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Post by stlallison on Apr 25, 2022 22:20:34 GMT -5
Still traveling back home now but I will write a very unnecessarily long post tomorrow when I am back at work tired as fuck and not interested in actually working.
Post by Years of Abuse on Apr 26, 2022 2:23:59 GMT -5
Late to the party But what a great time W2. Felt great to be back.
1.L’Impératrice 2. Idles 3. The Chats 4. Kim Petras 5. Megan thee Stallion 6. Danny Elfman 7. Code Orange 8. Fred Again 9. Inner Wave 10. Surf Curse
HM : Steve Lacy > which was a weird set troubled with sound issues (according to him) and a very poor decision to stop the show for a young man who was simply dehydrated. Not too big of a fan about stopping the whole show. But security panicked. And I guess this is just the fest world post Astroworld.
The worst of the weekend : The Foil sheet kids. And the “carne Asada fries” at the main stage beer garden !
Finally coming back to the grid after an amazing time. Every year since the grounds expansion has been fantastic, and thanks to the cooler weather, I saw more stuff than ever this year.
- Was pleasantly surprised by crowds in the Sonora, particularly for Spiritualized, who were entrancing.
- Harry had the most densely packed headliner crowd I've been in since Beyonce. After Daniel Caesar ended, literally nobody left.
- Blown away by Phoebe, who really brought it and gave me so much new respect for her.
- Madeon's stage production was insane, felt like an immersive movie, with so much iconic imagery.
- Bass was too heavy in the Gobi in general, but absolutely brutal for Rina. Mixing on her guitar was bad as well. She had a lot of swagger, but it was the biggest disappointment for me. Others in my group loved it though, so YMMV.
- Wasn't planning on standing for Billie, but went up and the continued succession of slow, low key songs had me totally running out of juice. I'm not particularly a fan of hers, but her set felt like the weakest headliner in a long time. Too many similar songs, and not a lot of energy from the crowd.
- Fred Again lived up to the hype, and was the best dance set I've seen in so long. He really made you wait for the builds, but when it came in, it was amazing. People on shoulders moment was a weekend highlight
- Lot more celebrities at weekend 2 than before. Spotted Conan in the VIP at Japanese Breakfast, Casey Affleck at Danny Elfman. And always fun to see other artists watching each other, like Billie at Phoebe Bridgers, Phoebe at Danny Elfman, and Japanese Breakfast at Caroline Polachek.
- Maneskin was a little corny, but super fun. Sounds like the same song on every one, but they made it work.
- Swedish House really impressed, and had the crowd going. "Don't You Worry Child" was the biggest crowd moment of the weekend. I thought most people would just be waiting for The Weeknd, but crowd was just as into them. Their stage banter was not great.
- Loved The Weeknd, felt he was the best headliner, and much better than his 2018 performance. The mixtape style was great, and song selection was nailed.
- Never had issue getting out of day parking, or getting into. We did go much earlier than in years past.
- Seemed like less ghost town sets than in weekend 2s previous, but other than Harry, never had trouble getting to a good spot. Chicken tenders spot next to the Gobi was my go to no line food spot for the weekend. There were insane lines in Indio Market and certain water spots, but if you put in a little effort and didn't just follow the herd, it was pretty easy to get what you needed quickly.
- Took four first timers this year, and all are ready to go back next year. It was so nice to just be in a bubble of not worrying about anything outside of Coachella world for a few days, and just be completely in the zone. Can't wait to be back next year.
Post by dioramadeux on Apr 26, 2022 13:16:43 GMT -5
Weekend was such a party, my body is killing me at the airport right now though. Staying the extra day and doing a pool day at the house def made a major difference in being a little bit more rested to go home today.
Fri
First cpl from the Regrettes > end of Jayda G > PDM > CRJ > beginning of Madeon > RTJ > Amyl > Ela Minus > Harry
This was a stupid long day, thankfully the low temps made it a lot easier. Everything was incredible, except maybe CRJ, the energy felt off. PDM doing that Human League remix ended me. Amyl and Ela were both standouts, being in the Sonora for back to back shows helped me get quite a buzz pre-Harry. For 2 doubles it was $52 before tip each round ha. This is before we realized there’s literally no bag search and brought in water bottles of vodka Sat/sun to make drinks. Harry was veryyyyy good, kinda weird Lizzo didn’t also do one of her own songs.
Sat
Got a super late start, everyone’s energy was shot after going so hard night 1. Got in at like 5:30, did Emo Nite > ANNA > Disclosure > Caribou > Hot Chip.
