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[quote][i]Originally posted by Carl[/i]
[br][url]http://www.virtualfestivals.com/festivals/article.cfm?articleid=2416[/url]

[url]http://www.aversion.com/news/news_article.cfm?news_id=5884[/url]

Pumpkins reunion for Lollapolooza?

01 February 2006

With the much-rumoured Smashing Pumpkins reunion now looking like it's not going to happen at Coachella, attentions have focused on the Lollapolooza festival, which has just announced its dates.

Lollapalooza Festival return this year to Chicago's Grant Park from 4-6 August.

Thievery Corporation have told Billboard they'll be playing and those Smashing Pumpkins rumours just won't go away. As previously reported, Billy Corgan has apparently made moves to get the band back together and it was exppected that Coachella would provide the springboard - as it did with Pixies reunion in 2004.

However, with no mention of Smashing Pumpkins in the first Coachella lineup announcement, there are whispers that Corgan and co, who headlined the Lollapolooza tour in 1994, could make a nostalgic return to the 2006 event.

Founded by Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell in 1991, Lollapalooza became one of the best known alternative festivals of the '90s and the ultimate touring circus, stopping at up to 30 US cities each summer.

The festival was eventually pulled in 2004 following poor ticket sales but was revived just a year later as a one-off event in Chicago, featuring Pixies, Kaiser Chiefs, Dinosaur Jr, Weezer, The Killers, and more.

Of course the whole Pumpkins thing could be a load of tosh, but we'll see. Stay posted for more info as it comes in.

[hr]

Lollapalooza Nails Down Dates
Feb 01, 2006

Lollapalooza secured a weekend in August to hold this year's installment of the festival.

The onetime traveling music festival will make its second appearance as a one-stop, weekend-only festival. Like last year, organizers will hold the festival at Grant Park in Chicago. This year�s festival will be held Aug. 4-6.

The festival, which was mothballed for seven years from 1997 to 2004, made a false start in �04, attempting to return as a two-day traveling festival. Poor advance ticket sales caused those plans to be cancelled before the package tour ever left home (read full story). A slimmed-down, one-weekend festival returned last year with Weezer and The Pixies kicking off the new format.

A lineup for this year's festival has yet to be revealed.

[hr]

[url]http://top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=20461[/url]

Pop / Rock (2006-02-03)

Coachella 2006 Line-up Announced 
 
INDIO, CA. (COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL) - Headliners Depeche Mode (Saturday, April 29) and Tool (Sunday, April 30) are among the 80-plus acts set for the seventh annual COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, CA. Other artists confirmed for America's most critically acclaimed music festival include Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Franz Ferdinand, Scissor Sisters, Coheed and Cambria, Matisyahu, James Blunt, Common and returning COACHELLA performers Atmosphere, Bloc Party, Hybrid, Ladytron, Mogwai, Paul Oakenfold, The Section Quartet, Sigur R�s, stellastarr* and Sunday headliners TOOL (the complete line-up-as of 1/31-is listed below).

"We've always heard so much about Coachella," said Saturday headliners Depeche Mode, "so it'll be a real honor to headline the festival. It's going to be fantastic to see our devoted Southern California fans out in the desert while greeting a few new faces."

Tickets go on sale this Saturday, February 4 at 12 Noon and are available through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (213) 480-3232 and at all Ticketmaster retail ticket centers or via www.ticketmaster.com. General admission tickets are priced at $85.00 for a one-day ticket and $165.00 for two-day pass, plus applicable service charges and a $1 donation per day for charity. In addition, fans can also purchase a two-day pass which includes a pre-order of the COACHELLA documentary DVD for $190.00, plus a $2 donation to charity and all applicable service charges (DVD's will be shipped out separately approximately two-three weeks prior to the festival). Note that there is an eight ticket limit per person. In the COACHELLA festival tradition, there is free parking and the doors to the venue will open at 11:00 AM on both days. Parking lots and the box office open at 9:00 AM.

In addition, camping passes will go sale at the same time and are available for anyone 18 and over. The cost is $35 for a three-night stay (Friday, April 28 at 3:00 PM through Monday, May 1 at 10:00 AM).

The campground facilities include a general store, food court, restrooms, showers and shade areas. The COACHELLA campground is conveniently located adjacent to the festival grounds and campers may park in a special camping parking lot next to the campground. Parking is included with the price of each camping ticket.

For information about nearby hotels, camping facilities, restaurants and more, check out www.coachella.com.

The COACHELLA MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL line-up (as of 1/31) is as follows:

Saturday, April 29th:

Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand, Sigur R�s, Common, Damian Marley, Atmosphere, Carl Cox, My Morning Jacket, Ladytron , Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Tosca, Cat Power, Animal Collective, HARD-Fi, Derrick Carter, Devendra Banhart, She Wants Revenge, The Walkmen, The Juan Maclean, Audio Bullys, Imogen Heap, Lady Sovereign, Deerhoof, The Duke Spirit, Editors, stellastarr*, Lyrics Born, Matt Costa, The New Amsterdams, The Zutons, Platinum Piped Pipers, White Rose Movement, Chris Liberator, Colette, Joey Beltram, Hybrid, Wolfmother, The Like, Living Things, Nine Black Alps, The Section Quartet, Infadels, Youth Group, Shy FX & T Power, Infusion.

Sunday, April 30:

Tool, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bloc Party, Paul Oakenfold, Scissor Sisters, Matisyahu, James Blunt, TV on the Radio, Sleater-Kinney, Mogwai, Coheed and Cambria, Gnarls Barkley, Coldcut, Phoenix, Digable Planets, Amadou & Mariam, Little Louie Vega, Mylo (DJ Set), Seu Jorge, Wolf Parade, The Go! Team, Kaskade, Metric, Art Brut, Dungen, The Dears, Jamie Lidell, The Magic Numbers, Los Amigos Invisibles, Jazzanova, Michael Mayer, Mates of State, Gilles Peterson, Gabriel & Dresden, The Subways, Minus the Bear, Be Your Own Pet, Giant Drag, Kristina Sky, The Octopus Project.

Stay tuned for updated line-ups in the weeks leading up to the festival.

[hr] 
 
[url]http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001921757[/url]

[url]http://thecelebritycafe.com/features/4862.html[/url]

[url]http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=musicNews&storyID=2006-02-04T081700Z_01_N04284430_RTRIDST_0_MUSIC-FESTIVALS-DC.XML&archived=False[/url]

Bonnaroo Goes Rock With Radiohead, Petty, Beck
Radiohead

February 01, 2006, 12:00 AM ET

Ray Waddell, Nashville

Radiohead, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello & the Imposters, Beck, Bonnie Raitt and Buddy Guy are among the acts lined up to play the fifth annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, to be held June 16-18 in Manchester, Tenn. The festival is produced by Superfly Presents and A.C. Entertainment. Tickets go on sale Feb. 11.

Though Bonnaroo's roots are firmly planted in the jam-band scene, this year's lineup tilts more toward mainstream and indie rock, with bands like My Morning Jacket, Death Cab For Cutie, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cat Power, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks and Bright Eyes booked alongside more traditional jam scene acts like Phil Lesh and Friends, Blues Traveler, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, moe., G. Love & Special Sauce and Medeski Martin & Wood.

"From the beginning we've always tried to reflect people's music collections," Superfly president Jonathan Mayers tells Billboard.com. "People have diverse musical tastes and that's what we're trying to showcase with our programming. While we're not trying to get too far away from our core, Bonnaroo has been a great platform to introduce different music to our fans."

Asked if Bonnaroo is running the risk of alienating the core jam band fans that put the festival on the map, Mayers responds, "We don't want to dismiss our core in any way, but we also think it's great to bring all these different types of music together. As great as Widespread Panic has been to us and has been a really big part of what we've done, we can't have Widespread Panic every single year."

Mayers adds that this lineup announcement does not reflect the complete final bill. "We still have a good amount of announcements to make and once the lineup is complete, I think that our fans are going to be satisfied with all the different genres we're presenting," he says.

Bonnaroo will also boast performances this year from the Neville Brothers, Damian Marley, Ben Folds, Dr. John, Matisyahu, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Nickel Creek, Mike Gordon and Ramble Dove, Gomez, Jerry Douglas, Soulive, Rusted Root, Sasha, Bill Frisell, Mike Doughty, Shooter Jennings, Dungen, Steve Earle, Devendra Banhart, Dresden Dolls and Bettye LaVette.

In its brief history, Bonnaroo has become the top-grossing festival in the world. Last year, it took in $13.4 million and drew 76,049 people to its rural setting about 60 miles south of Nashville. Last year's numbers were down from $14.5 million and 90,000 attendance in 2004; attendance will be capped at 80,000 this year and ticket prices will be increased slightly from the $172.50-$146.50 charged last year.

[hr]

The Graceland... Of Rock 
3-Feb-2006
Written by: Ellen Wernecke

Is Tennessee music festival Bonnaroo the next Lollapalooza?

It may be known for the Grand Ol' Opry, but soon Tennessee's musical legacy may be held up by another event: Bonnaroo.

The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is facing its fifth edition this June in Manchester, and the line-up has a distinctly rocky flavor compared to past editions.

While earlier editions of the festival emphasized jam bands like Dave Matthews Band and last year's headliner Widespread Panic, the latest edition features acts from Radiohead to Tom Petty, with special attention to buzz bands like Death Cab for Cutie, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! and My Morning Jacket.

Of course, the jam-band aspect of the festival will still be well represented by acts like Phil Lesh and Friends, Blues Traveler, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones and Robert Randolph & the Family Band.

But Lollapalooza isn't giving up its title without a fight. The Perry Farrell-helmed fest is returning to Chicago's Grant Park after a blockbuster showing last year headlined by Weezer, Pixies, Widespread Panic and Death Cab for Cutie and featuring over 60 acts during its two-day run. The 2005 concert, which came out in the black, despite sweltering temperatures in the Chicago area, was seen as a reinstatement of the financially troubled festival which was forced to cancel its tour in 2004. Rumors abound already that the 2006 edition will feature a reunited Smashing Pumpkins, which may give some tourgoers serious cases of 1996 nostalgia.

Tickets go on sale Feb. 11 for Bonnaroo, which will be held June 16-18.

[hr]

Bonnaroo, Coachella fests boast similar bills
Sat Feb 4, 2006 3:18 AM ET

By Ray Waddell

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Now that the basic lineups for the Bonnaroo and Coachella festivals have been unveiled, this much is clear: the musical identities of the two events have blurred.

Both festivals -- which are among North America's most successful -- maintain distinct differences. Not the least is geography: Coachella is in the southern California desert, and Bonnaroo is in the hills of Tennessee.

But the events' talent lineups are starting to look more similar, with at least a half-dozen acts playing both. Talent buyers are trying to stay true to the fans as they attempt to gauge where the next big music trend may emerge.

Bonnaroo, set for June 16-18 in rural Manchester, Tenn., trotted out Radiohead, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello & the Imposters and Beck as its headliners. Tickets go on sale February 11.

A day earlier, Tool and Depeche Mode were named as the headliners for the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, which will be held April 29-30 at Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif. Tickets go on sale February 4.

Bonnaroo's roots are firmly planted in the jam-band scene. But this year's lineup tilts toward mainstream and indie rock, with acts like Death Cab for Cutie, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cat Power and Bright Eyes booked alongside more traditional jam bands like Blues Traveler, Phil Lesh & Friends and others.

Conspicuously absent are such jam titans as Gov't Mule, Dave Matthews, Widespread Panic and Trey Anastasio.

"We've always tried to reflect people's diverse music collections," says Jonathan Mayers, president of Superfly Presents, co-producer of Bonnaroo with A.C. Entertainment. "We don't want to dismiss our core in any way, but . . . as great as Widespread Panic has been to us and has been a really big part of what we've done, we can't have Widespread Panic every single year."

Mayers stops short of saying Bonnaroo talent bookers were responding to a jam-band scene that lost some commercial clout during the past two years. Bonnaroo's gross and attendance dipped in 2005, to $13.4 million and 76,049, respectively, from $14.5 million and 90,000 in 2004.

"I don't think that (dip) consciously entered into it," Mayers says. "From a creative standpoint, each year we want to keep our programming fresh."

Mayers adds that the lineup introduced January 31 is just the initial bill, and that "once the lineup is complete, I think that our fans are going to be satisfied."

Meanwhile, Coachella has a marquee attraction in Tool, which performed at the first Coachella in 1999 but has not played live in the United States since late 2002. Other acts on the bill include Bloc Party, TV on the Radio, Sigur Ros, Scissor Sisters, Daft Punk Common and Gnarls Barkley, a collaboration between producer Danger Mouse and rapper Cee-Lo.

Paul Tollett, president of Coachella producer Goldenvoice (a division of AEG Live), says he is particularly excited about some of the lesser-known acts, comparing their ranks to last year's crop of the Arcade Fire, Keane and M.I.A.

"When the ad came out last year, maybe those bands weren't so big, but when the day came around, they'd blown up," he says.

Among the acts playing both Bonnaroo and Coachella are Damian Marley, My Morning Jacket, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the Magic Numbers and Hasidic reggae rapper Matisyahu.

There is sure to be more duplication as the rest of both lineups are revealed, along with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, set for April/May, Ultra Music Fest March 25 in Miami and Lollapalooza, tentatively set for August 4-6 in Chicago.

Reuters/Billboard

[IMG]http://img478.imageshack.us/img478/9792/dutchie8sl.gif[/IMG][b][i]pas de dutchie![/i][/b]
[/quote]

