super good! Crowd was loving them and they really sounded strong. Man you can really hear their influence on today's artists! Made our way into the huge crowd for New Order. Great to see the folks who are my age and older out to see the show! They hit the stage and sounded fantastic! The only thing I have to say is Bernard was not feeling it. He had a torn ligament in his foot and had to use a teleprompter (which didn't help on "Blue Monday"). That was a bit sad. He looked tired and his heart wasn't in it, but the sound was there. The sound of late high school early college for me. They even did 3 Joy Division songs (yes, "Love Will Tear Us Apart")! The tracks off the new release were surprisingly strong and sounded great! Peter was a mad man and played his heart out! I have to say I loved it! Shed a tear or two just hearing that old familiar sound. My heart nearly exploded hearing and seeing everyone sing along to every song! Where do you go after "Bizarre Love Triangle"?? Well, we headed over to catch a touch of Pinback. What a wonderful sound. So good for a night in the desert. Caught a few songs and went over to see Roni Size. Not the vibe I was in, but the crowd was really getting into him. We hung out for a bit and then decided to make our way to the parking lot. Nine Inch Nails were on the main stage at this point. Heard a bit, but it's just not my sound. When that sound was new, they were fantastic. Now, I just don't have it in me anymore. I hear the show was great, but I wanted to end with some positivity in me.

Another great year! I highly suggest Coachella to anyone who may want to experience a festival that is mellow, kind and overall positive! Coachella 2006??? (karen 05.05)

see all of karen's photos here

related links


• official coachella website