Emo Nite was cheesy but I fully expected it. Also, when did Papa Roach become classified as emo? ANNA was incredible, she played a really dark set, the crowd was very sparse at the front. Feeling that energy from the speakers in the Yuma was amazing.
Disclosure killed it, to the right side of the stage by that beer garden next to the market, you could literally walk up to like 40ft from the stage 5mins before then started. The weather, the sunset, the vibes, everything was magical at that set. It could’ve been turned up just a bit more but whatever. It was interesting it was more of a DJ set and not them doing the drums anymore. Caribou and Hot Chip were fun back to back dance parties. We found a really energetic group at Hot Chip to dance with they made it so much better.
Sun
Again, a later start. Sitting in the pool till 2 just felt so damn good. Got in for the end of Emotional Oranges > Kim Petras > Fred Again > Duck Sauce for the last 30 > Maneskin for a few songs > Jamie xx for like 25 mins > SHM Weeknd
It felt like every act we saw today was better than the previous. Kim opening with all of Slut Pop was amazing, literally had a straight guy look at his friends after like 3 songs and was like this isn’t for me lol. Fred Again might be the most emotional set I’ve ever experienced at a festival. When he played Marea that crowd was electric.
Duck Sauce was my only real DJ set in the Sahara not counting Emo Nite. Walking around to the side where the beer garden is you could literally walk up to the rail about 30ft to the right of them. The amount of room to dance really made that show, everyone up front was going hard. Maneskin sounded great, caught the Britney cover and a few others. Jamie xx seemed to play a much different set than W1, really loved the cameras being in the crowd.
Here’s my hot take though, SHM was actually a lot of fun. The production looked incredible in person and they seemed to have the loudest sound all weekend. We were like 3 speaker stacks back and everyone around us seemed to be having a great time. The Weeknd was just hit after hit, it was honestly one of the best festival closing sets I’ve ever seen, just based on fun alone.
Finally recovering but wow, what a weekend! Can't speak to the parking or shuttle lines since I was camping, but I was very impressed overall with the W2 logistics/layout this year. Thought it felt a bit more packed than W2's in the past yet I never felt like crowds/lines were an issue and everyone seemed super friendly and very into the music. Only caveat is the Yuma line, which continues to be a disaster for certain big-name acts. Went with a huge group (20+) yet still met a ton of awesome new folks! Our group split up a lot but we had multiple totems that we made by taping glowing orbs to extendable pointer sticks (haha), which made it easy to find each other. The energy and excitement when we would all reconnect is what Coachella is all about!
Favorite sets: - Fred Again (outrageously fun dance party) - Disclosure (maybe it was just my section but everyone was having an awesome time) - Caribou (always delivers) - Swedish House Mafia (not necessarily one of my favs, but I was pleasantly surprised by the set/production/crowd energy. Energy all disappeared when The Weeknd came one however). - Purple Disco (getting into the Yuma was annoying but we got sorta lucky with our timing. Yuma was hot as hell though) - Jamie XX (what a set, although some of my friends were tripping a bit too hard...)
Least Fav Moments - Sunday afternoon/evening dust was the worst I can remember in my experience. My lungs are still feeling it... - Missed Brockhampton cause my gf really wanted to go to Flume. Holy shit was that set a disaster - by far our least fav of the weekend. To make matters worse, my gf got her phone stolen when we were walking through that crowd - Madeon was underwhelming in my opinion despite the bubble gum visuals - Run the Jewels were great but I felt the crowd in the Mojave was super disappointing, at least where we were standing. - Weather was phenomenal overall but holy shit was Friday night chilly
Also agree with everyone else about just how dynamic and diverse this year's lineup was. Can't wait for next year!
I tried but if they played it wasn’t at their scheduled time since the Sonora opened with an extended Giselle Woo sound check. It was probably not the Mike Patton thing though.
1/16: L'Impératrice 1/30: Jamie xx 2/1: DJ Seinfeld 2/7: Mild Minds* 3/1: Father John Misty* 3/4: knock2 3/7: Inhaler* 3/19: Confidence Man 3/23: DARKSIDE 5/8: Rüfüs Du Sol
Post by braundiggity on Apr 26, 2022 15:19:02 GMT -5
Whew, feels so good to have gotten back to Coachella, but the three years off have left my body pretty ravaged by the weekend lol. Definitely the roughest I've felt on a Tuesday after (edit: turns out I had COVID, which helps explain it), though I was in pretty great shape throughout the actual weekend, which is a trade-off I'll take any day.
