Fill it to the brim
A wide range of good music, good vibes will spill out on the field at annual Coachella fest
By Chris Nixon
For the San Diego Union-Tribune
April 28, 2005
Each year in the Empire Polo Field's wide-open spaces, the desert serves as a backdrop to one of best music festivals in the business: the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.
Polo fields happen to be the largest playing fields with boundaries in organized sports (300 yards by 160 yards), so the locale just outside of Palm Springs provides acres of manicured grassy fields and spectacular views of desert mountain ranges in the distance.
Striking scenery may serve as the setting, but music remains the reason people drive to the desert. Modeled after European festivals drawing diverse artists and crowds, Coachella makes a point each year to include artsy headliners with worthy smaller arts from indie rock, hip-hop and electronica with a smattering of world music and jazz.
This year, Coldplay headlines the Saturday show, while Nine Inch Nails brings big-name clout to the Sunday lineup.
Many San Diegans make the trip to Indio each year to take in the unique atmosphere and the wide array of bands. This year's lineup also features such San Diego-bred favorites as Pinback and the Locust.
BEST MUSICAL BETS
SATURDAY
Bauhaus: The Goth-rock originators have re-formed with the lineup of Peter Murphy, Daniel Ash, Kevin Haskins and David J (now living in North County). Such post-Bauhaus side projects as Tones on Tail, Love and Rockets and Peter Murphy's solo albums surpassed the popularity of the original band, but true connoisseurs understand Bauhaus' importance.
Cafe Tacuba: Bands singing lyrics in Spanish tend to get lumped into the rock en espanol bin, but this Mexican quartet transcends the tag with quirky songwriting and a Beck-like cohesiveness despite using alt-rock, hip-hop and Latino influences. Cafe Tacuba – which won a 2004 Grammy for its "Cuatros Caminos" – gave a great performance at 2003's Street Scene, so it's good to have them back in Southern California.
Spoon: "That's the way we get by," croaks Spoon lead singer Britt Daniel on the Austin, Texas, quartet's excellent 2002 release, "Kill the Moonlight." This is indie music with melody stretching the boundaries of guitar-driven rock. Spoon will release a new disc, "Some Fiction," on May 10, so expect a bunch of new tunes at the Coachella performance.
Zap Mama: How wonderful is Zap Mama? Zap Mama's Marie Daulne – with her rhythmic, raspy vocals – understands the connection between African music and contemporary R&B, soul and hip-hop. Zap Mama's 2004 release, "Ancestry in Progress," taps the skills of the Roots, Talib Kweli, Common and Erykah Badu. Kweli will be on hand as part of Black Star, so expect a guest spot at Saturday's Zap Mama performance.
Amp Fiddler: After spending years honing his funk/soul skills as a sideman for Maxwell and George Clinton's bands, Amp Fiddler made a name for himself with the smooth R&B sound of his 2004 solo disc, "Waltz of a Ghetto Fly." Criminally overlooked, the album gives Fiddler (a Street Scene alumni) free range to explore stripped-down funk-tinged soul music.
SUNDAY
Nine Inch Nails: Anyone interested in attending Coachella probably knows about Nine Inch Nail's Trent Reznor and his penchant for creating accessible industrial music accented by crunching guitars and angst-ridden vocals. But NIN still deserves to be mentioned because the band puts on an amazing live show. "With Teeth," the new disc from Reznor, appears in record stores Tuesday, so expect to hear some new songs.
Black Star: With almost a dozen hip-hop artists gracing the Indio stages, Coachella reaffirms its love for hip-hop that shuns materialistic blather in favor of rhythmic art and lyrical intelligence. Before Mos Def graced the silver screen and Talib Kweli broke loose as a solo artist, these two MCs rocked the hip-hop world as Black Star. Their 1998 debut "Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Blackstar" did more than just launch the careers of two promising MCs, it reminded us that hip-hop doesn't have to be coated in diamonds.
Pinback: If you're into the local music scene, you probably know about Pinback and its beautifully crafted, transcendent indie rock songs. Touring in support of 2004's "Summer in Abaddon," Zach Smith and Rob Crow are gaining notice from more than music journalists and indie rock aficionados. Pinback's Sunday performance at Coachella should help expose the band to a larger audience.
DJ Krush: Japanese DJ-producer Krush, aka Hideaki Ishi, creates introspective, mainly instrumental hip-hop tracks. Splicing underground hip-hop cred (he's worked with the Roots, Aesop Rock, Company Flow, DJ Shadow and Mos Def) with samples of wooden flutes and traditional Japanese instruments, Krush remains one of hip-hop's most imaginative songsmiths.
The Stereophonics: This Welsh trio feels equally at home in meat-and-potatoes, Stones-influenced rock, U2-tinged melodic rock and fuzzy garage indie rock. Note the common word here: rock. The Stereophonics are simply a great rock band. The group just released the cleverly titled "Language. Sex. Violence. Other?," another set of excellent multi-chromatic rock tunes.
Chris Nixon is a San Diego writer.
NUTS AND BOLTS
All ages are welcome; children under 5 are free. Festival gates open at 11 a.m. each day and parking lots and box office open 9 a.m. The event is rain or shine. Everyone entering the venue is subject to a search. Photo ID required for all will-call ticket pickups. Tickets can be purchased at the box office on event days. Once in the festival, you can't leave and go back in.
Tickets are $81 per person per day, and Ticketmaster is adding $11.05 for a convenience charge and $3 for a "Building Facility Charge."
Directions and parking
From San Diego: Take I-15 north to I-215 north. Take state route 60 east to I-10 east toward Palm Springs, past Highway 111; exit at Indio Boulevard. Traffic personnel will direct cars to the Empire Polo Field and event parking lots. Parking is free; no overnight parking without a camping permit.
Camping: Coachella provides on-site camping. Guidelines: www.coachella.com. On-site camping tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster: (619) 220-TIXS or www.ticketmaster.com.
Can bring: Backpacks, hat, sun block, lighters, sunglasses, cigarettes, small beach towel, fanny packs, digital cameras (nonprofessional), disposable and nonprofessional film cameras.
Can't bring: Musical instruments, knives, weapons, chains, chain wallets, blankets, outside food and beverage, camel packs, tents, flags, chairs, video cameras, audio recording devices, bota bags, professional cameras, stuffed animals, pets, drugs and drug paraphernalia.
Tips for Coachella
Get there early: Most Coachella-goers don't bother with the early afternoon hours of the festival. That makes the early afternoon hours the best time to go. The line at the entry gates can be long from 1 p.m. on, so line up before noon. The early shows from lesser-known bands are often the most rewarding, allowing stage-front access and dancing room.
Bring sunscreen, a hat and a small backpack: It's the desert; the sun will be intense. Use sunscreen, bring a hat and bring a small backpack to carry everything in. The official Coachella site (www.coachella.com) defines the regulation backpack size.
Bring money: The organizers of Coachella know they have a captive audience, so they will charge for food, beer and alcohol. The festival T-shirts feature cool designs and run $20 to $30.
Stay the night: Driving to Indio takes approximately three hours from San Diego. Add six to 12 hours of music and the time it takes to get in and out of the venue, and you have more than a full day. The Palm Springs area offers a wide variety of lodging options from on-site camping to fancy hotels. Check out www.coachella.com or call the lodging hot line at (800) 537-6986.
Patience: Coachella is a huge festival. There will be a lot of people there. There will be lines. But, in general, everyone is mellow. If you have a little patience, you'll have a better time and fit right in.
