Coachella 2013

     I was looking at pictures after Coachella and I came across an image of a billboard entitled “Before I Die…” with answers scribbled all over it. One of the answers someone wrote was, “I want to… be utterly and truly happy = No Stress” and it gave me this warm, tingly feeling. Coachella is not like a rave nor is it just another music festival but it's something so unique that it's hard to describe in words. The quote describes a true and pure feeling that I felt and it made me feel blessed to have finally felt this at Coachella.

     Coachella is engulfed in beautiful mountains and palm trees that look like mirages across the horizon. The fresh air and green grass between your feet combined with the hot sun and warm breeze not only hypnotize your body but it uplifts your soul. It seems as if every aspect of Coachella promotes the euphoric atmosphere of a carefree and “I Don’t Give A Fuck” lifestyle. With feel good music in the air and your friends by your side, it’s hard to imagine a place better than this.
    It’s easy to fall in love with Coachella; people greet each other with a warm, “Happy Coachella” and a peace sign. The girls though, wow. The girls look phenomenal as they frolic through the fields with their high-rise shorts and cropped tops, aviator sunglasses and flower crowns. Everyone is polite, everyone is happy, and everyone is on a blissful Coachella high. If you’re not, you can feed off our energy. If you’re lost, you can be our friend. If you want a cigarette, we can smoke one together and become friends. It’s a place where nobody is really a stranger and everyone is welcomed with open arms.

    Everything was amazing this year but I wasn't too stoked on the art. They had a couple of repeated attractions like the balloons, the land sharks (accompanied by new butterflies), and the Cauac Twins but nothing really stood out besides the snail. The snail was pretty awesome; it had some artwork on it, with the quote, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If 
you want to go far, go together." and it left a trail of suds on the ground as it snailed by. We tried to touch it the first week and some lady yelled as us so we ran to the other side and touched the fuck out of it. I should've slapped a sticker on it...oh well. Anyways the Do LaB itself was the best artistic structure of the festival, it was colorful, dynamic, and it provided shade and comfort. Maybe I'll submit something next year so I can get a free pass! I'm thinking something that shoots out mist and provides shade..
     The only other problem was being everywhere at once because there was too much talent to see! Luckily I was able to go both weekends and got to see the majority of the artists I planned on seeing this year. So let's walk, run, skip, frolic, hand stand, hula, cart wheel, or spin as we go from stage to stage, you can even sprint as fast as you can if you want. Just have fun with it! Here's how my epic adventure went...

Friday 4/12: Do LaB, Dillon Francis, Do LaB, Beardyman, to Thomas Gold, back to the Do LaB, then a little bit of Tommy Trash, to Passion Pit, Do LaB, to Dog Blood, some TNGHT, followed by the Do LaB, to Modestep, to Bassnectar, to Goldrush at the Do LaB.

Saturday 4/13: Do LaB, to Baauer, 2 Chainz, back to the Do LaB, Bingo Players, to Major Lazer, Do LaB, some Fedde Le Grand, some Benny Benassi, Do LaB, all of Postal Service, some of the XX, some Pusha T, some Moby, Do LaB again, a little Franz Ferdinand, and Phoenix to finish the night.

Sunday 4/14: Do LaB, Mimosa, Do LaB, a little Grimes, the Lumineers, Ferris Wheel for Social Distortion, Do LaB, some Pretty Lights, Do LaB, rocked out with The Faint, some Wu-Tang Clan, and finished with Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Saturday 4/20: Do LaB, to Bingo Players, to Major Lazer, Do LaB, Portugal. The Man, Julio Bashmore, some Postal Service, Do LaB, all of Two Door Cinema Club's amazing set, Knife Party's rowdy set, to some Sigur Ros, and the end of Phoenix.

Sunday 4/21: Do LaB, Mimosa, Do LaB, to Lumineers, Social Distortion, Rodriguez, back to the Do LaB, Pretty Lights, The Faint, almost died at Excision presents the Executioner, Roni Size & Dynamite MC, Dub FX, and ended it all front row in all access for Disclosure.

     Everyone played amazing sets and it was easy to find the right music for whatever mood you were in or to find music to get you in the mood you wanted to be in. I did a lot of wandering and listened to a lot of new artists that I've never heard of, such as The Faint and I was exposed to a lot of new music. I could go on and on about the artists I saw but...Ain't Nobody Got Time Fo’ That! So I'll just pick a few at random.