Friday: the earliest I've arrived at the festival and the most running around I can recall doing. Saw 9 half or full sets, with my favs being MEUTE, Mika, IDLES, Phoebe Bridgers, and Harry Styles.
Saturday: much chiller, focused more on full sets and chilling in between, but still saw eight full or half sets. L'Imperatrice was an excellent way to kick off the day; Rina Sawayama was the best pure performer I saw all weekend, though the bass was way too loud in the tent and washed out the guitars and her vocals at times; Disclosure was Disclosure, I wish I'd caught some Turnstile but my wife's recovering broken foot was acting up too much to be running back and forth; Caribou and Hot Chip to close things out were both fantastic as always. Glad I've got Stromae tickets for Bill Graham.
Sunday: I saw Fred Again.. and dragged a lot of my friends, and it was the set of the weekend for many of them. Lots of sobbing tears in the midst of a truly amazing dance party. Everything else was gravy aside from that, but special shouts to Orville Peck and Jamie XX, which was a much more intense set than I was expecting.
Overall my first time doing W2 since 2012, and it was in every way a better festival...except for the dust, which was real, and the inability to get into the Yuma for a couple sets. Biking in was a great call until my wife's bike got a flat tire sunday night. I wonder if GV would ever consider laying down astroturf over the grass, at least in certain areas of the festival. Seemed like the insides of the Gobi and Mojave were just totally full of dust swirling around; I shudder at what it might've been like if it were windier and might consider bringing goggles next year as my eyes got wrecked.
Alright here goes. This is as much a diary for myself as it is a recap of the fest so if you don't like reading the more minor details of my travels...idk go outside. Wonderful Surprises(TM) will be numbered.
Thursday: Okay tbh I'm so braindead I literally don't even remember when my flight left Philly, prob early morning or sumn. The flight into LAX was uneventful (as all flights should be), other than one time this guy walked past my seat and smelled like straight hoagie and I felt very bad for the people he was sitting next to. Little did I consider than in a few days I'd be the smelly fuck on the plane. Oh well.
Didn't get to do any LA exploring, but it was quite evident when I arrived in LAX that I was in a ritzier area of the country - the clocks in the airport or branded by Rolex, and I saw a dude in a Louis Vitton jacket that had a bag sewn into the back for some reason? What the shit is that? Also while waiting for shuck and stlallison I learned that Bentley makes SUVs. Nice.
My awesome campmates arrive before too long with a glorious box of gratuitously-decorated donuts that my body def needed considering that it was running on EST and I hadn't eaten yet. Then it was off to pick up supplies. Prior to the fest we ordered a canopy from the Dick's in West Covina, so we stopped there to pick that up and went to the nearby Walmart for groceries, where I also picked up a hat, sunglasses, and hoodie because there's nothing like last-minute shopping. We picked up foodstuffs (note to self - you never eat as much food at camp as you think you will, EVER), downed a quick sandwich from Subway (the only meatball sub I would run into this weekend), and then we were on our way!
The trip to Indio was stellar, and the run of billboards on I-10 advertising Coachella artists was wonderful; didn't know that was a thing (#1). We make one last pit stop to hide our bottle of tequila, and then pull right up into the grounds to get searched (#2). Waiting in a line of cars for multiple hours? Nah fam just go right in. Bonnaroo, eat your heart out. The car search was aggressive - they confiscated a metal spatula from me, which completely foiled my plans of mass murder - and then were trying to pull up the floor of the trunk where the spare tire was, but after we told them it was a rental they backed off. It was a bit over the top and the supervisor was def on a power trip, but we got the tequila in so that's what mattered.
Then we were directed to Lot 7 to camp, where within a couple minutes I get a message from Cookin' Mama saying they saw us pull in - their group ended up only being a couple rows down from ours, which was wonderful (#3). We set up camp (with repeated warnings from the app and Horse Security that there would be winds of up to 65mpg from 9pm-3am, which became a running joke for the weekend), and then met up with the lovely folks of JTR's camp (which included trantsgiving , Dan808 , tЯist♡n , durkle , and Jeremy Fragrance ) to check out the camping activities area for a bit, then went back to camp for some hang time and drinking games. Got to meet Whereispassionpit and stinky there too, and overall it was a great to start to the weekend. Then we went to bed.
