2:30pm: Matt: For my first band on Sunday, I watched a little bit of Tapes n’ Tapes. I wonder if their new album will make them interweb darlings once again. For some reason, it seems like people have forgotten about these guys.

3:30pm: Alfie: The thing I love about watching Grizzly Bear live is their amazing echoed vocal harmonies. I always feel like I’m watching the modern equivalent of the Beach Boys (yeah, I know. It’s a huge statement to make but whatever) whenever these dudes roll in to town. Their performance at the Gobi tent was nothing short of mesmerizing and you can see how honed their songs have become from the road (despite a voice crack during “Knife”).

4:00pm: Alfie: I wasn’t sure what to think about Explosions place at Coachella. Undeniably, they’re one of my favorite live bands but I have to admit I found it a bit strange to see them scheduled on the main stage. When I got to the stage, I found myself swarmed by a bunch of Rage fans who decided they were going to camp up front ALL DAY IN THE HEAT. Luckily for everyone, Explosions in the Sky happily tore into a strong set that included some of their most epic and powerful songs. Let’s just say, once they broke into the charged ending of “Memorial,” all the Rage fans started paying attention.

4:40pm: Matt: Coachella is like an all-you-eat-buffet of music. You sample a bit here, a little more there, maybe a risk here and there. There are, however, always those safe bets. The ones you know will never let you down. The main course, if you will. I’ve seen Against Me! so many times that I’ve lost count, but I will never get sick of getting up front and singing along (100 degree weather be damned!). The boys definitely took advantage of the somewhat unfamiliar settings by testing some new material off the upcoming New Wave. 2007 should be a big year for Against Me! I feel like Coachella was a great way to kick it off.

5:30pm: Matt: You know that scene in Back to the Future 2 where Marty McFly has that life preserver that has an instant-dry button? Well, seeing my shirt go from completely soaked to dry in twenty minutes was kind of like that. Anyways, The massive crowd of RATM fans, at this point, had full-on attacked the main stage. I can’t even get somewhat close to see The Roots. I retreat to the beer garden and decide to just listen to the almighty Philly hip-hop legends instead.

7:00pm: Matt: The crew leave the beer garden, just to say we actually saw Willie Nelson in person. We accomplish our mission.

7:15pm: Matt: The Klaxons were just another example of a statement that I kept repeating over the weekend; “I didn’t know that this band was so popular.”

8:25pm: Matt: Lily Allen was definitely a priority for the weekend. Frankly, I’m obsessed with Ms. Allen and her quirky brand of dancehall-influenced pop. Although she admitted she “smoked too many spliffs” before the performance, her set was still a blast. She may be sick of playing material of Alright, Still, but it didn’t show at this performance.

10:40pm: Matt: The set everyone was waiting for; Rage Against The Machine back on stage together for the first time in seven years. They absolutely blazed through a set filled with all of their classics. I don’t think I could accurately describe how insane the crowd was. Meathead tribal-tattoo-supporting jocks, nerdy rocker types, younger kids decked out in Rage merch and aspiring political activists all joined together to lose their minds for one of the greatest bands of the last twenty years. I felt like I was a freshmen in high school all over again.
Alfie: Sure, the sound was off. They fucked up the transition to the solo in “Testify,” and I had to stand next to a massive jock pit for a good duration of their set, but Rage Against the Machine still put on one of the most memorable and inspiring concerts I’ve ever seen. Zach can still spit fire with an unrivaled passion, Tom Morello is still one of the most gifted and innovative guitarists to walk the earth, and Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford aren’t in Audioslave anymore. Honestly, it was like seeing legends up on stage.

Once again, be sure to check out more pictures from the weekend here.

Tags: Against Me, Grizzly Bear, Lily Allen, Rage Against the Machine, Tapes n' Tapes, The Klaxons, explosions in the sky //