Passion Pit was unbelievable! One of my favorite sets of the year. They played their favorite hits like, "Take A Walk", "Carried Away", "Sleepyhead", and "Little Secrets". Passion Pit exemplifies that feel good music that I love and it was almost too perfect seeing them live at Coachella as the sun began to set. The mood, the setting, the song selection, the group of friends surrounding me, everything aligned perfectly. Probably the most underrated performances of the week. You can check out the full performance here:

Modestep was epic. I really wanted to see J5 but I also wanted to get a good spot for Bassnectar so I just went with the flow and was not disappointed. Modestep definitely killed it, especially because Bassnectar's set wasn't all that great (Keep in mind that I'm a BASS HEAD and I love Lorin), but some chick had a seizure during his set and killed my vibe. She looked like she was dead, I thought Bassnectar killed someone. Anyway, Modestep brought some nasty dubstep, I'm down.

Mimosa made a surprise appearance last year in the Do LaB. It was so NASTY that I knew I had to see him again this year and he didn't disappoint. His performance the first week was incredible. Mixing hip-hop with EDM, he dropped bangers such
as "I'm Different" and his remix of "Swimming Pools". It was awesome because there was a lot HAM space, which is space to go Hard As a Motherfucker when you're dancing. It was a perfect midday set. His style was rowdy, full of twerking, face down ass up, drop it low to the floor, and just lose it intentions.

Postal Service came with jam after jam, providing the perfect music and atmosphere to regain your energy and mellow out. Maybe even to stretch and smoke a little and regroup with friends also. Their set brought back some high school memories which is probably why I love this music. They played their hit songs, "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" and "Such Great Heights". They got applause after every song and a standing ovation after their last. PS's music just makes you feel good. Check out the live stream of "Such Great Heights" below:

Excision Presents the Executioner was the nastiest, most filthy disgusting thing I heard all week and it was fuckin' amazing. I knew that one of my GCs was posted in the Sahara Tent all day so I made my way over there to meet with her. All I can say is that the name, The Executioner, is very fitting because he was absolutely killing it and he seriously murdered everyone in the Sahara Tent. I lost my mind! My body cramped up from going HAM. Great set, loved it all. Definitely worth it.

Phoenix was great and I'm thankful I finally got to see them. Even though they didn't play, "If I Ever Feel Better" they still killed it and had an amazing set. They played, "Rome", "Entertainment", "1901" and they even brought out R-Kelly who performed "Ignition (Remix)". It was a great moment and extremely unexpected because almost everyone was waiting for Daft Punk. I have a lot of respect for Thomas Mars for sharing the spot light for a few minutes of his set with someone who can't even read this. Here is the remix to the remix to Ignition:

 

Seeing the Red Hot Chili Peppers was a west coast dream come true. Although John Frusciante was not present, they still delivered an epic set. Full of their classic hits such as "Under The Bridge", "Californication", "Give It Away", and "Dani California" it was a compilation that I knew every word to. It definitely brought back a ton of memories because I've listened to them my whole life and I'm glad I finally got to see them. Flea is hilarious by the way. Their performance was everything I thought the RHCP would be and more.

Disclosure was the best. With the help of a friend, we got to go front row into all access for the full set. They had everyone giggin'/dancing/moving as they played, "White Noise" and "Running" of which Jessie Ware sang live. But when Sam Smith came out and they dropped "Latch". Oh man, all heaven broke out and everyone was getting down. Men, women, children, the recyclesaurse rex, the snail, people watching RHCP, EVERYONE was dancing. I love it. It was the best way to end Coachella, they should've played that song 5 times in a row. Shit. This is how I ended my epic adventure:

     I checked out a few bands for the first time and was pretty impressed: The Faint, Two Door Cinema Club, Social Distortion, and the XX were great first time listens. Beardyman was pretty cool too, he had a unique performance as he free-styled, beat boxed, and DJed. I wish I got a chance to see Maya Jane Coles, Hardwell, Simian Mobile Disco, Kraddy, and Goldrush's full set. I heard C2C was amazing but I still haven't heard anything about Mord Fustang, I wanted to see them too.

     This year's line up was way under-rated. I know it's hard to follow up a line up with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg headlining but I believe GoldenVoice and AEG pulled it off. I can't believe weekend 2 tickets were selling for less than 50% of the face value. I would be down for it to happen again! I really liked Coachella last year but now I'm in love with it. So much music, so many good vibes, I wish it never ended. Don't forget the first wave of Coachella tickets go on sale in a month or so.

Top 10: 1)Disclosure 2) Passion Pit 3) You know what...I loved them all and I hope you loved them all too.

Stay in Good Company and we'll see you next year.

352 days left till Coachella! ✌