Friday: MEUTE > Logic1000* > Jayda G > Purple Disco Machine > Daphni > Cordae > Black Coffee* > Phoebe Bridgers > Daniel Caesar* > Harry Styles (asterisks are partial sets, bold is favorite set of the day)
I'll start off by saying that one of my favorite things about Coachella camping that I haven't seen mentioned is that the grounds are flat and well maintained (#4). Sleeping with a pad and sleeping bag was quite comfortable compared to the long-grass full of bumps and divots that I've experienced at other fests. I threw a blanket over my face to block out the morning sun and I was out like a light - and woke up considerably well-rested. Soon after waking Allison went to find a shower and texted us that there was no line in the 10A showers so I headed over there, and was delighted to find that the showers were FREEEEEEEE! (#5) That was such a wonderful surprise; I hate having to create a budget for baseline cleanliness. So I showered and got pretty for the day and then was ready to head into the fest.
Getting into the venue was an absolute breeze (#6). I was expecting a pat down and bag search but they just waved us through the metal detectors saying that if we didn't get pulled aside for a bag search to just keep walking. Though it turned out that would be the only time I didn't get my bag searched that weekend; I must be a sketchy mf because I got flagged every other time.
Our first set of the day was MEUTE - didn't know a damn thing about them but they were fun! Good energy to start the day. After MEUTE it was time for me to do my own thing, as catching PDM in the Yuma was a top priority for me. I grabbed an acai bowl for some much-needed nutrients and caught like 75% of Logic1000, who was decent but thinking back on it I don't remember much about it. However I will remark that the Yuma itself was great - idk what I was expected but it wasn't a hardwood floor with cool lighting and disco balls (#7). Jayda G was also very good - I wasn't familiar with her either outside of Shuck playing "Both of Us" on the ride over but the shit slapped. Some of it was a bit lighter than I generally listen to when it comes to dance music but it ended up being a good thing because it helped me conserve energy for PDM. And when PDM came on I went absolutely hammy.
For those who haven't fested with me before, I like to dance. Like, A LOT. Like give me a good five-foot radius so I can put my bag down and flail my arms and legs maniacally. For the most part even at crowded sets, people let me do just that. At cramped sets like PDM I had to put my bag between my legs but people were generally very conscientious of the people around them. At PDM I had a few people come up to me to compliment me on my moves, which was a nice ego boost. One woman told me to "go crazy" and started recording me (#8) which actually took my out of my element a bit because I wasn't expected to be put on the spot, but more importantly I'm basically famous now. Trying not to let it get to my head. PDM absolutely fucked though, and was my second favorite set of the weekend. Only slightly disappointed that he didn't play Dopamine. After (or maybe it was towards the end of) PDM, Shuck used our patented "Which row of disco balls are you under" navigation system to find me and we migrated over to the right side of the Yuma to catch Daphni with JTR, Dan808 , tЯist♡n , and others. Apparently Larry Farnsworth , Delicious Meatball Sub , and I think TOSTIE were in the tent for the same Yuma run, but unfortunately I didn't catch them. Next time!
After nearly four hours of dancing it was time for a break, so I headed over the to the Sahara to catch Cordae. I like Cordae but only listened to his new album once, and hip-hop shows can be incredibly hit-or-miss so I wasn't sure what to expect. It ended up being more hit than miss though - it started a little meh but Cordae does a great job of actually rapping his lyrics live and then brought out Anderson .Paak (#9) so by the end I was vibing and really enjoying it.
I stayed in the Sahara and moved up pretty close for about half of Black Coffee, who was good but tbh made me glad I was catching him at a fest and didn't shell out for a solo show. This was also the first time where I feel like The Crowd slightly detracted from the experience; it didn't seem like they were super into him so there was little dancing and mostly just people bobbing their heads.
From there I headed to Phoebe Bridgers, who was fantastic. She has an absolutely amazing voice that replicates well live, her production was good, and she brought out Arlo Parks. In the end I ended up enjoying her more than Harry Styles (#10), which was one of my most anticipated sets.
Over the course of the weekend I caught four sets at the Coachella stage, and overall I'm pretty firmly in the camp that closer is straight-up worse for this stage. I was right in the thick of it on the right side for Harry's set, and there's not as much of a slope that close up so I could neither see Harry for most of the show nor appreciate the full production value that I'd have gotten from further back. It was too packed to dance so overall the experience was a little disappointing. Harry himself was fine though.
Then I coldly shuffled back to camp and went straight to bed. Day One was in the books.
*Oh and I caught half of Daniel Caesar while waiting for Harry. He's not for me so this is just an afterthought. People around me seemed to enjoy him though.
