Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival - 4.27 - 4.29.07

My first trip to California was as enjoyable as I’d hoped it would be, and the Coachella craziness was well worth every penny spent. My only complaint – I’m still struggling to process it all! Try as I might, there’s no way I can relay all of the fabulous sights & sounds. There were so many, and I missed plenty. The sleep deprivation and scorching heat apparently wiped my brain of its ability to remember things. I saw 20+ acts, and there were very few that I didn’t enjoy. Still, I had my favorites:

Satellite Party
Rufus Wainwright
The Nightwatchman
Kings of Leon
Ghostface Killah
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Black Keys
The Roots

And of course, this goes without saying, Rage Against The Machine were as intense and phenomenal as I dreamed they would be. Unlike my cohorts, I didn’t survive the pit through Manu Chao. I thought I could hang, but I got smashed into some guy’s armpit and I didn’t want to die with BO as my last memory. I figured it was better to get out while I could still walk, so I shoved my way through the crowd. I got lucky, though (there are still kind people in this world) and ended up getting a spot in front of the crowd, on the left-side of the stage. I couldn’t see Brad, but I had a practically unobstructed view of Tom, Zack, and Tim. The crowd energy was insane, and somehow my tired, achy body was healed for that hour or so. I have never jumped up and down more at a concert. It gave me goosebumps to hear the people chanting each word along with Zack. And I have seen plenty of guitarists, but none do exactly what Tom Morello does. Say what you want about his technical abilities, he is one of the most unexampled musicians out there today (in my humble opinion).

Anyhow, I wish I could tell more compelling tales of the experience, but I’m still so overwhelmed. I will say this, though, the horror stories I read were not all true. I thought the event was well organized, there were plenty of places to cool off if you were getting overheated, bottles of water were $2 (but there were fountains where you could refill for free and a recycle program), food was consistently good, and the acoustic bleeding from stage to stage wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d heard it would be. If I ever have the time and money, I will definitely consider going again.