The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival wrapped up its second weekend of two on April 18th through 20th, 2014. Check out my coverage thus far including my Top 15 Photos and my Top Ten Moments from the weekend.
Hordes of eager young masses flocked to Indio, CA to see music of all genres. Decked out in their sunflower prints, crop tops, and “denim panties,” the majority of Coachella attendees have gained a reputation of being not the most genuine of music lovers. All in all, the festival still had much to offer by way of a great lineup, fantastic food choices, and a laundry list of side activities to keep even the most die-hard of music festival purists entertained and distracted. Read on for my photo recaps of each day:
Friday, April 18th
Friday started out muggy in the mid-80s and turned windy and chilly as the evening progressed. The sky threatened to rain, but held it together and the dark clouds soon passed. Despite the not-so-sunny weather, I was glad to be spared the dust storm of the weekend prior. Flatbush Zombies opened the day on the Outdoor Stage, bringing their blend of gangsta rap and lyrics like, “I don’t give a s***, ’cause ignorance is bliss.” At one point, perhaps in homage to the 20 year anniversary of Nevermind, they played “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and the crowd went buck-wild. It was great to see a rap crowd so thoroughly loving the rock reference. Soulful ZZ Ward and her band rang in the afternoon in the Mojave Tent.
Dum Dum Girls win the award for most see-through outfits of the weekend, as each of the three front-women had their own version of covering up while still being quite revealing. One rocked a poncho made of fringe, another wore a high-waisted striped see-through skirt over darker layers and a crop top, and the third, and most eye-catching, wore a mesh bodysuit with only very small shorts and black pasties. Casual passerby stopped in their tracks at the sight of what looked like big black nipples on the jumbo-trons. Once captivated by the sight, viewers stayed for the sounds.
The day’s gangsta rap continued with A$AP Ferg, the badass lady rock continued with HAIM, and more soul sounds came from Aloe Blacc. The night turned electronic as Shlohmo, Woodkid, Chromeo, and Girl Talk got people dancing. Girl Talk takes the cake for guest stars for Friday night, bringing up such greats as Busta Rhymes, Tyga, Freeway, and Waka Flocka Flame. Next were The Knife with their new project/album, Shaking the Habitual, featuring about 20 synchronized dancers and an array of unique instruments. The headliner was Outkast, on their second weekend performing live since 2007 (more info on that in my Top Ten Moments post). Closing out the night in the small Gobi Tent were Anti-Flag, still going strong, commanding circle pits and educating the masses about our corrupt government.
See below for photos of the above mentioned bands, as well as Austra, Jagwar Ma, The Afghan Whigs, and Bryan Ferry.