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T O P I C R E V I E W
Carl	Posted - 02/01/2006 : 23:30:58 http://www.virtualfestivals.com/festivals/article.cfm?articleid=2416 http://www.aversion.com/news/news_article.cfm?news_id=5884 Pumpkins reunion for Lollapolooza? 01 February 2006 With the much-rumoured Smashing Pumpkins reunion now looking like it's not going to happen at Coachella, attentions have focused on the Lollapolooza festival, which has just announced its dates. Lollapalooza Festival return this year to Chicago's Grant Park from 4-6 August. Thievery Corporation have told Billboard they'll be playing and those Smashing Pumpkins rumours just won't go away. As previously reported, Billy Corgan has apparently made moves to get the band back together and it was exppected that Coachella would provide the springboard - as it did with Pixies reunion in 2004. However, with no mention of Smashing Pumpkins in the first Coachella lineup announcement, there are whispers that Corgan and co, who headlined the Lollapolooza tour in 1994, could make a nostalgic return to the 2006 event. Founded by Jane's Addiction's Perry Farrell in 1991, Lollapalooza became one of the best known alternative festivals of the '90s and the ultimate touring circus, stopping at up to 30 US cities each summer. The festival was eventually pulled in 2004 following poor ticket sales but was revived just a year later as a one-off event in Chicago, featuring Pixies, Kaiser Chiefs, Dinosaur Jr, Weezer, The Killers, and more. Of course the whole Pumpkins thing could be a load of tosh, but we'll see. Stay posted for more info as it comes in. Lollapalooza Nails Down Dates Feb 01, 2006 Lollapalooza secured a weekend in August to hold this year's installment of the festival. The onetime traveling music festival will make its second appearance as a one-stop, weekend-only festival. Like last year, organizers will hold the festival at Grant Park in Chicago. This year�s festival will be held Aug. 4-6. The festival, which was mothballed for seven years from 1997 to 2004, made a false start in �04, attempting to return as a two-day traveling festival. Poor advance ticket sales caused those plans to be cancelled before the package tour ever left home (read full story). A slimmed-down, one-weekend festival returned last year with Weezer and The Pixies kicking off the new format. A lineup for this year's festival has yet to be revealed. http://top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=20461 Pop / Rock (2006-02-03) Coachella 2006 Line-up Announced INDIO, CA. (COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL) - Headliners Depeche Mode (Saturday, April 29) and Tool (Sunday, April 30) are among the 80-plus acts set for the seventh annual COACHELLA VALLEY MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, CA. Other artists confirmed for America's most critically acclaimed music festival include Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Franz Ferdinand, Scissor Sisters, Coheed and Cambria, Matisyahu, James Blunt, Common and returning COACHELLA performers Atmosphere, Bloc Party, Hybrid, Ladytron, Mogwai, Paul Oakenfold, The Section Quartet, Sigur R�s, stellastarr* and Sunday headliners TOOL (the complete line-up-as of 1/31-is listed below). "We've always heard so much about Coachella," said Saturday headliners Depeche Mode, "so it'll be a real honor to headline the festival. It's going to be fantastic to see our devoted Southern California fans out in the desert while greeting a few new faces." Tickets go on sale this Saturday, February 4 at 12 Noon and are available through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone lines at (213) 480-3232 and at all Ticketmaster retail ticket centers or via www.ticketmaster.com. General admission tickets are priced at $85.00 for a one-day ticket and $165.00 for two-day pass, plus applicable service charges and a $1 donation per day for charity. In addition, fans can also purchase a two-day pass which includes a pre-order of the COACHELLA documentary DVD for $190.00, plus a $2 donation to charity and all applicable service charges (DVD's will be shipped out separately approximately two-three weeks prior to the festival). Note that there is an eight ticket limit per person. In the COACHELLA festival tradition, there is free parking and the doors to the venue will open at 11:00 AM on both days. Parking lots and the box office open at 9:00 AM. In addition, camping passes will go sale at the same time and are available for anyone 18 and over. The cost is $35 for a three-night stay (Friday, April 28 at 3:00 PM through Monday, May 1 at 10:00 AM). The campground facilities include a general store, food court, restrooms, showers and shade areas. The COACHELLA campground is conveniently located adjacent to the festival grounds and campers may park in a special camping parking lot next to the campground. Parking is included with the price of each camping ticket. For information about nearby hotels, camping facilities, restaurants and more, check out www.coachella.com. The COACHELLA MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL line-up (as of 1/31) is as follows: Saturday, April 29th: Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand, Sigur R�s, Common, Damian Marley, Atmosphere, Carl Cox, My Morning Jacket, Ladytron , Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Tosca, Cat Power, Animal Collective, HARD-Fi, Derrick Carter, Devendra Banhart, She Wants Revenge, The Walkmen, The Juan Maclean, Audio Bullys, Imogen Heap, Lady Sovereign, Deerhoof, The Duke Spirit, Editors, stellastarr, Lyrics Born, Matt Costa, The New Amsterdams, The Zutons, Platinum Piped Pipers, White Rose Movement, Chris Liberator, Colette, Joey Beltram, Hybrid, Wolfmother, The Like, Living Things, Nine Black Alps, The Section Quartet, Infadels, Youth Group, Shy FX & T Power, Infusion. Sunday, April 30: Tool, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Bloc Party, Paul Oakenfold, Scissor Sisters, Matisyahu, James Blunt, TV on the Radio, Sleater-Kinney, Mogwai, Coheed and Cambria, Gnarls Barkley, Coldcut, Phoenix, Digable Planets, Amadou & Mariam, Little Louie Vega, Mylo (DJ Set), Seu Jorge, Wolf Parade, The Go! Team, Kaskade, Metric, Art Brut, Dungen, The Dears, Jamie Lidell, The Magic Numbers, Los Amigos Invisibles, Jazzanova, Michael Mayer, Mates of State, Gilles Peterson, Gabriel & Dresden, The Subways, Minus the Bear, Be Your Own Pet, Giant Drag, Kristina Sky, The Octopus Project. Stay tuned for updated line-ups in the weeks leading up to the festival. www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001921757" target="_blank">www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001921757" target="_blank">http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001921757 http://thecelebritycafe.com/features/4862.html http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=musicNews&storyID=2006-02-04T081700Z_01_N04284430_RTRIDST_0_MUSIC-FESTIVALS-DC.XML&archived=False Bonnaroo Goes Rock With Radiohead, Petty, Beck Radiohead February 01, 2006, 12:00 AM ET Ray Waddell, Nashville Radiohead, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello & the Imposters, Beck, Bonnie Raitt and Buddy Guy are among the acts lined up to play the fifth annual Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, to be held June 16-18 in Manchester, Tenn. The festival is produced by Superfly Presents and A.C. Entertainment. Tickets go on sale Feb. 11. Though Bonnaroo's roots are firmly planted in the jam-band scene, this year's lineup tilts more toward mainstream and indie rock, with bands like My Morning Jacket, Death Cab For Cutie, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cat Power, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks and Bright Eyes booked alongside more traditional jam scene acts like Phil Lesh and Friends, Blues Traveler, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, moe., G. Love & Special Sauce and Medeski Martin & Wood. "From the beginning we've always tried to reflect people's music collections," Superfly president Jonathan Mayers tells Billboard.com. "People have diverse musical tastes and that's what we're trying to showcase with our programming. While we're not trying to get too far away from our core, Bonnaroo has been a great platform to introduce different music to our fans." Asked if Bonnaroo is running the risk of alienating the core jam band fans that put the festival on the map, Mayers responds, "We don't want to dismiss our core in any way, but we also think it's great to bring all these different types of music together. As great as Widespread Panic has been to us and has been a really big part of what we've done, we can't have Widespread Panic every single year." Mayers adds that this lineup announcement does not reflect the complete final bill. "We still have a good amount of announcements to make and once the lineup is complete, I think that our fans are going to be satisfied with all the different genres we're presenting," he says. Bonnaroo will also boast performances this year from the Neville Brothers, Damian Marley, Ben Folds, Dr. John, Matisyahu, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Nickel Creek, Mike Gordon and Ramble Dove, Gomez, Jerry Douglas, Soulive, Rusted Root, Sasha, Bill Frisell, Mike Doughty, Shooter Jennings, Dungen, Steve Earle, Devendra Banhart, Dresden Dolls and Bettye LaVette. In its brief history, Bonnaroo has become the top-grossing festival in the world. Last year, it took in $13.4 million and drew 76,049 people to its rural setting about 60 miles south of Nashville. Last year's numbers were down from $14.5 million and 90,000 attendance in 2004; attendance will be capped at 80,000 this year and ticket prices will be increased slightly from the $172.50-$146.50 charged last year. The Graceland... Of Rock 3-Feb-2006 Written by: Ellen Wernecke Is Tennessee music festival Bonnaroo the next Lollapalooza? It may be known for the Grand Ol' Opry, but soon Tennessee's musical legacy may be held up by another event: Bonnaroo. The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is facing its fifth edition this June in Manchester, and the line-up has a distinctly rocky flavor compared to past editions. While earlier editions of the festival emphasized jam bands like Dave Matthews Band and last year's headliner Widespread Panic, the latest edition features acts from Radiohead to Tom Petty, with special attention to buzz bands like Death Cab for Cutie, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah! and My Morning Jacket. Of course, the jam-band aspect of the festival will still be well represented by acts like Phil Lesh and Friends, Blues Traveler, Bela Fleck & the Flecktones and Robert Randolph & the Family Band. But Lollapalooza isn't giving up its title without a fight. The Perry Farrell-helmed fest is returning to Chicago's Grant Park after a blockbuster showing last year headlined by Weezer, Pixies, Widespread Panic and Death Cab for Cutie and featuring over 60 acts during its two-day run. The 2005 concert, which came out in the black, despite sweltering temperatures in the Chicago area, was seen as a reinstatement of the financially troubled festival which was forced to cancel its tour in 2004. Rumors abound already that the 2006 edition will feature a reunited Smashing Pumpkins, which may give some tourgoers serious cases of 1996 nostalgia. Tickets go on sale Feb. 11 for Bonnaroo, which will be held June 16-18. Bonnaroo, Coachella fests boast similar bills Sat Feb 4, 2006 3:18 AM ET By Ray Waddell NASHVILLE (Billboard) - Now that the basic lineups for the Bonnaroo and Coachella festivals have been unveiled, this much is clear: the musical identities of the two events have blurred. Both festivals -- which are among North America's most successful -- maintain distinct differences. Not the least is geography: Coachella is in the southern California desert, and Bonnaroo is in the hills of Tennessee. But the events' talent lineups are starting to look more similar, with at least a half-dozen acts playing both. Talent buyers are trying to stay true to the fans as they attempt to gauge where the next big music trend may emerge. Bonnaroo, set for June 16-18 in rural Manchester, Tenn., trotted out Radiohead, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello & the Imposters and Beck as its headliners. Tickets go on sale February 11. A day earlier, Tool and Depeche Mode were named as the headliners for the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, which will be held April 29-30 at Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif. Tickets go on sale February 4. Bonnaroo's roots are firmly planted in the jam-band scene. But this year's lineup tilts toward mainstream and indie rock, with acts like Death Cab for Cutie, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Cat Power and Bright Eyes booked alongside more traditional jam bands like Blues Traveler, Phil Lesh & Friends and others. Conspicuously absent are such jam titans as Gov't Mule, Dave Matthews, Widespread Panic and Trey Anastasio. "We've always tried to reflect people's diverse music collections," says Jonathan Mayers, president of Superfly Presents, co-producer of Bonnaroo with A.C. Entertainment. "We don't want to dismiss our core in any way, but . . . as great as Widespread Panic has been to us and has been a really big part of what we've done, we can't have Widespread Panic every single year." Mayers stops short of saying Bonnaroo talent bookers were responding to a jam-band scene that lost some commercial clout during the past two years. Bonnaroo's gross and attendance dipped in 2005, to $13.4 million and 76,049, respectively, from $14.5 million and 90,000 in 2004. "I don't think that (dip) consciously entered into it," Mayers says. "From a creative standpoint, each year we want to keep our programming fresh." Mayers adds that the lineup introduced January 31 is just the initial bill, and that "once the lineup is complete, I think that our fans are going to be satisfied." Meanwhile, Coachella has a marquee attraction in Tool, which performed at the first Coachella in 1999 but has not played live in the United States since late 2002. Other acts on the bill include Bloc Party, TV on the Radio, Sigur Ros, Scissor Sisters, Daft Punk Common and Gnarls Barkley, a collaboration between producer Danger Mouse and rapper Cee-Lo. Paul Tollett, president of Coachella producer Goldenvoice (a division of AEG Live), says he is particularly excited about some of the lesser-known acts, comparing their ranks to last year's crop of the Arcade Fire, Keane and M.I.A. "When the ad came out last year, maybe those bands weren't so big, but when the day came around, they'd blown up," he says. Among the acts playing both Bonnaroo and Coachella are Damian Marley, My Morning Jacket, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the Magic Numbers and Hasidic reggae rapper Matisyahu. There is sure to be more duplication as the rest of both lineups are revealed, along with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, set for April/May, Ultra Music Fest March 25 in Miami and Lollapalooza, tentatively set for August 4-6 in Chicago. Reuters/Billboard � Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved. pas de dutchie!*
35 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First)
mosleyk	Posted - 07/06/2006 : 13:54:09 Just bought our wristbands today!!! Pretty good lineup so far. http://www.musicfestnw.com/2006/
Homers_pet_monkey	Posted - 07/06/2006 : 11:07:57 quote: Originally posted by cassandra is eh eh eh... 'cos they're un-sexy, and on top of that, they don't wash... pas de bras pas de chocolat You're a racialist too! Don't even ask about the nurse. She's doing my head in. I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
cassandra is	Posted - 07/06/2006 : 10:23:43 now that makes me think: what about your nurse Homers? what happened? pas de bras pas de chocolat
cassandra is	Posted - 07/06/2006 : 10:22:43 eh eh eh... 'cos they're un-sexy, and on top of that, they don't wash... pas de bras pas de chocolat
Homers_pet_monkey	Posted - 07/06/2006 : 10:03:00 I already got that covered Cassandra ; ) By the way, why doesn't your girlfriend like English men? That's a bit racist. I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
cassandra is	Posted - 07/06/2006 : 09:46:37 quote: Originally posted by Carl She's leaving me!! Now look what you've done, Cass! :) hey! maybe it's time for suggesting a "m�nage � trois" to my girl! pas de bras pas de chocolat
Carl	Posted - 07/06/2006 : 09:42:21 She's leaving me!! Now look what you've done, Cass! :) *Join the Cult Of Pob! And don't forget to listen to the Pobcast!*
cassandra is	Posted - 07/06/2006 : 09:40:41 quote: Originally posted by Carl [PJ Harvey is my girlfriend. We're both very angry at you're comments. pas de bras pas de chocolat
Carl	Posted - 07/06/2006 : 09:38:31 quote: Originally posted by cassandra is eh eh eh... like being in PJ Harvey's bed just for one night... oooooops! hope my girlfriend won't read this... PJ Harvey is my girlfriend. We're both very angry at you're comments. *Join the Cult Of Pob! And don't forget to listen to the Pobcast!*
cassandra is	Posted - 07/06/2006 : 02:18:05 you naughty profiteer!! but anyway, she doesn't like English men... except if your first name is "Thom" and your last name "Yorke" eh eh eh... pas de bras pas de chocolat
Homers_pet_monkey	Posted - 07/04/2006 : 10:57:40 Well if she does, I'll comfort her ; ) I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
cassandra is	Posted - 07/04/2006 : 10:39:59 quote: Originally posted by cassandra is although I sometimes wish I could be everywhere at once... eh eh eh... like being in PJ Harvey's bed just for one night... oooooops! hope my girlfriend won't read this... pas de bras pas de chocolat
cassandra is	Posted - 07/04/2006 : 10:38:01 arf... not so exciting in fact: my mother and a part of my family goes to Portugal for holidays (eh eh eh, hope we'll be in final by that date), and as I'm quite a superstitious guy I want to see them before they get under way... and some other things to do too... pas de bras pas de chocolat
Homers_pet_monkey	Posted - 07/04/2006 : 10:32:35 And what are these better things? Yes I really am that nosey! I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
cassandra is	Posted - 07/04/2006 : 10:26:42 ah ah ah!! better things to do... although I sometimes wish I could be everywhere at once... pas de bras pas de chocolat
Homers_pet_monkey	Posted - 07/04/2006 : 10:14:20 Free? Well then why on earth won't you be there? I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
cassandra is	Posted - 07/04/2006 : 08:05:40 I take your advise Homer, but unfortunately I doubt that I'll be here to see them. I also wanted to see Juan Atkins and Schneider TM... damned! Have I mentionned that all this electronic festival was free? pas de bras pas de chocolat
Homers_pet_monkey	Posted - 07/04/2006 : 06:20:01 Cassandra, go and see Optimo at Liquid Club on 8th July. I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
cassandra is	Posted - 07/04/2006 : 02:07:46 and this is the electro-festival that currently takes place in my city: http://www.les-siestes-electroniques.com/ 30 juin : Our Aura Hour feat. Kevin Blechdom. 1er juillet : Tellemake,A Hawk And A Hacksaw, Toshiyuki Yasuda, Justus Koehncke, France Copland, Modeselektor, Koyote & Goon. 2 juillet : Humanleft, Midaircondo, Krikor, Legowelt. 7 juillet : Hauschka. 8 juillet : Midi & Demix, Ensemble, Schneider TM, Juan Atkins, Daniel Wang, Optimo. 9 juillet : Avia Gardner, Opiate, Ada, Juicy Panic. pas de bras pas de chocolat
cassandra is	Posted - 07/04/2006 : 02:05:29 This is the festival in Brittany where I'll probably go this year too: http://www.laroutedurock.com/_pages/artistes.htm 11 ao�t : Mogwai, Calexico, Liars, Islands, Islands, Why?, Howling Bells, etc. 12 ao�t : Cat Power, Belle & Sebastian, TV On The Radio, The Pipettes, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Radio 4, etc. 13 ao�t : Franz Ferdinand, Katerine, Chlo�, The Television Personalities, The Spinto Band, Band Of Horses, etc. pas de bras pas de chocolat
Carl	Posted - 05/09/2006 : 08:39:38 No, no, Homers, it's just I couldn't take it any more! What happened was, I stumbled across a load of Coachella stories, thanks to Google news....so I said, right, I suppose I'll have a go at posting these here. But there turned out to be a lot more than I thought, and I didn't realise what I had gotten myself into. By that stage, I just said, ah, the heck with it, I'll post the rest. I must be nuts. Never again. ;) http://www.gotravelinsurance.co.uk/public/news.asp?id=17121451 Portugal pumps up the volume Portugal's largest rock music festival gets underway at the end of May in the ancient European capital of Lisbon. In the past Super Bock Super Rock has boasted bagfuls of big names from the pop world, including the Pixies, Avril Lavigne and Nelly Furtado. This year the festival is split into two Acts, the first on May 25th and 26th and the second from June 7th to 8th, with bands including Placebo, Deftones, Editors, 50 Cent, Keane and Franz Ferdinand. All the action takes place on two stages erected in Lisbon's Nations Park, a newer up-and-coming area of the city, with fine restaurants and an excellent shopping centre. The park was first built with an "ocean" theme for the Expo 98 and the Oceanarium is still open to visitors, as are other pavilions. You can also get a cable car ride and grab a great view from the 17,185m-long Vasco da Gama, Europe's longest bridge. However, holidaymakers will also want the chance to soak up the relaxed atmosphere and history in the older quarters on the slopes of the hill topped by St George's Castle. In June the locals in Alfama, Castelo and Mouraria take to these medieval streets for feasts in honour of their patron saints. Lisbon is stretched over seven separate hills, with a stroll along the river Tagus to the natural harbour the ideal way to unwind. � Adfero Ltd http://www.thestreet.com/_tsclsii/funds/goodlife/10293283.html Festivals Rock This Summer By Robert Holmes TheStreet.com Staff Reporter 7/3/2006 2:07 PM EDT My first music festival experience came in 2004 at the Coachella Music Festival, near Palm Springs, Calif. Normally I would shy away from such large crowds and unbearable heat, but the lineup was just too good to miss: Festivalgoers were treated to headliners The Cure and Radiohead, as well as one of the first performances of the recently reunited Pixies. Also on the bill were Beck, Kraftwerk, the Flaming Lips, Air, Belle & Sebastian, Muse and other bands I was thrilled to see live. And what could have been a nightmare turned out to be an amazing weekend trip. Temperatures were over 100 degrees in the sun; there were almost 50,000 sweaty bodies surrounding the stage by the time the Pixies launched into their first song at dusk. The beer tent was one of few areas providing sanctuary from the heat, but the prices (upward of $10 each) and fear of getting too dehydrated kept attendees away. Sure, the trip was an expensive one, after combining roundtrip airfare, hotel and food costs and the tickets. However, in addition to seeing some of my favorite musical acts, I squeezed in an extra day of sightseeing and pool-side lounging, a frozen margarita always within reach. If I had stayed in New York City and saw each band individually when they toured the area, I would have quickly exceeded the cost of the whole weekend -- if I had been lucky enough to even get tickets before scalpers scooped them up. Taking a mini-vacation to relax and enjoy all of the artists made the festival trip worthwhile. The More, the Merrier Jeff Baum, contributor to Gothamist.com and music blogger at Central Village, prefers festivals to individual artists' concerts because he enjoys having everything laid out for him. " [There is] no worrying about having tickets for each band, getting on the list, finding the after-parties," says Baum. "You can just wake up, go see music all day and hang out all night. In New York, it's rarely that simple." Beyond convenience, festivals help introduce ticketholders to countless new musical acts. In addition to my 10 must-see bands, I was treated to a circus-like environment at the Coachella festival, helping me indulge in music stylings I would normally shy away from. "There's something genuinely comprehensive about the atmosphere at larger music festivals," says Dan Rogers, a Boston real estate developer and concertgoer. "A lot of today's festivals offer such an array of music styles, that if you're a fan of music in general, you can always find a stage or a tent throughout the day that has someone playing something that completely fascinates you. I hate the crowds, but all the bands and styles is what gets me to these things." Tennessee's annual Bonnaroo Festival took place the third weekend of June this year and included by far one of the most diverse sets of musicians ever assembled. Once a jam band-oriented festival, Bonnaroo expanded to include such diverse acts as Radiohead, Beck, Elvis Costello, Sonic Youth and Tom Petty for its 2006 incarnation. The additions of these artists paid off -- the festival sold all 90,000 available tickets. Brought to You By... While ticket sales help fund a majority of the costs for festivals, sponsorships and partners are also brought into the fold. The sponsors help fund the costs of the festival, and quite often, the return they get on the investment is well worth it. Most companies are selected to target a certain demographic of festival attendees; not surprisingly, many festivals have alcohol distributors as sponsors. In return, organizers may allow a company such as Budweiser (BUD - news - Cramer's Take) to be the only beer vendor on the festival grounds. "Our partners have contributed to the success of the festival," says Richard Goodstone, sponsorship coordinator with Superfly Presents, a company that helped curate the Bonnaroo Festival. "Our philosophy is that every one of our corporate partners needs to add to the overall experience of the event. This is a true partnership and a value-added for the fans, which they understand and appreciate." Philip de Liser, an organizer for the electronic music festival 10 Days Off in Belgium, says that companies choose to sponsor music festivals "to get access to a certain audience. It gives its product a profile by connecting it to an event." Of course, while cash income or media attention can be important to both sponsors and festival organizers, de Liser points out how important it is that, in turn, "we choose our commercial partners. They have to fit with the image and philosophy of the event." However, Bonnaroo's organizers were intent on restraining corporate sponsors. Baum notes that "Bonnaroo actually hid the sponsorships very well," and the most prominent