Indio, Calif. – The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a celebration of moments.
The European-style festival, held in lush polo fields in the desert 130 miles east of Los Angeles, can be encapsulated by Sigur Ros’ sweepingly orchestral sunset hour. Or Gnarls Barkley’s buzzy suprafunk set performed by singer Cee-Lo and production wizard Danger Mouse with the assistance of a full band (strings, DJs, backup singers) all dressed as characters from “The Wizard of Oz.”
But this year the popular indie rock festival, in its seventh year, grew new stripes – otherwise known as Madonna and Kanye. While Coachella always boasts marquee headliners – Depeche Mode and Tool this year, Coldplay and Nine Inch Nails last year – they are usually of a certain independent or alternative stripe. So this year’s decision to bring in two of the most potent mainstream tastemakers of recent decades was a surprise, especially to longtime festivalgoers more accustomed to Bjork, Radiohead and the Beastie Boys.
And so the seventh annual Coachella was also about those moments where the crowd booed a tardy Madonna for 20 minutes – and the 40 minutes Madge spent rocking the Sahara Tent’s stage, a Les Paul strapped around her shoulder, hot backup dancers on her flanks, a tepid set list at her feet and the most frenzied, sardine-packed crowd in Coachella’s history in front of her.
But the obnoxiously bright glare from these stars didn’t dim Coachella. This year’s festival wasn’t nearly as potent as years past in the jaw-dropping, breaking-band, holy-cow arena. Still, an off year at Coachella is better than an on year most other places.
The headliners were strong but not world-shifting. Mid-level acts ranged from so-so (Ladytron, The Go! Team) to spectacular, as demonstrated by Mates of State, the Scissor Sisters and TV on the Radio. There was no big reunion a la the Pixies, Iggy and the Stooges or Kraftwerk of previous years.
Perhaps most disturbing was the lack of freshly anointed buzz bands that mattered. Entering the weekend, it was hard not to be moved by a list that included Gnarls Barkley, Wolfmother, The Duke Spirit, Lady Sovereign, The Zutons, Animal Collective, Nine Black Alps, White Rose Movement, Giant Drag, Be Your Own Pet, Infadels, Editors and more. But in hindsight, it seemed as if only a few will amount to anything beyond a postscript of Buzz Band, Mid-2006.
Gnarls Barkley, a collaboration between R&B master Cee-Lo and uber-producer Danger Mouse, was the obvious standout of this year’s festival. Going in, the anticipation was hot – and the group more than met the hype with a show that expertly rode the rip curl of the frenetic singles “Crazy” and “Go-Go Gadget Gospel” into slower, dubbier territory.
With their unexpectedly hot pop-soul fusion, the Platinum Pied Pipers also played a genre-switching set that had hip-hoppers and indie rockers nodding their heads in unison. If you added some rock to that mix you had TV on the Radio, which showcased soulful material from its upcoming record.
The major hip-hop letdown of the festival was obvious. British rapper Lady Sovereign came to Indio as a must-see artist, but she finished her set to a half-empty tent.
On the pop side, the hairy British band The Magic Numbers stole the hearts of many festivarians with their pretty, folksy music. Mates of State were even more intoxicating, and it was obvious their well – four records in the past six years – is deeper than those of many bands playing Coachella.
Good ol’ rock ‘n’ roll suffered the most at this year’s festival. While British rock acts Art Brut and The Rakes played strong sets, they were surrounded by a lot of music that failed to rock. Wolfmother is a fierce band, but its Sabbath-meets-White Stripes hard rock didn’t connect to a desert audience in the middle of a sunny afternoon.
Veteran acts Tool and Sleater-Kinney showed they haven’t lost a step, but what does it say about an indie rock festival when the hottest rock act is the gay disco outfit Scissor Sisters, which closed Sunday night’s activities with a set that was as electric as singer Jake Shears’ fluorescent falsetto?
Pop music critic Ricardo Baca can be reached at 303-820-1394 or rbaca@denverpost.com.
Heading our way
Catch these 10 hot Coachella bands playing Colorado this summer:
Tool: Wednesday, Buell
Wolfmother: May 22, Bluebird
The Duke Spirit: May 23, Paramount
TV on the Radio: May 30, Red Rocks
The Walkmen: June 5, Gothic
Eagles of Death Metal: June 6, Bluebird
Lady Sovereign: June 14, Fox
The Go! Team: July 29, Red Rocks
Mates of State: Aug. 6, Fillmore
Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley: Aug. 23, Red Rocks
