Florence + The Machine gives transcendent Coachella performance

Florence + The Machine gives transcendent Coachella performance
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 13, 2015

Damn it is good to see Florence + The Machine on the main stage at Coachella.

Another of the seemingly endless Coachella legacy performers, Florence Welch definitely outshined the evening headliner Drake, and was probably one of the two or three best performances of the entire weekend.

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Drake doesn't live up to Coachella-ending billing

Drake doesn't live up to Coachella-ending billing
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 13, 2015

Let me preface this review of his Sunday main stage closing Coachella set by saying I’m not the biggest Drake fan.

That being said, I had high expectations headed into it, and they weren’t quite met by the mega star rapper’s performance. With all the features on his tracks over the past few years — and this being Coachella — you expected a who’s who to walk out on stage at any given moment. The fact that it was a spotlight-starved Madonna, was a massive disappointment.

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Radiohead's Philip Selway brings life to stellar Coachella set

Radiohead's Philip Selway brings life to stellar Coachella set
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 13, 2015

One thinks he would have been better attended had the Coachella schedule simply read “Drummer for Radiohead.” Despite playing to a rather sparse crowd at the Gobi tent on Sunday, Philip Selway brought to life a stellar set.

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Ryan Adams provides Sunday's alt-rock vibes and witty banter

Ryan Adams provides Sunday's alt-rock vibes and witty banter
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 13, 2015

Most of Sunday’s performances at Coachella were electronic flavored and the main headliner Drake was hip-hop, but festival stalwart Ryan Adams made it clear rock ‘n’ roll is here to stay.

Adams poked fun at the noise bleed from across the way and provided sarcastic banter in between performing songs from his fantastic self-titled album from last year, plus a few from his time backed by The Cardinals.

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MØ turns an early Sunday at Coachella into MØchella

MØ turns an early Sunday at Coachella into MØchella
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 13, 2015

Despite an early Sunday set, breakthrough Danish singer MØ performed to a packed Gobi tent and was one of the early favorites of the day.

Joining MØ on stage at one point was Swedish singer Elliphant and the two performed their song “One More” to much appreciation.

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Gesaffelstein flips bird to Coachella's set time limit

Gesaffelstein flips bird to Coachella's set time limit
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 13, 2015

The word on the street is that Gesaffelstein‘s two Coachella performances will be his last live festival sets ever. Sunday’s set in the Mojave tent nailed home the thought that this should be sad news for everyone.

Providing one of the best light shows of the entire weekend, Gesaffestein’s crowd was serviceable considering many people were getting ready to get their spots for Drake on the main stage.

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Jenny Lewis delivers mini-Rilo Kiley reunion, HAIM collab at Coachella

Jenny Lewis delivers mini-Rilo Kiley reunion, HAIM collab at Coachella
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 13, 2015

Longtime Jenny Lewis fans like myself had been waiting for what happened Sunday at Coachella’s Outdoor Theatre for a long time.

Fellow former Rilo Kiley member Blake Sennett showed up to play guitar on “Portions for Foxes,” as his new project Night Terrors of 1927 performed earlier in the day. Sennett gave a spirited effort, though his timing was a tad off having probably not performed the song in awhile since the band disbanded in 2007.

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Marina and the Diamonds is the cherry on top at Coachella

Marina and the Diamonds is the cherry on top at Coachella
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 13, 2015

Sometimes, even the performers can’t help but get caught up in the moment at Coachella. Towards the end of her set Sunday, British pop star Marina and the Diamonds experienced this.

“Can you take a selfie with me?” the British pop star asked the assembled crowd. “Coachella, thank you, you’re so sweet.”

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Desaparecidos rattle bones at Coachella

Desaparecidos rattle bones at Coachella
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 13, 2015

Conor Oberst’s old punk band Desaparecidos played old material as well as new jams from an upcoming album to a reasonably-sized crowd in the Gobi tent Sunday afternoon. They haven’t released an album since 2002’s Read Music/Speak Spanish and have only played a few select shows since that time.

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St. Vincent turns into a superhero at Coachella

St. Vincent turns into a superhero at Coachella
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 13, 2015

What makes Annie Clark aka St. Vincent such a compelling performer is that she isn’t just portraying a character. On stage, Clark IS St. Vincent and she blew people away — people walked away feeling as though they were leaving an experience and not just a festival set.

St. Vincent’s crowd wasn’t large as people chose to stay at the main stage after Kaskade and move closer for Florence + The Machine and Drake, but she rewarded those who checked her out. Though her album won her a GRAMMY last year, I now think that she’s that much better live.

