Dishing what’s sweet, and sour, from Weekend 1 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.By Gerrick D. Kennedy
The long-awaited reunion of hip-hop’s most beloved duo sort of fell short. There were great moments -- Andre 3000 running through his brilliant “The Love Below” tracks and Big Boi never missing a beat, both on his own and united -- but the shining moments were overshadowed by a number of technical problems. It was still a dream to see the duo share the stage, even if the audience lost some of the energy. (Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times)
Unexpected guests help make the festival-going experience unforgettable. But not every surprise is necessary. Case in point -- Bieber popping up during Chance the Rapper’s set. Nothing against the Biebs, but the embattled pop star should really be taking a timeout for bad boy behavior that’s become a headache to read about and not gallivanting around Coachella. Besides, the appearance -- with all his borrowed swagger -- took away from the buzzy rapper. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images for Coachella)
Electronic dance DJs such as Martin Garrix, Zedd and Calvin Harris and beat masters like the Glitch Mob and Girl Talk led Coachella to dance ecstasy all weekend. No one did it quite like Harris, though, with his main stage showing Sunday night. It looked like 90% of festival-goers took in his set of euphoric EDM with bodies everywhere. Our walk across the desert field was a sweaty one -- but mostly because of the frenetic dancing. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
Advertisement
Pharrell is one of the greatest producers in the world, and he flexed his hitmaking muscle this weekend, bringing out Nelly, Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes and Diddy. He even pulled the grandaddy of surprises with an appearance from Gwen Stefani, who led the crowd in a singalong to her indelible hip-hop/dance smash “Hollaback Girl.” But Pharrell’s cool swagger was pushed to its limits by a ferocious windstorm that swept dirt in the mouths and eyes of everyone there. His delicate falsetto often cracked under the dust, and by the time he got to his zeitgeisty “Happy,” he needed the crowd to help him out. (Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times)
Call us haters, but Coachella continues to bring out the worst in people. Of the tens of thousands of folks who packed the grounds, it felt like the number of attendees who came only to be seen reached a peak this year. We get it -- you have amazing bodies, perfect sun-kissed skin, the inability to wilt in 90 degree weather, a selfie-ready face and your Instagram feed matters more than the music. If this sounds like you, we hate you. (Bethany Mollenkof / Los Angeles Times)