Saturday: DJ Holographic > Sama'* > J.I.D > Arlo Parks > Rina Sawayama > Disclosure* > BROCKHAMPTON > Caribou > Hot Chip* > Billie Eilish
Shower lines were reportedly a bit longer this day and I was tired from all the previous day's dancing so after a quick wet wipe bath it was time for Brunch! It was great having everyone together (pretty much everyone who was together Thursday night +pmo ), and whereispassionpit made hot dogs, which were much appreciated. Many apologies for everyone expecting the grilled cheese I said I'd make - I was ambitious in thinking I'd have the energy to make them, plus those bastards took my spatula.
Shuck and Allison headed in early to catch Yard Act, so I putzed around camp for a little bit and headed in solo - which ended up being the move because while walking to the venue I pass by none other than Jake Jortles (#11)! He was an unexpected face for the weekend and I got to meet his girlfriend who was also very lovely. Glad you both were able to make it at the last minute.
I've got less specifics to report on for this day, especially the first half, just cuz it was taking a bit for my energy levels to pop back up and there was less stuff on Saturday that I was Super Into. Got the Yuma early to catch pretty much all of DJ Holographic and the first half of Sama', who was quite enjoyable. J.I.D was a priority for me though so I dipped from Sama' early and met up with Voltron and justinmn9319 +wife at the Sahara. Hadn't seen either of them since Bonnaroo 2016, so it was great to catch a set together. Theo popped up for that set too I think, though it's hard to remember because Theo popped up randomly at a bunch of sets this weekend. And J.I.D was great! He has such amazing breath control that I wasn't sure he'd be able to replicate live, but he does so easily. 151 Rum is an absolute banger and was everything I'd hoped it be. Only weird thing about J.I.D's set was that he left J. Cole's verse play in the song they did together. It was like bruh you can just cut that out. But otherwise everything was good.
From there I headed to the Gobi for Arlo Parks, where I thought I saw DMS but it was just some other shmuck in a Bass Pro Shops hat. No lemon shorts. Disappointing. Met up with Allison and Shuck though, who were quite entertaining after they spent some time at the beer garden. Arlo was good though, and brought out Phoebe Bridgers for Black Dog.
From there I stayed in the Gobi for Rina Sawayama, who was a bit more rock-inspired live than I expected, though it might also just be that live music can't replicate the polished poppier sound from her album. Her performance was great though, and at one point she had us turn to a stranger next to us and tell them that they were fucking hot, which led to lots of laughter between myself and the guy next to me, for whom the compliment was genuine.
After Rina, I popped over to the Outdoor for Disclosure, who ended up being one of the very few disappointing sets of the weekend. I had heard reports from the W1 livestream that it was subpar (I didn't watch any streams of acts I was planning on attending), and didn't want to believe it but those reports were correct. I enjoyed dancing and stuff in the back, but the music just seemed uninspired. The folks sitting on the ground next to me though offered to let me put my bag on their blanket so I could dance and no one would trip over it, and that was super appreciated.
BROCKHAMPTON time! This was a game-time decision for me (I was considered just staying out the Outdoor for Disclosure > Elfman > Stromae), and one I'm glad I made. They just played the hits straight through and the crowd was super into it. Towards the end I was able to get quite close where all the high-energy young folk were moshing and going crazy, which definitely elevated the set. Was hoping to hear QUEER one last time in my life but I'm not completely convinced that'll never happen again so we'll see.
After BROCKHAMPTON came Caribou, which was absolutely a highlight of the weekend (and would have been my favorite of the day if Billie didn't just slightly edge it out). I had seen Caribou a few months ago and it was enjoyable, but they took it to a different level for the fest. I started off meeting up with whereispassionpit in front of the soundboard, but towards the end there I looked around and there were so many Inforooers dancing away and it really helped make the set special. My enjoyment of live music is substantially influenced by the environment, and just seeing everyone so happy and enjoying themselves really made my day.
After Caribou I went and caught a couple songs of Hot Chip, which I now consider to be my sole regret of the weekend. I was initially planning on doing Stromae, but after the previous day's clusterfuck going from Outdoor > Mainstage, I wanted to avoid repeating that. In retrospect, it would have been better to catch a rarer act I hadn't seen before, but I'll just have to keep that in mind for next time. One dope thing about Hot Chip though is that right before the show started there was a dude by us who gave us some refraction glasses, and he was wearing a fuzzy tunic that was completely lit up, so through the glasses he looked like an otherwordly being. It was interesting because on the surface he looked pretty intimidating - tall, muscly, bald with aviator glasses on at night and didn't really smile - but at one point he asked the woman in front of us to give him her (normal, prescription) glasses, which she did after some slight hesitancy. And this dude just reached into his pocket, pulled out a moist towelette and cleaned her dusty-ass glasses for her! (#12) It was such a heartwarming act of kindness, and was good to see.
