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Apr 16, 2011 By Michele Yamamoto

Coachella simply isn't Coachella if not rich with conflicts, setbacks, and obstacles. Day one of three this year has surely delivered.

After speeding through parking and bag check, I was feeling confident by the time I'd reached the final checkpoint—wristband scanning portals that closely resemble security devices at most major retailers. The special little microchip in Coachella's high-tech 2011 wristband was just not scanning, and I was directed to join the long, snaking line of disgruntled non-scanning concertgoers at customer service. Within a half hour, festival organizers managed to root out the problem for most non-scanners, reset the systems and I was in. First issue resolved.

I managed to stroll up to the Outdoor Theater just as the Canadian quartet The Rural Alberta Advantage started their set. And wouldn't you know it, lead singer Nils Edenloff had just come down with a cold. They bounced around and turned beet red in the desert sun, reminding the audience (as is wise and common) to stay hydrated.

!!! followed on the Outdoor Theater, and the side screens lit up with low-angled images of the lead singer gyrating his hips and generally getting down. The self-proclaimed "three-time reining champs" of Coachella were a quick injection of energy to the young crowd, as always, getting the masses to move.  

It wasn't until Titus Andronicus took to the stage that the day really began. The post-punk New Jersey band rolled through amped-up anthems from their 2010 hit The Monitor with explosive energy, inciting old-school moshing and crowdsurfing. They deftly moved through the set without incident, the lead singer with an American flag flowing from the bottom of this guitar. 

I made my way over to Sahara to try to see hyped act Odd Future and the new light installation suspended above the audience. Though it was mid-day, the effect was mesmerizing. Odd Future, however, was not. Starting a good 20 minutes late and unabashedly blasting the Coachella engineer for all technical difficulties, the hip hop collective seemed unexpectedly low energy and predictably unprofessional. The crowd thinned out, and after about two songs, I followed suit.

The ladies of Warpaint dazzled on the Outdoor Theater, including "Billie Holiday," which was subdued and resolute with a disarming section or two of "My Guy."

Cee-Lo Green also started late and after having the audience raise a middle finger to Coachella for "rushing" him during "Fuck You," had his sound completely cut near the start of a cover of "Don't Stop Believing." He continued to shout something into the microphone and the band played on to no avail. You couldn't even hear a drum beat from just behind the soundboard and the crowd walked away, feeling slightly awkward for Cee-Lo.

Ms. Lauryn Hill started late, but gracefully worked through a sped-up set list that included "Everything is Everything," "That Thing," and "Ready or Not." Though some found her an outlier on the lineup, she was among the more professional performers and certainly more engaging than a handful I had seen during the day.

I had a little Cold War Kids with my dinner as the sun set on the Outdoor Theater. Usually a magical moment, I couldn't help but feel that the ambience was lost when lead singer Nathan Willett asked the audience to pause and take note of how magical it was. 

I concluded my night at the Main Stage with The Black Keys. While the sound for the previous band (Interpol) was perfectly fine, the Black Keys sound was so problematic that it was easier to hear Brandon Flowers concluding his set on the Outdoor Theater that it was to hear even the drum kit on the main stage.  At one point, the crowd began chanting "louder," and by the end of the set, the sound did seem markedly improved. But not before most of the set was over.

Day one is done. And I'm sitting poolside, already stressed out about day two wristbands and missed sets. Yes, Coachella really is here.

(www.coachella.com)

 

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