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Saint Motel give spirited Coachella performance (with added babes)

Saint Motel give spirited Coachella performance (with added babes)
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 13, 2015

An early set time on Coachella Sunday can be a difficult thing for a band to take control of. The crowd (and maybe the band) that did show up are two full days hungover and you can’t count on a large turnout.

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Mac DeMarco charms Coachella with fun singalong and comedy

Mac DeMarco charms Coachella with fun singalong and comedy
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 13, 2015

A lot of the headlines that come out of Coachella tend to be who the special guests in a given day were. One of the best from Sunday? Comedian Eric Andre coming on stage during psych-folk rocker Mac DeMarco’s early afternoon set and shaking a comically-sized dildo for a few minutes before proclaiming he just turned 13 years old.

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Jack White plays all at Coachella: White Stripes, Racounteurs and more

Jack White plays all at Coachella: White Stripes, Racounteurs and more
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 12, 2015

Some were a bit wishy-washy when the lineup came out and Jack White was one of the headliners.

Those that took in his performance Saturday night probably walked back that opinion just a few minutes into his mesmerizing set on the main stage.

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The Weeknd tops Coachella main stage with baby-making jams

The Weeknd tops Coachella main stage with baby-making jams
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 12, 2015

Nine months from Saturday night, there are going to be a lot of babies that are born as a result of the Weeknd’s main stage closing set.

“This is the greatest night of my entire life,” Abel Tesfaye said at one point during his set. Tesfaye’s bedroom ballads were the perfect setting for many couples or attempting-to-be couples that were holding each other tight.

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Run the Jewels bump Coachella, joined by Zack de la Rocha and Travis Barker

Run the Jewels bump Coachella, joined by Zack de la Rocha and Travis Barker
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 12, 2015

Run the Jewels have been lighting the world on fire the past year and Coachella wasn’t any different for the hip-hop duo on Saturday.

The Mojave tent was packed with avid hip-hop fans needing to throw some middle fingers in the air. El-P and Killer Mike had a couple of surprises up their sleeves, like Rage Against the Machine’s Zack de la Rocha coming out for “Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck),” as well as drummer Travis Barker performing with them.

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Hozier joined by Este Haim at Coachella, covering The Time's "Jungle Love"

Hozier joined by Este Haim at Coachella, covering The Time's "Jungle Love"
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 12, 2015

One of Coachella’s best surprises Saturday was when Hozier brought out Este Haim to perform a cover of The Time’s “Jungle Love.” But the rest of his 50-minute main stage set proved he’s not a gimmick, or a one-hit wonder.

Still, Coachella in 2015 hasn’t exactly been known for big surprises and Este’s entrance to the stage was well-received. “That was so fun, holy shit,” Haim said at the end of the song.

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alt-J continue to rise, attracting a massive crowd at Coachella main stage

alt-J continue to rise, attracting a massive crowd at Coachella main stage
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 12, 2015

English indie rockers alt-J continued their rise Saturday at Coachella, playing to one of the larger main stage crowds.

They’ve been regulars on the festival circuit lately, and they proved with their performance that they will be mainstays for years to come. It was only two years ago that they last played Coachella, and in that span they’ve grown their following considerably.

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Drive Like Jehu rock reunion show at Coachella despite sparse crowd

Drive Like Jehu rock reunion show at Coachella despite sparse crowd
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 12, 2015

Drive Like Jehu played to a sparse crowd at the Gobi tent Saturday at Coachella, but their long time fans got full effort from the San Diego post-punk band.

When I say sparse, I mean about 100 people. The late night spots opposite the headliners is a death sentence, as Pet Shop Boys faced a similar issue last year.

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Tycho an impressive counter in Mojave to main-stage finishers at Coachella

Tycho an impressive counter in Mojave to main-stage finishers at Coachella
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 12, 2015

Scott Hansen has grown Tycho considerably as a live performance over the years, and Saturday night at Coachella he put up quite a fight in the Mojave tent as Jack White raged on the main stage.

Those that opted to skip at least part of White’s gritty rock set were treated to a tantalizing performance from Hansen and his backing band.

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Father John Misty makes one fan's year, and many fans' night at Coachella

Father John Misty makes one fan's year, and many fans' night at Coachella
Mark E. Ortega
GrimyGoods.com
April 12, 2015

Josh Tillman aka Father John Misty put a lot of effort into making one female fan named Amy’s entire year, but his performance also went a long way to being a highlight of many people’s Saturday at Coachella,

Halfway through his set, he brought Amy on stage and had her surrounded by women with pasties and “Eyes Wide Shut” masks as he sang her a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “I’m Your Man” on one knee. Does it get any better than that?

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