For Billie I decided to stay more towards the back, which ended up being completely ideal. I was about 30-40 feet in front of the last stadium light that was dead center - which made for not only a great view and sound, but a good meeting point as well. Service was spotty so my messages to Tranter didn't get through til the next day, but Allison was able to find me for a slew of songs. Billie's set started off slow (and I couldn't tell until about halfway through whether the sounds I was hearing were programmed into the set or her mic picking up fan's screams - p sure it was the latter), but it really picked up and became something special. Halfway through the show she went down the center aisle to a platform that floated above the fans in the center of the field, which happened to be exactly where we were (#13). I got some good photos and teared up more than a bit during Ocean Eyes.
The rest of her set was fantastic, but the biggest highlight may very well be seeing how excited Allison got when she brought out Hailey Williams (#14). Paramore does nothing for me but she absolutely lost her shit and was completely enraptured:
After Billie I downed a sandwich at camp and chatted with Shuck a bit about the cancellation of various music artists, and then went to bed. Again, slept like a rock.
Sunday: Cariño > Griselda > Channel Tres* > Orville Peck > Fred again.. > Doja Cat > Jamie xx > The Blessed Madonna + Honey Dijon* > The Weeknd*
Last day! And it started rough. Lately I've been doing this thing where I intentionally stop listening to my body (I have minor health anxiety, and this helps me not focus on every little thing), and by Sunday it was catching up to me. I felt great the first two days but boyyy was I stiff. That morning I had also tried moving my wristband around my wrist so I could more easily wipe my ass, and accidentally tightened the wristband to uncomfortable levels, to the point where I decided to pony up $40 just to not be super uncomfortable for the last day of the fest. So while I was overall in a less-than-ideal condition, it still ended up being an awesome day.
Started off tagging along with Shuck and Allison for Cariño, who were a surprisingly enjoyable Spanish pop-punkish band. It was nice to be in the shade of the Sonora while intently trying to see how much Spanish I was able to follow. Then we headed to the Tiki Bar that was hidden in the area behind between the Gobi and Mojave, and it was a cute little shaded oasis. Got my only in-venue drink there, and it was delicious.
It was after this that I got my wristband replaced and met up with Shuck and pmo for Griselda, who were boring as fuck. Sahara was way too big for them. Channel Tres was on afterwards and pretty enjoyable. His sonics blend very well with his voice. Woulda danced more had I not been so tired, but at least now I have another set to look forward to at Roo!
Orville Peck was good, and a bit more uptempo than I was expected (which was a good thing).
Then it was time for my set of the weekend: Fred again. I lost Shuck and Allison in the transition from Gobi to Mojave, but was able to meet up with stinkyfingers and his crew in front of the soundboard for what might be my favorite set of all time. After food and caffeine my body had finally loosened up too, so I went into it feeling completely refreshed. The set started a little late, but once it did, every second and layer of instrumentation was perfect. I loved Fred's album from the first listen, and really connected with it even more live, to the point of tearing up like OMG WE REALLY DID LOSE DANCING, as corny as that may sound. Everyone was SO into every second of that set; the energy in the crowd was palpable. Usually when an artist asks a crowd to put their hands up or whatever it takes a little bit to get the buy-in, but when he asked the crowd to clap during Billie (Loving Arms) everyone started doing so immediately. I left that set in a state of complete awe. Even now when watching a short clip of it I still get chills. I'm gonna hold onto this one for a long, long time.
After Fred again.. it was time do my last meal/potty/water refill of the weekend before heading to Doja Cat. Doja was a top-anticipated set for the weekend so I really wanted to get a good spot but was torn between going to around where I was for Billie vs trying to get close - I opted for the latter. I was able to get pretty close, too - meandered through the Karol G crowd, many of whom dipped after her set was over (also can I just say how joyful it is it to be with Latino people while they're dancing to Latino music? Those vibes are absolutely immaculate). With the Karol G crowd moving out, I was able to make it into the corral between the soundboard and the barricade about fifty rows back that ran parallel to the stage. Pretty much everyone around me looked to be under the age of 22 or so it was slightly concerned about shit getting crazy and dying in a Travis Scott-esque mosh fest, but I had nothing to be concerned about. Kids these days don't turn up like they should! Mellow-ass motherfuckers just standing and vibing, smh. What a waste of youth. Doja herself was good, though again it was a bit hard to see due to the lesser gradient and the sea of iPhones in front of me, which confirmed my stance on wanting to be further back in the future. Her production was great though and I especially enjoyed the whales swimming from one side of the screens to the other. I wish she had played less old stuff, but that's mostly just because I'm less familiar with it.
