Wild Weekend Cha-Cha- Cha
By the time darknessset in at Coachella on Sunday, the grassy polo grounds resembled a battlefield of burnt-out bodies too tired to walk any farther or worry about being trampled by the more resilient festgoers who did continue the laborious hikes from tent to tent. It seemed the only patrons left with enough energy to really frolic by sundown were those lucky enough to acquire a wristband for the VIP areas, where shade and cocktails could be found all weekend, along with an excess of chatty scenesters (for whom even the biggie bands on the nearby main stage, such as Radiohead on Saturday and the Flaming Lips and the Cure on Sunday, seemed almost incidental) and some celebs, including Gina Gershon, Giovanni Ribisi, Jared Leto, Alicia Silverstone, The OC’s Adam Brody and Mischa Barton, Tommy Lee, and the dynamic duo of Vincent Gallo and Rick Rubin.
In the press tent, BRMC and Le Tigre conducted one-on-ones with laptop-wielding scribes, while the Pixies gave an actual press conference (in which Frank Black revealed the band’s new pre-show ritual: watching Harry Potter). The sea of gigantor designer sunglasses, teeny-weeny bikini tops, Paris Hilton–style miniskirts and sassy “statement” T-shirts (“I’m No Longer With Stupid,” “Misogyny Is a Bitch,” “Silicone, Collagen, Botox” were our faves) offered almost as much amusement offstage as on, but for the majority of fans — many of whom camped out in the heat the entire weekend — it really was all about the music. Most of the unshowered camper set made their presence felt (and smelt) in the steamy Mohave tent, where acts such as Josh Homme’s Desert Sessions and Junior Senior (both of which featured guest singers — Brody Dalle on Gary Glitter’s “Do You Wanna Touch Me?” and the B-52’s’ Fred Schneider on the Isley Brothers’ “Twist and Shout,” respectively) raised the room temp even higher on Saturday, and in the Sahara tent, where techno heads dripped and danced to an assortment of DJs, including a pumpin’ set by the Crystal Method on Sunday.
Still, the outdoor areas had their own share of heat-induced drawbacks — rap act Atmosphere even had a musical meltdown. “Sometimes the records die in the sun,” said leader Slug, as he was forced to stop and start his flow when his DJ’s wax got warped again and again. Of course there were the requisite after-parties, namely the Urbmag “Sloppy Secs” shindig with DJ sets by the Rapture and Danger Mouse, and Spinmag’s “Rock Garden” soiree with 2 Many DJs on Saturday and a handful of less-publicized hotel-room bashes on Sunday, but after Coachella’s most-crowded two days of heat and hipster hordes ever, even the most enthusiastic music mavens we encountered were just too beat to dance to one more beat. (Lina Lecaro)
