attend Coachella

Paul McCartney Friday! I bought the one day pass bc Friday most of my fav bands are playing. I think it would be amazing just to say I saw a Beatle live… now if only Ringo were there too…

Rage Against the Machine together for the first time in over 4 years…

I never saw them back in the day, so just the thought of catching them at this time was was enough for a never-ending source of excitement on the way there. The actual event was far more mind-blowing than I could have ever imagined though. That’s all I have to say for now.

this year finally!

Since I’ll be on California grounds in April, I’ll try to convince my parents to let me ride a bus to Coachella. Ambitious but it might just work.

Well, it looks like I’m not going this year. The marathon training is going great (ran 13 miles this morning), but my friends and I are taking a trip to Cancun for spring break and I really can’t afford to fork up the dough for both. I’m also a little disappointed in the lineup this year. I’m just not really looking forward to going to a concert headlined by Tool. There are several bands going that I’d like to see, but maybe I’d feel more passionate about going next year. This is still on my goal list for now.

I made a deal with myself: if I can run a marathon in 18 weeks, I’ll pay the cash to go to coachella the weekend following that.

Here’s a list of who I saw:

Apr. 27: Princess Superstar, Cornershop, Pete Yorn, Charlatans UK, Groove Armada, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Beta Band, Bjork, Chemical Brothers
Apr. 28: Ping Pong Bitches, Fairview, Blonde Redhead, Elbow, Belle & Sebastian, Mos Def, The Strokes, Zero 7, Prodigy, Oasis

and some reviews I wrote of them

Here are the pictures!!!! http://www.flickr.com/photos/suki/sets/383887/

Friday – Even though I got off work early, it was of little use. It ended up taking about four hours to get out to the desert. BUT, I had Amanda and Joe in my car, and they were great company. We stopped in San Bernardino (one freeway exit from where I’m staying right now) for some In and Out before actually getting to the campsite. Jen and the rest of the gang arrived a few hours later. I didn’t get much sleep that night because people were just sooo stoked about the weekend to come!! If I had enough sleep the nights before, I’d have stayed up too.

So it was me, Jen, another Jen, Lawrence, Will, Joe, Zach, Amanda, Stacey, and Jessica.

Saturday –
Boom Bip: they were booming and bipping, and a chill way to start the whole event. Joe really liked ‘em, so I was glad I didn’t just drag people into a tent they didn’t enjoy. :p

Buck 65: he was SOOO funny; his stories were so out there, but our favourite line: “Flamin’ Skeleton! Riding a Motorcycle!”

Radio 4: They were fun to shake to..

Ambulance LTD: I wanted to see them so badly, so despite everyone else going to check out Snow Patrol, I rushed up into the crowd for Ambulance LTD. They totally rocked out, especially the keyboardist.

Eisley: 3 girls – they were okay. All I remember though is that I saw Scott Speedman (totally mixed it up with the other Scott from Felicity) just a few feet away.

Razorlight: I knew the others wanted to check out Razorlight, so I stuck around for them. They were pretty good. I guess anything with a good beat is a win for me since I love shakin’ it.

Stereophonics: Instead of Rilo Kiley, I wanted to check out Stereophonics with Jen and Zach, so I made my way out there to look for ‘em. It was a good show, though toooo HOT and crowded in that particular tent.

Rilo Kiley: Hopped out of Stereophonics to check them out since some of the group were raving on and on about them. Folky sound, which I like because you know, I like everything…

Wilco: From Rilo Kiley, Zach and I wandered over to Wilco to check him out. Very chill, relaxing music to lay on the grass and stare up in the sky for.

Weezer: I usually like their songs, especially “Hash Pipe,” which always brings back images of the sumo wrestlers in their video. They’re not really great on stage though, as far as engaging the audience’s attention. Most of the group did not like watching them all that much.

Hernan Cattaneo: Stacey, Zach and I were wandering over to see Bloc Party, but Zach got lost, and I got sidetracked, so I went to see this DJ instead. It was a much needed 45 minute dance-my-freakin’-brains-out moment. It’s too bad noone else in the group is into that kind of music. Oh, if Ann was there toooo… (And then I found out later that she was, but the stupid reception kept me from returning her call the second day!)

Bloc Party: I left Hernan early because he was getting to rhythmic. Went to check out Bloc Party for a bit and noticed that they had quite an audience. They were only okay for me… I think I was getting tired by then. Stacey and I met up again before heading out to Coldplay.

Coldplay: My head was hurting, but it was all worth it!! Coldplay rocked. Their stage presence overshadowed Weezer’s 20x over. I left the show that night feeling sooo glad that I was out there. They got the crowd singing, and it was just this whole communal feeling… I love Coldplay!!!

Sunday –
Shout Out Louds: A Swedish band with an extremely cute keyboardist. At first I didn’t have plans to see ‘em, but they were great!

Gram Rabbit: This show was sooo entertaining. They were passing out bunny ears, which sadly I was unable to add to my souvenir collection. It was an electronic-rock sound with a whole lot of show. The girls in bunny suits – HOT. Will, Zach and I stayed, while Jen and Joe wandered off for the less weird.

Jem: Okay, I love her voice!!! It reminds me of Dido, but her songs are more alive. The guys in the group waved at her, and she actually waved back, which was hilarious.

Kasabian: I think I prefer their cd… Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for them, or it was just too crowded.

Ben Watt: I wanted to dance again, so I wandered off to check out the DJ. I got some good dancing time in this time… RaaaHHH!!

Miss Kittin: Not my style.

Tegan and Sara: They were okay. I hadn’t planned on seeing ‘em before, but I still enjoyed ‘em.

The Arcade Fire: THIS SHOW ROOOCKED. OMG, you HAVE TO go see them!! They were climbing all over things, playfighting, all that fun/mad/crazy stuff! It was greaaat…

New Order: I think that at this point, I was just SOOO tired. My body could move, but the brain wasn’t working too well.. I liked their old stuff more.

NIN: I love that song “Closer,” and their performance left me feeling oh-so-rawrrr. And now when I hear that song, I just want to scream all those lyrics out! Only in my car, of course.

The Faint: Very danceable, so I liked that. They had some cool video projections on the screen as well.

Bright Eyes: Very last show at Coachella 2005. We stayed for a few songs before heading for the tents. I was sooo pooped beyond belief.

So that means I saw: 25 out of 91… I missed, but wanted to check out: Snow Patrol, Pinback, The Kill, Bauhaus, British Sea Power, Roni Size, The Prodigy. Oh well – blame it on the time conflicts.

Yeah, I’m ready to pass out for some real sleep now.

It’s approaching.. In less than two weeks’ time, I will be heading for Coachella. I have my tickets, my ride, and some friends to go out there with. Still not sure how I will hit up all the bands I wanna see, but at least I will be there!

I’m heading home this weekend to pick up a tent. We’re doing the whole camping out bit, so I’ve gotta get the tent ready.