crowd at She & Him
This was my 5th Coachella and, as usual, it simply rocked. We got there on Friday and had to face major traffic to park, but at least we could hear Calle 13 play a few songs while waiting. As we walked up to the venue, Yeasayer “O.N.E” was blowing through the wind. Off to a great start! Caught a glimpse of Street Sweeper Social Club as we walked over to see Aeroplane‘s set, which was the best gig of the day. They not only kill on the remixes and live energy, but are also dropping an album of original songs soon. Keep an eye on these Belgian DJs.
Aeroplane at the Sahara tent
I realized that AT&T was once again going to fail me, no freakin reception! So we keep on walking as Ra Ra Riot does an awesome job closing their set. She & Him played for a packed outdoor stage and I watched “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here” completely captivated by Zooye’s charm. The Specials brought good vibes to a nice break from the sun over a drink at the VIP area, then we headed over to Passion Pit so I could hear “Moth’s Wings.” I couldn’t believe the size of the crowd there for those guys! Had to find a spot way back so we could actually hear something (they did an amazing job at spreading the speakers around though!) and watch the band’s set while the sun was going down.
sunset during Passion Pit's set
Them Crooked Vultures took over the main stage right as they were over, but we were soon dragged to Grizzly Bear for some quieter times. I have to say I enjoyed their live set way more than the record, it sounded amazing. At that point, walking around began to be quite a task and I was never able to find a place where I could actually hear La Roux during my attempt to enjoy her show. With the crowd only growing, I worked my way back to the main stage area to get ready for LCD Soundsystem, whose set I was looking forward to the most but never really hit the high note. Vampire Weekend on the other hand rocked a solid and groovy set, paving the way for the big night’s headliner, Jay-Z.
This Coachella was the most packed I’ve ever seen… 15,000 more people a day than the previous year’s average to be exact. Crazy. I believe there was nearly 100 thousand people there by the time Jay-Z hit the stage. The endless sight of the crowd grounded me to VIP, but even there you couldn’t move around, so having seen Jay-Z in way better settings, I decided to beat the traffic and leave after just a few songs. Yes, I missed the epic duet of the weekend, but at that point I just didn’t have it in me anymore.
Rest for day 2.
Bands I missed and really wanted to see: Imogen Heap, Little Dragon, Ceu, deadmau5.
Yanks fans can drool in envy. I can’t wait to sport these bad boys in enemy territory. These Beats By Dr. Dre Studio Red Sox Edition headphones are the new sweetness in personalized headphones and will even keep your ears warm too. They’ll run you $400 a pop but I highly doubt anyone could question your level of fandom. Maybe Dre will cover Sweet Caroline BA-BA-BA! 
