Coachella!!

If I can save up enough money and find a scalper, I'll go to the 2nd day of Coachella this year. I'm just not as excited about it as I was last year. Coachella 2007 was my first time going to such an event, and of course you know the reason why I went...



YES! YEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't believe it! It was everything I thought it would be! I paid way too much money on a Sunday ticket just to see them, and it was so worth it! Favorite quote of the evening:

"Some of those that hold office are the same who burn crosses..."
-Zack de la Rocha

A little background: When I was in high school, I wasn't allowed to go to any concerts because most of the artists I like cuss in their songs. And my mother (bless her heart) felt that any cussing was wrong in any context and I couldn't go. I became a Rage fan in the 8th grade, but never had the opportunity to see them live. And then they broke up and all hope was lost.

Fast forward to when I heard on KROQ (eww, please don't think that I listen to that station) last February that Rage Against the Machine was playing the 3rd day of Coachella. I said "WHAT??!!!" And I proceded to pay $200 for a scalped ticket. Such is my dedication. So Sunday morning, April 29th 2007, my homegirl and I got on the road to the middle of the desert to go feel some music.

Even though I went to see mainly Rage, I got to see a West African group called Konono No. 1 They were super cool, and very entertaining - I highly recommend their music. The way I and the people in the audience responded to their sound made me think of it as an organic rave. Very long songs that would vary slightly after a while, changing it into something new with a little African-style exhortation here and there.

Paul Van Dyk was AMAZING and so cute! He was all the way live, I'm telling you. His set was a contiguous one and a half hours of spontaneous creation, and he never missed a beat. It was like he was sending energy into the crowd of thousands in that tent, and we were sharing it amongst ourselves before sending it back to him. It was like a larger-scale Konono No. 1, and I couldn't stop moving! I met a guy there from Chicago who promised to protect me during Rage's performance, because I wanted to be close when they came on.

I ALMOST DIED. First of all, I had barely eaten that day. If I remember correctly, breakfast was a donut and coffee, lunch was kettle corn and a smoothie, and dinner was whatever water I could manage to gulp whenever someone would crack a bottle and pour it all over themselves and other people. Plus an afternoon screwdriver that we had brought in the car. So it was only natural that I came close to passing out several times during Rage's set, and collapsed with exhaustion on my way back to the car afterward. Second of all, the festival is held on polo grounds with loose grass being kicked up by Raza and hipsters high on ecstasy/acid/mushrooms/weed/whatever. Add that to the fact that the pollen count was high, and it's no wonder I fell was wheezing in my car afterward. Third of all, Chicago-dude had managed to get us front and center before Rage came on. As soon as they walked onstage, the pushing started. I was in the middle of the largest mosh pit ever for the first time in my life, and if it weren't for Chicago-dude, I would have been trampled to death by Raza and discontent headbanger white boys.

I also lost my shirt.

I don't think that I'll ever hear live rock and roll that good again in life. They sounded so extraordinary - I thought my heart would explode!! When Monsieur de la Rocha proclaimed that those in the current US administration should be hung and tried and shot for their war crimes, I thought I was gonna catch the Holy Spirit and have a righteous fit! If you love rock and roll music, and you weren't there, you super missed out because their sound is electrifying. I tell you what; Tom Morello needs to be my boyfriend. They appropriately ended with "Killing in the Name", and I was surprised that there wasn't a full-scale riot! A second time, I nearly spontaneously combusted.

Isn't that the best experience ever?? I know little black girls aren't supposed to get down like that, but maybe they should. I never was that prissy, and I never was that interested in living in a mental cage. My apartment is small enough (14 x 9ft), thank you very much. That was the best day of my LIFE!

I don't think that this year will compare, but like I said, if I go, it will be to the second day. I LOVE M.I.A., and I've always wanted to see Kraftwerk live - I heard that they're super-weird. And maybe I'll enjoy Flogging Molly. I'm not a huge fan of theirs, but I have a feeling that it will be - shall I say - an experience. Leading to an adventure. Any suggestions? Anyone willing to sponsor my trip? Let me know... I'll write about it on this blog...