Purple Rain in the Desert

I went to my first "Coachella" this weekend. The Coachella Music and Arts Festival is a 3-day concert event in the desert filled with plenty of crazies scantily clad and drugged up. It's loads of fun, but exhausting--only the strong survive. I have wanted to go to Coachella in years past but the ticket price usually put a damper on things--about $110 per day or $300 for all 3, then you have to find a way to get to Indio, find lodging, pay for food, water, beer, etc. It adds up. This year however, I was determined to go.

Initially, the plan was to get tickets for Saturday, but by the time we got around to really following through they were only selling 3 day passes. We thought we were out of luck. Then they added Prince to Saturday night and that was salt on the wound. 2 weeks before Coachella, at a party with John, Claudia, and Sarah we decided that we would go to Coachella. John said he'd ask at work (he works at an agency) and see if they could get him tickets; this late in the game it was doubtful, but we all agreed to use The Secret and get those damn tickets!

To our suprise John scored us 5 tickets to Coachella. "Us" was Sarah, Eleni, John, Claudia, and me. We drove to Twentynine Palms on Friday night and stayed at a Motel 6. The next morning we drove to Indio for Coachella and arrived at about 12PM. Being in the desert again reminded me of the whole concept of west. Both "west" and "desert" have this quality of lawlessness, raw earth, man v. nature, the wild, wilderness, spirit, and survival. During the drive through the desert, and later upon entering Coachella, these concepts filled my mind. The grounds featured various outdoor stages and tents where performances would take place. There were large installations and interactive sculptures--they wouldn't allow people to bring their drums or instruments, but a large sculpture was composed of precussion instruments for people to play with. There was an area with misters, sprinklers, and strange avant garde performances. There was a large metal "tree" you could climb and sit inside. There was a canopy of red light gels that rustled in the wind both looking and sounding like fire. There were all kinds of people: glow stick ravers, "furry" types (not in full costume), goths, hipsters, rich high school kids, old stylish couples, early 30s couples with babies, shirtless "bro" types, pasty Bette Page types, skanky youth, old sketchy drug addicts, and much much more. There is no better place to people watch; Coachella beats the airport.

Fashion choices were interesting. It was clear that there was a battle between practicality/comfort and style/hipness. Keep in mind that it was over 100 degrees in Indio on Saturday. Some women wore bikinis and nothing else. Some went barefoot. Some wore jeans and boots, some wore cute dresses. I went with comfort and Prince fandom. I wore shorts since I didn't like the idea of being pressed up in a crowd in a dress or skirt. I made a Prince t-shirt of my own design with an iron on, photoshop, and a mens sleevless basketball T. Underneath I wore a purple bandeau. I bought an industrial strength fanny pack with dual water bottle holders. I wore closed toe sneakers. I was all about utility, comfort, and sensibility.

For the greater good I want all of you to have the opportunity to make your own Prince T-Shirts. I found a picture of Prince with Vanity from 1983 that made me "all dewey" and photoshopped Vanity out. I then tinkered a little in Photoshop and used similar colors to make a matching TAFKAP symbol. I'll include them here. Just print them out on an iron on sheet and you have your very own Prince T shirt!

Front


Back


Tres sexy, no?

The Bands
1. The Bird and The Bee
I had some of their stuff on my itunes, but had never really listened to it. Eleni convinced us to go and I really enjoyed their set. It was nice and mellow. A little like Stereolab (but not as good), but still really fun. I laid in the grass in the back of the tent with Claudia and John. While they were playing a mini tornado zipped through the area outside the tent lifting trashcans and water vendor umbrellas into the air. I freaked out a little and quickly put on my shoes, somewhat expecting a Cloverfield moment. The windstorm passed as quikcly as it came.

2. Uffie ft. DJ Mendi
We weren't really sure what this was, but it was at the next tent so we went over to check it out. A girl had out her glow sticks (at 1PM!) so I knew it was going to be clubby. When Uffie came on, another girl, clearly on something (probably E) started dancing and lifting up her skirt. That's when I saw a brown hairy vagina and flipped the fuck out. I ran out of the tent and refused to go back in, so mortified was I of this womans drugged shame. That was the last we saw of Uffie.

3. VHS or Beta
Leaving Uffie we walked over to VHS or Beta which is another band I have on my itunes but don't really listen to. They put on a nice show and did a sweet summer concert jame for about 10 minutes. It was nice sitting-in-the-sun-at-an-outdoor-concert-music.

