Coachella: Day 2

Saturday was so much better than Friday. We learned from our mistakes, parking further away in Lot 5 near the exit instead of locking ourselves inside lot 1 for half the night. I was able to smuggle in even more snacks than before, and we avoided the sun by stacking recycling bins.

Jon inside our shade fort:


A few other secrets of Coachella:

--Find the backway into the port-a-john alley to avoid standing in long lines.

--Raid the recycle bins for empty water bottles. This year they gave you one free bottle for every 10 empties you turned in.

--Eat at the vegetarian Indian place. The food's fantastic.

--Bring a small flashlight for reading your stage guide at night.

We started the day with Fountains of Wayne who played a better than expected set. Regina Spektor was next. She's completely lovely and put on an excellent show.



My internet crush Sara was down from S.F. today for the festival. I don't think I spotted you, unless this is your back. She has your hair.



I stayed for Travis after, making the difficult decision to miss The New Pornographers on another stage. I hate it when two of my favorite bands are playing head to head. Travis was amazing though, so I think I made the right choice. They played all my favorite songs, and did them brilliantly. One of the best performances of the festival so far.

Then it was choosing time again, as Kings of Leon were playing against The Decemberists. I went with Decemberists, but this time I think I choose poorly. They are such amazing musicians and Colin's voice is always great, but their song selection was very weak. The show could have been so much better. I almost let them off the hook because they ended with a terrific version of The Mariner's Revenge Song.

Two things I've noticed an abundance of at Coachella: Bush haters and Pot Smokers. This guys is killing two birds with one stone for me:



I'll bet is sucks having a picture of yourself smoking weed on the internet, where it will stay for ever and ever. He better pray his future prosecuting attorney doesn't have a crack team of researchers at their disposal.

Back to the main stage where The Arcade Fire put on a solid show. We grabbed that really good Indian food after and then watched part of Blonde Redhead. Their music is better suited for solo listening on your iPod.

The big headliner of the night was Red Hot Chili Peppers. They were in top form tonight both musically and vocally. Really enjoyed their stage show, even if I was way in the back watching mostly on the video screens. Flip flops and giant crowds of drunk people don't mix.



This couple was standing next to us during the show. They looked like friend's of my parents, and I assumed they were chaperoning for someone.



The music ended on a high note, with the lesser known Black Keys under the Mojave tent. Words fail me to describe how "enter highest praise adjective here" this band was. By far the best performance of the festival. Two guys, one on drums, the other on guitar, sounding like a full band of blues rocking musical wizards. They had the crowd mesmerized from start to finish. You HAVE to see this band live.

Hobbled back to the truck. My legs feel like they've been beaten with fence posts. Can't believe I have to endure one more day of standing. Stay tuned for Day 3, featuring Rage Against The Machine.