On Saturday, the first day of the festival, I arrived about an hour early so I spent a little time familiarizing myself with the venue. I checked out the merchandise and the different stages and tents where the bands would perform. I took advantage of the extra time to make sure that I had a good position in the Mojave tent to see the first act on my list, Rob Dickinson (formerly of Catherine Wheel). He began right at 1pm and he was awesome. He performed completely solo, with just his acoustic guitar which was a sharp contrast to the last time I saw him with his band. He sang a few songs from his solo album including Oceans which he prefaced by saying that it was the first song that he wrote for the record. He also played several older Catherine Wheel songs, indluding Heal and Crank which sounded amazing on an acoustic guitar. He ended with, of course, Black Metallic. He explained that he remembers writing the song at his parents' house on the east coast of England. At the time he thought it was just another pretty good song, but he didn't think it was amazing. But, he said, if it weren't for that song, Catherine Wheel would not have had any of the success that it had. The sound wasn't great in the Mojave tent, but I was really close to the stage and it ended up being one of my favorite performances.


I then had a couple hours til the next band on my list so I grabbed some lunch (a bad gyro) and a short nap. As I was eating and napping, I heard a little bit of the Walkmen who sounded not bad. I made my way to the Outdoor Theater and waited for the Zutons, who went on at 3:15. I'm not as familiar with their music but I like what I've heard and they were great. They were very energetic despite the sun and high temperatures, bouncing and dancing around the stage. Abi Harding, the band's saxist looked and sounded especially good.

I could feel the back of my neck burning so I moved to the other side of the stage (where I burned my face) for the next band. Animal Collective went on at 4:25 to an obvious buzz in the crowd - apparently they have a small following. The band seems like just a few American kids with a really experimental sound, but they were pretty entertaining. A lot of manipulated effects and guitars. At one point the singer smeared purple ink on his face and started ranting.

I left them a few minutes early to catch Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at 5:05 in the Mojave Tent. The tent was packed and it took me some time to maneuver into the crowd but it was a relief to escape the sun. So many people turned up to see them that the crowd didn't fit into the tent. Part way through the set, staff came and opened most of the walls so that everybody could see the stage. Clap Your Hands were also very energetic and their music sounded great. They played all their good songs including Yellow Country Teeth and Tidal Wave of Young Blood.

Again I had to leave a few minutes early (one of the drawbacks of Coachella) in order to catch My Morning Jacket at 5:55 on the Outdoor stage. They rocked! (and when I say rocked, I mean in a loud southern rock way) They played all the best songs from their latest albums, including Gideon, Off The Record, and Mahgeeta. Toward the end of the set, Jim James (the singer) apologized for the heat and then said they were going to heat things up, or cool things down, with a mellow song, Golden, which was beautiful. He's a fun singer to watch with his bushy long hair and beard.

I then proceeded to the Coachella stage, the largest, to wait for Sigur Ros to go on at 7. It seems like it took longer to set up the stage and complete their sound check and they started late. But it was worth the wait. They were accompanied by a small orchestra that included several strings and brass instruments. It was so cool to see Jon Thor Birgisson play the guitar with a bow and sing. Their sound was enormous and cinematic. I had heard stories about people passing out or crying at their shows and now I could imagine it happening. They also played some of their best songs such as Glosoli and Hoppipolla. The sun was setting during their set which added to the ethereal experience.


I maintained my position pretty close to the stage for the next act, Franz Ferdinand, who went on shortly after 8:15. They were very energetic and immediately had the crowd dancing. Alex Kapranos was especially entertaining in his tight striped slacks and shirt. At one point, there were three members of the band beating on the drum set. When their set ended I decided I was too hot and tired to stick around for Depeche Mode or Daft Punk so I went to my hotel for the night.