issue forced upon attendees "was to clean up and take care of the environment, which is hard to complain about, really." "Some festivals show ads on the projection screens in between bands or on huge billboards, but I saw none of that," Baum adds. "There was a Microsoft (MSFT - news - Cramer's Take) Xbox arcade tent and an AT&T (T - news - Cramer's Take) Internet cafe. Both were fun, optional and useful, so there were no complaints. Budweiser even sponsored a cleanup crew." "We don't name stages or put up banners throughout the site, which our consumers do not respect," Goodstone explains. "Companies choose to partner with Bonnaroo because we provide a ... unique opportunity for their brands. Where else do you have the ability to integrate your brands into the city of 90,000 people that is Bonnaroo in a way that is authentic and relevant to the consumer? Rather than just having a touch point of three hours at a concert or even a day festival, brands are able to communicate with the Bonnaroo community for 24 hours a day over a four-day period." This Summer's Top Festivals We've got your covered -- here's a listing of festivals across the globe for almost every weekend this summer. So, get ready to rock, and don't forget the suntan lotion, a bottle of water and your wallet. Oxegen Festival -- Punchestown, Ireland (7/8-7/9) Lineup: The Who, The Strokes, James Brown, Richard Ashcroft, Gomez, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sigur Ros, Ben Harper, Pharrell Williams, Goldfrapp, Arctic Monkeys, Felix da Housecat Sponsor: Heineken 10 Days Off -- Ghent, Belgium (7/14-7/24) Lineup: Matthew Dear, Carl Craig, Jeff Mills, Sasse, Morgan Geist, Magda Sponsors: Bacardi, Red Bull, Studio Brussel Splendour In The Grass -- Byron Bay, Australia (7/22-7/23) Lineup: Brian Wilson (Beach Boys), Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Jose Gonzalez, Mos Def, TV On The Radio, Death Cab For Cutie, Sonic Youth, The Avalanches, DJ Shadow, Scissor Sisters, The Zutons Sponsor: Rolling Stone Magazine Pitchfork's Music Festival -- Chicago, IL (7/29-7/30) Lineup: Spoon, Yo La Tengo, Mission Of Burma, The Futureheads, Ted Leo + The Pharmacists, Art Brut, Band of Horses, Matmos, Devendra Banhart, Diplo Sponsors: Toyota's (TOY - news - Cramer's Take) Scion, Whole Food Markets (WFMI - news - Cramer's Take) Lollapalooza -- Chicago, IL (8/4-8/6) Lineup: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kanye West, Wilco, The Flaming Lips, Ween, Queens of the Stone Age, Ryan Adams, Sonic Youth, Sleater-Kinney, Blues Traveler, Built To Spill, Gnarls Barkley Sponsors: AT&T, Sony's (SNE - news - Cramer's Take) PlayStation, Budweiser Sziget -- Obudai Island, Budapest, Hungary (8/9-8/16) Lineup: Radiohead, Franz Ferdinand, Ministry, Placebo, Scissor Sisters, Therapy? Sponsors: MasterCard (MA - news - Cramer's Take), Samsung Pukkelpop -- Hasselt, Belgium (8/17-8/19) Lineup: Beck, Radiohead, Daft Punk, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Keane, Snow Patrol, Placebo, My Morning Jacket, Zero 7, The Shins, Belle & Sebastian, Massive Attack, Ministry, Pennywise, DJ Shadow Sponsors: Toyota, Coca-Cola (KO - news - Cramer's Take), V Festival -- Chelmsford & Staffordshire, UK (8/19-8/20) Lineup: Radiohead, Morrissey, Beck, Keane, Bloc Party, Fatboy Slim, Editors, Starsailor, We Are Scientists, The Go! Team, Rufus Wainwright, The Cardigans, Gavin DeGraw, Bic Runga Sponsor: Virgin Mobile Download Festival (East Coast) -- Mansfield, MA (8/20) Lineup: 311, The Wailers, G Love & Special Sauce, Dropkick Murphys, Jurassic 5 (West Coast) -- San Francisco, CA (9/30) Lineup: TBA Sponsors: News Corp's (NWS - news - Cramer's Take) MySpace.com, SanDisk (SNDK - news - Cramer's Take), Wells Fargo (WFC - news - Cramer's Take) Reading Festival -- Reading, U.K. (8/25-8/27) Lineup: Muse, Pearl Jam, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, My Chemical Romance, Slayer, Dashboard Confessional, Flogging Molly, The Fall, Peaches, Dizzee Rascal, Primal Scream, Broken Social Scene, Jet, Coheed & Cambria Sponsors: Nokia (NOK - news - Cramer's Take), Carling, HMV Records Austin City Limits Festival -- Austin, TX (9/15-9/17) Lineup: Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Van Morrison, Ben Harper, The Flaming Lips, John Mayer, Los Lonely Boys, Muse, Ween, Tragically Hip, The Shins, Kings of Leon, Aimee Mann, Son Volt, Guster Sponsors: AT&T, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD - news - Cramer's Take), Washington Mutual (WM - news - Cramer's Take), Cingular The Bonnaroo fest (photo by Jeff Baum) More Bonnaroo (photo by Jeff Baum)
Homers_pet_monkey	Posted - 05/09/2006 : 05:20:51 Hey Carl, you didn't have to shorten your posts, I was only kidding ; ) I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
Carl	Posted - 05/08/2006 : 20:20:24 http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/blogs/subbacultcha/1649 Here comes the sunburn... it's all right. Day two at Coachella 2006-05-08 Adrienne Lake Sunday brought the grim news of temperatures even more searing than the day before, so when our attempts to see Los Amigos Invisibles were thwarted by a member of our party that hadn�t completely recovered from the previous day, there was minimal whining. Especially since there would be no avoiding James Blunt�s adult contemporary womanly croon of �You�re beautifullll, you�re beautifullll,� as Canada�s Metric were to take the stage right after him. Murs, The Magic Numbers and The Octopus Project were sacrificed in the name of health and we eventually staggered back on to the Empire Polo Field during Matisyahu�s (the Hasidic reggae hip hopper) altered beat box solo, which was surprisingly impressive. The much talked about Wolf Parade played to a tentful of people trying desperately to avoid the sun�s probing rays� well, all except those who already had what looked like 3rd degree burns. Go figure. It was still too hot to thoroughly enjoy any band, but fortunately the temperature dropped a few valuable degrees for England�s Bloc Party, who had created a massive sea of humanity in front of the Outdoor Stage � the largest crowd there yet. Suddenly the oppressive heat was forgotten by both band and spectators as the band plowed through their upbeat, danceable Brit rock with considerable force. A friend who had toured with them had recently spoken of the band�s swollen heads, but no egos were evident in their performance. In fact, when one fan shouted, �Play one for the English!� Bloc Party�s singer replied, �We don�t discriminate. This one is for each and every one of you.� Then he climbed atop one of the stage�s massive amps to joyfully pound out a few songs, much to everyone�s approval. They easily won the best reaction of the crowd for the day, which is impressive as the sun was still up. Bravo. Some sicko had decided to schedule Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Digable Planets at the same time. This was inconsiderate because if one believes what one reads, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs aren�t getting along terribly well, and being that Karen O is working on a solo project, who knows how much longer they will be together? Digable Planets are the epitome of the positive, jazz-influenced, mellow groove hip hop that was at it�s peak in the early �90s � easily the best of their genre. Yes, there were bands that didn�t generously pepper their rhymes with the �b� and �n� words and actually rapped about positivity instead of constantly trying to assert their dominance over other MCs. We had met a member of the Digable Planet�s posse on Thursday night at the Filter Party, he was easy to spot as he was sporting the Digable�s afro comb t-shirt and he spoke glowingly about the group�s new material. Then again, he also said he wrote a few of the songs, so yes, he was a wee bit biased. They sounded just like they did back in the day and blessed the crowd with favorites such as �Nickelbag of Funk� and �Cool Like That.� The Yeah Yeah Yeah�s performance was a sharp contrast; full of the angst and energy (on the part of Miss O, anyway) that is best experienced up close rather than from half a mile away on the two giant monitors that were on each side of the gargantuan stage. �Maps� sounded ripe with pain. Perhaps the articles chronicling the discomfort between the band members that seem to be in every magazine lately have done the trick, but there did seem to be trouble in punk paradise. Though the Sahara Tent is the largest of the three, the masses swarming around it in anticipation of Madonna�s (tardy) performance made it seem pointless to even try. But apparently rumors of her set being a DJ one were false and those that saw her said it was a full performance, complete with singing, dancers and the whole shebang (if you get my drift). Regardless, it was pleasant to relax over a few Herbalife energy supplements and Mogwai�s Scottish space rock and light show extravaganza. Which was the perfect preparation for Sunday�s witching hour � Massive Attack�s sundown performance. Concertgoers had prepared by reclining on blankets and pulling out any contraband they had managed to smuggle in, i.e. pipes, airplane liquor bottles, joints, etc., to have the full trance- inducing, sensual Massive Attack experience. You would have expected a field of writhing, necking bodies during the Bristol act�s performance, but most were intently taking in the pulsating electro-trip hop. Prayers were answered as song after song from Mezzanine were played � perfectly. That rare performance was definitely worth missing the Go Team! who performed simultaneously at the Outdoor Theatre across the field. Our post Massive Attack choices were UK�s queertastic dance �Take Your Mama Out� popsters Scissor Sisters or Art Brut (the description is in the band name). I would have preferred to check out Art Brut as I would be missing their Plush performance with Birdmonster on May 4, but was dragged to the former. The audience was fairly thin, but it�s hard to believe that the majority of concertgoers were at Tool; many probably made an early dash to their cars to avoid the hour-long cattle drive to the parking lot. The Scissor Sisters reminded me of a more electronic and modern B-52s, both have an upbeat, dance friendly and humorous approach to music and both feature male female vocal interplay. Their lively performance was interrupted only by their confusing announcement that this would be the last year Coachella would be at the Empire Polo Field, which seemed to be news to everyone. While Coachella 2006 may not go down in history as the best ever, it�s reassuring to know that even at it�s worst, Coachella is still well worth the time, money, dust, expensive food, long walks to the grounds from parking, difficulty getting a hotel room, dealing with the horrible Coachella publicists, Tool fans, blisters, sunburns and heat exhaustion. Yes, it took three days to recover from a nasty case of heat exhaustion, but in the end I wouldn�t trade the nausea, fatigue and irritability for a regular, safe, non-eventful weekend at home, ever. Check in at www.coachella.com to find out who will be part of next year�s lineup. http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=9144 Coachella Music Festival 2006 Review June Caldwell May 7, 2006 Review by June Caldwell with additional reporting by Rodger Caldwell, Nga Luu and Tim Estrada We sweated, we danced, we laughed, we cried! All the more poignant against a backdrop of rumors that this is the last year it will be in this, it�s flagship location, the Empire Polo Field in Coachella California once again became the annual magical, mystical Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival! Think Woodstock meets the Burning Man during the last weekend of April, with 90 bands and 60,000 fans. And the Coachella memorable moment awards go to: Most �overhyped band we never thought could live up to the hype but did�: Wolfmother (Saturday) . The excitement in the tent was so palpable, you could cut it with a knife! Andrew Stockdale, the lead singer- guitarist is an old fashioned rock star evoking Steve Tyler of Aerosmith. Led Zeppelin meets Ozzy Osbourne meets Free meets something completely new from down under and the return of killer guitar and keyboard solos. Alice in Wonderland award for �giant superstar in grotesquely undersized tent with microscopic proportions compared to the crowd trying to squeeze in�: Madonna (Sunday). Doing the math, one realizes of course only maybe one-kazillionth of the fans that wanted to could see or hear any of her set!�fortunately nobody was hurt too bad, apparently nothing the beer garden across the field couldn�t heal. Or, in our case�a shot of pure joy from The Go! Team� Most �I finally get why people love them band�: The Go! Team (Sunday) whom we dragged ourselves to see, disgruntled and disheveled from our unsuccessful foray into the chosen circle of those who actually caught a glimpse of Madonna. Before I knew it we were dancing singing laughing caught up in the sheer glory of their joy. Now I understand what it�s like to be a manic- depressive without meds (and I�m sticking to the claim I couldn�t have understood that any other way!). Most �unifying hero�: Kanye West (Saturday). His set was the exact opposite of the Madonna debacle. He was on the big stage, the biggest star having the second most popular album of 2005 in the US. The crowd for him spread across the desert all with room to dance and a view of the huge screens. Kanye is energy, love, and defiance all rolled into one! Starting with a string quartet, he jammed through a whirlwind of his influences which spanned from Al Green�s �Let�s Stay Together� to Aha�s �Take On Me� showing us that sometimes hip-hop and rock are all really just music and we are all really just people as we sang and danced along at the top of our lungs as if our life depended on it! Somehow he was singing to and for all of us. Most �whoops! they did it again� country: Canada, for Wolf Parade (Sunday). Last year�s Canadians, Arcade Fire was the unexpected break-out act of Coachella; this year Canada�s native Wolf Parade marched away with that mantle. Wolf Parade�s underground buzz exploded in a set of tight eloquent lush keyboards and bouncing spiky guitars like Boston meets David Byrne meets Futureheads in a passion that was stopping people in their tracks walking by who were yanked into the tent by the sheer force of the music! Most �return of Kacy and the Sunshine Band meets Captain and Tennille complete with gold lame and their guitarists were killer too�: Scissor Sisters (Sunday). Fun and funny, looking like a schmaltzy Las Vegas act and kicking ass at the same time with sparkling unforgettable songs and brash searing guitars. Most �adorable epitome of a Coachella indie band stereotype�: Magic Numbers (Sunday). Never sweeter or more beautiful vocal harmonies or catchier songs than these! They are the down-to-earth indie epitome of the band you expect to see as you sit in a big field of grass with a desert breeze kicking in. They are so cute someone must make a set of plush toys based on each of them immediately! More assured since I saw them last year, they played a song from their upcoming album with an added kick of some full throttle rock, they now officially have it all. Most �Weezer with an Arkansas twang�: The New Amsterdams (Saturday). These guys were more nerdy looking than a high school chess club, yet laying down masterfully melodious, and searing power guitar licks plus they had the irresistible Arkansas twang that takes you out into a big field in the sun, er� actually come to think if it, that is where we were when we saw them at Coachella!� nonetheless, their sunny power pop had heart and soul to spare, a rarity in a genre generally overpopulated with formula clones. Most �uplifting moment�: when Matisyahu the Jewish rapper was imploring the Lord to "Lift me up!" (Sunday) His cross between reggae and rapping combined with his traditional Jewish garb and beard sound like the set up of a joke (�the Rabbi, the Rastafarian and the Rapper all walk into a bar��) but completely work for no reason that makes any sense to the logical mind, he just happens to rock the house and you just have to be there! Most �South Bay punk muscle overtones in a Brit pop band�: Nine Black Alps (Saturday). The UK band with the young Tim Robbins look-a-like lead singer starting out with the barroom brawl Brit sound of the Art Brut and Arctic Monkeys lineage, they seared into some testosterone blazing guitar and vocal harmonies that would be as at home at the Warped Tour as Coachella. Most �Detroit R&B from across the pond�: The Zutons (Saturday). From the UK, sweet harmonies with a rockin� rhythm section and skillful guitar. They dish up soulful sweet pop with a dash of metal guitar, a pinch of R&B horns getting folks dancing til they are dizzy in the desert heat. Most �Latin rhythms get the hips moving just when you think you will sit this day out!�: Los Amigos Invisibles (Sunday) Latin rockers from Venezuela, Los Amigos Invisibles, were clearly at home on the Main Stage. Their lively percussive rhythms & charismatic performances by lead singer, Julio Briceno, and guitarist, Jose Luis Pardo, woke up the crowd still a little sleepy from Day 1. They quickly got everyone within hearing distance dancing to the beats. Most �cheerfully still doing what they do, but we just can�t take them seriously�: Franz Ferdinand (Sunday). One of the biggest names of the festival: they sing, they dance, they have great stage dressing! Their updated eighties white dance music sound all but defined the last two years, and they have been given credit for kicking off the new Brit invasion. Somehow they are still happy fluff, like a sitcom that makes you laugh but you forget the next day. Most �creative freaks of the night�: Daft Punk (Saturday) boasted wicked beats with sweet rhythms and most exemplified the heart of Coachella, dance club in a tent. Most �spacey tripsters for the hipsters': Sigur Ros (Saturday). Sigur Ros were the soundtrack to a beautiful desert sunset as the temperature cooled and that gorgeous orange glow settled on everyone�s skin. They created a sonic atmosphere out of bowed guitars, surging strings, and wailing horns, bringing the night to life, like seal pups popping from the snow while just discovering how to keep warm while at play. 'Band with name most likely to be mispronounced': Stellastar (seriously, try saying it right the first time!) (Saturday). The steamy tent was packed with sweaty Stellastar fans. Just before sunset it was still plenty hot, but the festival seemed to be awakening from afternoon siesta. Flavors of punk pop rock and new wave are all nicely blended together into a danceable mix of rockin' melodies by this group that, in spite of being compared to everyone from U2, the Pixies and Talking Heads, really have a sound all their own. Most �contortions, gyrations, exhortations, & supplications in an effort to make us believe they really got sometin' there�: Depeche Mode (Saturday). With an elaborate spaceship stage setting, Depeche Mode started off their set with singles from their latest album, such as �A Pain That I�m Used To� and �Precious.� They sounded perfect in an effortless way, with an energetic Dave Gahan covering the entire stage and Martin Gore suited up in black feather wings and mohawked cap. Truly making Coachella a special event, the band performed the first song they�ve ever recorded, �Photographic.� Classics like �Personal Jesus� and �Enjoy the Silence� evoked one monstrous sing along after the other. Most �exactly like their name�: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (Saturday). Sounding like the bastard child of David Byrne and Paul Banks, the lead singer of clap Your Hands Say Yeah dragged the audience up, down, left, right, and everywhere in between with his distinctive, wavering voice. Defying the scorching, unrelenting sun, the crowd danced along to CYHSY�s playful melodies as well as, you guessed it, clapping their hands. Most �exact opposite of it�s name�: the �VIP section� (as usual) with walls of people waving their �VIP wristbands� in the face of the guards demanding to be let into the VIP area gate like obnoxious lemmings... hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the band members � whom of course all generally avoid that area like the plague! Most of the lemmings got their wristbands passed out at the DKNY corporate sponsored pool party or paid a few hundred extra bucks. The real VIP�s were the workers scrubbing and cleaning the outhouses throughout the day (a first in festival history). Most �perfect band to end the festival on a high note�: Art Brut (Sunday) I have never seen a fuller tent for the last band pulling away a good chunk of crowd from the headliner, Tool. As Art Brut hit the stage we were all immediately reminded of listening to your favorite band at the corner pub no matter how big the stage is, singing along with their anthem-like songs like our life depends on it, and wondering when they will go ahead and act on ��Considering a Move to LA!� http://www.thephoenix.com/article_ektid11673.aspx Wicked games Hanging with Giant Drag at Coachella By: JEFF MILLER 5/8/2006 5:52:43 PM There was a time, not that long ago, when the two-or-three-day rock-festival experience was reserved for the Brits, who slogged through countless Glastonbury and Reading festivals while we Yanks were treated to traveling shows like the original Lollapaloozas every summer. When the Coachella festival � a multi-stage, alternative-leaning, two-day event that the booking agency Goldenrod brings to the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California, every May � was founded eight years ago, the idea seemed a bit risky, especially in light of the disaster that same year of Woodstock �99. But Coachella, whose 2006 incarnation wrapped up last weekend, has now become an institution. And other festivals � like Bonnaroo, which this year scored Radiohead, and a three- day Lollapalooza in Chicago � have been springing up all over the country, using the Coachella model (inexpensive water, a veritable iPod- on-shuffle mix of artists). Coachella itself underwent a serious change this year. In the past, the festival has amounted to a who�s-where assessment of not-quite mainstream music � a launching pad for buzz bands like the Arcade Fire, who were the stars in 2005, or for the re-formation of groups like the Pixies, who helped sell 50,000 tickets and establish the festival as a juggernaut in 2004. This year�s edition dabbled in the mainstream through a risky appearance by Madonna, who played her first festival show to a throng of true believers and thousands of disappointed curiosity seekers. When the Red Hot Chili Peppers headlined in 2003, critics complained they were too mainstream; now, the event�s promoters admit that no one is too big for Coachella. But any festival goer knows it�s not the top line that counts but what�s underneath. And this year�s Coachella had its share of breakthrough bands. The Cee- Lo/Danger Mouse collaboration Gnarls Barkley, for one, and My Morning Jacket, who hit the second stage while Kanye West was on the main one. Still farther down the bill were Giant Drag, an LA two-piece whose debut CD, Hearts and Unicorns (Kickball), set the blogger world on fire earlier this year, thanks to everything from the gritty guitars to a glamorous sort of melancholy, not to mention song titles like �Kevin Is Gay� and �You Fuck like My Dad.� Waifish indie-rock dreamgirl Annie Hardy took the Coachella stage bra-less and wearing a pleated, barely-thigh-covering plaid skirt and proceeded to stammer off sexual non sequiturs that would make a porn star blush. �I wrote this song when I was eight,� she said, dedicating it to her first love. �He broke my heart, and he broke my hymen.� Audible gasps from the audience, followed by a gritty interpretation of Chris Isaak�s �Wicked Game� � a track that�s been added to a 2006 major-label reissue of Hearts and Unicorns (Interscope). Back in the festival�s overrun VIP area, after the band�s set, Hardy and straight- man Micah Calabrese are sitting under a palm tree soaking up some shade in the 95-degree heat. They�re already in the middle of an all-day cycle of interviews, and gearing up for a tour that will bring them across the country to the Middle East on May 11. Nothing changes about Hardy�s forthright demeanor when you�re one-on- two. That�s part of the charm. When I ask about technical problems on stage, she breaks into a rant about the septic tank being cleaned behind their trailer. �It�s beautiful, smelling the shit of 100 bands. Matisyahu � that one smells like matzos!� And where do Giant Drag fit in among the festival�s superstars, wanna-bes, and indie-approved hipsters? Here�s Hardy�s take: �It�s like the time I was on NME�s cool list. I was the last one on the list � I was #50. Does that make me cool? Or does that make me almost cool?� Beyond cool is more like it � and being so unselfconsciously comfortable with the subject makes her that much cooler. Critics who�ve compared her with PJ Harvey and Liz Phair? �I don�t care. We have vaginas and breasts and play music. That�s all a journalist needs to know. Stamp that: article done!� What comparison would she prefer? �John Lennon, Bob Dylan, Weird Al Yankovic, Tupac, Mozart, James Blunt . . . � She�s smiling now, sheepishly. In fact, the only time she gets serious is when I give her the opportunity to set the record straight about a little Internet controversy. Months before the show, Coachella message boards exploded when Hardy was quoted in a Colorado Springs newspaper as saying she hated the two Coachellas she�d attended as a fan. �I told a story about how I came to Coachella and ended up crying because of the people I went with being dicks to me. Of course, that wasn�t sensational enough. I�ll talk shit, and I�ll stand behind everything I say. But I didn�t fucking say that.� One thing that Hardy is certain of is that she prefers being a performer to being a ticketholder. �It�s only a million times better. You get a trailer with air conditioning.� And in the hot desert sun, nothing � not even playing a show with Madonna or finding yourself on an NME list � is cooler than that. Giant Drag + Pretty Girls Make Graves + Joggers \| May 11 \| Middle East downstairs, 480 Mass Ave, Cambridge \| 617.864.EAST On the Web Giant Drag: http://www.giantdrag.com/ FUN IN THE SUN: �It�s beautiful, smelling the shit of 100 bands,� Annie Hardy jokes. Just a few more links to festival stuff: IGN's Coachella Diary 2006: Day One. http://music.ign.com/articles/705/705132p1.html Cellular South Stage Sunday review. http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/live_music/article/0,1426,MCA_508_4681896,00.html Sound Generator's music festivals guide, 2006. http://www.soundgenerator.com/news/showarticle.cfm?articleid=7623 A very European solution to your festival woes... http://www.wessexscene.co.uk/article.php?sid=1554
