Coachella Music and Arts Festival

The second Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, a culmination of music, hallucinogens, soaring temperatures and good vibes, came to the 78-acre Empire Polo Fields in Indio, California. The festival housed more than 45 of the world's rising artists and DJs, each taking their turn in the hot desert sun. Tickets were sold at the outrageous price of $75 ($65 before Ticket-Bastard surcharges) which almost stopped me from going. However, it didn't stop the 31,000 fans that made the trek from as far away as Florida and Georgia.
Indio is a small desert community, about three hours south of Los Angeles. Promoters and sponsors recommended spending the night, providing lists of hotels and campgrounds available. Lake Cuhuilla Campground was crazy, loaded with nocturnal twenty-somethings raging all night long and hoping to make a party of the place before the 2 AM noise curfew.
We arrived early the next day and parked in the farthest lot in hopes of making an easy getaway once 1 AM struck. The line to get in was backed up about 500 yards and doors didn't open until noon. Security was tight but avoidable, as I saw many stuffing bags of weed and various other vices into their socks and shoes. The layout was genius but once inside, concertgoers were faced with the tough decision of picking a band to see without missing another act. Two outdoor stages and three tented stages were spread out on the huge grass field. The two outdoor stages were played by the festival's better known bands like Weezer, Jane's Addiction, Iggy Pop and Gang Starr. The tents were used primarily for the electronic acts like Kruder and Dorfmeister, Chemical Brothers and Diesel Boy.
With so many acts on so many stages, I found myself doing more walking and sweating as opposed to seeing performances. First I saw Nikka Costa, the twenty-eight year-old redheaded soul-rock singer on Virgin. She sang songs from her new CD, Everybody Got Their Something, captivating the audience with her Joplin-like voice and sexy '70s duds. Los Angeles based Ozomatli followed up Costa, drawing a large crowd with their Latin sound, infused here and there with raps from Kanetic. Halfway through their set, I bailed myself out of the heat as I began to feel my skin start to cook. I took refuge in one of the many rest tents scattered across the grounds.
I regret to say that I missed Weezer, but in their place went to see Capitol Records act St. Germain. Their eclectic mix of acid jazz / house tunes ricocheted off the surrounding mountains as they ripped through an hour-long set comprised of songs from their latest release, Tourist, as well as a few impromptu jam sessions. Other bands, like The Roots and Gangstar caught my attention, but failed to really hit home with their respective sets.
By this time, I was ready for Jane's Addiction. Perry Farrell opened the set by asking the crowd, "How long has it been?" and then breaking into the song "Three Days." Farrell, who took the stage in a skin-tight white sequined suit and pimp hat complete with feather, then proceeded to grab hold of the crowd with his scratchy voice and odd antics. The stage was set up to look like an underwater aquarium, complete with people on stilts shooting out confetti and topless girls dancing around like tropical mermaids. At one point in the show, Farrell disappeared, only to resurface on a satellite stage in the middle of the crowd, about 10 feet from us. He was then joined by the rest of the band for an incredible performance of "Been Caught Stealing." Halfway through the song, original Porno for Pyros bass player Martin Le Nobyle broke into a solo, only to have the fans' attention shifted back to the main stage where Flea took over from there. Dressed in a long blue shiny suit with afro blowing in the desert wind, Flea set the crowd off. The band proceeded to rip, playing all their hits including "Mountain Song" and "Ocean Size."
When it was all said and done, the only thing left of Coachella 2001 was a lot of burnt-out people, tons of trash and a shitload of traffic. I dug the peaceful vibe and drug-induced atmosphere and recommend you take the trip next year, literally.

- Noah Beery

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