Then it was Jamie xx time! This set was phenomenal. Damn near everyone I had seen this weekend was in the same area in front of the ADA platform, and I got so much joy from dancing into oblivion with you all. Really don't have much to say other than that - it was really REALLY good.
By the time I got to BM+HD, my body was in "nah bitch you need to chill" mode, but they threw downnn. Their mixes hit really hard and it would have been an even toppier set of mine had it taken place earlier in the weekend. We then went to catch a few songs of the Weeknd (and still having the refraction glasses for Blinding Lights was cool), took some picture in front of the rainbow tower, and headed out of the venue for the final time.
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I'm tired of typing but the highlight of Monday was definitely a two-pound burrito I got at a place we stopped at near LAX. It was the only meal I had yesterday and the only one I needed. Also my Spirit flight when off without a hitch but their seats are horrendous for trying to sleep in, even as exhausted as I was. Not doing that again.
-- Overall Notes: This was a fantastic experience, and legitimately one of the best weekends of my life. I have a deep love for Bonnaroo and it almost feels like cheating to say it, but Coachella is a league ahead in terms of American festivals. The ones I've been to, at least. The logistics are excellent in terms of both arriving to the fest as well as navigating the fest itself, the music is unrivaled, and at most stages it's pretty difficult to get a bad view. I know people have ragged on the "Coachella Crowd" before, but it's really not that serious. Yes, people seem much more interested in getting their videos and Instagram photos - at one point I was sitting on the ground in the shade of the tower and a group of people wanted to get the perfect angle/light for their shot to the point where they were so close to me that they were bumping up against me and I was now a part of their group photo - but so what. My interactions with people were exceedingly pleasant all across the board, and people were quick to offer help and compliments to others. I also encountered far, far less exceedingly fucked up people than I was expecting.
Speaking of, as a side note personally this is soberest fest I've been also. Not even intentionally, really: I won't fly with anything other than my weed pens (and even those I used far less than a typical Saturday at home), and I'm not really a fan of being drunk at shows or drinking in the heat. I imagine this probably is related to why I had so much damn energy this weekend (I felt fucking youthful on Friday and Saturday), as well as why I was far, far less anxious than I expected. As much as I love fests, they also come with their own brand of bodily/mental stress, and it was both odd and nice to find myself not being dogtired most of the weekend nor stuck in my head at shows. Maybe it's just my own perception and what I personally did or didn't encounter but I also feel like Coachella is a bit less culturally predisposed to festicurriculars, which was a different vibe than what I'm used to. Whether sobriety was the reason or not, the biggest surprise of the weekend for me was just how pleasantly relaxed and comfortable I felt. I don't relax easily so all in all the weekend was just really life-affirming and joyful.
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Now I'm home and grateful for decongestants, good music, and good people. I just feel so much gratitude for the weekend I've had, I don't really have any other way to explain it. I was expecting to have fun but not a life-changing experience, which in some very subtle but important ways, I think it was.
Oh also I wore Crocs on Friday and Sunday and the Ultraboosts on Saturday, and even though I did considerably more dancing in the Crocs my feet didn't get tired in them at all until the walk back to camp at the end of Sunday. Can't say the same for the sneakers. Highly highly recommend Crocs for fests, even if they make footwork a tad more difficult.
Post by braundiggity on Apr 26, 2022 19:24:49 GMT -5
Well, I know why I’m more run down after this coachella - got myself a bit of dat Covid. First time catching it so far. No regrets, though I really hope I didn’t spread it much.
Well, I know why I’m more run down after this coachella - got myself a bit of dat Covid. First time catching it so far. No regrets, though I really hope I didn’t spread it much.
Damn. Hope you get better. Me catching it in march was a blessing in disguise lol
Well, I know why I’m more run down after this coachella - got myself a bit of dat Covid. First time catching it so far. No regrets, though I really hope I didn’t spread it much.
I think everyone has already done an amazing write up and my taste is debatable at best, so I’ll keep my feedback simple…
W2>>>>>>>>>>>>W1
-signed, 3x w1 attendee.
It's true. Everything about W2 is better and eventually you forget there ever even was grass at Coachella and the only flaw of W2 disappears beneath the dust clouds.