Carl	Posted - 05/08/2006 : 18:19:57 http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060504/COLUMNS48/605040310/1215 Prepping for next year's Coachella Maggie Downs The Desert Sun May 4, 2006 The gifts are no longer shiny and new. The wrapping paper is crumpled and torn. The ornaments on the tree are sagging. It's like the day after Christmas - Coachella is over. It's more than a little depressing. I have dreamt about attending the Coachella Music and Arts Festival ever since it began. But finances and a distance of 2,100 miles kept me away. Then I moved here, with the festival just about in my backyard. I counted down the days. Added music to my playlist. Planned my schedule to see as many of my favorite bands as possible. Hope. Anticipation. Excitement. And the climax. I drank 19 bottles of water and one lemonade. I walked 10,000 miles. I stood up for 12 hours at a time in 95- degree weather. And still, I only managed to see 28 bands. That's about 22 fewer than I wanted to sample from the eclectic smorgasbord. So I'm putting together a training regimen for Coachella 2007, a rigorous plan designed to help me maximize the music while surviving the brutal elements. 1. Run: Start training by jogging 10 miles every day. In bare feet. On top of broken glass and cigarette butts. Eventually build up endurance to 20 miles. That's the only way to get back and forth between all the great music on so many stages at the same time. 2. Buy a gas mask: With all the dust particles and smoke, the air at Coachella is thicker than split pea soup. Either purchase a mask or learn to put up with that wheezing/no air thing. 3. Get dirty: Stop being so picky about hygiene. Eventually there comes a point where you're peeing all over the place while standing in someone else's pee, and there's no toilet paper or hand sanitizer. Get over this. 4. Burn, baby, burn: Go to a tanning booth for 12-hour sessions to simulate the brutal and incessant desert sun. Bonus: Try it without sunscreen! 5. Dehydrate: Drinking water at Coachella is a costly and time-consuming activity. I'm sure I could have caught at least 10 more bands had I not stood in water lines. And I'm not sure it even did any good. With crushing heat and a constant film of sweat on my body, I was dehydrated instantly. It felt as if the water I put to my lips was dissipating into the air before it ever reached my throat. I need to teach my wimpy body to get by without the H2O. 6. Give money away: Become accustomed to Coachella prices by paying everyone far too much money for everything. That means I'll hand over $7 for a draft beer that's only worth about $1. 7. Lose contact: Get used to getting by sans cell phone. The congestion won't allow a call through anyway. And your text message feature? It'll likely stop working. 8. Wave buh-bye: Choose one of the following options to get there and back: Get a cab, pedal a bike, ride a horse. Because when your car is parked under the lot number 4 balloon, chances are that balloon won't exist by the time the night is over. You might never see your car again. And if you do, it'll have a thick coat of a dust and a crudely-drawn penis on the back window. 9. Start speculation early: Can't wait for Portishead next year. http://www.nowplayingmag.com/content/view/3675/47/ Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Written by Laura Ferreiro Thursday, 04 May 2006 The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is an amazing spectacle that every music fan should experience at least once. Quite possibly the largest rock-oriented festival in North America, it drew an estimated 60,000 revelers to bask in two days of sweltering sunshine, music and art on a polo field in the middle of the California desert. The festival is usually known as a showcase for up-and-coming indie rock bands and the veterans who have influenced them, but this year�s line-up caused a bit of controversy. Mixing it up with indie rock darlings Franz Ferdinand and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were two acts that are as mainstream as they come: Madonna and Kanye West. Some purists speculated that their appearances signaled the festival is becoming too commercial, but the truth of the matter is that the indie kids at Coachella ate them up. When West took to the main stage late Saturday afternoon, the packed audience gave him a warm and loud reception. West, who has the second-best-selling album of 2005, seemed completely at ease in front of the large crowd. Wearing a red bandana around his neck and a Miles Davis T-shirt, he confidently worked the audience and boldly declared that his anthem �Golddigger� should have been named Grammy�s song of the year. West didn�t take himself too seriously, joking that the audience should sing along because it�s the only time they�ll be able to say the �N word.� He gave nods to musicians from decades past, including Michael Jackson and �80s Euro-popsters A-ha as he busted hilarious new-wave dance moves to their hit �Take on Me.� Later that evening, Glaswegian rockers Franz Ferdinand commanded the main stage. The sun had set, signaling the end of the sweltering heat and the start of a balmy, starry night. The cooler weather seemed to rejuvenate the audience who came alive to hits like �Take Me Out� and �Walk Away.� The quartet�s energy remained high and their signature rhythm guitar was right-on, but something was a bit off, giving the impression that their winsome pop rock may be better suited for a more intimate setting. Veterans Depeche Mode, on the other hand, seemed quite at home in the large venue � after all these Brits have been playing huge arenas since Franz Ferdinand were in grade school. The band, arguably one of the first to make a name for itself using synthesizers, ran through a greatest-hits collection chronologically backwards. They hit several high points and seemed to drink in the energy from the enthusiastic crowd. Fittingly dressed all in black, vocalist David Gahan adeptly twirled the microphone stand and spun around in true Gahan fashion, slowing down only to catch his breath or grab his crotch. Martin Gore, who usually does lead-guitar or keyboard duties, stole the show when he sang lead on a couple of intimate numbers, including an encore performance of �Shake the Disease� � just Gore and a piano. The crowd, largely comprised of 20-something hipsters, seemed to appreciate the influence Depeche Mode has had on countless contemporary bands, showing them nothing but respect. On Sunday, �Madonna� was the word on everyone�s lips. Eschewing the giant main stage for a stint in the smaller dance tent, the Material Girl drew an unimaginably huge crowd that spilled over the edges of the tent with thousands of people craning their necks to catch a glimpse of her in the flesh. Decked out in an electric blue leotard and feather boa and with several back-up dancers in tow, she took the stage about half an hour late. Her polished, professional performance quelled the restless audience and illustrated why she�s such an icon � her voice never faltered and her dance moves were perfectly choreographed. She even picked up a guitar. But her set was conspicuously short � around 35 minutes � and she left the stage after six songs without so much as a goodbye or a goodnight. Her likeness flashed onto the stage screens, leaving the audience to wonder whether she was coming back for more. But without hearing cheers for an encore, she never returned. One can only assume that this performance was to serve as a teaser for her upcoming concert tour � a very commercial move indeed. Madonna�s abbreviated performance didn�t seem to dampen many people�s spirits. With a smorgasbord of bands to choose from, it was simply on to the next act. British trip-hop outfit Massive Attack was going strong on the main stage, giving a soulful and satisfying performance featuring former Cocteau Twins vocalist Elizabeth Fraser for their first show in eight years. Earlier in the day, Canadian rockers The Dears didn�t let the hot weather slow them down one bit, confidently blazing through songs from their soon-to-be- released new album. Fellow Canuks Metric rocked the same tent later in the day, with singer Emily Haines adding her signature sex appeal and girl power to the strong all-male backing band. Other festival highlights included a stellar performance by Gnarls Barkley � Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo�s wild and wacky new project. Dressed as characters from The Wizard of Oz, the band had the house hopping with their unique brand of funkified rock, as did French electronica duo Daft Punk the night before, in the dance tent dressed as robots. Sadly performances by TV on the Radio and Bloc Party were less than remarkable, leaving much of the audience scratching their heads. Throughout the two-day festival, an eclectic line-up including Iceland�s Sigur Ros, Hasidic Jewish rap/reggae artist Matisyahu, rapper Common, broody U.K. rockers The Editors and art-punk pranksters Art Brut kept the crowd of young indie hipsters well satisfied. With its divergent elements, this year�s Coachella Festival � allegedly the biggest since it began in 1999 � proved that audiences cannot be boxed in by corporate radio- and music industry-created genres. When a groundbreaking hip-hop artist from Chicago can share the stage with an ethereal, spacey art electronica band from Iceland and draw huge crowds, you know something is right with the world. A- (Empire Polo Field, Indio, California, 04.29.06-04.30.06) http://www.ocweekly.com/music/music/mediocre-you-cant-be-serious/25062/ MEDIOCRE? YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS In defense of Coachella By ELLEN GRILEY THURSDAY, MAY 4, 2006 - 3:00 PM Those of us who make the yearly trek to Coachella do so not because the festival is a rite of passage, or a badge of honor, or even particularly cool�that motivation went out in �01 with headliners/former KROQ kings Jane�s Addiction, and if not then then certainly in �02 with Oasis. So there�s really no point in bloviating over whether Coachella�s slipped in comparison to, say, Tennessee�s Bonnaroo, or Chicago�s Lollapalooza, or Sasquatch! up in Washington, especially considering those festivals draw from the same pool of �It� bands�and that, travel costs and time off aside, Tennessee is still really. Really. Far. Away. Yet that�s precisely what various bloggers and music journalists�namely the Register�s Ben Wener�did in the days leading up to the festival. And, well, shit. Why? Those of us who make the yearly trek to Coachella do so because�for lack of a better phrase� it�s life. It�s how we know summer is almost here. It�s how we know 364 days have passed since the last time we drove to Indio. And, above all, it�s how we stumble�literally�upon new bands to love. Which helps explain a note I scribbled during My Morning Jacket�s late afternoon set on Saturday: �Okay, first of all, Ben Wener, Fuck You!� Watching as the Louisville rockers delivered one Kentucky-fried jam after another�including the endlessly, hopelessly catchy �Off the Record� and others showcasing singer Jim James� from-here- to-Mars falsetto�I felt a fervor for rock & roll that I hadn�t registered since first watching The Last Waltz as a teenager. Add to this a boozy, plugged-in electric set from hippie guy/Second Coming Devendra Banhart and a gorgeous performance by Cat Power, backed by the Memphis Rhythm Band, and it�s easy to see why, by night�s end�physically drained and nearly reduced to tears, no joke�all I could muster was a quiet, �Let�s go.� And then: �I can�t watch another band today after this.� If you were listening�and not just debating/whining about the presence of has-been headliners such as Depeche Mode or Madonna or Tool�this year�s Coachella proved every bit as entertaining and solid as the years previous. And if you weren�t listening? Well, then:Fuck you. SATURDAY Matt Costa, 2:05 p.m.: Local-boy-gone-sort-of-famous Costa�who, by the way, is also on the bill at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Sasquatch! and every other music festival reachable by R.V.�listens as a crowd of 300 or 400 (maybe 500? I�m bad with guesstimates) sings his Donovan-esque folk songs right back to him. The crowd even includes a raver in a dog costume (complete with a furry tail snaking out from beneath his shirt), who appears to particularly enjoy�as we all do�Costa�s single �Cold December.� Guy�s on tour for the next two months straight. Godspeed, man. Make boatloads of money. The Walkmen, 3 p.m.: The new song? �Lost in Boston�? Fun to say out loud. Animal Collective, 4:45 p.m.: Reports from those closer to the stage laud this set as one of the best of the day, but if, like me, you�re standing toward the back, this freak-pop outfit�s lush landscape of yells and echoes and heavy reverb�while at points perfectly channeling Wall of Voodoo�doesn�t really translate so well. I blame it on the wind pushing the sound every which way before reaching my ears. If that�s even possible. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, 5:25 p.m.: There�s people standing 10 deep outside the Mojave tent for the Brooklyn band�s set. These people are totally content doing this. That�s a Brooklyn band for you. My Morning Jacket, 6:05 p.m.: One more thing about these guys: Radiohead better watch their back. Devendra Banhart, 7:40 p.m.: Shirtless and shoeless and holding a bottle of wine in one hand and a guitar in the other, Devendra is the dirty hippie every mother fears her daughter will one day bring home. Two other guitarists, a bassist and a drummer join him onstage for a decidedly not- very-folksy set that includes �Long Haired Child,� a quiet cover of Xiu Xiu�s �Heard Somebody Say� and �I Feel Like a Child.� His hold over the crowd is unreal: I can�t decide if he�s like Jesus or Manson, but either way, I�m fairly certain he could tell us to kill our parents and we would. Franz Ferdinand, 8:30 p.m.: They play the hits, and you know what? The hits still hold up. Cat Power, 8:45 p.m.: The poignance and nervous brilliance of this set converts me into a Cat Power fan. Leading the Memphis Rhythm Band, a group of a dozen or so musicians�including a slide guitarist, a string section and some backup singers who make my knees shake�Chan Marshall serves up Southern-tinged ballads like they�re mint juleps on a balmy summer night. Fluctuating between shy and flirty, a near mess and in total control, she nails it. Her voice is thick with sadness, yet there�s a palpable pride there too. It�s easily the best performance I�ve ever seen at Coachella, and I may be ruined for life because of it. SUNDAY Mates of State, 2:25 p.m.: Eternally consistent hubby-and-wife duo delivers another round of songs featuring their signature shout-at-each-other-over-drums-and-keyboards style. Also, lots of tracks from the new record, which, if you haven�t already picked it up, might just be their best. The Magic Numbers, 3:30 p.m.: Highly anticipated performance from this U.K. foursome�two brother/sister pairs�ends up one of the best of the day. �I didn�t know there would be this turnout,� front man Romeo Stodart blurts out shyly, obviously floored by the apeshit crowd response to the band�s devastatingly danceable pop songs. Still, their unstoppable melodies are overshadowed by one thing: singer/percussionist Angela Gannon, whose voice drives the crowd into a screaming frenzy every time she nears the microphone. Ted Leo, 4 p.m.: It�s a shame that the festival organizers pit Teddy boy against the Magic Numbers, since many, myself included, are torn over which set to attend. I end up choosing both, although, sadly, I kind of wish I�d stayed over at the Main Stage. Ted�s got catchy hooks and licks for days, but overall they sound minute and tiny coming from the outdoor side stage. Next time, book him in a tent. Jamie Lidell, 5:10 p.m.: It doesn�t take long to find out exactly why everyone�s fussing over Jamie Lidell: this pale, skinny U.K. guy is, well, the pale, skinny U.K. reincarnation of Morris Day, up to and including a sidekick responsible for following him around onstage and adjusting his wardrobe. Lidell is cocky and charming and 100 percent worth every ounce of fuss: dude samples his own beatboxing, loops it into a dance track and then busts out with crazzzzy funky soul. Unbelievable. Sleater-Kinney, 6 p.m.: Again, festival organizers inexplicably split the audience between S-K and Bloc Party, but this time I make a choice and commit to it. Sleater-Kinney may just be the best band touring today�when they�re not facing difficulties with sound and equipment�and this performance is no different. Sticking mainly to songs from The Woods and All Hands on the Bad One�but also digging out �Get Up� for the oldster fans!�the all-woman trio lays down some of the heaviest, thickest chords heard all weekend and then closes on a 14-minute distorta-jam that wins over every single dude in the audience. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 8:05 p.m.: Walk by just as Karen O wraps up �Y Control� on the jumbo monitors. She looks and sounds incredible. Did I really choose to eat a veggie burger over this? Sad face. Madonna, 8:30 p.m.: And finally�FINALLY!�Madonna. I�ve seen people run at Coachella maybe two times: to the Pixies and to Radiohead. This, however, is the equivalent of those two times combined and then mixed with the running of the bulls for good measure, as hipsters, bros and hip- hop fans all sprint toward the looming dance tent for Madonna�s performance�some of them pushing babies in strollers. Outside the tent, the crowd�s at least 25 people deep, not to mention the fans sitting in grandstands a couple hundred feet behind those people. And we�re all there, and everyone is bouncing around trying to see the stage, and then we wait. And wait. And wait. When the curtain opens nearly half an hour past start time, the reaction is beyond anything and everything I�ve ever witnessed at Coachella. Madonna launches into �Hung Up� off her new album and then later into �New York� and �Ray of Light��even playing guitar for those two. �Should I play an old song?� she asks. The crowd goes nuts. �Should I take my pants off?� The crowd goes even nutsier. And then it�s �Everybody,� and she�s gone. Five songs, 25 minutes, maybe less than 100 words. Only Madonna could get away with that. And only at Coachella would I let her. http://regulus2.azstarnet.com/blogs/subbacultcha/1643/gnomes-kanye-and-sunburns-oh-my-day-one-at-coachella Adrienne Lake is an LA music biz refugee often described as a "fiery redhead" who has found solace among the tumbleweeds and dive bars in the dusty burg of Tucson. Come fly with her as the monkey on her back becomes rabid, surly and overfed. Gnomes, Kanye and sunburns, oh my! Day one at Coachella 2006-05-04 Adrienne Lake A Tesla coil spews blue lightning and fills the air with the scent of ozone. A giant Japanese robot aims it�s menacing laser gun right between your eyes. A tent filled with the soothing sound of crickets features a gaggle of insulting gnomes that are quick to assault you with obscenities if you approach them. A demented bike rodeo turns into more of a wacked-out, two-wheeled roller derby, while random people riding unicycles, midget bikes and the like slam into each other laughing, while a brass band plays. A landlocked ship and it�s frozen captain are covered in what appears to be snow underneath the white dome of a tent. No, you are not in some mushroom-laced trance or one of your more nonsensical dreams. When you remember that there are nearly 100 bands playing, as well as who-knows-how-many-DJs, you are quickly jolted back to reality. You are at the 7th annual Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (presented by Goldenvoice) and it is 100 degrees in the shade. As you may have read earlier, Coachella struggled in the beginning and has become increasingly successful every year, even though this year�s headliners (Depeche Mode and Tool) don�t come close to comparing with the quality of headliners past. Regardless, there is still not just something � but quite a few things � for everyone whether you lean towards electronic music, hip hop, indie rock, Brit rock or anything in between, which is what has helped make it such a huge success. How many festivals can boast a lineup that includes the likes of Devendra Banhart, Kanye West, Franz Ferdinand, Carl Cox, Sigur Ros, Digable Planets and er, non sequiturs Madonna and James Blunt? We arrived while The Walkmen were gracing on of the event�s two ginormous stages (there are also three roomy performance tents) and made a beeline for the disappointing Nine Black Alps. The songs that I had heard of theirs sounded like they drew from early 90s post punk (those were the days!), but live they came across like any other aggro-type �alternative� act. Disappointing. Fortunately England�s Lady Sovereign made up for NBA, with her uber sassy, rapid fire, in- your-face raps. Think M.I.A. without the exotic musical influences and even more attitude. All that comes in a rather menacing, yet tiny package that is recognizable by her trademark 1985 side ponytail. When she dedicated a song to girls that wear those hideous fake orange tans, you could see spray-on tanned girls fidgeting uncomfortably and turning red underneath the orange. Miss Sovereign is a force to be reckoned with. We refused to give into the pressure to check out the extremely overhyped Aussie prog rock band Wolfmother (this band appeared to have their own TV channel while I was in Austin for SXSW) and devoured a delicious fresh coconut instead along with some very overpriced (but delicious) raw food instead. It felt good on many levels � take that Wolfmother marketing monsters! Clap Your Hands Say Yeah delivered upbeat dance rock with David Byrne-influenced vocals to a packed tent, but the opportunity to see Kanye West and hopefully hear some more political ranting was not to be missed. Wrapped in a red bandana, Kanye busted out the hits with a full cast of backup artists and brought the house down with �Gold Digger.� Strangely enough, as we scurried to the Mojave Tent to catch TV On The Radio, he launched into a medley of covers including Michael Jackson�s �Rock With You� and some surprising others, the strangest being Aha�s �Take On Me,� which inspired an audience sing-along. The man has a sense of humor� and/or unlikely tastes in music. We could only soak in a few minutes of TV On The Radio before the witching hour had arrived: Icelandic band Sigur Ros� dusk performance. Singer Jonssi looked like he was crying (perhaps it was the sound problems) while he sang a mix of new songs and older favorites in his otherworldly soprano and it was hard not to be lulled into a state of mild euphoria while laying on the lawn with friends and watching the sun sink. But that relaxed and content vibe was momentary as we grabbed a few minutes of Carl Cox�s high-energy electronic dance party before heading back to the huge Coachella stage for the much-anticipated Franz Ferdinand performance. And they delivered with a vengeance. They sounded perfect and kept several thousand people dancing for their entire set, which consisted of just a couple of songs from their first album. This was just fine with me as every song on their new album You Could Have Had It So Much Better is single-worthy. The Living Things are a much talked about act as of late, especially because of singer Lillian�s born-too-late rock & roll stage personae, so I had to check them out. The music was still not exceptional (I have their first album and saw them as they were first getting signed some years back), but I will give them this � if you need a healthy dose of rock star circa 1960 or 70, then this may be your band. Lillian is very photographable and seemed to constantly be in one of his rock star poses. After getting a few good shots (they went on incredibly late, so the crowd was very modest), my attention was not held so out of curiosity we wandered over to Depeche Mode. It was nightmarish. Have you heard the story about how Quincy Jones supposedly kicked Michael Jackson into a crumpled, sobbing heap on the floor for overdosing on �OOOHS!� and �Heeheehees� while they were recording the stellar Off The Wall? Well, somebody needs to put a call in to Quincy to come and give a boot party to David Gahan for throwing in a �YEAH!� �UNGH!� or �COME ON!� between every pause in vocals. It had to be one of the most vocally irritating things I have ever heard, partially because it was cheesy, partially because they are not The Cult and it doesn�t fit, and partially because the vocals were low and the shrieking and YEAH!-ing was entirely too loud. It was the equivalent of musical nails on a chalkboard and ruined every single song that they played, including �Enjoy The Silence.� I would like to enjoy it, Gahan� really I would. After the dance rock party of Franz Ferdinand, my Coachella party wanted a change of pace, so I sacrificed The Rakes to endure Daft Punk � not my favorite, but we have to be good sports every once in awhile. While mainstream techno is not my cup of tea, I must say, I could have come up with worse ways to spend an hour than watching smiling, dancing fiends gyrate among an admittedly impressive laser light show. I daresay it was downright� fun. So while Saturday didn�t have any Pixies, Bauhaus or Radiohead-level talent and no truly historical performances such as the previously mentioned Wayne Coyne of Flaming Lips in a giant hamster ball or Peter Murphy singing �Bela Lugosi�� upside down, it still was jam packed with great art installations, enough decent to very good bands to keep one well exercised, tasty food, reasonably priced water and sunshine� sooo much sunshine. Regardless, day one of Coachella ended sunburn and heat exhaustion free, which is probably the greatest high point of them all. But with day two a mere few hours away the tide could easily turn.
