Author Archives: Vanessa

Helix Poeticus, Coachella’s giant snail, crashes the party at the Outdoor Theater during the Smith Westerns show Sunday, April 14. (Nike Johnson/Staff photo)

I want to send a HUGE thank you out to Audio File readers Aracely Jarrell, Jason Bowen and TheGreatGoddessJackie for contributing so much great stuff with the #PECoachella hashtag at the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine at Coachella 2013

From the political rants of Jello Biafra to the new wave of New Order, the 2013 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival brought classic artists to Indio at the Empire Polo Club.
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Phoenix performs during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, Calif., on Saturday, April 13, 2013. (Rodrigo Pena/Freelance Photographer)

The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a huge event with nearly 100,000 people on site at the Empire Polo Club, but some artists do their best to get a little bit closer, even at the festival’s largest stages.
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The crowd cheers for Vampire Weekend during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Grounds in Indio, Calif., on Sunday, April 14, 2013 (Rodrigo Pena/Freelance Photographer)

After last night’s wild drive in a dust storm back to Riverside from the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, I have gotten enough dirt out of my eyes to start typing the highlights of the fest.
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Red Hot Chili Peppers perform at the 2013 Coachella Festival on Sunday, April 14. (Rodrigo Pena/Freelance Photographer)

Amid gusts of wind that gave the final night of the first weekend of the 2013 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival a dusty, eerie feel, one of California’s biggest bands closed out one of California’s biggest events.
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Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds at Coachella 2013. (Rodrigo Pena/Freelance Photographer)

Nick Cave was one of the hardest working men on the stages of the 2013 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

On Friday night, he played with side project Grinderman and then on Sunday Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds performed the penultimate set on the Coachella Stage.
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Father John Misty poked fun at the hype surrounding the Coachella Festival in a tongue-in-cheek set that would have played as well at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival as it did at Coachella.

“You know what this reminds me of? An Applebee’s, neon lights and another Applebee’s every other block,” he said.
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The Gaslight Anthem played one of my most memorable Coachella Festival sets back in 2009, in the blazing hot sun on the Outdoor Theatre early in the day.

Two albums later the band played the Coachella Stage a little bit later in the afternoon on Sunday for Coachella 2013 with a larger crowd. Singer Brian Fallon
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There have been a lot of packed tents at Coachella this year, but Rodriguez has a heartfelt reception, despite some sound problems that plagued the beginning of the set.

It’s not the wild cheers of Franz Ferdinand fans at the Mojave or the insanity that was Major Lazer, but clear admiration and respect for the player.
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