Black Keys - Lies

Play-lists have been thoughtfully constructed to offer musical tastes of what’s to come, road sodas are on ice to counter the desert heat and the golf clubs are carelessly stuffed in the trunk. Carpoolchella - to the desert we ride. For those of you who have had the privilege of spending a weekend with a hundred thousand hipsters in the desert, you will know of the epic tales I attempt to convey through written word. So, amidst neon shades and dirty chucks, I find myself and my audiomuffin entourage canvasing the polo fields preparing to be musically stimulated. After cruising around and catching some Cage the Elephant and M Ward, not even the increasing heat could keep us from the Black Keys. They did not disappoint, busting out their raw sound on the main stage as the sun began to set. Time for some brewskis.
Franz Ferdinand - No You Girls

VIP Heineken tent is officially going off at this point and what better than to post up with some beverages and catch a few tunes from Franz Ferdinand before heading to the infamous Sahara Tent for some Crystal Castles and Ghostland Observatory? I have posted numerous times on G.O. and by-golly, once again (as with Street Scene - SD), this performance was the highlight of the weekend. Now I am not too into Star Wars, but I can see the appeal of being involved in a inter-galactic laser battle, so long as I am six beers deep and listening to Ghostland super loud on the headphones. G.O.’s light/laser show placed me in this fantasy battle and I emerged victorious along with my good friend Ken Rithjyn, who is a master of the knee spoons. As the electronic roller-coaster pulled back into the terminal, it was time to cap the night off with some more tasty Heinekens in the VIP tent whilst enjoying the melodies of the legend, Paul McCartney (for three hours).
Ghostland Observatory - Heavy Heart

Taco Stand/After Party…

The Saturday morning sun was accompanied by a nice little hangover which was simply subsided by poolside mimosas to beers to tequila to lets go back to Coachella. Amongst our crew, Saturday became referred to as “folk day” as it kicked off with some harmonica buzzing Blitzen Trapper and transitioned nicely into Dr. Dog. Pure bliss. The Dog wrapped up and we split, TV on the Radio, mainstage, bam. TVOR was actually a little disappointing, like getting an apple and carrots in your lunch, but no snack-pak. Whats the deal mom? Maybe their music was not fitting with the theme of the day, I’m not sure, but I do know that what happened next was a musical massage for my achy ears.

Fleet Foxes - Ragged Wood

The best back to back performances of the weekend were those of Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses hands down.

Robin Pecknold (FF), Ben Bridwell (BOH) and Jim James (MMJ) are in my book, the three most awesome dudes when it comes to singing in a indie folk band. In seeing them live, I am 3 for 3 between Coachella 08 and 09. As my friend The Serb would say, “very meaty”.

Band of Horses - Detlef Schrempf

I was feeling very zenish at this point, a feeling that was not welcoming of half-assed performances by MIA and The Killers, but hey, I have never been one for the headliners.

Taco Stand/After Party…

I am going to be honest, Sunday morning I attempted to play 18 holes of golf in 103 degree weather and then bailed to San Diego. I heard Friendly Fires and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were dece, but no one else really made me want to spend another day on the grounds. Despite losing my driver’s license and now having an imploding liver, Coachella ‘09 was a success. Only 300 something days and we get to do it all over again. I was thinking about a few bands that I would like to see next year play the show… I came up with Cut Copy, Phoenix, Bon Iver and Delta Spirit. Possible headliners : The Strokes (given they release a new album before then) or a Marley Brothers Entourage (Damien, Ziggy and Stephen)..maybe even Pearl Jam?

Cut Copy - Lights & Music

Let’s shake things up in the comment department, let The Muffin know who you would most like to see play Coachella 2010?