2008 Woodie Awards
Coachella brings great music and moments to California
Reunited Rage Against the Machine, others live up to standards of prestigious festival
J. Harry Painter
Issue date: 5/8/07 Section: Detour
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The festival is known for showcasing independent and up-and-coming artists, mainly in the rock, electronic, and hip-hop genres. This year boasted the reunion of several bands, most notably Sunday headliner RATM.
Frontman Zack de la Rocha and company played like they had broken up seven days prior, as opposed to seven years. Guitarist Tom Morello described the show in an interview with Launch Radio Networks as "getting back on the bike." There were sound problems early on in the set, but these were resolved soon enough to prevent excessive complaints. Not that RATM's hungry fans would have complained-the bass amplifier could have been blasted and the moment would scarcely have been spoiled.
That is not to say that the show was not great. Predictably but enjoyably, the band started off with "Testify," one of the hits off their critically acclaimed 1999 album The Battle of Los Angeles. They continued by delivering dazzling performances of fan favorites such as "Bulls on Parade," "Know Your Enemy," and "Down Rodeo."
True to form, after a stage banter-less show (aside from "Good evening, we are Rage Against the Machine from Los Angeles, CA), RATM made their political views explicit during the bridge of "Wake Up," the final song before the encore. The two-minute speech called for the trial and execution of those de la Rocha considers "war criminals," specifically those under President Bush's administration. This tirade garnered attention by Fox News, including a segment on "Hannity and Colmes."
It was chilling to hear the band responsible for shutting down the New York Stock Exchange in 2000 suddenly revive their voices after seven years in front of thousands of attendees, but the chill was welcome considering the heat throughout the weekend. The insufferable desert heat was one of the only drawbacks to what otherwise was a remarkable event. In order to withstand this heat I opted to spend much of the weekend under the shade of nearby tents to evade the sun, sacrificing the optimal view of the performers.
It was under the shade of these rare tents that I enjoyed the sounds of Brother Ali, Kings of Leon, The Decemberists, and Mika. However, I made sure to come out of my hiding spot for my must-see daytime acts, such as The Roots, Explosions in the Sky (that one drained my water bottles), Silversun Pickups, and Oakland hip-hop duo The Coup.
The weekend came with little disappointment. Ninety percent of any minor faults that came to be were caused by setup problems on the Outdoor Theatre. But The Roots were the biggest frustration. After kicking off their set preaching to the audience what is and isn't hip-hop, they proceeded to play almost no hip-hop-you know, the genre that encompasses most of their recorded material. Instead, the self-proclaimed "Legendary Roots Crew" chose to cover Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" and Kool and the Gang's "Jungle Boogie," and end with a 10-minute showcase of the band's superb instrumentation. This is fine and all, but there is a time and place-and that time and place is not during a short 50-minute set when fans are eager to hear the band's original tracks. The Roots condemned Nas' "hip-hop is dead" attitude, but it's hard to believe they disagree when the closest thing to hip-hop they played was "The Seed 2.0," a hit played primarily on rock radio stations like Live 105.
The unsatisfactory show from Black Thought and friends, however, was only a nuisance when compared with the high standards set by other performers at Coachella. Standouts such as Satellite Party (featuring Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction fame), Arcade Fire, Blonde Redhead, and Gotan Project, along with a praiseworthy headlining performance by the renowned Icelandic singer Bjork, made for an incredible weekend for music fans.