So This Is Goodbye

The way I've been posting about Coachella over the last few days, you'd figure I was actually there. Alas, I was thousands of miles away here in Ontario, Canada vicariously experiencing it through AT&T Blue Room and YouTube. I did Coachella in 2004 and don't know when/if I'll do it again but to put it simply, it's a pilgrimage not only for the music but for the communal experience. For someone like me(ie in a North America), Coachella was attainable. Coachella takes place annually at the end of April or early May when airline flights are at a decent price. My oberservation's been that you're bound to get a ticket to at least one of the days(if not the whole weekend), as long as you don't procrastinate too long - compare that to UK/European festivals like Glastonbury/Reading which seem to sell out in record time every year. My only suggestion to those considering Coachella in the future, if you don't want to camp there and or sleep in your car is to not doddle on the accommodations/lodging situation - hotel/motels seem to fill up quite fast. Yesterday, I caught earlier sets from Junior Boys and CSS, plus some of Kaiser Chiefs, Klaxons, and Crowded House. Even with a day off work today, I was unfortunately too pooped to stay up for The Lemonheads. Fortunately, AT&T Blue Room will be archiving the Coachella broadcasts in the future.

Junior Boys' late afternoon set coaxed even the most aloof indie rockers to dance setting the mood for CSS' disco-punk later on in the evening. Brooklyn Vegan has coverage of CSS meeting Paris Hilton and Courtney Love prior to their set. My initial impression of Crowded House's set was one of awkwardness in that their reunion didn't necessarily warrant a mainstage appearance. It was difficult to tell from the video whether the audience was enjoying it. (Actually, my main beef with the AT&T Blue Room broadcast was that it was difficult to hear audience reaction - I'd have preferred more audio/video of the audience interspersed with artist/band performances.) When Crowded House's Neil Finn's mic conked out on him during their hit "Don't Dream It's Over" he was able to get the audience to sing a long, casting aside any doubts I had if the audience was enjoying themselves. The Sydney Morning Herald reports on Crowded House's nervous start yesterday which disappeared several songs into their set.

I gathered up some of the better video clips uploaded to YouTube by various Coachella attendees, and I'm sure there'll be more to come in the days ahead when attendees get back to harsh reality:

YouTube: Junior Boys - "In The Morning" (live at Coachella 2007)
YouTube: The New Pornographers - "Sing Me Spanish Techno" (live at Coachella 2007)
YouTube: LCD Soundsystem - ? (live at Coachella 2007)
YouTube: Cornelius - "Drop" (live at Coachella 2007)
YouTube: Peter Bjorn and John - "Young Folks" (live at Coachella 2007)
YouTube: The Frames - ? (live at Coachella 2007)
YouTube: The Decemberists - "The Crane Wife" (live at Coachella 2007)
YouTube: Amy Winehouse - "Rehab" (live at Coachella 2007)
YouTube: The Rapture - "Whoo Alright" (live at Coachella 2007)
YouTube: Jesus and Mary Chain - "Reverence" (live at Coachella 2007)
YouTube: Jesus and Mary Chain - "Head On" (live at Coachella 2007)
YouTube: Interpol - "Narc" (live at Coachella 2007)
YouTube: Sonic Youth - ? (live at Coachella 2007)
YouTube: Arctic Monkeys - "When The Sun Goes Down" (live at Coachella 2007 - from AT&T Blue Room stream)

Check out photos from Pitchfork and Yahoo!.

Jam Showbiz reports on Rage Against The Machine's set. Stereogum has a review and photos of the band's set.

The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot lists his highlights and disappointments of this year's Coachella festival.

Read about Jennifer's(of dose.ca) Coachella experiences(she also as video): Friday, Saturday(afternoon/evening), Sunday(afternoon/evening)

It's miraculous that with approximately 180,000 people attending over a 3 day period, there were only 85 arrests and 37 persons injured.

Update: Check out Spinner.com's Coachella coverage with the likes of Rage Against The Machine, Willie Nelson, Travis, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Regina Spektor, Tom Morello, Amy Winehouse, Peaches, Perry Farrell, adn Jesus and Mary Chain. I promise no more mention of Coachella after this.