4. MGMT
John, Claudia, and I went to MGMT and they put on an okay show. People were really into them and I enoyed the music. The performance was average, nothing special.

5. Bonde do Role
We wandered into this tent after MGMT because we heard them sampling "Robot Rock" and rapping over it. I'd watched some of their videos on YouTube before Coachella, and I'm glad we stopped by: they were crazy. They basically jumped around the stage and rapped over samples. Hell, I could do that. It didn't take much skill, but it was really fun.

7. Stephen Malkmus
It may be sacriledge to admit, but I've never really creamed my panties over Pavement as much as some music buffs do. I enjoy them, but I was never all that into them. Ditto for Malkmus' solo stuff. I watched Malkmus from the beer garden and was okay with that.

6. Cafe Tacvba
At this point I was feeling pretty dead and passed out in the grass. I didn't really care for Cafe Tacvba and thought I would have enjoyed them more than I did. I ate some nachos around this time. After Cafe Tacvba Claudia, John, and I got separted from Sarah and Eleni and weren't able to meet up again until the car! It sucked, but it's hard to communicate with the odds stacked against you at a huge festival like this.


7. Hot Chip
After Prince, Hot Chip was the best thing I saw at Coachella. I mean, I had a great time and I enjoyed everything I saw for the most part, but Hot Chip blew my mind. They sounded great live and they put on a good show. They rock out. They take the songs places they haven't been. They did a really great New Order cover/sample of "Temptation." I danced the whole set, and it totally rejuvenated me. Here's "Over and Over":


8. Rilo Kiley
I always hear about them, but I couldn't name one of their songs, although once I heard them live I realized I had heard their music before. I liked the set, and enjoyed it from the ground as I was pooped. Winona Ryder's boyfriend, Pinksy from Salute Your Shorts is like the guiarist or something, right?

9. Kraftwerk
I've been wanting to see Kraftwerk for a few years, but whenever they tour it's like $50 and no one will go with me anyway. We caught the first 2 songs of their set before running to MIA. What I saw was absolutely great. I wish I would have stayed, but MIA was an experience in and of itself. They opened with "Man Machine":


10. M.I.A.
So I saw MIA in Chicago in 2004 or 2005 when she opened for LCD Soundsystem, and I remember the concert for the bad taste it left in my mouth. I mean I love her music, but the crowd was crazy. My complaint at the time was that she came on late and the crowd was full of slam dancers. I knew at Coachella it would be more of the same and it was. We got there before the previous band had finished--as did lots of young, eager fans. This created a dangerous push/traffic jam, and immediately we knew it would be bad. We pushed our way under the tent and decided to stay put, forming a rigid island in a sea of dicontent. At one point some shirtless sweaty "bro" type was pushing up against me. We were skin-to-skin and all I could think was that ringworm is transmitted through sweat and he probably wrestles. My thing with shows is that if I don't feel safe it's hard for me to let go and have fun. I did my best to stay calm. True to form MIA came on late, and the pushing was bad. We got kicked in the head by body surfers and then she let people on stage which created another huge push. Concerned for saftey security turned on the house lights and MIA refused to play until they turned them off. Once she resumed she complained that "they" wouldn't let her play any longer. I mean, at something like Coachella if you go on late of course they won't let you play longer: there's a schedule. I didn't like that she egged on an already drugged up and crazy crowd. After she played "Paper Planes" we rushed out of the tent as quickly and smoothly as we could. I was reminded of that scene in the birds when they have to sneak by the school without disturbing the crows that are sitting on the jungle gym just waiting to attack. I'm glad I braved the crowd, and it was an experience.


11. Portishead
After MIA I attempted to use the bathrooms, but discovered that facilities that had been eerily clean by day had now become bio-hazards of the worst kind. I decided to hold it, and I did until I got back to LA at 4am. At Portishead I was dead, and I sat for much of the set, standing only for "Sour Times." I never really got into Portishead, although I do have Dummy, which my friend Melissa got me in jr. high or highschool for a birthday. She always had great taste. Beth Gibbons sounded amazing. The set was gorgeous, stunningly beautiful.


