2011 Coachella Day 3 Recap

April 18, 2011 Peter 3 comments

Well, it’s over! What an incredible weekend it’s been. Out of my four experiences with this wonderful festival, this year has certainly been one of the best, not just in terms of high quality acts, but of the entire festival itself. A more efficiently run festival combined with better security and competent staff resulted in less crowds and a much better atmosphere. Hit the jump for a recap of all the acts I saw yesterday

MENOMENA (B)

Being up so late last night, I just barely made the last thirty minutes of Menomena’s set, which I have to say was indeed very enjoyable. They’re a hard band to classify under a genre, but they’re by no means a challenging band sonically. They have a good knack at songcraft, so their songs are very musical and ear catching. Combine that with their non sequitur approach to arrangements and each member’s multi instrumental talents (almost everyone in the band switched instruments at least once), Menomena was an interesting affair into experimental indie rock.

FUN. (B-)

It was a high energy powerpop affair when fun hit the outdoor theatre. Each member (especially the lead singer) had undying intensity, as well as impressive chops. At the same time, though, it was an uneven set. Some songs sounded way better than others, and at times the frontman strained his voice a little too much. There were notable performances, like an impressive Queen cover of “Radio Gaga,” and some new material that sounds equally as promising as their debut album. But on a whole, their show needs work, and their frontman needs to practice on his stage presence more, and not seem like such a spaz.

CSS (A)

One of the best surprises of the whole weekend. These Brazilian dance rockers put on one of the most high energy shows I’ve seen, giving the Yeah Yeah Yeahs a run for their money. Singer “Lovefoxxx” was the star of the show, coming out in a bullfighter outfit, only to rip it off to a stylish stage outfit with a shirt that read: TRASH. It was a total crowd pleasing set, complete with their hits (“Rat Is Dead,” “Music Is My Hot Hot Sex”) and complete with about thirty million stage dives. Not only was the energy high, the music was top notch and incredibly well played, given their genre. This was a set of unending fun, one hot sweaty dance number to the next. Like !!! on the first day, CSS knows how to entertain a crowd, and are now an unmissable band on my watch.

JIMMY EAT WORLD (A-)

Like Bright Eyes on Saturday, Jimmy Eat World was another surprise for me that brought back a lot of nostalgia. Not a whole lot of their new material was played, so what I got to see was a nice broad look at the emo collective’s catalog (I even got to hear a track from Clarity!). All their big hits were played (“The Middle,” “Work,” “Let It Happen,” “Sweetness”), and even a couple of surprises were thrown into the mix, including their epic “23” off of 2005’s Futures. This set really reminded me of when I saw Sunny Day Real Estate play the year before on the same stage. I think they even played at almost the same time. Similar genres, although Jimmy Eat World is more pop oriented. Almost no missteps were there (the only songs I didn’t really enjoy were the one or two tracks off their latest album), and it was pretty cool to see a band that I used to adore as a teenager play a great show.

DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 (B-)

From what I gather from the internets, DFA 1979 is being talked as one of the best sets of the entire weekend. It’s a shame I didn’t see the whole thing, because the four or five songs I saw from this hardcore punk duo weren’t the best. This certainly wasn’t the bands fault, though. I could tell that they were playing very well, but the main stage plagued the band with unfortunate sound problems. The first song for some reason couldn’t be played out of the main PA, so what happened was a “turn it up” chant from the crowd. By the middle of the second song, things started to look much better as the sound was beginning to get under control. I’m sure if I was in the intense mosh pit, I would have had a better time. In any case, I don’t think the heaviness of this band translated very well on such a huge stage. This band seems much better suited for a smaller venue indoors. I’m sure these guys could put on a killer set in some bar (or at least one of the tent stages). A better situation would have been a night set in the Mojave during Kanye West. That would have been ideal. But oh well…

BEST COAST (B)

Like an “A” for “Arcade Fire,” “Best Coast” gets a “B”! Jokes aside, this was an enjoyable set. Nothing great, but certainly nothing bad either. The hazy indie pop tracks provided an excellent soundtrack for the setting sun on the outdoor theatre. Singer Bethany Cosentino sang well, but was awkward on stage. She has yet to hone in on her presence, but this is okay. With only one album under their belt, as well as not being that established as a band (they debuted just last year), Best Coast has a bit of work to do. I can, however, see Best Coast becoming much better in the future. Look out for these guys, because these jangly pop tunes may just be getting more radio play sooner than you’d think.

THE NATIONAL (A)

I don’t know what it is about this band, especially for the fact that I don’t really like many of their recordings. Their live show, to put it bluntly, kicks their tame records’ asses. In a live setting, their songs breathe, pulse with life, and genuinely rock. Also, on another note, whoever does their sound should get a medal. Out of every single one of the bands I saw this entire weekend, the National sounded far better than anyone else. This was pure hi fidelity going here, almost as if the live performance had been pre-recorded. Also, being so up close I could tell how professional this band was. Each member was so in control of their dynamics it was ridiculous. The guitars never overpowered the vocals, and the drums were never too bass heavy. The harmonies were clear and cut through the mix like a knife. And to top it all off, Matt Berninger’s stage presence was humbling to say the least. At times he would lose all control and scream his lungs out, regardless of whether he had a microphone in front of him or not. He would repeatedly jump out into the photo pit and climb up on the rails where the audience stood. This was very effective for their penultimate song, “Mr. November,” where he screamed the chorus into the undying fans’ faces. Finally, Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver) joined them onstage for an epic version of “Terrible Love,” the opening track from last year’s High Violet. I will go on record with this: a National performance will turn ANY naysayer into a fan. Seriously. I know this because I’m not a fan, and the National put on arguably the best set of the weekend.

THE STROKES (B)

As the night wore on, the Strokes arrived on the main stage to provide an enjoyable, albeit low energy performance. I’m not sure what the deal was, but Julian Casablancas seemed like he didn’t want to be on stage. Most of the songs were played well (specifically “Hard To Explain,” “Reptilia,” and “Under Control”), but the energy that I saw last year at Lollapalooza was just not there. Also, the new songs from this year’s Angles didn’t sound too great. The one exception was “Gratisfaction,” which was possibly the highest energy they showed all night. But “Taken For A Fool,” “Games” and “You’re So Right” sounded pretty weak by comparison. All in all, I still had a fun time singing along to some of my favorite Strokes songs. The performances for the most part were on point like they always are, I just wish the energy was higher.

And so the festival has come to a close. I guess I will just have to wait until next year again! Click here to read my recaps of the first 2 days