Saturday, April 26, 2014

A dream too tired to come true


Coachella 2014 Weekend 2 Day 1

Contrary to popular belief, this was only my second time at Coachella, the first being in 2012.  Actually, it shouldn't be that surprising, though, since I'm really big on small venues.  So you can imagine how I felt about big festivals.  I love live shows.  I've been watching the live webcasts every year since they started showing webcasts.  Well, in 2012, after they revealed my dream lineup, I knew that was my year to finally go.  And I had a wonderful, magical, first Coachella experience.  I didn't think I'd go a second time, after all, it is a lot of work, and pricey.  For the first time, we took a leap of faith, and bought presale tickets, before the lineup announcements.  The weather on Friday was nice.  It was a bit on the cool side.  It was slightly windy and cloudy.  I wasn't complaining because two years ago, I got stuck with 106 degrees, so this was just fine for me.  Although, my legs did get a little chilly at night because I was wearing shorts.


On our way to Jagwar Ma, there was a mass exodus to the Outdoor Stage where A$AP Ferg was performing.  It was crazy to see so many people heading towards the same direction.  Although the energy sounded great, I made my way to the Gobi tent, where Jagwar Ma was playing.





Grouplove - Only caught a little bit while walking across the field.



HAIM was on my list, but the Outdoor stage was too far, and the set time was too close to AFI.  I chose AFI, of course.  I was able to make my way into the side barricade just in time.  AFI's set is one of my best memories of Coachella.  They're so cool and amazing to see live.  Their energy, and performance is so bad ass.  I was blown away.  To add to the enjoyment, the crowd around me was super pleasant and definitely we had a good energy going.  So much so that the mosh pit started right next to me.  It was awesome.  I love happy mosh pits.  They sang all my favorite songs.  I can't believe I've liked them for so long.  Where did the time go?  I remember liking them since college.  I love how well they've aged, too.  They've grown so much and became even cooler.  I've always been a Davey Havok fan, even when he wore makeup and had long hair.  As for Jade, he's just such a perfect guitarist, so cool.  Love AFI!













After the lineup was first announced, my top priority must see band was The Replacements!  I got to the Outdoor Stage just as Broken Bells' set was ending.  I really like Broken Bells, too.  We got a good front row side spot and got a nice view of the stage and the giant screen.  Friday night set time is the most magical.  It's the first night, we're excited, and we all still have energy.  Seeing The Replacements was surreal.  They sang a couple of songs, and later Billie Joe Armstrong joined them on stage and went right into "I'm in Trouble".  At first, I didn't know how to feel.  To me, The Replacements didn't need a special guest, but I guess if Paul was having back problems, and since I do like Green Day, it was fine.  But as I was watching Paul Westerberg singing and playing guitar while laying down on a couch, and he still looked so punk, I couldn't get mad.  Even that looked cool.  And I have a crush on Tommy Stinson for some reason maybe it has to do with Bash & Pop, but seeing him right there in front of me, in a plaid suit and bow tie, felt like a dream.  Also, no one plays encores at Coachella, because of strict set times, etc.  But The Replacements came back out for an encore as the crowd started leaving.  But everyone immediately rushed back!  It was awesome.  This made Coachella worth coming to.  









Walking across the field again after The Replacements, we caught the end of Girl Talk.  I've always wanted to see Girl Talk.  I really do enjoy some good mash ups.  They actually played Coachella in 2012 when I went, but I missed them because of conflicting set times.  Oh, we didn't walk across the field, we danced through the crowd.  It was awesome.  And I loved seeing the colorful balloons set free in the night sky.


Besides The Replacements, I was really excited about Outkast when the lineup rumors started.  I wasn't a very early fan, but I was definitely a fan before Hey Ya.  Started with Stankonia for me.  It takes me back to my high school days and college days!  I had a big crush on Andre3000.  Where has the time gone?  I saw Outkast's weekend one set from the webcast.  I think I would've been happy to see them either way and I don't like comparing.  But I loved the weekend 2 set.  They started with B.O.B which sent excitement through the crowds, everyone immediately started dancing.  You know, as I stood there dancing to Outkast, I felt happy.  If you had told teenager me that I would one day see Outkast at Coachella, I wouldn't have believed it.  I really didn't start going to concerts until after college.  I didn't even dare dream of going to concerts back then.  I was so busy with school, and that stuff costs money.  Well, it was a good feeling that night.  That's the thing.  Everyone has their story and things mean a lot more to some people than you would know.  I sang along to my favorite Outkast songs and it was a perfect end to night one of Coachella.

Sorry, no good pics of Outkast, too dark and too far away.





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