12. Prince
After Portishead we moved up for Prince, but still weren't all that close. I was nervous because the first time I'd seen Prince I had gotten to dance on stage; how could anything compare? However, as I said to John, there is no way that you cannot enjoy a Prince concert. His Superbowl performance left me orgasming on the living room floor. This was going to be good. Prince came on at 11PM and played a 2 hour set. He announced "Coachella, I am here," and informed us all that we were now in "the coolest place on earth." He owned this bitch. I screamed, I clapped, I danced, I yelled his name. It was a great show, and it was clear that he was doing it for his fans. This wasn't a "play the hits" medley, but a set that rewarded those who were familiar with his music and his roots in Minneapolis funk. He came out in a gorgeous white rhinestoned kurta-type suit. He was quickly joined by Morris Day and Jerome Benton of The Time who did two of their songs from Purple Rain, "The Bird" and "Jungle Love." Next came Sheila E for another surprise reunion. She sang her 80s hit (pennedy by Prince) "The Glamorous Life" (no, not that shit-tastic song by Fergie). Sheila E, best known for her talent as a precussionist, did a sweet little drum jam. The set went as follows:
-The Bird (Morris Day and Jerome Benton)
-Jungle Love (Morris Day and Jerome Benton)
-Glamorous Life (Sheila E)
-1999
-I Feel For U
-Controversy
-Little Red Corvette
-Musicology
-Cream
-U Got the Look
-Shh
-Anotherloverholeinyourhead
-Creep (Radiohead cover)
-The Arms of an Angel (Sarah McLachlan cover performed by backup singer)
-7 and Come Together (Beatles Cover)
-Purple Rain
-Let's Go Crazy

When Prince sang "I Feel 4 U" which he wrote and Chaka Khan famously covered, I commented that I wouldn't be suprised if Chaka Khan joined him onstage. I really loved that he had guests. The thing about going to a Prince concert, is that you can see and you can feel how passionate he is about music, how happy he is to be performing, and how much he respects and believes in the musicians who join him on stage. It's like basking in the glow of a warm sun. He makes love to his guitar, and I have never see a better guitarist live. He is one of our greatest living musicians, and I don't just say that beacuse I'd totally have his baby, I say it because it's the fucking truth. He puts on a damn good show. I wish I hadn't been so thoroughly exhausted, but even though I was, I still screamed my love.

When Prince covered "Creep" you could hear the jaws drop. People were surprised, probably beacuse a few years ago Prince claimed that he didn't listen to any music but his own (Perhaps this was somewhat tongue in cheek, but even if it wasn't it wouldn't be all that suprising: he's Prince, who else would he listen to?). However, I see Prince as an artist that is constantly evolving. I mean, a few years ago his website was receiving awards and accolades for how fucking awesome and innovative it was. It was gorgeous. Then he just up and took down the whole thing. Why? Because he can. He gave out his last album, Planet Earth for free in a UK newspaper. Then he cracked down on fan sites hosting images of him and trading music. Prince is like that. Anyway, the Radiohead cover was amazing because it did exactly what covers are supposed to do: it reinvented the original. Here's the youtube video of the performance. Enjoy it while you can, because it's just a matter of time until Prince has it taken down for Copyright infringement:

It's already gone. Well, there you go.

When he played "Controversy" he asked if "anyone remembered the 80s." I love that song. He did a really soulful and passionate cover of "Little Red Corvette" and for a final anchore he whipped through "Let's Go Crazy."

The Beatles cover was the space where he got political, saying that he was "sick of debates" and that it was time to usher in a "new age." While he left it at that, Prince is totally voting for Obama. (I wore my Obama pin on my Prince T shirt). He had everyone clap and say something like "No More War" and "Come Together, Yeah" and it was a great moment.

"Purple Rain" was beautiful as always.

Sunday and Monday I was a little depressed after being so close to Prince (feeling that warm sun) and then being thrust back into the mundanity of my day-to-day life. It was another Manic Monday, but I relived Coachella by trolling blogs for reviews. Here are a few that I enjoyed:
Brooklyn Vegan: http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2008/04/prince_coachell.html
AP: http://www.freshnews.in/prince-plays-coachella-covers-radiohead-25497
Idolator: http://idolator.com/384485/prince-takes-coachella-to-school
LAT: http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-prince28apr28,0,318613.story


The Aftermath
The treck back to the car was exhausting: I still had to pee, I had no water, we had to walk through a narrow space filled with dry desert dust, and the walk was far after standing for hours. The drive home was delirious; I don't know how Claudia did it. Afer dropping everyone at Sarah and John's she drove to LAX to catch a 7AM flight (!!!). I drove back to my apartment where I proceed to: drink a huge glass of water, scrub every crevice of my body clean, eat a sandwich, and go to bed for many hours.

I had seen Prince again. I had survived Coachella. Everything was gonna be alright.