By Alec Lautanen
Theme Editor
Two weeks ago, scores of bands and tens of thousands of excited fans descended into the deserts of Indio for three days of music and entertainment at the 2011 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
The festival, held from April 15-17, featured headliners from contemporary rock acts such as Kings of Leon and Arcade Fire to the aggrandized hip-hop of Kanye West and the post-punk revivalist sounds of the Strokes.
Day one started out with a powerful performance by dance-punk band !!!, followed by DJs Excision, Skrillex, Afrojack, and A-Trak, who were punctuated by an energetic set by hip-hop collective OFWGKTA (Odd Future).
After being hyped by articles in the Los Angeles Times and Rolling Stone, Odd Future’s act was easily one of the most anticipated of the whole weekend.
Flogging Molly and the Chemical Brothers closed the night. The former concluded their set with members throwing out cans of Guinness to the audience after a passionate performance.
Day two brought equal enthusiasm for headliner Arcade Fire, with fans camping at the main stage for six hours to get a close spot. Animal Collective also produced its trademark experimental rock sounds complete with psychedelic visual components.
Earlier in the day, Cage the Elephant proved their evolution beyond a wannabe White Stripes group with a boisterous performance that featured lead singer Matt Shultz in a red polka-dot dress, wandering among the crowd while singing.
The final day was packed with popular acts such as Wiz Khalifa, whose set was barely visible through the thick clouds of marijuana smoke permeating the audience. Noise-rock band Death From Above 1979 played their first show since 2006, much to the enjoyment of the crowd.
Julian Casablancas and the Stokes followed after a nostalgic set by Duran Duran, their performance consisting mainly of tracks off debut album “Is This It.” Kanye West ended the night and the festival with a surprisingly uneventful set.
Coachella 2011 was a successful combination of many genres, spanning techno, punk, alt-country and indie. It also begged the question of whether or not popular hip-hop headliners are now a de facto element. Overall, people who enjoy long, exhausting music festivals will certainly love Coachella.
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