Coachella 2009

Coachella was amazing! I did not go for the entire three days, but I did see Paul McCartney from the FRONT ROW. IT was my second time at Coachella (the first was Depeche Mode in 2006).

Here's the run-down of my experience (If you only care about Paul McCartney, skip down to "An Emotional Night" - but you'll miss the burning flesh).

"Are you miserable?" Morrissey asked us, and we cheered. "Is there anything I can do to make it worse?"

I went with my married friends Becky and Ramon, and we arrived at (I'm not sure about the times because I didn't have a watch with me) about 3:00. The Airborne Toxic Event was on the main stage and so, after getting in, we walked up there. The crowd around the stage was pretty small and we could see a lot of empty lawn. Just as we came up they started playing pretty much the only ATE song I know, "Sometime Around Midnight" with a string section and everything. It sounded great and I couldn't help thinking that AT LEAST one of the guys in the band must be freaking out thinking, "I am playing on the stage that Paul McCartney is going to play on in less than seven hours!" They played one more song and then they were finished.

Up next was the Black Keys which is (no offense to the Black Keys) when I went to get a veggie corn dog, garlic fries, and a frozen lemonade. My friends and I sat on a towel on the lawn for a while waiting for Franz Ferdinand. We had a chance to soak up some of the Coachella fashions - lots of girls in dresses (in 2006 it was dresses with jeans underneath) and bikini tops. Guys with no shirts were aplenty.

When Franz Ferdinand was about to come out we went to stake out our spots closer to the main stage (Just like in 2006, I didn't have time to see anyone playing at anything but the main stage). I left my friends to check out the situation at the very front and noticed that there was hardly anyone of the left side of the stage. My friends decided to stay in the back, but I wasn't going to pass up my chance to see Franz Ferdinand up close. I managed to snag a place right in front of the left side of the stage with the big video screen above my head. There was one row of people between me and the coveted rail.

Franz Ferdinand had a lot of energy and they played mostly their hits (the kids still love some "Take Me Out"). Alex was wearing a navy blue shirt that said "George Harrison" in big white letters on it and blue and white striped trousers. I noticed that he plays lead guitar as well as singing - he was working pretty hard. One of the other guys in the band (Nick, I think) had a broken leg or something!

The best part of the FF set was at the end when they all gathered around the drum set and just all started playing the drums at once - you could tell they were enjoying themselves (even the broken leg guy) and the crowd loved it. By this time, when I turned around, about 10,000 people were behind me. It was pretty clear that I wasn't going anywhere and that I would have to meet up with my friends later.

Morrissey was up next. He sounded great (especially at the end when he sang "How Soon is Now"), but seemed moody (I know, he IS Morrissey). He played all three of the Morrissey/Smiths songs I know (including "Girlfriend in a Coma"!) and changed his shirt three times (once throwing it into the crowd), but the best part was in the middle of his set when he said, "I smell burning flesh... I hope it's human." I clapped. No one else around me really clapped. ( You probably noticed that I had a veggie corn dog with my garlic fries) then later he had to take a moment because, he said, "The smell of burning animal flesh is making me sick." (On a personal note, how cool is it that I got to see Morrissey AND Paul McCartney?! Go Veggie!)

"Are you miserable?" Morrissey asked us, and we cheered, "Is there anything I can do to make it worse?"

Between the end of Moriissey's set and Paul McCartney's scheduled 10:00 start time Leonard Cohen was playing the Outdoor Stage and a few of the people at the rail in front of me left, giving me the chance to grab ahold with one hand, then eventually two, until I was finally able to get a spot of my very own with forearms (that are still sore) pressed against the cold metal. Not only was it awesome to be in the front row, but it was also a very welcome relief to be able to lean against something. (I think it would have been really cool to see Leonard Cohen, but there was no way I was leaving my prime piece of real estate).

An Emotional Night

A DJ came out while we were waiting for Sir Paul (the remix of "Temporary Secretary" was very much admired by me). I don't know who he was, though. At this point, I turned around again and there were now about 40,000 people behind me.

Of course, when Paul came out the crowd went wild (though not as much as I expected). They started with "Jet" and I cried. Sir Paul was all decked out in a suit, the jacket of which was quickly removed after the first song. The band sounded great (Rusty! Abe!) and the HUGE video displays on either side of the stage were very cool. I, while not in the middle, had an amazing view and could see everything and everyone perfectly (except, only Sir Paul's head from the eyes up whenever he was at the piano).

The set was great, but it was also very emotional. It was April 17th, the eleventh anniversary of Linda's death. Paul talked a little about her and how much she loved the dessert before playing "My Love." I cried again. As I said, It was an emotional night. Of course, he played "Here Today" and talked about John and he played the ukelele version of "Something" and talked about George (He also said that Olivia was there). I cried a little more, but, being dehydrated, I didn't have a lot of fluids left in my body.

The second half of the set was much more rocking. The crowd went crazy and sang along any time a Beatles song was played. I screamed and sang along to "Calico Skies" (he played TWO, count 'em, TWO songs from Flaming Pie and two Fireman songs, including "Sing the Changes"). "Let Me Roll It" was incredible and "Helter Skelter" really got a good reaction from the crowd, but I think the crowd (at least around me) was the loudest during "Birthday" in the first encore. It was really fun. We also all seemed to really enjoy waving our peace signing fingers around during "Give Peace a Chance" - check out a beautiful picture of the moment from Flickr member willteeyang (here).

I was so close that I could feel the blast of heat when the pyrotechnics went off during "Live and Let Die". As someone else on Flickr said, "Paul McCartney set Coachella on fire"!

After a stirring sing-along of "Hey Jude" and two encores, it was over. Though Coachella is supposed to close down at midnight, the show went until well after 1:00 (again, sorry, I didn't have a watch - or a camera). I managed to find my friends surprisingly easily and downed a bottle of water after we got to the car.

The entire show was incredible. I've never enjoyed a concert more (sorry Depeche Mode). I'm including Paul's set list below, courtesy of Randal Roberts of L.A. Weekly:

Jet
Drive My Car
Only Mama Knows
Flaming Pie
Got to Get You Into My Life
Let Me Roll It (with a coda of Purple Haze)
Honey Hush
Highway
The Long and Winding Road
My Love
Blackbird
Here Today
Dance Tonight
Calico Skies
Mrs. Vanderbilt
Eleanor Rigby
Sing the Changes
Band on the Run
Back in the U.S.S.R.
Something / I've Got a Feeling
Paperback Writer
A Day in the Life > Give Peace a Chance
Let It Be
Live and Let Die
Hey Jude

First encore:
Birthday
Can't Buy Me Love
Lady Madonna

Second encore:
Yesterday
Helter Skelter
Get Back
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
The End

John Packer from Blank Slate Photography also has some beautiful pictures of the show here - including this one.