Carl	Posted - 05/08/2006 : 15:58:18 quote: Originally posted by Homers_pet_monkey If anyone wants to buy any Reading tickets, I have 5 for sale at face value ('cos I'm good like that). Really?! Cool. Yeah, I know, a bit too much Coachella... http://www.laweekly.com/music/music/what-would-madonna-do/13410/ WHAT WOULD MADONNA DO? THE STYLE COUNCIL at Coachella By CAROLINE RYDER, STEFFIE NELSON & LINDA IMMEDIATO Wednesday, May 3, 2006 - 3:00 pm Since I�m barely 5 feet 1 and not the easiest to spot in a crowd of 50,000, it was inevitable that I would lose all my friends at Coachella. I was watching the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on Sunday and had foolishly edged deeper into the crowd than I should have. Suddenly, my girlfriends were nowhere to be found. As Karen O grinned manically down at me from a big screen, I realized I was on my own. With no map or band schedule. No cell-phone reception. No entourage. It was just me, myself and my shrooms. Feeling panicky, I did the only thing that seemed safe � I searched for Madonna. Following the sea of gay men to the dance tent, all I could see were hairy backs. Warm sweat hung in the air and stuck to my face. Twenty-five minutes later, the bitch still hadn�t come on stage. The crowd was booing and someone stepped on my foot. At that moment, I hated Madonna, the world and my friends. Most of all, I hated Coachella. Then Madonna skipped on stage with her dancers. She wiggled her leotard-clad behind and yelled, �This is my first festival. Does my butt look big in this?� Madonna, I realized, would never be a crybaby if she lost her friends. She�d dance into the night and find some beautiful strangers to play with. So that�s what I decided to do. I went to the tiny rave tent and partied like it was 1992 with 300 friendly Marines and glo-stick kids. I wandered into the Snow Globe Igloo Dome, where foam cascaded from the ceiling and festivalgoers clambered over a glittery-white pirate ship. I headbanged to Coheed and Cambria and watched Coldcut (five laptops, I counted �em) play �Pump Up the Volume.� I wandered around the VIP area and met the blond drummer girl from Eagles of Death Metal, fed shrooms to a Hollywood hipster, and gave some love to Coldcut�s MC Juicy. In three hours on my own, I met more people than in the entire previous day at Coachella. By the time I met a long-haired, high-cheekboned 19-year- old boy who asked, �So you wanna hang out and see some bands together?� I thought about it for just a second. �Nah,� I told him. �I fly solo.� *�Caroline Ryder* The Like: Yes, we hate them because they�re beautiful. (Photo by Mark Hunter) Dress You Up in Your Love On the Coachella fashion frontlines, Cahuenga met crunchy, frat boys boogied beside rent boys, the Age of Aquarius met the Apocalypse and the cult of the frock reached its apotheosis. But when it�s 96 degrees in the shade, practicality is sexy. In the immortal words of Ana Matronic from the Scissor Sisters, �SPF 50, motherfuckers! What were you thinking?� Sunburns are not hot and the first-aid tent is no place to show off your new ensemble. The fashion rags have declared this the Year of the Dress, and clearly the ladies of Coachella have been paying attention. Sonja, who was rocking a Day-Glo �60s micro- mini with Chuck Taylors, told me that I had to have a cute sundress. I didn�t know cute came in all shapes, sizes and colors � glitter halters to tie-dye from Thailand. No dress is too loud or too low-cut, too short or too long. A parade of evening-length gowns amped up the hippie vibe, and de rigueur �80s shades added a little Dynasty decadence to the mix. Onstage, the looks ranged from the dressed-down, very Now skinny dark jeans and tees (worn to perfection by the curly-haired singer of Dungen) to getting fully costumed as the characters of The Wizard of Oz, as the members of Gnarls Barkley chose to do (Danger Mouse was the Wicked Witch). The fierce femmes of Sleater-Kinney made me consider cutting my hair to a boyish, sexy chin length, and hip-hop messiah Matisyahu just might start a trend with the Hasidic Jew look: black pants, long-sleeved white shirt, black cap and full beard. Madonna flexed her muscles, stripping down from pants to a leotard, and Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs is simply in a style league by herself. She�s a vamp and a clown, a bird of paradise who stayed up all night. O accessorized her red-and-purple mini dress with jester tights that were half-black, half-torn fishnet, and a single black-and-silver sequined fingerless glove. The Best Dressed Band Award goes to NYC glamorpusses the Scissor Sisters, no contest. While Tool and their oversize-black-T-shirt minions worked through their childhood rage on the main stage, Jake Shears and his de-gorgeous partner Ana Matronic pranced and vogued in gold lam� like some disco-era Apollo and Athena spreading the glittery gospel of love and redemption on the dance floor. I shudder to think what the desert dust could do to their outfits, but as the Sisters themselves advise, �If you�re gonna be gorgeous you�ve got to have just a touch of filthy.� *�Steffie Nelson* ''Animal Collective are so overrated'' Fry Me to the Moon What would a pool party at Frank Sinatra�s Palm Springs Estate be like? I pictured a bunch of hipsters afraid of getting their hair wet, sitting fully clothed around a pool, lest their pasty flesh get colored by the sun. Or would it be packed with chicks and dudes with hot tan bodies floating around all sexy sexy like a beer commercial? Bathing suit. Jesus, I�d have to wear a bathing suit . . . in front of strangers. I felt like I was 11 all over again as I desperately searched my suitcase in vain for an oversize T-shirt. By the time we arrived at Anthem magazine�s Coachella satellite party, the place was jam-packed. Some people wore bathing suits, but most of the girls were in short-short American Apparel-esque jumpers and wedge heels, or bathing suits with cowboy boots. Flip-flops are apparently out. I looked down at my Havaianas, which suddenly looked about as sexy as Tevas. There were a few partiers in the pool, but mainly larger-than- human-size rubber duckies, an octopus and a Loch Ness monster. We bee-lined it for the bar, then staked out the last bit of real estate on the poolside grass. Within a few minutes our bodies were glistening with sweat. Fuck it. We released our pasty bodies from their hiding cloaks and hopped into the pool, beers in hand. Slowly, one by one, the girls kicked off their heels, the boys took off their T-shirts and the pool filled with people. The DJ turned it out and suddenly there was a feverish dance party in the pool, punctuated by heavy splashing. No one seemed to care about the bands they were missing back at the polo fields. Girls got their hair wet. The duckies were mounted. Someone found a way to the flat �50s-era roof and jumped into the pool. Copycats followed � even a gaggle of giggling girls made the leap � until some dude, possibly a sober individual aware of insurance liability, put the kibosh on the high flyers. The sun was about to set by the time we dripped back to the festival to catch the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Massive Attack and Madonna. Some wet chicks left looking Tammy Faye Bakker after a cardio workout. Me, I hid my pool hair under a cowboy hat and was grateful for my waterproof mascara. *�Linda Immediato* http://www.lacitybeat.com/article.php?id=3691&IssueNum=152 Walking in His Shoes One critic�s day and night at the Coachella bop-�til-you-drop ~ By RON GARMON ~ Photo by Steve Appleford Soaring on the ground: Eagles of Death Metal anYe West pulled faces out of the crowd, Cat Power was out-yowled, Sigur R�s called down an ice fog, but Depeche Mode was Saturday�s mainstage heroes at the seventh Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. More than 60,000 attended the first of this two-day event last weekend (April 29-30), and the mainline music press has postmortemed this year�s event in terms of the headlining acts. But, as usual, the sideshow action at the other four stages was just as thrilling, and the crowd itself was the real star. It was the great American bop-�til-you-drop, with dance and Red Bull making acres of happy casualties as the night wore on. By 1 p.m., the damp bodies of our eminent colleagues were already lolling in the press tent. Fellow CityBeat scribe Josh Sindell and I lugged two newsboy-sized bundles of the Coachella issue over a mile in hallucino- heat. Brother Sindell had a game plan to daunt Vince Lombardi, but I was more than content to plunge into the welter of sweaty, slow-moving bodies and swing with the alkali vibe. I was promptly rewarded with a DJ set by Perry Farrell and Welsh nu- trance trio Hybrid. Here was easy obliteration for this old-time Jane�s Addiction/Porno for Pyros fan, with nearly 2,000 half-dressed pretties swaying and spritzing inside the Sahara tent to jagged, iridescent disco. The first day was well on once this hour-that-stretched finally shimmered away, with the festival outside spreading like a carnival amoeba, tickling tendrils in every direction. The post-rock festival crowd is turning into one great gladsome T.A.M.I. Show with fewer clothes and better physiques. A haul of punk boyz, biker chix, indie doods, hippie dainties, burner babies, vintage hipsters, and walking shoutouts to half-a-hundred other subcultures vast enough to daunt a pop Whitman all mixed with affection and respect. Looking as usual like the cheerful corpse of Brian Jones, I fit well in the general mishegoss. The Zutons at the Outdoor Theatre won my business over techno- godfather Joey Beltane�s fizzled booty-bomb at the Sahara. These Liverpudlians pounded impressive sparks out of the old Spirit/Joe Walsh/Grateful Dead jazz-boogie machine, moving acres of rocker-chick booty to sublime demonstration. I danced and tarried, missing Lady Sovereign�s well-received set, but managed to catch hip-hop activist Common throwing down some ultra-sophisticated bullshit at the main Coachella stage. He was like a platform preacher verbal-riffing over tricky jazz beats on the huge-yet-outnumbered Hip-Hop planet now gestating in the belly of humanity. He was replaced by Kanye West, simply one of the slickest pop artists I�ve ever seen turn the crank. He drew the marks to him by spitting out verbs and nouns like God�s Own Snakeoil Salesman over a staggered detonation of samples. He had a vast crowd on wires as I ambled off to catch the last 20 minutes of Louisville quartet My Morning Jacket. Its grassroots-tinged psychedelia jittered the rockers still standing into a tribal groove, with young love groping among the discarded Crystal Geyser bottles as the sun went down. Critics� darlings of 2001, Reykjavik�s Sigur R�s at mainstage laid down a set like a hundred-ton sleet sculpture, settling a cocoon of chill around everything in earshot. I lingered amid this gathering frost, and then legged it past Damian �Junior Gong� Marley�s Rasta-of-damned-fools to disport myself further to Ladytron�s sub-zero Euro dance-pop at the Mojave tent. I was bored by Franz Ferdinand�s pirated art-crock two years ago, and Cat Power�s exemplary Southern pop at the Mojave was being throttled by the brilliant aggro techno Carl Cox was blasting out of the Sahara. The Eagles of Death Metal roughhoused their way through trademarked greasy classic metal for the last of the rock �n� roll upright at the Outdoor. Aged and pretty, Depeche Mode launched into the evening�s star turn at the main with an air of uncorking the Good Old Stuff at party�s end. Gorgeous renditions of canonical songs like �Walking in My Shoes� had a mellowing effect as tens of thousands of harassed, woozy, happy, horny, and nostalgic temporary Indio residents seemed to smile at once. 05-04-06 http://media.sundial.csun.edu/media/storage/paper862/news/2006/05/04/Entertainment/Coachella.Desert.Music.Festival.Attracts.Massive.Crowds.Musicians-1900681.shtml?sourcedomain=sundial.csun.edu&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com Coachella desert music festival attracts massive crowds, musicians Chris Daines Issue date: 5/4/06 Section: Entertainment Thousands of tents aligned in grids on a large polo field filled quickly Friday evening. For those camping, the Coachella Music and Art Festival was more of a four-day escapist desert fantasy than a simple festival. The tents went up one by one, and soon looked more like an upper-class refugee camp than vacationers. All campers had to endure thorough searches of all their bags before entering the campground. Anticipation for the weekend's concert grew. People sat around their tents talking about which bands would be better to see live, which band was flat out lousy and who was a must- see. Meticulous schedules of the concert were printed out on sheets of paper. organizing the weekend between the almost 100 performing artists. Late evening saw the emergence of psychotropic drugs and alcohol that was magically smuggled into the campground. Drum circles began and the tents became a large tailgate party for the music festival to follow. Raucous sexual encounters in neighboring tents were not muffled by the thin polyurethane linings. The campground found peace around four in the morning. The intense sun shattered the comfort climate of the previous evening. The warm breeze and tolerable temperatures were a deceiving desert guise. Tents became almost instantly uninhabitable once the sun rose over the horizon. "It is like the desert, with carpet," said a woman leaving her tent for the polo field. Her frustration with the harsh 7 a.m. sun and the noise of the campground made her laugh uncomfortably. First timers rushed off to the venue, but veteran festival campers spent more time socializing in the campground before they left the comfort of their own water and food. The lines at the entrance to the festival were littered with water bottles. No receptacles were in place and thousands of unsuspecting people were told to drink up fast as no outside food or beverages were allowed inside the festival. Concertgoers drenched themselves in their drinking water. The extreme sun and heat dried them very quickly. The sun was almost inescapable. Shade tents were placed strategically next to food vendors. Merchandising tents lined the areas around the two-dollar bottled water stands every 500 feet around the festival field. Entr�es went for an average eight dollars. "It's the new festival diet. Lots of sun, a little bit of water and almost no food," said one man about the cost of food and water at the concert. The afternoons were sparsely crowded. Unofficial estimates put ticket sales for the two-day event at about 120,000, but the majority of attendees opted to show up later in the evening for the better-known acts. Saturday had a unique mixture of indie and mainstream acts throughout the day. The smaller tents offered alternatives to big name acts. Each concertgoer had their own agenda for the day, of who'd they see and what they would do. The audience's reactions and comments provided for nearly as much entertainment as the performers themselves. "Perry Farrell is the sex," said a woman supporting herself on the guardrail, which divided the dance tent. Farrell thrilled the crowd as he joined dance house fusion of Hybrid for three songs. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah packed one of the smaller tents so full of people the heat was almost suffocating. "His voice sounds better in person," said one woman who had stripped down to her bra and short shorts in the heat. Kanye West made everyone laugh when the riff began his famous "Gold Digger" single and he said, "White people! This is your only chance to say (the n-word)," and later he danced to A-Ha's "Take On Me." A Hollywood woman spoke on her cell phone as Sigur Ros took the stage. "Some band named se�or rose is playing� they're fabulous," she said. Fans became crushed in the crowd that pressed each other to be as close to Depeche Mode as possible. "I hope they play 'Master and Servant'," said one girl. "I took an online test and it said if I were going to be a stripper that would be my song." Daft Punk's first performance in more than seven years captured the excitement and celebration of the night. Their irreproducible bass thumped thousands of sober, and not-so-sober dancing fans. "This one girl wanted some of my e ... I'm not going to give my last e to some random girl while Daft Punk is playing," said a man in the audience. the girl walked away with her friend in disappointed anger. Sunday was an all-star festival of greatness. "They're weird, but they rock," said a woman about The Octopus Project's noon performance on the outdoor stage. Thousands danced to Los Amigos Invisibles' salsa and Venezuelan rhythms. "Ese grupo me encanta," said a woman in her best white Spanish accent possible. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists ended their set in the harsh afternoon sun with a plea for the crowd to find some shade. Their upbeat set drew the crowds in as close as they comfortably could in the heat. Sunday's heat seemed much more intense. A woman expressed her love for Leo, and he laughed. "You don't even know me," he said. "I should have been here rather than with the jumping Jew on the main stage," said a girl mesmerized with the sounds of Jamie Lidell. His soulful crooning backed by mixed electro beats, and even some improvised beat boxing kept the audience swooning over his sound. Seu Jorge performed some of his samba hits for the first time for many in the audience. An eight-month pregnant woman swayed her hips slowly to the beat and twirled her skirt in the air with both her arms. "I was so happy to have some music that I could do my pregnant dance to," she said. Madonna played, but her tent only allowed the thousands who waited there all afternoon to see her. The rest could not get within listening distance. Massive Attack's powerful stage presence and supporting singers took the audience back in time to when they first were exposed to the avant-garde, moody British soft rock. "The new album comes out tomorrow at midnight, but I bet all you f****ers downloaded it already," said Maynard, lead singer from Tool. The statement met applause from Tool's first live audience in years. The quieter dynamics of their songs were often interrupted from the thunderous dancing celebration from the Scissor Sisters on the outdoor stage. Coachella finished its seventh year with the most automobile traffic yet. The congenial crowds provided an air of camaraderie which permeated the long days and nights of the festival. Despite intense heat and insane crowds, the celebration and music outweighed all of the drawbacks of the festival. Media Credit: Chris Daines Daft Punk's electric performance enthralled crowds Saturday. Media Credit: Chris Daines Unofficial estimates say ticket sales reached almost 120,000 for the two- day festival. Media Credit: Chris Daines Dancing to Seu Jorge outside of the Gobi tent on Sunday.
Carl	Posted - 05/08/2006 : 15:44:48 http://wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2006/05/03/GoWild/Crowds.Kicked.It.In.The.Sun.At.Coachella-1899731.shtml?norewrite200605081816&sourcedomain=wildcat.arizona.edu Crowds kicked it in the sun at Coachella By Andi Berlin Very rarely does the Arizona Daily Wildcat do concert reviews. But then again, very rarely does a concert come along that explodes with international talent and revolutionizes the world music scene at the same time. Besides Live 8, of course. The Coachella Valley Music Festival in Indio, Calif., is an annual bastion of the most talented artists, performers and musicians from all over the world. Two days, five stages and about 100 bands make the event as priceless as a Mastercard, except without the interest rates. Because so many wonderful performers were crammed into the festival this year, it was impossible to see everyone. For the sake of logistics, here are some of the highlights: Animal Collective: Considering that this band had just put out possibly the most creative and best album of 2006, it was surprising that most of its set consisted of older material. During the 45-minute performance, the band played maybe one song from Feels, and about five more total (the songs were relatively lengthy). Nevertheless, it was a diverse collection filled with chaotic mouth noises, distorted rhythms and purple paint that singer Avey Tare poured all over his body to emulate blood. Sigur Ros: This Icelandic experimental band came on the main stage right at sunset. With a background of pink sky and silhouettes of palm trees, the band jammed through 10-minute-long pieces craftily and with ease. The music was relaxing, beautiful and abstract due to a lack of clear melody. Daft Punk: This electronica duo was the highlight of Coachella and honestly the best performance I have ever seen in my entire life. In fact, it was 10 of the best performances I have ever seen in my entire life. For the hour and a half the band played, the dance tent was crammed with people and devoid of any air circulation whatsoever, making it impossible to breathe. But for some reason, it didn't matter. The music was so powerful, so primal that it was hard to think of anything else. The duo appeared in robot suits, standing in the middle of a gigantic pyramid that exploded with bright, colorful lights, images and laser beams. Playing a DJ set, the two mixed all of their songs together instead of just playing one after the other, creating something new and exciting. Madonna: Although I only got to see her for a few minutes, the experience was priceless. For some reason, the big guys decided to put her in a tent instead of the stage, so the audience stretched outside for what seemed like miles, even reaching the tent next door, where another band was playing. Some people sat on port-a- potties and others must have waited for hours to see her. Just before she came on, four people on stilts with goth makeup tried to step through the crowd to get to the front. Dozens of people emptied their purses for ammo. Massive Attack: Although it may have been out of tune a few times, this trip-hop band performed an amazing night set on the second day. The songs "Teardrop" and "Inertia Creeps" were heart-wrenching to hear on a live setting, especially for Santino Rice from Bravo's fashion design reality TV show "Project Runway," who I stood next to. The Scissor Sisters: This New York band was the last thing I saw at Coachella, capping up the amazing weekend with pure energy and fun, danceable songs. The two singers came out dressed in gold, talking to the audience between every song and telling the audience to collectively howl at the moon together. They played a large amount from their new album that comes out in a couple of months, but interspersed it with classics such as "Filthy/Gorgeous" and "Take Your Mama." They concluded by informing the audience that this might be the last Coachella ever (apparently, the festival lost its lease) and then bursting into their light-hearted dance tune "Victim." It was an energetic end to an amazing weekend. Media Credit: Andi Berlin Scissor Sisters played to a hot crowd on Sunday at the annual Coachella Music Festival.
Homers_pet_monkey	Posted - 05/08/2006 : 15:03:23 If anyone wants to buy any Reading tickets, I have 5 for sale at face value ('cos I'm good like that). I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
Homers_pet_monkey	Posted - 05/08/2006 : 14:59:10 Do you get a prize if you read this thread? Jeez Louise! I'd walk her everyday, into a shady place
Carl	Posted - 05/08/2006 : 07:48:46 http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060502/EVENTS17/605020336/1006 120,000 at Coachella; 50 arrests, 65 injuries Marie McCain The Desert Sun May 2, 2006 Indio -- Fifty people were arrested at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival over the weekend, Indio police said Monday. In addition, about 65 others suffered some kind of medical emergency - mostly due to dehydration, officials said. Exact numbers were released Monday afternoon. Organizers for the event have not released an official count of those in attendance, but unofficial estimates put the number of attendees at about 120,000. Officer Benjamin Guitron, spokesman for the Indio Police Department, said at least one person suffered a heart attack on Saturday. And there were a number of heat-related illnesses reported Sunday, he added. On Saturday: 19 people were treated and released at the event's medical tent. 13 people were transported to area hospitals, including one person who suffered a heart attack. On Sunday: 21 people sought treatment at the event's medical tent and were treated and released. 12 were transported to area hospitals. Arrests were made on a number of charges, Guitron said. They were mainly drug- and alcohol-related incidents. One arrest was made for domestic violence. "When you have an event that is the size of a small city, that kind of thing is bound to happen," he said. An unofficial tally of those arrested stated: 24 people on Saturday. 