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The first weekend of Coachella: cold, damp, and wet. The second weekend of Coachella: hot, sultry, and steamy. Here are our scribes' picks for the best of what they saw on Friday, April 20 at Coachella.
Pulp
Considering that before Coachella the Jarvis Cocker-fronted outfit Pulp hadn't played L.A. since the freaking '90s, their twilight performance yesterday was quite anticipated. Having re-formed in 2011 after a nine-year hiatus, Pulp showed no signs of rust; they were on fire throughout their 45-minute set, which featured a surprise appearance by former member Antony Genn, now the bassist for The Hours. Mark Webber's incredible guitar solo during “Sunrise” was the musical highlight of the night, leaving thousands of people gasping, believe it or not. If that wasn't enough, a badass version of “Common People” closed out the set, converting anyone who wasn't already a fan. –Daniel Kohn
Credit: Timothy Norris
Other Lives
Amidst the day's scorching heat — when most sane people were asleep in their tents or at a fancy pool party — a crowd settled in onto the shady, grassy grounds of the Gobi stage for Other Lives. It's a testament to the Other Lives' elegant third album,Tamer Animals, that people packed the tent to hear their opus about the dust bowl. The mini five piece band picked up any and every instrument near them and, like whirling Tasmanian devils, became their own orchestra. At the helm was the shaggy haired Jesse Tabish and his hauntingly sad vocals. The highlight was the closer “Dustbowl III” a spaghetti western-inspired epic, which fit perfectly up against the desert brutal sun and the swirling grit. –Molly Bergen
The Girl With the Ice Cube Tattoo
At Coachella last week, folks were throwing on leather bombers. Yesterday, as the temperature topped 100, even a string bikini was probably a little much. We'd just been at Kendrick Lamar's show — where a dude was holding a big block of ice on his head — when we got caught in a pocket of heat underneath the Sahara tent. We ducked out into direct sunlight to “cool off,” and that's when we spotted this tattoo: “I want to drink the melted water of an ice cube that seeps on your body.” With so much sweat and stench, the idea of sex was not appealing, but the ice cube reference was. We bet plenty of couples camping out last night agreed. –Rebecca Haithcoat
Credit: Gabriel Ryan
Full Of Life Organic Pizza Shack
We're usually skeptical about festival food. Sushi in the desert, really? Even fish and chips sounds suspect. That's why we planned to stick to a liquid diet before finding the Full Of Life Organic Pizza Shack. There, everything is cooked to order on a real wood brick oven and is prepared with fresh ingredients. If you're vegan, good news! Their vegan pizza has melted Daiya cheese and veggie sausage served on a crispy crust. –Gabriel Ryan
Red Bull Speakeasy
On a day when we lost our phone (and keys!) and got sick from heat exhaustion, Coachella was shaping up to be pretty shitty. We began pouting and trudged over to the beer garden. Before long we found ourselves at a small tent in the corner — the Red Bull “speakeasy” tent. We began to smile, as it featured three of our favorite things: booze, air conditioning and a 1920's theme. You even need a password to get in, which we will decline to divulge. We wouldn't want the law to find out, would we? –Taylor Hamby
See also:
“What My Spirit Hood Means To Me”: Coachella-Goers Explain
Coachella Preview 2012: Everything You Need to Know About the Performers
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