MOGachella 2008 Day 2 - Don't get too high or too low
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First up, the song that opened Saturday at Coachella on the right foot.Didn't get as much rest as I would have liked, and awoke to the sounds of excited whispering. I arise to find Amber and Jaye going through Amber's pictures from Day 1. I didn't get the full preview, but I did see the picture that now acts as her avatar. Isn't it wonderful?Anyway, Amber and I duck out for some groceries, and return with breakfast stuff in hand: strawberries, cantaloupe, bananas, yogurt, granola, and pancake mix. Our great Dane had asked for pancakes while here, and how could I disappoint?It took a while to get things moving, mostly getting used to the mini kitchen, but soon enough banana pancakes (Lizzie's idea) are going forth. We get everyone fed, watered and washed, and head off to the show again. Whee!Blair and Henry start off their day with Carbon/Silicon, but the rest of us head directly over to the main stage for VHS Or Beta. Our expectations were fairly modest, but they easily exceeded them with great energy and flair. Even if the bass player had a mullet. First song "Burn It All Down" (you DID hit the red button, right?) jumps right out of the speakers and sends yours truly into a pogoing frenzy. I might have scared Kate at this point, heh.After that rousing start, I take a moment to wander around the second stage to hear Dredg. Again, I had low expectations, not being very familiar with them, but they had a great thick sound, much like Autolux. Their lead singer made great use of a guitar laid on a table, using it like a lap steel to make some lovely racket.I did not linger long, however, because I wanted to see 120 Days, a Norwegian dance-rock band whose debut album I enjoyed. Unfortunately, they took way too long to set up, starting to play almost 20 minutes late. Then, they start by playing a new song, not a great way to engage your few fans. The final nail in the coffin was the singer's insistence that "This is music for dancing. You're supposed to be dancing." Um, no, your __music__ is supposed to make us dance; we don't respond well to demands. :P Completely nonplussed, I leave their set, although I had managed to grab a front row spot.Next up was MGMT, a band that has received an enormous amount of hype. Honestly, I wasn't thrilled at all, but Blair put their song "Time To Pretend" on his Coachella mix, and it fit so perfectly that I felt that I had to go see them. Unfortunately, their show was all right, but to be honest, the rest of their album sounds very little like "Time To Pretend" or their other single, "Kids". Most of their set had a classic-rock feel to it, which barely engaged me. However, the two singles, played last, did at least get the crowd moving.Now seemed a good time to take a break, so I got well watered, then wandered around the tents, listening to a bit of Kate Nash here, a bit of Bone Do Role there. I also found the Thai stand, and got some delicious pad Thia with veggies a-plenty and peanut sauce. I found myself a spot of shade and dug in and soaked up the atmosphere for a while.The next bands I wanted to see were all at the main stage, so I headed that way, and got to check out Cafe Tacvba for the first time. Now, I'm generally not a fan of "world music", but they had fantastic energy, an engaging frontman, and a wonderfully positive message. They clearly also inspire loyealty from the Latino contingent in the crowd; gotta love the fan in the crowd, singing along in his __luchador__ mask.Next up is Death Cab For Cutie. This is my first chance to see them live, although I've seen or read of their live experience through Amber's eyes untold times. I was able to powerplay my way to about six rows back, and directly in front of Ben Gibbard's mic stand. The band sounds in fine form, and play many of their familiar songsfrom the last three albums. New song "I Will Possess Your Heart" comes off particularly well. Ben spends some between-song time remarking about whether or not he can walk forth to the front of the stage, unsure if Prince would allow him up there, and later makes some more comments about Prince. It wasn't really clear to me if he was joking or not. Anyway, they wrap up with "The Sound of Settling" as the sun sets.As the Death Cab crowd leaves, I am able to squeeze up a bit closer for Kraftwerk. I'm still a bit giddy at the scheduling at this point: when I saw that Death Cab, Kraftwerk, Portishead, and Prince were all on Saturday, I figured I would have to miss at least one band on that list. Finding out that they would all play, one after the other, on the main stage, was the best news about Coachella I had heard.Anyway, Kraftwerk emerge, and it's a bit concerning how well they will connect with the crowd, given that the band is four older Germans with laptops. I need not have been concerned. Starting right up with "The Man-Machine", they play their songs flawlessly, and the huge video screen behind them play graphics to accompany the songs, to great effect. Especially poignant was the graphic marking the 20-year anniversary of Chernobyl during "Radio-Activity." Finally, they have one more trick up their sleeve. They kill the lights and turn on the white lights up front, so no one can see the stage. After a couple of minutes, they start playing "The Robots", and the lights come up to reveal that they have been replaced by robots. Very clever, and the crowd ate it up. They came back out for "Musique Non Stop" and called it a night. I am left to wonder how Portishead will ever top that."+They did, whoo boy did they ever!+":http://mog.com/Dale/blog_post/159048After Portishead, I'm emotionally spent, so I head to the back of the crowd at the main stage to enjoy Prince. He was, in a phrase, on fire. Bringing out Morris Day and Jerome for "Jungle Love", then Sheila E. for "The Glamorous Life" vividly reminded me how much influence he wielded within the music of the 80's. His originals were flawless, and his choices of covers connected well with the audience, see "+August's review of his cover of Creep.+":http://mog.com/Augusts1/blog_post/159179Far too soon, I was saying adieu to the polo field, as my concert experience ended that night. It was a decent ride home, only marred by a foul little man in a white BMW that failed to yield to sister Amber, greatly aggravating us all.
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