26 people on Sunday. Guitron said this year's arrests were mainly routine compared to previous festivals. At one point, following Madonna's performance on Sunday, some officers donned "riot-gear" as festival goers were leaving the tent. However, Guitron said, the officers' actions were not because they anticipated a riot. "We had extra staff there that weren't wearing uniforms, so they put on what they had available," he said. "Plus, it was also a way for us to get the crowds moving quicker. It was merely to get people to move." http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060502/EVENTS17/605020306/1050 Beat goes on long after dark Many Coachella fans keep the fun going by camping out afterward Richard Guzm�n The Desert Sun May 2, 2006 The music on the stages had ended Saturday night. Thousands of music fans slowly made their way across the grassy fields to search for their cars for the slow ride out of the Empire Polo fields. But some were staying behind. "It's going to be a long night in traffic for them and I'm already home," said 21-year-old Los Angeles resident Joel Martin as he unzipped the door to his temporary home. Martin was one of about 11,000 campers who called the grassy fields of the polo grounds home for the weekend in what became a small town within the festival. Hundreds of tents organized in square neighborhoods marked by letters filled the field. A general store provided any necessary goods, while the Cantina poured Bloody Marys and food vendors fed the crowd until 3 a.m. For the campers, their tent city was a place to continue the musical celebration with impromptu drum circles pounding tribal beats and a few guitars whispering in the night. "Everyone here's got a guitar or drums. They're all making their music," said 24-year-old Luis Soto of Las Vegas as he strummed his guitar for his friends Chris Guerguiev and Beth Drumm, also from Las Vegas. "We're just relaxing tonight, everyone is tired. Last night was a lot wilder," he said. Campground organizer Kevin Lyman said the majority of people arrived at the campgrounds between 7 p.m. Friday night and 6 a.m. Saturday morning. Those who were there Friday night were treated to a viewing of the Coachella documentary film, karaoke and a dance troop. "We wanted them to have a good time," Lyman said. But by Saturday, with a full day of music, walking and heat behind them, many of the campers were exhausted and ready for a mellow night, or at least mellow by Coachella standards. "It's real kickback tonight, we're all just chilling, tired," said Northern California resident Julia Henry, as she beat her drum and a few other campers stopped to nod their heads to the rhythm. It was past 1 a.m. and Henry heard another drum beat coming from the tent next door. It was her neighbor, 30- year-old Bran Kerr. "It's all about connection here. She heard me playing and came over to make some more music," he said while continuing to drum a lazy beat. Los Angeles resident Brian Duran came out of his tent when he heard the beats. "Where is that coming from?" he asked. "I'm going to go find it keep the music going," he said as he set out in search of the drums. Richard Guzm�n, The Desert Sun Luis Soto of Las Vegas plays the guitar for his friends Chris Guerguiev and Beth Drumm as they camp out after the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060502/EVENTS17/605020307/1050 Staff members share their memories of Coachella Staff Reports The Desert Sun May 2, 2006 Our features staff members and bloggers share their fondest memories of the Coachella Music Festival: In the top 20 Of the thousands of concerts I've seen, the 2006 Coachella ranks in the top 25. The 1999, 2004 and 2005 Coachellas are in the top 10. The '06 might have made the top 10 if it wasn't so damn crowded. One of my most vivid memories of the festival is inching across the polo field with my hands crossed like a mummy in a packed crowd after Madonna's abbreviated set. Another is seeing police in riot gear march single file pass our press tent before Tool's set to prevent VIPs from getting a drink after 11 p.m. Best musical memories: Depeche Mode, Wolfmother, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Matisyahu (pictured above) and Kanye West, for the incredible show he put on. I just wish I had been able to get to more great shows. Bruce Fessier Is that Sean? Kayne moved 'em, Eagles of Death Metal rocked 'em and Franz Ferdinand nearly stole the show, but my favorite memory from this year's Coachella happened backstage Saturday, near the VIP area. It was there, among the privileged that Desert Sun reporter Maggie Downs and I stumbled onto rock royalty - Sean Lennon. Contrary to what you might expect from the son of an icon, Sean was warm and friendly, albeit a bit shy. For a Beatles worshiper, it doesn't get much better, short of a one- on-one with Paul McCartney. But I was never a Macca guy anyway. Michael Felci Fatigue buster It was during the middle of the afternoon heat that Amigos Invisibles hit the main stage. But even the sun took a back seat to their incredible performance. The group mixes rock, hip-hop, bossa-nova and Latin beats and they recreated that sound perfectly on stage. The crowd was dancing non-stop and singing along with every song. I was exhausted and hot from a night of camping and on two hours of sleep but I found myself dancing in the middle of the hot crowd, that's the power of great music. Richard Guzm�n Courtesy Of Michael Felci Sean Lennon and Michael Felci. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060503.MUSICFESTS03/TPStory/TPTravel/Music/ Summer music lovin' Pack your sunscreen, your water bottles and your bong. The season for outdoor music festivals is about to begin KEVIN CHONG Special to The Globe and Mail 'Remember that the city is a funny place," Lou Reed once sang in his 1975 song Coney Island Baby, "something like a circus or a sewer." Reed was referring to New York in the song, but his description also serves as an apt characterization of the delights and lunacy of the outdoor music festival. The light shows, the guitar slinging, the flailing tattooed men and the occasional beach ball in the crowd bring to mind a circus-like spectacle. As for the sewer -- find yourself packed into a humid huddle near the front of the stage or in a long lineup for the porta- potties and you'll know why. The music festival is like the buffet-dining version of the concert-going experience. Some of your favourite bands and others all smushed together over a couple of sweaty days in the summer, among tens of thousands of inebriated music fans in a muddy field. It makes sense that the music festival appeals to people in their early 20s who have enough time to travel to and attend the event, as well as a taste for stadium-sized events, crowds and camping. But I'd also argue that these festivals hold some appeal for older, tweedier, bespectacled music nerds who are accustomed to seeing their favourite bands in small, dark clubs while nursing a bottle of Stella Artois. Festivals usually have an act or two that they cannot afford to miss. In the past few years, the Coachella Valley Music Festival in Indio, Calif., for instance, has been the place where seminal, long-disbanded groups like the Pixies, Iggy and the Stooges, and Bauhaus have reunited. You can plan a trip to a music festival based on geography or musical taste. There seems to be a music festival in every corner of the world, from the Dawson City Music Festival in the Yukon to Quilmes Rock festival in Buenos Aires. Other rock festivals cater to specific musical subgenres such as ProgPower USA in Atlanta and the Heathen Crusade Metalfest in Minneapolis. Below is a list of some notable festivals this summer in Europe and the U.S. To prepare yourself, veterans of outdoor music festivals agree on this advice: Bring plenty of water and sunscreen; get a good tent and some lawn chairs and choose a landmark as a meeting place if you plan to split up with your friends. Above all -- pace yourself. Isle of Wight Festival Find It: Seaclose Park, UK. Date: June 9-11. Draw: 35,000. History: On a small island off England's south coast, this event was originally held between 1968 and 1970. When nearly a million people arrived in 1970, the local government banned future music festivals. But in 2002, the Isle of Wight Festival was reborn and found a permanent home in a local recreation ground. Hot Acts: Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Lou Reed, Richard Ashcroft, Goldfrapp, the Prodigy. It's Not Just About the Music, Baby: This month, a life-sized statue of Jimi Hendrix will be unveiled. He played at the festival, in front of 500,000 people, in 1970. Details: No tickets? Make friends with a scalper -- this show is sold out. Meanwhile, ticket holders can check out http://www.isleofwightfestival.com for camping and ferry information. Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival Find It: Manchester, Tenn. , on a 283-hectare farm. Date: June 16-18. Draw: 80,000. History: First held in 2002, Bonnaroo initially concentrated on "jam" bands -- rock bands that featured long, noodly instrumental passages. More recently, the festival has also welcomed hip hop, reggae, electronica, roots, soul and indie-rock acts. Hot Acts: Radiohead, Elvis Costello and the Attractions, My Morning Jacket, Seu Jorge, Steve Earle, Blackalicious, The Streets It's Not Just About the Music, Baby: The Daily Show comedian Lewis Black appears in the comedy tent. A playground with monkey bars and swings will, according to the Bonnaroo website, "help you get in touch with your inner child." Details: Tickets start at $204.35; Check out http://www.bonnaroo.com for VIP packages that include air fare, a shuttle bus, camping and cheap drinks. Danube Island Festival Find It: Vienna. Date: June 23-25. Draw: 2.5 million. History: Started in 1984 (billed as "Europe's largest youth party"), this free concert invites visitors to a manmade island in the Danube river for over 500 hours of music. Hot Acts: To be announced. It's Not Just About the Music, Baby: There will be a fireworks display on June 24. Plus, Danube Island features 42 kilometres of beach, including nudist areas. Details: The Danube's website at http://www.donauinselfest.at is available only in German. Roskilde Festival Find It: Roskilde, Denmark. Date: June 29 to July 2. Draw: 97,000. History: Founded by two high-school students in 1971, the Roskilde Festival is now run by a non-profit organization that also promotes culture and humanism. All the festival's proceeds go to charity. In 2000, nine concertgoers were killed during a crowd surge at the beginning of Pearl Jam's set. Hot Acts: Bob Dylan, Animal Collective, Franz Ferdinand, Guns 'N Roses, and Thastrom. It's Not Just About the Music, Baby: The world-music stage also features spoken-word performances, cinema and art. Details: Tickets start at $251. Check the website at www.roskilde-festival.dk/object.php?code=1 for train schedules, camping, caravanning and festival volunteer information. T in the Park Find It: Balado, Scotland. Date: July 8-9. Draw: 69,000. History: Formed in 1994, Scotland's biggest music festival is named after its major sponsor, Tennent's Lager, and features over 170 artists on 10 stages. In 2005, the event won two UK Festival Awards for "best major festival" and "best facilities and organization." Hot Acts: The Who, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Franz Ferdinand, Felix Da Housecat and the Strokes. Maybe It Is Just About the Music: Local bands perform on the T Break Stage, while the Slam Tent is devoted to dance music. Details: This show is currently sold out, but scalpers are quite likely more than happy to help. For travel details, check out http://www.tinthepark.com. Reading Festival Find It: Reading, England. Date: August 25-27. Draw: 60,500. History: The Reading Festival evolved from the National Jazz Festival, which was first held in 1961. Hot Acts: Audioslave, Belle & Sebastian, Arctic Monkeys, Pearl Jam, My Chemical Romance. It's Not Just About the Music, Baby: The Carling Stage features emerging acts, while other tents showcase comedy and dance performances. Details: At this point, you're stuck with scalper prices only. For information, visit the festival's official site at http://www.readingfestival.com.
Carl	Posted - 05/08/2006 : 06:10:46 http://www.sbsun.com/entertainment/ci_3773203 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival: Good things come in threes Mari Nicholson, Staff Writer Indio offered a girl for every boy . . . and girl. No matter which way you swing, the Sunday lineup I concocted for myself at the seventh Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival was sultry enough to make any straight girl confused, at least for a little while. Mine was a goddess-filled three hours worthy of the pushing and extreme sweating that went along with it. When I say extreme, I do mean extreme sweating; I only had to use the little girls' room once in 12 hours. Before Madonna's first festival performance in her professional music career spanning nearly 24 years, I watched Sleater-Kinney at the main Coachella Stage. Singer/guitarists Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein and drummer Janet Weiss jammed to a moderate-sized crowd, perhaps due to their having performed at Coachella before and the band Bloc Party having the same time slot. Nevertheless, they were worth and I followed those wailing elder stateswomen of rock with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I was about 20 feet from the main Coachella Stage and surrounded by Massive Attack and Tool fans in addition to Yeah Yeah admirers. Some camped out at the stage nearly four hours early but weren't entirely unhappy with what they had to watch. "OK, I don't like her, but she is hard-core,'' admitted Tool fan Mike Benson of San Francisco, of Karen O's screaming yet almost cute conversation in between songs. Those waiting for her to touch herself onstage might have been disappointed, but she put an entire microphone in her mouth, and less was more for me. "She puts on quite a performance. At least she's not Madonna,'' said Benson, 31. That kind of Madonna bashing was going on the all over the Empire Polo Field stage prior to and during the Material Girl's performance. I felt like a hypocrite for leaving the Tool fans, but it became clear to me you were either with Madonna or against her, and I had a female trilogy of sorts to complete. I was set on trying to catch a glimpse of her in the Sahara Dance Tent (with approximately 40,000 other hopeful viewers, way over half of the day's festivalgoers), so I bolted. At this point, my fear of heat exhaustion subsided unreasonably, and since I wasn't about to climb onto Port-A- Potties like many desperate individuals, I went for the tent. My dangerous Converse sneakers and boxy messenger bag enabled me to push my way over halfway into the room. I was amazed, but the crowd was accommodating or at least too faint to fight back. Madonna went on around 8:50 p.m., nearly 40 minutes after she was scheduled, and she opened with "Hung Up.'' For lack of a better cliche phrase, the crowd went wild and didn't stop throughout her set. She sounded great, looked great and she knew it. She asked the crowd how her butt looked and took her pants off, revealing her legs and leotard. Some seemed surprised, but I expected no less from her. Her unabashed attitude inspired my own confidence, I guess. Though in a pretty good location audibly, I couldn't see a thing unless I repeatedly jumped, and my legs already felt like Jell-O. I got a 6'2'' audience neighbor to hoist me on his shoulders around 9 p.m. Props to that nice guy and luckily he didn't pass out, or I'd have fallen and broken my neck. Miss Madonna performed several songs from her current "Confessions on a Dance Floor'' album, including some classics: "Ray of Light'' and her first-ever single, the dance song "Everybody.'' And then she was done. It was short, way too short, but all female performers considered, I saw a highly satisfying stretch of music. I had a "good'' time on Saturday, though. Don't get me wrong. It just wasn't as sexy. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah lived up to the massive, buzzed and sweaty crowd's expectations during the 5 o'clock hour. Alec Ounsworth's smooth vocals on "Gimme Some Salt'' got them dancing, and the movement allowed me weaving room from the back of the Mojave Tent to the center. TV on the Radio followed them with a performance I didn't expect; they haven't released a new record since "Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes'' in March 2004, but they've perfected their experimental, melodic music to a tee. Close up, their crazy, high-pitched vocals and lesser-played instruments -- the accordion for one -- was as musically sound as anything I saw the rest of the evening away from the Coachella Stage that night, occupied by Franz Ferdinand and Depeche Mode. - Mari Nicholson may be reached at mari.nicholson@dailybulletin.com, (909) 483-8549 or in care of the Daily Bulletin, 2041 E. Fourth St., Ontario, CA 91764. http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_3773198 Article Launched: 05/02/2006 12:00:00 AM PDT Coachella's broad horizons By George A. Paul, Staff writer Has the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival gone too mainstream? That was debated last weekend when an estimated 120,000 people (the largest attendance in the event's seven-year history) headed into the Empire Polo Field in Indio to watch big stars like Madonna and Kanye West. It's too soon to tell whether such high-profile bookings have tarnished Coachella's credibility or not, but the influx of concertgoers definitely made navigating the venue an uncomfortable process compared to years past. As a Coachella veteran, I've discovered the best way to approach the concert is to treat it like a musical buffet: sample liberally and you'll leave with a much fuller (albeit exhausting) experience. I caught partial or full sets from 29 of the 90-plus acts on the bill. The following is a selected roundup by stage. SATURDAY Coachella Stage: L.A.'s The Section Quartet opened the proceedings with its smart classical interpretations of Radiohead, Muse, Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" (the original's jittery rhythm worked especially well with strings) and The Clash's "London Calling." A ragged cacophony of noise from New York indie rock fave The Walkmen kept the moderate crowd's attention. The band debuted some punchy tunes from an upcoming album, but "The Rat" and "We've All Been Had" made the most impact. Common's latest album, "Be," contains some supremely soulful hip-hop, but his tired rap concert cliches (especially during "It's Your World") got old real fast. Ditto for his benefactor/producer Kanye West, whose set started late. The hit single "Jesus Walks" proved less than engaging. Icelandic band Sigur Ros was on many concertgoers' "must see" lists, but the epic, majestic tunes (sung in the native tongue and a nonsense language) from latest album "Takk�" lost their impact outdoors. Nagging sound problems didn't help matters. Franz Ferdinand has gained a reputation for putting on rousing performances; the Scottish alt-rock band didn't disappoint at Coachella. "Do You Want To?" (where frontman Alex Kapranos added, "here we are at a desert party"), "Dark of the Matinee," the frenetic "Michael," and rapid-fire vocal urgency of "This Fire" were standouts. Definitely one of the best sets overall. Depeche Mode has been touring the world for the past six months, so leader Dave Gahan's vocals were a bit ragged. Yet that didn't make the veteran synth-pop band's first concert festival appearance since the early 90s any less memorable. Gahan is still the ultimate showman. Outdoor Theatre: Liverpool band The Zutons impressed with a heady dose of upbeat, late 60s-inspired Merseybeat rock. The slinky "Pressure Point," with its doo wop-styled refrain and the breezy were audience favorites. The first truly spellbinding set of the day came from My Morning Jacket, which ho channeled the spirit and style of vintage Neil Young & Crazy Horse with several intense jams. Singer Jim James was quite the sight, letting that heavenly falsetto loose as long bushy hair and beard covered his entire face. Notable standouts included the reggaefied "Off the Record" and spacey "Gideon." Damien "Jr. Gong" Marley stirred up a crowd pleasing party a major improvement from his uneven opening stint with U2 at Staples Center last year. "No More Trouble" and a cover of father Bob's "Could You Be Loved?" showed this Marley is carrying on the family reggae tradition with spirit. Scantily clad women in wedding veils signaled the start of She Wants Revenge's electro-goth set. Justin Warfield's deep baritone and Adam 12's Cure-styled soundscapes on "Red Flags and Long Night" and "These Things" made for an intriguing mix. Sahara Tent: It was rave central by the time Daft Punk approached the conclusion of their late night set with bouncy dance club hit "One More Time." Mojave Tent: Former Catherine Wheel frontman Rob Dickinson displayed his dry British humor during a memorable solo acoustic guitar performance. The romantic songs "Oceans" and "My Name is Love," along with the wailing "Crank" and moody shoegazer classic "Black Metallic" (both from his previous band) were amazing. SUNDAY Coachella Stage: Aussie alternative pop act Youth Group started the afternoon off on a dreamy note with several solid selections from last year's underrated U.S. debut disc "Skeleton Jar," particularly the melancholy "Shadowland." Its striking cover of Alphaville's "Forever Young" was even more enchanting live. Jewish reggae performer Matisyahu had with large crowd pumped from the get-go, but his set lost steam early on during "Late Night in Zion." A human beat box routine was hardly compelling and nothing really showed him to be the hot emerging talent CD sales would suggest. Massive Attack made its first American appearance in nearly a decade. The influential British hip-hop group crafted some mesmerizing, often entrancing soundscapes that were perfect for the big stage at night. Standouts included "Angel" and "Unfinished Sympathy." Tool arrived onstage later than scheduled. Despite a penchant for over-the-top visual presentations, the prog- rock leaning band made do with bizarre film clips and shadowy lighting. Sahara Tent: This quickly became the "sauna tent" as several thousand Madonna fans arrived early during remix extraordinaire Paul Oakenfold's high energy, 90-minute set and quickly filled the place to capacity. People were packed in like sardines and the place was chaotic. Following an extended break, Madonna emerged amid mirrorballs for a taster of her upcoming tour. The dance- pop icon was as playful and sexually suggestive as ever, teasing everyone about taking all her clothes off and writhing on the floor at one point. The 35-minute set featured some hot dance numbers with her male dancers and perfect sound. "Hung Up" sizzled, "I Love New York" saw Madonna play a bit of impressive electric guitar and ad lib a slam against President Bush, while "Ray of Light" was both vibrant and exciting. Finally, Madonna pulled out a revamped version of 80s fave "Everybody." Outdoor Theatre: Scissor Sisters closed the evening with a fun, partying set that recalled Earth, Wind & Fire, mid-70s Elton John and "Saturday Night Fever"-era Bee Gees. Flamboyant lead singer Jake Shears clad in a gold lame outfit and his vocal counterpart Ana Matronic bantered playfully throughout as the band locked one tight groove after another. The band's hit cover of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," an infectious slice of hi-NRG dance, was the clear standout. http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060502/COLUMNS50/605020341/1215 Coachella stargazing was hot Darrell Smith The Desert Sun May 2, 2006 Record-breaking crowds, big-name acts, critical darlings and stars, stars, stars. That's the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio and, again, we have the scoop on who was where for the biggest show in town. Super Saturday Coachella's VIP area lived up to its name again with stars, musicians, industry types and hangers-on mingling shoulder to shoulder on Saturday. Reality TV star Nicole Richie, she of MTV's "The Simple Life," was spotted Saturday. It was Lionel's girl's return to the festival. Richie was on the VIP lawn for last year's festival featuring Coldplay, Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, Rilo Kiley and a host of others. Outside, Coachella regular Danny DeVito took over emcee duties, grabbing the mic to introduce desert faves Eagles of Death Metal. The band, side project of Queens of the Stone Age frontman Palm Desert's Josh Homme, made its homecoming at the festival's Outdoor Stage. Also in the VIP area Saturday, rock auteur Sean Lennon hung out and even took time to pose for photos with fans. Star search The stars weren't just at Coachella. They had to eat and shop and sleep, too. Take filmmaker/actress Sofia Coppola ("Lost in Translation"), spotted at El Mirasol restaurant in Palm Springs having a late bite at the eatery on Friday night. The Coppolas turned the festival weekend into a family vacation with Sofia joined by brother, director Roman and father, legendary filmmaker/winemaker Francis Coppola all staying at the Parker Palm Springs. Nicole Richie also stayed at the Parker amid rumors of possible marriage plans. Will she or won't she? Talk is that she and on-again, off-again boyfriend Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein may tie the knot. The pair backed out of Christmastime nuptials last year. Paula Abdul, a frequent desert visitor, also enjoyed luxe living at the Palm Springs hot spot and sat down for a dine bite at mister parker's. Festival promoters Goldenvoice turned Randy's Cafe in Palm Desert into a desert headquarters. And the aforementioned Josh Homme was back in Palm Desert for a little home cooking at the mid-town breakfast spot. last but not least In recent days, two big, black sport utility vehicles pulled up outside Palm Springs' legendary Ingleside Inn and 10 men sprinted out. Now this worried the Ingleside's Mel Haber until friend Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger climbed out. The Governator, in town for a speech, gave Haber a big hug and said he had to show the fellas his favorite desert spot. http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060502/EVENTS17/605020335/1050 Coachella presenter says event will return for many years Bruce Fessier and Xochitl Pe�a The Desert Sun May 2, 2006 INDIO -- Watching the sun descend on the mountains surrounding the green polo fields is one of the many highlights concertgoers experience at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. "The sunset is phenomenal," said Allyson Kolan, from Seattle, in town for her second Coachella Fest. Empire Polo Club's soft grass and picturesque surroundings also add to the concert experience. Concertoers and performers worried that this would be the "last Coachella" - had the show lost its lease, would the green grass become rooftops with development? But the Coachella Music and Arts Festival will return for many years to come, says Paul Tollett, founder of the Goldenvoice division of the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) that presents Coachella. Tollett said he has a multi-year contract with Empire, and his company just secured another lease Sunday from a neighboring property owner. Los Angeles-based Tollett declined to go into details about his lease, but Paul Stephens, owner of the neighboring Rusty Spur equestrian property, said the Empire and the Rusty Spur are among four different pieces of land with multiple owners used to present the Coachella festival. Stephens, who has rented his 20-acre property for Coachella parking since its inception, said the festival acreage has doubled since Coachella began in 1999. "I've got people from Alaska parking on my property," he said. "I've got people from Canada on my property, I've got people from San Diego on my property. I've got people from all over." The festival attracted more than 120,000 people to the two-day event Saturday and Sunday. Landscape could change In time though, some of the grounds where fans listen to nearly 100 bands for two days, may be replaced with residential villas, condominiums and a hotel. Owners of the Empire Polo Club and the Eldorado Polo Club are in the 11th year of a 35-year development agreement that gives them the right to build a resort that includes "a mix of various housing types." Neither have submitted plans to the city for development of the fields, but rumors are swirling about Eldorado being up for sale. Empire Polo Club, owned by Alex Haagen III, houses the concert. Neighboring Eldorado Polo Club - owned by 22 different partners as of August - provides parking and some campground space for the concert. Alex Jacoy, general manager of the Eldorado Polo Club, declined to comment on whether that club is up for sale. And Haagen could not be reached for comment to verify the length of the contract with Goldenvoice, the concert promoter. "This is the perfect place. It would suck," Rocky Yazzie, 28, from Phoenix said about the concert potentially changing venues. Eventually though, the plan is to develop both clubs. Both polo fields also are home to several community events and festivals other than the music festival, such as the Indio Chamber of Commerce Southwest Arts Festival and the Red, White and Blue Polo and Balloon Festival. Ben Guitron, public information officer with the Indio Police Department, has fond memories of events at the polo fields, including Prince Charles playing there. "I've grown accustomed to seeing these open, meticulously maintained grounds. They're gorgeous," Guitron said. "If it does get developed, how much of it would be around to benefit the community?" During previous interviews with The Desert Sun, Haagen said his plan for Empire Polo Club include a resort where people can stay in a hotel, condo or villa and take in a polo match. The area bound by the development agreement includes all the property between Avenue 50, Avenue 52, Monroe Street and Madison Street. While no project plans have been submitted, the Indio Planning Commission in February did approve an amendment to Haagen's development agreement for the Empire Polo Club that allows him to add six parcels totaling 57 acres. Mayor Gene Gilbert said the polo fields in Indio help set the city apart from other communities. He would like to see the fields remain. Whatever Haagen has planned for the area eventually, though, Gilbert said should fit in nicely with the area. "Whatever it is, will be first-rate with Alex (Haagen). That's all he builds. He builds great stuff," said Gilbert. Kolan, who drives down 22 hours from Seattle for the concert, would be sad to see the venue move elsewhere. "I love coming here," she said. File Photo, The Desert Sun Owners of the Empire Polo Club and the Eldorado Polo Club (grounds seen here) are in the 11th year of a 35-year development agreement that gives them the right to build a resort.
