29 Great moments from the 10th Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Empire Polo Club, Indio, California, April 17-19, 2009. 1. Fleet Foxes drawing a huge, mellow crowd, sweltering under woolly beanies on the Outdoor Stage, Saturday, playing ‘White Winter Hymnal’. Temperature: 98 degrees. 2. Karen O, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Coachella Stage Sunday, dressed as a disco ball, doing The Cramps’ ‘Human Fly’. 3. One minute, 32 seconds into the beautific maelstrom of My Bloody Valentine’s finale, ‘You Made Me Realise’, Coachella Stage, Sunday. 4. Drive By Truckers Shonna Tucker and Patterson Hood sharing a midsong slug of Jack on the Outdoor Stage, Saturday. 5. Franz Ferdinand recovering their mojo with ‘Take Me Out’, Main Stage, Friday. 6. Leonard Cohen considering us all “friends” and dancing us to the end of love, the Outdoor Stage, Friday. Shame about his cocktail jazz band. 7. Five minutes, 47 seconds into the howling storm of My Bloody Valentine’s finale, ‘You Made Me Realise’, Coachella Stage, Sunday. 8. Morrissey claiming he could smell flesh burning from the Coachella Stage, Friday, and opining, “I hope to God it’s human.” 9. Johnny Marr joining Paul Weller for ‘A Town Called Malice’, Outdoor Stage, Sunday. 10. Tinariwen’s magical Touareg hoedown in the Gobi Tent, Saturday. Only 100 degrees. The guys found it kinda chilly. 11. Mastadon doing ‘Crack The Skye’ in its entirety, Mojave Tent, Saturday headliner. 12. Morrissey staggering offstage in a swoon during ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others’ because the smell of “burning animals” was making him sick. 13. Paul McCartney’s segue of ‘A Day In The Life’ into ‘Give Peace A Chance’, Friday, Coachella Stage. 14. Macca again, doing George’s ‘Something’ on the ex-Beatle dude’s ukulele. 15. Eight minutes, 4 seconds into My Bloody Valentine’s seering finale ‘You Made Me Realise’, Main Stage, Sunday. 16. That’ll be Paris Hilton grooving to The Killer’s Saturday Main Stage headlining opener, ‘Human’. 17. That’ll be The Cure playing on after curfew, having the lights around the polo ground turned up after three hours, adding extra illumination to ‘Boys Don’t Cry’, Coachella Stage headline, Sunday. 18. Ben Bridwell’s awesome overbite during Band Of Horses’ exquisite ‘Is There A Ghost?’, Outdoor Stage, Saturday. 19. Twelve minutes, 15 seconds into the dragonfly lobotomy of My Bloody Valentine’s finale ‘You Made Me Realise’, Coachella Stage, Sunday. 20. MIA paying her dues to Amy Winehouse who she replaced after Amy’s visa hassles. “They tried to make me do the Oscars. I said No No No!” 21. Bob Dylan And The Band circa Basement Tapes 2009 version aka Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band, Outdoor Stage, Friday. 22. Fifteen minutes 10 seconds into the transcendental nausea of My Bloody Valentine’s finale ‘You Made Me Realise’, Coachella Stage, Sunday. 23. Public Enemy playing ‘It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back’ on its 20th anniversary, Outdoor Stage, Sunday. 24. Big, big brass boost to TV On The Radio’s ‘Young Liars’, Coachella Stage, Saturday. 25. Michael Franti & Spearhead tipping a Dread to Madness’ ‘Our House’, ACDC’s ‘Back In Black’ and Mungo Jerry’s ‘In The Summertime’, Coachella Stage, Saturday. 26. The Airbourne Toxic Event doing Terence Trent D’Arby’s ‘Wishing Well’, Coachella Stage, Friday. 27. Macca again. Explaining how ‘Blackbird’ was written in the 60s about the struggle for civil rights and deciding, with Obama in the White House, we’ve come a long way. 28. Blitzen Trapper getting their Dead country groove on Gobi Tent, Saturday. 29. Two days, three hours, 14 minutes and 3 seconds into My Bloody Valentine’s finale ‘You Made Me Realise’, Coachella Stage, Sunday. Hey, gotta love tinnitus, right? Steve Sutherland
29 Great moments from the 10th Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Empire Polo Club, Indio, California, April 17-19, 2009.