Getting into camping Thursday was a breeze. Easiest it’s ever been. The security guy checking my car was super chill. He didn’t even search the 2nd and 3rd cars in my group. We ended up with a perfect spot at the last row of lot 5, with bathrooms and the hill right in front of us!
Friday started out with free food from Hattie B’s, in exchange for a quick video of me eating it (shout out to my rainbow hair for this one). First set of the weekend was Princess Nokia, who blew away my expectations. I though for sure a 2pm slot on the main stage would kill her vibe, but she turned it out and set the tone for the rest of the day. Quick break in the beer garden before returning for Mika. High school me was so happy to finally see him after all this time! After seeing the Yuma clusterfuck, we ended up at Role Model. He was decent, but the backing vocals were a little too high. Carly Rae afterwards was a queer dance party as always. We caught the last few songs of Anitta after Carly. So much star power (and ass)! We had a little downtime before the Marias to pop into the Antarctic. I found it to be a much better show than last year’s Rufus-backed one. The Marias at sunset was beautiful! Madeon was alright. I didn’t get the massive boner that Reddit has for his show. Getting in the Yuma for Peggy was impossible, so we ended up at the DoLab for a bit (a reoccurring theme this weekend). I went into The Avalanches with lowered expectations after hearing about their last Coachella set, but was blown away by how good they were! By this point I was absolutely freezing, so I warmed up in the Sonora with Ela Minus. Definitely trying to catch her again. Glitch Mob in the DoLab was a fun dance party. By the time Harry came on I was running out of steam. Forgetting to bring in a long sleeve was a huge mistake. I sat towards the back until Lizzo came out. “I Will Survive” was just the energy boost I needed to finish off the night! Aside from the cold, it was a fantastic first day! Upon crawling back to camp, I vowed to take it much easier on Saturday.
Did I take it easy on Saturday? Not at all. After sleeping in until after 10 (sorry brunch folks!) and taking several hours to come back to life, I headed in for DJ Holographic. Spent an hour dancing my little heart out before heading to L’imperatrice, who were everything I wanted them to be. I seriously hope they’re brought back next year for a late night Mojave set. Took a nap at the back of J Breaky, followed by another nap in the DoLab. Rina was another queer dance party, really solidifying this year being Queerchella. Had a couple drinks to Innerwave before heading to Disclosure. While it wasn’t their best set, I still had fun dancing, and everyone on the right side of the stage with me were vibing the whole time. Caught a few songs from Pabllo before heading back for Elfman. I know I said no shrooms for this one, but I took shrooms and enjoyed to fuck out of it! Booked it to Caribou for the last 3 songs, and danced at the back. Stromae was one of the best sets I have ever seen. Looking into tickets for his tour this fall now, because 1 hour was not enough. Spent the rest of the night hopping between Koze and KPP, which were both fun dance parties. Ooze’s Operator remix is an all-time favorite for me, so ending the night with it brought some happy tears. Back to camp - exhausted, sore, and coughing up a pound of dust.
Sunday started out more relaxed, with Altin Gun and some rosé. Caught a few songs from Hayden James, but the Gobi was packed and I was hot. Headed back inside for Skeggs and more wine. I’d never seen the Sonora more crowded. The band had great energy, and I loved watching all the stage diving during the set. Caught the end of Emotional Oranges, who were just alright, imo. Channel Tres was yet another queer dance party, though. His dancers are always on point! Grabbed a quick snack at the back of Kim before heading back inside for Crumb and more wine. The Sonora really took a hit on my wallet this day. Following Crumb, I meet up with my group at Vintage Culture in the DoLab. Something about that stage this year really drew us all in. Duck Sauce after was cheesy as hell, but I enjoyed them. Back to the DoLab for more dancing before Splitting Duke Dumont and Doja Cat. While Doja was fun, I enjoyed her ACL set more. Took a ton of shrooms before Jamie, and man did that pay off in full! The entire crowd around me was dancing like crazy, and watching the camera man weaving through the crowd only added to the vibes. Originally I was going to split TBM/Honey Dijon with The Weeknd, but once their set started, I couldn’t leave! I don’t think I’ve ever danced harder at a set, and - again - it was a big queer party. Once back at camp, the toll of all my walking and dancing finally hits, and I pass out almost instantly.
Coachella continues to be my favorite festival, and I can’t wait to be back next year!
All of weekend 1’s logistical problems seemed to have been fixed for weekend 2, especially the complaints about water. There were SO MANY water stations this time! I didn’t have to wait once to fill up!