Carl	Posted - 05/07/2006 : 13:38:33 http://launch.yahoo.com/read/news/32079596 Coachella Recap: Saturday, April 29 05/01/2006 7:00 PM, Yahoo! MusicMolly Kochan The parking lot at Coachella's opening day was reminiscent of a high school cafeteria. There were punks, goths, jocks, stoners, nerds-- you name it. But instead of coming together for a plateful of cafeteria slop, these people had traveled far and wide to convene under the blue Indio sky for what promised to be more than just an earful of music. Founded in 1999, the Southern California desert musicfest Coachella is touted as the premier concert event for the sophisticated fan-- featuring, through the years, a who's-who of up, coming, and already-come modern rock artists. This year, the festival began as eager crowds warmed up with the Section Quartet, who rocked an orchestral rendition of Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker"; the Like, teens whose frontwoman Z. Berg majestically wielded a heavy guitar, a serious pout, and sultry vocals; the body- and groundshaking beats of Hybrid; and the Walkmen, sharply-dressed East Coasters whose sound was familiar enough not to be a reinvented wheel but hooky and original enough to hold its own. And so the day began, with sounds streaming from the two stages and three tents, and a record 60,000 music fans streaming onto the lawn. A few hours in, incendiary Australian power trio Wolfmother took the art of performance to another level, allowing their music to infuse their every move. Anyone able to fit into the packed tent where they played will undoubtedly remember them. Meanwhile, on the main stage, Common kicked off his set with his hit single "Be" and shared messages of self-belief and the importance of being faithful. Spectators hung on his every word, enjoying his wisdom as much as his antics (which included executing near-perfect breakdancing moves and inviting a female audience member to dance with him onstage). Common's set was marked by a sense of deep mutual respect passed between artist and crowd. However, it was Kanye West that got the crowd arm-waving in unison. Backed by a string section and DJ, West proved that he is a natural born performer and someone who just loves to be watched. He stormed through hits like "All Falls Down" and "Gold Digger," providing, as he said, the only chance for white people to say the "n-word." One of the many highlights of his appearance was a spastic hop-around to A-Ha's "Take On Me" that brought to mind Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club. As the sky dimmed, Glasgow's Franz Ferdinand took the main stage, and their sense of fun was also contagious. As they played "Take Me Out," a fan far away from the stage, who was making his way across the back of the lawn, uncontrollably uttered the chorus as if the words were part of his own thought process. The evening's two main headliners, Depeche Mode and Daft Punk, offered something very different to the crowds they respectively entertained. With new songs mixed in with the requisite older favorites, main-stagers the Mode did not disappoint their diehard fans, taking them on a journey backwards from recent single "A Pain That I'm Used To" to classics like "Walking In My Shoes" and "Personal Jesus." Faceless French techno duo Daft Punk, however, were all about the future: Sporting shiny metal space helmets, they opened their much-awaited set in the dance tent with "Robot Rock." But before they even began, the tent was sealed with people, all dying to escape into the ultramodern world of Daft Punk. And so it went. At the close of the first day, everyone walked back to cars or tents, heads filled with music and bodies covered in dry sweat. Their neatly made-up facades had long melted away, along with the genre-based musical differences that once seemed so important. The magic of Coachella had taken over and the crowd had been blissfully equalized by the thing they had come to enjoy: the music. http://launch.yahoo.com/read/news/32079773 Coachella Recap: Sunday, April 30 05/01/2006 11:00 PM, Yahoo! Music Lyndsey Parker Despite an impressively high-wattage amount of Sunday star power this year (the first performance by Tool in nearly half a decade, an equally rare appearance by reclusive trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack, a surprisingly intimate side-stage set by easy-listening chart- topper James Blunt, a career-making performance by Hassidic reggae wunderkind Matisyahu), day two of the 2006 Coachella Music & Arts Festival was for all intents and purposes Madonna Day. Ever since it was announced that the leotarded diva would grace not the main stage but the comparatively teeny-tiny dance tent for her first- ever festival performance, the subsequent megahype and seriously out of control Craigslist ticket-scalping proved this would be the Coachella event to end all Coachella events. The re-emergence of the Beastie Boys and Iggy & the Stooges in 2003, the Pixies reunion of 2004, Bauhaus's Peter Murphy dangling from the ceiling in a vampire-bat costume, the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne crowd-surfing inside a clear plastic bubble...not even these memorable moments of Coachellas past could possibly compare with a chance to see the one-and-only Divine Mizz M on a scaled-down stage previously reserved for techno headliners like Fatboy Slim and Basement Jaxx. However, Mrs. Ritchie wasn't scheduled to justify all that Coachella love until 8:10 p.m. (or more specifically, 8:33 p.m., according to this impatient writer's wristwatch), so Sunday's lineup was packed with plenty of worthy distractions leading up to the main event. Highlights included Australia's Youth Group (featuring moonlighting Vines bassist Patrick Matthews) winning over the early-afternoon crowd with an unexpectedly un-ironic cover of Alphaville's goopy prom ballad "Forever Young"; fey Frenchies Phoenix rocking the Gobi Tent with "Too Young" (even more entertaining than when Bill Murray warbled it in Lost In Translation); British brother/sister act the Magic Numbers warming up the uninitiated but highly receptive main-stage audience with their sunshiny harmonies; and post-punk press darlings Bloc Partyunveiling some stunningly good new tunes to quickly quash any rumors of an impending sophomore slump. But there were really only two Sunday acts that had any chance of upstaging Madonna. First was the avant hip-hop duo of Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse--aka the superhyped Gnarls Barkley--whose Gobi Tent spectacle swiftly let any out-of-towners attending Coachella know they weren't in Kansas anymore. They kicked off their brain- boggling Wizard Of Oz-themed showcase (witnessed by noted fan Danny DeVito, incidentally) by strutting onstage to the strains of Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon intro "Breathe," Cee-Lo resplendent in a Cowardly Lion outfit, sidekick Danger Mouse dressed as the Tin Man. Accompanying this dynamic duo were a colorful cast of characters that included a string quartet of Flying Monkeys, a bevy of Dorothy and Scarecrow backup singers, and a band of Wicked Witches. And while the sweltering, sweaty heat inside the triple-packed tent had many suffering spectators on the verge of howling, "I'm melting, I'm melting," it was still a truly magical, over-the-rainbow event. The only other band able to steal any of Madonna's seemingly un- steal-able thunder was the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, whose Karen O once again proved she is just as much a femme-fetale superstar as Madge. Hair shorn in a Joan Of Arc bowl cut, face smeared with Adam Ant warpaint, lanky frame wrapped in sequins, slashed harlequin tights, and a puzzling batik romper (only this chick can rock a tie-dyed skort and an Emo Phillips bob and still look cool), Karen took total command of the main stage, even writhing around on the floor like Madonna in her "Lucky Star" heyday. But it was soon clear that Madonna's heyday is far from over, because the minute the YYYs finished their set, pretty much all 60,000 or so Coachella attendees (including Nicole Richie and Andy Dick) began their mass migration to the dance tent on the far end of the field. It was the Million Madonna March, so to speak. Concertgoers were fleeing the nearby sets by the unfortunate Editors and Mogwai (who are probably firing their booking agents right about now) with such urgency, one might have assumed there had been a bomb threat. Soon the idea of the biggest female pop star of the past 25 years playing the dance tent--rather than the more suitable main stage, which oddly remained dark and vacant during Madonna's set--seemed foolish rather than cool. Despite the fact that the tent had been built out to be roughly one-third larger than usual and was now flanked by helpful giant video screens for the vision-impaired (i.e., everyone who wasn't in the front row, in this case), the tent still couldn't accommodate an audience as massive and enthusiastic as this. Desperate fans began climbing on top of the porta-potties in hope of catching a clearer glimpse of their idol, refusing to budge when the beefed-up security staff tried to yank them down or even when the AndyGumps' flimsy plastic roofs started to buckle under their weight. (Talk about a crappy concert experience!) And when the woman of the hour--as noted previously-- was still nowhere to be seen 20 minutes after her advertised set time, and the crowd began to get restless, ominous visions of the Who in Cincinnati and other infamous concert disasters raced through this worried writer's mind. But such dark thoughts were quickly brushed aside as soon as Madonna finally got the party started. Ditching her disappointingly mumsy, English-socialite-at-teatime persona and instead looking like a post-makeover Sandy from Grease with her blonde Farrah flip, Goldfinger complexion, wraparound shades, and skintight black leather biker outfit, she gloriously basked in the refractive glow of both an enormous Studio 54 mirrorball and the audience's adoration. The Queen of Coachella kicked off her set with "Hung Up" and from that moment on truly put on the show of shows. She crawled, slow-mo and pantherlike, along the stage's edge. She engaged in a good old-fashioned dance-off with a backup dancer during "Get Together." (She won, by the way.) She strummed a single open chord on a black Les Paul during "Ray Of Light" (sure, she's no Jimmy Page, but she sure looked cool with a guitar slung around her neck) while an army of silver-jumpsuited dancers vogued behind her. "Should I take my pants off?" she queried rhetorically before stripping off to one of her trademark leotards, declaring, "It's too hot to wear clothes!" and then asking the audience if her ass looked OK in such form-fitting Lycra. (It did, by the way. It looked very OK.) And she closed her all-too-short set with her classic early-'80s Danceteria anthem "Everybody," as confetti and glitter rained down from the desert night sky. True, Madonna threw a bit of a kink into this year's Coachella: The record crowd she drew led not only to caved-in porta-potties but to an agonizing three-hour wait to exit a parking lot that resembled a monster truck rally pile-up. But to those who can say they were there, it was worth it. The Coachella organizers are really going to have a tough time topping themselves in 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/02/arts/music/02coac.html FESTIVAL REVIEW Coachella, an Indie-Rock Festival With Room for Madonna By BEN RATLIFF Published: May 2, 2006 Correction Appended INDIO, Calif., May 1 � The concertgoers at the seventh annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, which filled a polo field here over the weekend with nearly 60,000 people a day, did not go to be one with the music and get dirty. Nor were they sad, suburban metal teenagers being treated like liabilities, roped and cordoned and overmanaged. This was an indie-rock festival, 94 acts on five stages, and the operation was delicate: a sleek round of commerce for the taste-making class. Yet Madonna and Kanye West played here this year, and they encountered even more love than the alternative-rock groups that are at the heart of this festival. And for all the famous discernment of these taste makers, one didn't feel much palpable reaction among them. Until the final acts � including the prog-rock band Tool, the moody electronic pop group Depeche Mode and the French dance-music duo Daft Punk � offered an appropriate moment to loosen up and shout in the dark a little, the participants gamely absorbed and contextualized. This is not an audience that wears T-shirts of its favorite band or beer. Two hours east of Los Angeles, in the golf-resort desert lowlands, the festival started off six years ago with a crowd that knew what it was traveling there for. Now it has inevitably become larger and more mainstream, but the audience is still largely mid-20's, white, upper middle class, educated: prize ponies for advertisers, who must tread lightly around them. Coachella crowds are leisure mavens used to exercising choice, and they favor small designers, like Junker and NaCo, rather than Nike logos or keepsakes from old rock concerts. But exercising prudent choice is not the same thing as declaring love. Coachella is not a rock festival for communal bliss: it can feel almost like a trade show, filled with informed and fairly dispassionate consumers sampling a band, checking it off a list, moving on. Often this was a peculiarly tepid response to brilliant shows. Several bands, including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Duke Spirit, Animal Collective, Cat Power and Deerhoof, gave it everything they had, each staging remarkable, potentially career-changing performances. The sense of informed caution was everywhere but onstage. What is a Coachella band, then? A band that has just reconvened, for one thing, or wants to give a teaser of a forthcoming tour. The original lineup of the Smiths was said to have been courted by the festival but turned down a $5 million offer to reunite. Instead, on Sunday, Tool, a band that hasn't toured in four years, devoted about a quarter of its set to songs from its new album, "10000 Days," with a stage show involving enormous sound and enigmatic, ponderous bad-dream films on the giant video screens. (Its brooding, riff- heavy music upped the festival's low testosterone quotient.) Madonna previewed her summer tour, which starts in earnest at the end of May, with a 45-minute set of mostly recent songs from "Confessions on a Dance Floor"; she had a Les Paul strapped to her body, a phalanx of dancers, and a live backing band to play letter- perfect late disco. Being a Madonna show, geared toward the visual language of fashion magazines, it was reified on delivery, full of blocked and posed freeze-frame moments. She gave some decent action, however, by cursing at someone in the front row for spilling water on her stage, and mopping the spill herself. Madonna was in line with another characteristic of Coachella bands: she is a clinical analyst of music from the 1970's and 80's. The Magic Numbers, My Morning Jacket, Bloc Party, Eagles of Death Metal, the Zutons, the Duke Spirit: they all carry deep marks of music from a long time ago. Kanye West, in his Saturday afternoon show, was no different. After performing his hit "Gold Digger," with its old Ray Charles sample, he played old-school D.J., giving the crowd a snippet of Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," then Michael Jackson's "Rock With You." "I'm going to play you one of my favorite songs," he then said. "I swear it's not a joke." It was "Take on Me," by Ah-Ha, one of the most fey radio hits of the 80's. Mr. West did a New Wave dance around the stage, looking as serious as he said he was, and the crowd � which may have been wondering what an emissary of true-blue pop culture was doing on its turf � appreciated the perfection of the counterintuitive cheesiness. Mr. West used a string section to boost his live sound, and he wasn't alone. Sigur Ros used strings and brass in its dusk-hour set of rock songs fit for cathedrals, hovering for long stretches in the middle ground between crescendo and decrescendo. Gnarls Barkley, a new collaboration between the singer Cee-Lo and the producer Danger Mouse that treads the line between misfit indie-rock and freaky R&B, used samplers, a band and backup singers, with everyone dressed as a character from "The Wizard of Oz." And Chan Marshall performed songs from the new Cat Power album, "The Greatest," with a slick band full of Memphis studio musicians. For a singer who has conditioned her audiences to shaggy, discontinuous rambling, this was a glaring act of professionalism. Ms. Marshall warmed to the role, pulling her hair back from her face, smiling, keeping the show brisk. At the set's middle, she went back to her strange old ways for a minute: she gave the band a break, sang with a cracking voice and some rudimentary guitar chords, and covered her face with her hair. Animal Collective played a set of well-practiced, neatly arranged freaking out, using electronic sound samples, processed guitar and lots of wild, elastic, almost ecstatic singing: working under the afternoon's dry heat, the band seemed to be expelling demons and worked against the coziness and knowingness of the crowd, the I'll-blog-about-you- blogging-about-me energy. And Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs won the prize for most sincere response, looking genuinely moved and energized by the sight of a crowd that she said was the biggest she had ever played to. Moving her long limbs slowly and imposingly, giggling and crooning and screaming maniacally, she was trying to feel something, and finally made the crowd feel something too. In the ballad "Maps," when she carefully sang the line "They don't love you like I love you," many women in the crowd turned to the men they were with and mouthed the lyric, making it theirs. Correction: May 3, 2006 A picture caption in The Arts yesterday about the opening of the summer concert season misstated the surname of a member of the group Franz Ferdinand, which performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. He was Alex Kapranos, not Kaprano. Lucas Jackson/Reuters Madonna was in line with another characteristic of Coachella bands: she is a clinical analyst of music from the 1970's and 80's. http://music.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1160023.php/Coachella_day_two Music News Coachella day two By Jonathan Cohen May 2, 2006, 5:28 GMT Madonna made her festival debut Sunday night (April 30) at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., performing six songs in front of one of the largest crowds ever to witness an artist at the event. Day two of Coachella was also highlighted by performances from Massive Attack, Scissor Sisters, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Tool and Gnarls Barkley. Madonna was more than 20 minutes late starting, and her delayed set drew several rounds of booing from the sea of humanity packed into and around the Sahara Tent. But she oozed personality once taking the stage, at one point shouting at a fan who had thrown water onto the stage and then wiping it up herself. The set featured her latest hit single 'Hung Up,' 'Get Together,' 'I Love New York,' 'Ray of Light,' 'Let It Will Be' and the vintage 'Everybody.' The show served as a warm-up for the May 21 kick-off of her Confessions tour in Los Angeles. Playing their first U.S. show in eight years, Massive Attack did not disappoint with a powerful set led by material from its 1998 album, 'Mezzanine.' Cocteau Twins vocalist Liz Fraser made a rare appearance to sing such tracks as 'Teardrop' and 'Black Milk,' while Horace Andy took the mic for 'Man Next Door' and 'Angel.' The set also featured 'Inertia Creeps,' 'Safe From Harm' and 'Future Proof.' The Scissor Sisters kept the party going on the second outdoor stage with unabashed dance pop tunes like 'Take Your Mama,' 'Laura,' 'Mary' and their hit cover of Pink Floyd`s 'Comfortably Numb.' Vocalist Ana Matronic also led the crowd in a howling at the moon early in the set. Gnarls Barkley shared Scissor Sisters` flair for the dramatic, choosing to take the stage decked out as characters from 'The Wizard of Oz.' Vocalist Cee-Lo eventually stripped down to his undershirt to belt out 'Transformer,' 'Smiley Face,' 'Necromancing' and 'Crazy,' which is now in its fourth week at No. 1 on the U.K. singles chart. Not to be outdone, Yeah Yeah Yeahs vocalist Karen O trotted out one of her trademark sparkling stage outfits for the band`s early evening set on the main stage. The group opened with 'Cheated Hearts' from its new album 'Show Your Bones' and also played new single 'Gold Lion,' 'Phenomena,' 'Art Star,' 'Turn Into' and its breakthrough hit, 'Maps.' � 2006 VNU eMedia. All Rights Reserved
Carl	Posted - 05/07/2006 : 13:23:57 Er, there is a bit too much Madge, there! I came across a load of Coachella stories in Google News , and, of course, got that nagging compulsion to post some of them....then some became....Google News just has pages and pages of stuff!
fbc	Posted - 05/07/2006 : 12:37:03 You got a secret hankering for Madge, eh? Lol-la-pa-looza / I don't mean maybe / Lol-la-pa-looza / She's Carl's baby ;)