1. Fleet Foxes drawing a huge, mellow crowd, sweltering under woolly beanies on the Outdoor Stage, Saturday, playing ‘White Winter Hymnal’. Temperature: 98 degrees.
2. Karen O, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Coachella Stage Sunday, dressed as a disco ball, doing The Cramps’ ‘Human Fly’.
3. One minute, 32 seconds into the beautific maelstrom of My Bloody Valentine’s finale, ‘You Made Me Realise’, Coachella Stage, Sunday.
4. Drive By Truckers Shonna Tucker and Patterson Hood sharing a midsong slug of Jack on the Outdoor Stage, Saturday.
5. Franz Ferdinand recovering their mojo with ‘Take Me Out’, Main Stage, Friday.
6. Leonard Cohen considering us all “friends” and dancing us to the end of love, the Outdoor Stage, Friday. Shame about his cocktail jazz band.
7. Five minutes, 47 seconds into the howling storm of My Bloody Valentine’s finale, ‘You Made Me Realise’, Coachella Stage, Sunday.
8. Morrissey claiming he could smell flesh burning from the Coachella Stage, Friday, and opining, “I hope to God it’s human.”
9. Johnny Marr joining Paul Weller for ‘A Town Called Malice’, Outdoor Stage, Sunday.
10. Tinariwen’s magical Touareg hoedown in the Gobi Tent, Saturday. Only 100 degrees. The guys found it kinda chilly.
11. Mastadon doing ‘Crack The Skye’ in its entirety, Mojave Tent, Saturday headliner.
12. Morrissey staggering offstage in a swoon during ‘Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others’ because the smell of “burning animals” was making him sick.
13. Paul McCartney’s segue of ‘A Day In The Life’ into ‘Give Peace A Chance’, Friday, Coachella Stage.
14. Macca again, doing George’s ‘Something’ on the ex-Beatle dude’s ukulele.
15. Eight minutes, 4 seconds into My Bloody Valentine’s seering finale ‘You Made Me Realise’, Main Stage, Sunday.
16. That’ll be Paris Hilton grooving to The Killer’s Saturday Main Stage headlining opener, ‘Human’.
17. That’ll be The Cure playing on after curfew, having the lights around the polo ground turned up after three hours, adding extra illumination to ‘Boys Don’t Cry’, Coachella Stage headline, Sunday.
18. Ben Bridwell’s awesome overbite during Band Of Horses’ exquisite ‘Is There A Ghost?’, Outdoor Stage, Saturday.
19. Twelve minutes, 15 seconds into the dragonfly lobotomy of My Bloody Valentine’s finale ‘You Made Me Realise’, Coachella Stage, Sunday.
20. MIA paying her dues to Amy Winehouse who she replaced after Amy’s visa hassles. “They tried to make me do the Oscars. I said No No No!”
21. Bob Dylan And The Band circa Basement Tapes 2009 version aka Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band, Outdoor Stage, Friday.
22. Fifteen minutes 10 seconds into the transcendental nausea of My Bloody Valentine’s finale ‘You Made Me Realise’, Coachella Stage, Sunday.
23. Public Enemy playing ‘It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back’ on its 20th anniversary, Outdoor Stage, Sunday.
24. Big, big brass boost to TV On The Radio’s ‘Young Liars’, Coachella Stage, Saturday.
25. Michael Franti & Spearhead tipping a Dread to Madness’ ‘Our House’, ACDC’s ‘Back In Black’ and Mungo Jerry’s ‘In The Summertime’, Coachella Stage, Saturday.
26. The Airbourne Toxic Event doing Terence Trent D’Arby’s ‘Wishing Well’, Coachella Stage, Friday.
27. Macca again. Explaining how ‘Blackbird’ was written in the 60s about the struggle for civil rights and deciding, with Obama in the White House, we’ve come a long way.
28. Blitzen Trapper getting their Dead country groove on Gobi Tent, Saturday.
29. Two days, three hours, 14 minutes and 3 seconds into My Bloody Valentine’s finale ‘You Made Me Realise’, Coachella Stage, Sunday. Hey, gotta love tinnitus, right?
Steve Sutherland