Carl	Posted - 05/07/2006 : 12:04:20 http://www.calendarlive.com/music/cl-et-coachdance2may02,0,4609321.story?coll=cl-music May 2, 2006 DANCE MUSIC REVIEW Sahara tent is an oasis Sets by Paul Oakenfold and Massive Attack prove there will likely always remain room for the underground faves. By Steve Baltin, Special to The Times INDIO, Calif. � There may be no question the face of Coachella is evolving with the presence of Madonna and Kanye West among others, but Sunday night proved there will likely always remain room for the underground faves. Massive Attack, the Bristol ensemble who pioneered trip-hop, made a triumphant return. Taking the main stage under a haze of smoky red lights that reflected its sinewy, sultry sound, the group, joined by several guest vocalists, including the Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser and frequent collaborator Horace Andy, opened with "False Flag." With the festival in a post-Madonna hangover, the set didn't really kick into gear until about halfway through with the hip-hop-flavored "Karmacoma," off of 1994's "Protection." Backed by an unusual five-piece setup that included two drummers, the group fleshed out its dark, atmospheric grooves with a dense, more muscular framework throughout, punctuating several selections, including "Safe From Harm" and the closing "Group Four," with extended solos, the latter rising in a frenzied pace until its explosive finale. There was plenty of other dance/electronic music spread out over the grounds on Sunday, including the warm sounds of Jazzanova and acid jazz pioneer Gilles Peterson in the Gobi tent. But the heart of the dance scene remained the Sahara, albeit a very different than normal scene. Reconfigured with a massive VIP pit in front for Madonna, the tent took on a live vibe as fans waiting all day in the sweltering heat pressed up against the barricades, turning DJs such as Kaskade into rock stars. House music favorite Louie Vega made some new fans, but it was Paul Oakenfold, in essence opening for Madonna, who made the most of the night, supplying the packed house with crowd-pleasing expansive trance grooves and such proven hits as Underworld's "Born Slippy." http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002425869 Madonna's half-hour-long performance proved to be just a tease for her upcoming tour. (WireImage.com file photo) May 02, 2006 Coachella Valley Festival By Darryl Morden "Even the stars look brighter tonight, nothing's impossible." As Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan sang the band's life-affirming ballad under painted desert skies, he touched on the heart of this year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif.: a remarkable community of musical diversity. With 60,000 people braving hot temperatures Saturday and Sunday, Day 2's sell-out was credited in part to Madonna's appearance. However, her half-hour performance in the dance- themed Sahara Tent -- with a massive overflow crowd outside watching video screens to get a taste of the pop icon -- turned out to just be a tease for her upcoming tour. Playing its largest U.S. market of Southern California, Saturday headliners Depeche Mode reworked a trimmed version of its current tour set to include fan treats like the early '80s single "Photographic," not performed live in about two decades. Returning to the festival it helped launch in 1999, Sunday's top- billed Tool issued howling and dark industrial rock on the main Coachella Stage. Their angry and severe songs were contrasted by the '70s-inspired pleasure pop of the campy Scissor Sisters as well as Britain's bubbly The Go! Team, each playing on the Empire Polo Field's neighboring Outdoor Theatre stage. Saturday's second-billed Franz Ferdinand delivered heat of its own with amicable yet antsy hook-filled art-rock, while the new beat-enriched, rousing sound of Yeah Yeah Yeahs was equally exuberant the next day. Taking the main stage late Saturday afternoon, rap star Kanye West was the event's other mainstream entry. He wisely left his ego at home and checked his usual theatrics at the door to win over any skeptics. Joined by live musicians rather than just a DJ, he was self-effacing yet forcefully delivered his hits, including a gripping "Jesus Walks." Sunday's breakout performances came in back-to-back Mojave Tent sets from stellastarr* and the Editors, whose bold, thoughtful songs recalled the earnest passion and sonic discovery of early U2. The crazy patchwork musical quilt of Gnarls Barkley (comprising rapper Cee-Lo and mixer Danger Mouse) also was a winner, drawing thousands in and all around the Gobi Tent. Atmospheric, often orchestral landscapes by Iceland's Sigur Ros were perfect for Saturday's sunset slot, transitioning into the night and giving folks a chance to recharge.The soulful yet symphonic works of Britain's Massive Attack proved equally dramatic mid-Sunday evening. The magic of Coachella is being able to dash away from a big name for another rewarding experience. While Depeche Mode was playing for tens of thousands, the Living Things fired off rounds of politically charged yet swaggering rock 'n' roll for a couple hundred inside the Mojave tent. Among Saturday's snapshot moments were My Morning Jacket summoning Claptonesque guitar firepower for the extended coda of "One Big Holiday," the retro-with-a-wink '70s riffing of the Eagles of Death Metal and the uplifting reggae from Damian Marley carrying on the family tradition. Other notable performances Saturday came from tough U.K. rockers Nine Black Alps, Australian metal stompers Wolfmother, England's soul-dipped, tilt-a-whirl Zutons, impish English rapper Lady Sovereign and an impressive main stage showing from the Walkmen. Sunday's lineup also included the spirited and tuneful Hasidic reggae-rap of Matisyahu, veteran indie rabble-rousers Sleater- Kinney, boisterous Brits Bloc Party, the bittersweet Dears, the ever-quirky Digable Planets and the buoyant pop of the Magic Numbers. As with past years, Coachella 2006 was so rich a buffet, it offered more than anyone could sample -- even over two days. Bottom line: From icons to acts on the rise, richly diverse sounds thrive. Copyright 2005 The Hollywood Reporter http://www.insidebayarea.com/entertainment/ci_3773466 Article Last Updated: 05/01/2006 06:45:30 PM PDT Variety is the spice of life at Coachella By Jim Harrington, STAFF WRITER It's hard to name a stranger one-two punch in the music business than Kanye West and Sigur Ros. KISS and Yo-Yo Ma? George Jones and Nine Inch Nails? Well, maybe. But you'll never see those acts share the same stage on the same evening. Unless, of course, Coachella organizers book it. The eclectic booking approach is the single greatest thing about the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. It's what makes Coachella the most important annual rock festival in the United States, far above other, more one-dimensional large gatherings like Bonnaroo. The seventh annual two-day fest, which drew some 120,000 ticket holders to the desert town of Indio last weekend, was another diversely entertaining affair. The event featured big- name hip-hop acts (West and the Digable Planets, playing in San Francisco Wednesday and Thursday), popular hard rockers (Tool), young buzz bands (Wolfmother, the Editors), huge pop stars (Madonna, James Blunt) and indie-rock darlings (the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sleater-Kinney). All of this variety would mean less than zero if the mix didn't gel. Yet, Coachella's vibe, which is very reminiscent of the old Lollapalooza tours, is very welcoming and encompassing. It doesn't hurt that the event is incredibly well-organized and that the fans, in general, are surprisingly well-behaved. The result is that all of these different musical styles achieve true synergy in this shared setting � even a back-to-back booking of West's killer hip-hop and Sigur Ros' bizarre Icelandic indie-rock. With more 80 acts performing on five stages, there's simply no way to catch everything worth hearing and seeing during Coachella. Here's what this critic did catch during his stay in Indio. Day one It's appropriate that the first performer I caught at Coachella was the East Bay's own Lyrics Born. The Oakland rapper, best known for the catchy single "Callin' Out," delivered a crowd-pleasing set that drew heavily from his debut disc, 2003's "Later That Day." The 'Yay Area' hip-hop scene, as you've all probably read, is currently ruled by East Bay rapper E-40 and his hyphy cohorts. But LB is every bit as talented and as interesting as E. His lyrics are sensational, coming across like a mix of the Streets and Jay-Z, and he possesses one of the best flows in the business. LB's greatness was further underscored when I headed over to catch Common, a rapper who possesses a flow as deep as a dry creek bed. Common's set was pretty much a waste of my time, but it did allow me to finagle a good spot to watch Kanye West, who followed Common. The incomparable Mr. West further established himself as the current king of hip-hop with a drama-rich showing that mixed great tunes from the rapper's two blockbuster discs, 2004's landmark "The College Dropout" and 2005's "Late Registration." Backed by a dynamic classical-style string section and clad in a Miles Davis T-shirt, West hit the crowd with powerful renditions of "Slow Jamz," "Gold Digger" and "Jesus Walks." Sigur Ros was an odd choice to follow Mr. West, but it worked. What's really impressive about this Icelandic troupe is that it really doesn't sound like any other band. There's a little bit of Radiohead and some Pink Floyd in the mix � but, largely, the dreamy, intoxicating sound is all its own. I also got a chance to see the heavily hyped Cat Power, who is appearing tomorrow and Thursday at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. She seemed a little out of it and not quite in sync with the other musicians on stage. Still, Cat Power's voice was fine, a mix of Fiona Apple and Carly Simon, and her Memphis-R&B-meets-indie-rock sound was intriguing. The evening climaxed with another fine outing by Depeche Mode, the legendary synth-pop act who prepped for Coachella with a show at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View last week. Day two In general, the performances given on Sunday � at least the ones I caught � didn't quite live up to what was seen and heard on the previous day. It was, however, the more heavily hyped of the two days, given that it featured both Tool and Madonna. While waiting for those two megastars to take their respective stages, I filled the day with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Matisyahu, Sleater-Kinney and a brief bit of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. That's not a bad way to kill time � I'd pay to see that lineup at Shoreline. Folks have been telling me for ages that I needed to go see Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and, well, they were right. The group delivered a highly likable set that combined a wealth of rock styles, from punk and college to garage and pop. Matisyahu drew plenty of attention from curious concert-goers. The rap on the artist has been widely reported � he's a Hasidic Jew who rhymes about Judaism over dancehall grooves. That's only part of what differentiates him from the competition. He's also got mad skills on the mic, which include beatboxing, and he shapes his tunes in very interesting ways, often with a touch of hard-rock guitar. The highlight of the day, at least in this critic's book, looked to be Sleater-Kinney. The riot grrl-influenced punk trio is one of the finest live acts around, arguably the best that Coachella had to offer this year. Unfortunately, it wasn't one of the Northwestern threesome's finer outings, owing in large part to an iffy set list. I caught a brief glimpse of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and would have liked to see more, before heading with the rest of the crowd over to one of the DJ tents to watch Madonna. The Material Girl wasn't spinning records, but she might as well have been. The tent was jammed and most fans couldn't see Madonna as she kicked out recent club tunes from her catalog. She did sound pretty strong, which got me excited for her shows on May 30 and 31 at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. The evening closed with the avant-garde hard rock of Tool. The band just released its highly anticipated new CD, "10,000 Days," and will support that album with a show Thursday at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland. At one point during the darkly appealing set, I shook my head in amazement that someone actually booked Madonna and Tool on the same bill. I mean, that's almost as strange a combination as Kanye West and Sigur Ros. And that's the beauty of Coachella. Write music critic Jim Harrington at jharrington@angnewspapers.com. Kanye West performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival last weekend in Indio, Calif. (Rollie Blue)
Carl	Posted - 05/06/2006 : 10:16:05 http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1529895/20060501/west_kanye.jhtml?headlines=true Madonna, Kanye Just Add To Coachella's Eclectic Atmosphere 05.01.2006 4:23 PM EDT Commercial acts join headliners Tool, Depeche Mode and newcomers Gnarls Barkley, Wolfmother in desert. Kanye West performs at Coachella on Saturday Photo: Karl Walter/Getty Images INDIO, California � Approximately 100 hours of music was performed at Coachella over the weekend (12 hours times five stages times two days minus set changes), yet the desert festival's 2006 edition will likely be remembered for two 30-minute flashes. That's because, whether it's technically accurate to say so or not, this was the year Coachella went commercial, with pop superstars Kanye West and Madonna invited to the hipster kids' party. (Dozens of commercially successful bands, from Rage Against the Machine in 1999 to Coldplay in 2005, have played Coachella, but this was different, hence the "Madonna Killed Coachella" T-shirts seen around.) And with Kanye and Madonna came a beautiful oddness tailor-made for a festival that prides itself on eclecticism. (Icelandic weirdos Sigur R�s followed Kanye, for example, while metal weirdos Coheed & Cambria started seconds after Madonna finished in the next tent over.) Unfortunately, it also brought along a few elements typical of a commercial concert: Both were about 20 minutes late, a Coachella rarity, and both were also rather sassy, although it played out well during their respective shows. Kanye, seemingly frustrated by his late start, picked up his set list and crossed off songs, although it might have been his best move as he left nothing but hit singles, from "Touch the Sky" to "Jesus Walks." In introducing "Gold Digger," he boasted, "The Grammys got it wrong: This was the Song of the Year." And later in the song, the rapper, sporting a Miles Davis T-shirt, encouraged a sing-along by joking, "White people, this is your only chance to say n---a, so you better take advantage of it." While Kanye hit the main stage on Saturday, Madonna took the Sahara tent, so the question going into her highly anticipated 8 p.m. show (by far the biggest crowd the "dance" tent has ever seen) was whether it would be a hits set or something for the ravers. Madonna went the latter route, opening with the same performance of "Hung Up" she did at the Grammys (giant disco ball and all), followed by two more tracks from 2005's Confessions on a Dance Floor: "Get Together" and "I Love New York." Perhaps it was the song choices or the volume, which seemed about half as loud as Paul Oakenfold's set just before, but the crowd started dispersing early, even though no act was on the main stage. Maybe Madonna noticed or maybe she was just being herself, but the sass came out in comments like, "Do not throw water on my stage, mother------s" and "Does my ass look nice?" Madonna, who danced seductively, played guitar on a few tracks and added the line "Just go to Texas and suck George Bush's d---" into "I Love New York," got some energy going with "Ray of Light," and earned her loudest cheers of the night when she asked: "Do you want to hear an old song?" (After which she asked, "Should I take my pants off?" and proceeded to do so.) The feather boa she donned indicated it might be "Material Girl," but she instead went with her very first single, "Everybody." As the track came to an end, a curtain closed on Madonna and her dancers, leaving the crowd collectively wondering, "Is that it?" It was, for Madonna at least. So it's a good thing there was another 99 hours of music. And here are a few highlights: Kanye and Madonna were all the talk, but the festival's headliners were actually Depeche Mode and Tool, and both seemingly left their massive audiences thrilled. Depeche front-ended their set with newer, slower material, but those who stuck around were treated to hits like "Personal Jesus" and "Enjoy the Silence." Tool, on the other hand, came out fighting with "Stinkfist" (and frontman Maynard Keenan saying, "Hello, hippies") and plowed through their best-known material, with a few new tracks included. Unlike past years, where some headliners have struggled with filling the giant venue sonically, both Depeche and Tool were near pitch-perfect. Several acts came out of lengthy hiatuses for Coachella (Tool, Massive Attack, etc.), but the most welcomed back were Daft Punk, who played for a near-Madonna-size crowd at the Sahara tent to close out Saturday. Dressed as robots and perched in a booth high above the stage, the DJs spun an electrifying techno mix (with frequent snippets of their smash "Around the World") that made it almost impossible not to dance. Every Coachella features a breakthrough afternoon tent performance (last year it was Bloc Party, who graduated to the Outdoor Theater this year) and the new breakout was clearly Wolfmother. The Australian vintage rockers ripped through their Led Zeppelin-esque tracks with fervor while afroed frontman Andrew Stockdale worked the crowd with his rock poses. With the temperature soaring near triple digits on Sunday afternoon, Matisyahu took the main stage and delivered a spiritual, reggae-fied show fit for the occasion. "It's divine intervention that I'm here in the desert today," the Hasidic rapper said. "This is the time in the Jewish calendar when the Jews traveled the desert for 49 days." Matis also rocked the mic with some serious beatboxing and achieved the Coachella sing-along moment when he closed with "King Without a Crown" (sorry, Kanye), which recalled a similar vibe to Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley singing his dad's "Exodus" and "Could You Be Loved" the night before. If you don't count their secret club show Friday in Los Angeles, Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse debuted their Gnarls Barkley project Sunday, despite what the former said from the stage. "Gnarls Barkley couldn't be here, so we're going to play their songs," he joked. "We're called Mean Old Lion and the Hearts." The joke was a reference to their stage attire, which was inspired by "The Wizard of Oz" with the band as witches, singers as Dorothy and Scarecrow, and Cee-Lo as the Lion. Gnarls could have come out dressed as James Blunt, though, as it was their funked-out soul tunes that turned the crowd, well, "Crazy." A few special guests hit Coachella stages, from Cocteau Twins singer Liz Fraser joining Massive Attack on "Teardrop" to No Doubt guitarist Tom Dumont joining laid-back rocker Matt Costa, to some girl in the crowd grinding with Common. The weirder, slightly familiar faces were in the audience, though, including Josh Groban, "American Idol" finalist Lisa Tucker, "Project Runway" finalist Santino Rice, Danny DeVito (enjoying Daft Punk), Nicky Hilton, Nicole Richie and Linkin Park's Brad Delson. Once again, the U.K. served Coachella a smorgasbord of sweet stuff, including the unique grime sounds of firecracker Lady Sovereign, the sexy saxophone rock of the Zutons, the dance-rock perfection of Franz Ferdinand and the feel-good jingles of the Go! Team. Non- exported highlights included New York's Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Stellastarr, Montreal's Wolf Parade and Kentucky's My Morning Jacket. Despite the mid-afternoon heat, mainstage standouts the Walkmen still donned their trademark suits, with singer Hamilton Leithauser in a khaki getup. "It was either this or black corduroy," he said backstage. "This is all I packed." For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports. � Corey Moss http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060501/UPDATE01/60501014 Coachella promoter commits future to valley Bruce Fessier The Desert Sun May 1, 2006 The Coachella Music and Arts Festival will return for many years to come, says the promoter of the recently concluded mega-event at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. Paul Tollett, founder of the Goldenvoice division of the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) that presents Coachella, said he has a multi-year contract with Empire, and his company just secured another lease Sunday from a neighboring property owner. Tollett, based in Los Angeles, declined to go into details about his lease, but Paul Stephens, owner of the neighboring Rusty Spur equestrian property, said the Empire and the Rusty Spur are among four different pieces of land with multiple owners used to present the Coachella festival. Stephens, who has rented his 20-acre property for Coachella parking since its inception, said the festival acreage has doubled since Coachella began in 1999. Stephens said the economic impact of the Coachella festival goes beyond filling hotel rooms and fast food restaurants with Coachella concert goers. He said the Coachella fest gives businesses that advertise near the festival a chance to reach concert goers from around the world on just a few acres of space. �I�ve got people from Alaska parking on my property,� he said. �I�ve got people from Canada on my property, I�ve got people from San Diego on my property. I�ve got people from all over.� The festival attracted more than 120,000 people to the two-day event Saturday and Sunday. http://www.calendarlive.com/music/cl-et-coachmain2may02,0,4007965.story?coll=cl-music May 2, 2006 COACHELLA MUSIC FESTIVAL Pop goes a haven of rock* An electrifying set by Madonna confirms the changing identity of the indie fest. By Richard Cromelin, Times Staff Writer INDIO, Calif. � You could say she was like a virgin when it comes to playing festivals, but Madonna acted as if she owned the place on Sunday in her much-anticipated, much- debated appearance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Haughty and swaggering (in a good way), the pop star made her first appearance at a music festival, and Coachella hosted its first bona fide pop star. For Madonna it was just another notch on her career belt, but for Coachella it was the dawning of a new era. Actually, the dawning began the previous day, when rap star Kanye West appeared on the main stage at the Empire Polo Club. Madonna, though, is a much more polarizing cultural figure, and when she was added to this year's lineup you could feel the shudders throughout the community of serious rock followers who regarded Coachella as their unsullied haven. So the Madonna moment was more high noon, a showdown between Coachella's past and future. Say what you will about the material girl, there's no denying her magnetism, and with no one playing the main stage opposite her, it seemed as if many concertgoers were simply pulled by her gravity to the area of the Sahara Tent, the hangar- like canopy where DJs keep the dance-music crowd sweating all day. She sold tickets, generated conversation and finally delivered a scene packed with excitement and intensity � like Saturday, Sunday logged a Coachella record attendance of 60,000, and an estimated 30,000 people were in the tent and on the field outside for her show. It was one of those peak moments that Madonna lives for, and when the curtain rose about 20 minutes past her scheduled 8:10 p.m. start time, she absorbed and magnified the crowd's energy and anticipation and sent it back on the giddy, ABBA-based "Hung Up," from her recent album of disco-flavored dance music. The singer, backed by a four-member band and a troupe of dancers, never let the energy � nor the attitude � flag. Playfully imperious in manner, she vamped through songs old and new, including a couple of more from the new album as well as "Ray of Light" and the vintage "Everybody." She played guitar for a good stretch of rock-flavored music, summoning feedback and bumping instruments with her bass player. And, of course, she did the sex thing, leaving no horizontal surface unwrithed upon and eventually removing her pants to finish up in leotard and tights. "Does my ass look OK?" she asked the audience. And perhaps getting into the Coachella rock spirit, she stopped things at one point and glared at some ringside fans. "There's water on my stage," she yelled, adding a salty expletive to describe those fans. "Don't throw [stuff] on my stage." Then she got down on her hands and knees, wiped the floor with a towel and tossed it into the crowd. Thanks for the souvenir, lady. Gnarls Barkley, others bring in the fun It's not as if Madonna's presence diminished the weekend's roster of high-credibility performers, which on Sunday included electronic/dance pioneers Massive Attack, reggae wunderkind Matisyahu and the creepy (also in a good way) hard-rock band Tool, which was the headliner for the festival's second and closing day. This was a good time for Coachella to mix things up. For the first time, it's being challenged by other festivals around the country, such as Bonnaroo and the concurrent New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, that can boast similarly substantial lineups and more notable headliners, including Radiohead and Bruce Springsteen. The genre-blurring theme continued Sunday with the afternoon's main-stage performance by Matisyahu. The Hasidic Jewish reggae singer continued his unlikely march to prominence in the rock world, delivering his spiritually connected messages with engaging urgency in the desert sun, gesturing at the scenic mountains on the horizon as he sang about "the mountains all around Jerusalem." Few acts in pop music mash it up like Gnarls Barkley, a new collaboration between L.A. -based producer-musician Danger Mouse and Georgia singer Cee-Lo Green. Their single "Crazy" is already on rock radio, and Sunday they drew a big crowd to the Gobi Tent for their live debut. Or maybe it was Oz. Danger Mouse was dressed as the Tin Man, while band members were done up as witches and the string players wore the uniforms of the Wicked Witch's minions. The rotund Cee-Lo fronted the party, rocking out on the Violent Femmes' "Gone Daddy Gone" and then dipping into a scary Screamin' Jay Hawkins mode. The band showed that the return of fun to pop music is also high on the current agenda, an idea that also resonated in acts from the funk-lounge Venezuelans Los Amigos Invisibles to sunny soul-sampling Brits the Go! Team. Taking the contrary position was L.A.'s Tool, which closed the day with a fascinatingly dark immersion in the recesses of the subconscious, carried on meticulous waves of anguished guitar and gracefully pummeling rhythms. So Coachella came through the Madonna experiment unscathed, for now anyway. Whether it will result in some deeper institutional damage to its soul and credibility remains to be seen, as does the direction its new vision will take. But the audience's embrace of the winds of change over the weekend suggests there's no turning back. http://www.calendarlive.com/music/cl-et-coachsecond2may02,0,6961788.story?coll=cl-music May 2, 2006 POP MUSIC REVIEW Offering plenty of alternative One of the festival's finest, weirdest, funniest moments came from the young five-piece British act Art Brut. By Steve Appleford, Special to The Times INDIO, Calif. � "I see how the desert can be a spiritual place." Corin Tucker of Sleater- Kinney was reacting to the afternoon scene in front of her, addressing thousands of sun- baked music fans gathered near the big stage Sunday at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Like others on the bill, Sleater-Kinney is an esteemed indie-rock band accustomed to creating its loud, contemplative sounds in theaters. But the annual festival takes things to an epic scale, delivering adventurous rock, dance, hip-hop and other sounds to a massive audience hungry for the challenge. Although spaces this big don't often lead to optimal musical experiences, quality sound is a tradition of Coachella, and Sleater-Kinney made the most of it, with an edgy, springy guitar sound and a wild, feminine wail all its own, performing several songs from the trio's newest album, "The Woods." Alternative rock sounds (punk, indie rock, etc.) have always had a special place in the history of Goldenvoice Productions, which founded the fest in 1999. And Sunday's lineup offered a full collection of that and more, including Bloc Party's sometimes manic, danceable rock � echoing early Buzzcocks � and Mogwai's waves of melody and eruptions of guitar angst, turning hypnotic shoe-gazing sounds into jarring passages of ecstatic noise. The Swedish band Dungen brought a different flavor of noise, the kind of sound that could easily turn to sludge with the wrong mix, but the band soared often with a roar sometimes straight ahead and loud, other times surreal and also loud. The quartet of young dudes kept the ancient tradition of wailing rock guitars vivid and contemporary. This year's festival also experimented with a bit of world music, with the blind West African duo Amadou & Mariam and, later, the urgent tropical acoustic songs of Seu Jorge. As the fest's huge Tesla coil erupted nearby with crackling, purple bolts of electricity, Jorge performed songs rich with warmth and energy. One of the festival's finest, weirdest, funniest moments came at the very end of the day, as the young five-piece British act Art Brut wailed with a farcical sound drenched in excitement. The band's set opened with the epic metal riff of Metallica's "Enter Sandman," which quickly shifted into Art Brut's signature song, "Formed a Band." Singer Eddie Argos vented and kicked the air during sharply written tunes that rocked with a frayed post-punk grace and the challenges of the modern world in songs with titles such as "Bad Weekend" and "Moving to L.A." It was a vivid, hilarious way to close the night and the festival, delivering one last new band to exhausted fans before the long drive home � always one of the best reasons to come to Coachella.