Photo by Daniel Zetterstrom, Courtesy of Coachella
Coachella Weekend 2 Was One For The Books
Favorite Surprise Guest
On a weekend that included guest appearances from Tyler the Creator, Kendrick Lamar, Usher, Lil Wayne and many many more, this is no easy question to answer, but for me it was the appearance of rap legend Dr. Dre that got me the most excited. Ever since I missed Dre’s legendary Coachella performance back in 2012 he has been at the top of my to-see list, so when Cube brought him out, and they performed Still D.R.E, I couldn’t have been happier.
Favorite Set Each Day
Photo: John Valenzuela /The Sun-Southern California News Group
Friday: Parov Stelar
I came into the weekend admittedly knowing very little about Parov Stelar, but thankfully my group was keen on seeing him, so I went along for the ride. I was expecting a DJ set of electro swing music, so you can imagine that I was a little thrown off when we arrived and the DJ was accompanied by a bass, trumpet, trombone, and saxophone player as well as a vocalist and drummer on stage. The set that the band put together was a perfect juxtaposition of old school jazz sounds and new-age electro house music, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tent more packed with energy. The sounds were very unique and refreshing, and every time one of the band members launched into a solo it was absolutely flawless. The crowd was loving every minute, and when the band flawlessly executed a massive upwards tempo change during the middle of their set, everyone lost their mind. It’s not often that an entire tent tirelessly applauds a band at the end of their set, but Parov Stelar and his band absolutely deserved every last clap.
Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella
Saturday: Ice Cube
You had vintage Cube along with surprise appearances from Dre, Lil Eazy E, MC Ren, DJ Yella, The Game AND Kendrick Lamar? Do I need to say anything else here?
Photo: Aaron Glassman
Sunday: Kraddy
I knew that Kraddy was a former member of the Glitch Mob coming into Sunday, but beyond that I didn’t know a whole lot about what to expect. Luckily I decided to check him out, because he absolutely blew the roof off of the Do Lab. His set was jam packed with filthy bass, and I kid you not when I say that the softest track of his set might have been dirty work by HeRobust (yeah, it was that filthy). If you get the chance to check out Kraddy, definitely do so, you won’t regret it.
Photo by Watchara Phomicinda
Favorite Stage
My favorite stage of the festival was hands down the Do Lab. The Do Lab is tucked away in the corner of the festival and remains off the radar to a huge portion of Coachella attendees, but those who make it to the Do Lab know that it is absolutely one of a kind. This year the Do Lab featured artists spanning from Dirtybirds Ardalan & Sacha Robotti to bass music artists such as Ekali and Kraddy, and everyone who I saw perform there absolutely killed it. The great lineup combined with acrobatics, fire dancing, on-stage water guns, bubbles, and an amazing stage design made this stage my go-to all weekend.
Photo by Southern California News Group
Art
The art at this years Coachella was pretty cool. During the first day I admittedly didn’t think that the the Tower of 12 Stories was very cool, but when night time rolled around and the light projections became visible, it became one of the coolest structures I think I’ve ever seen. The Portals were also very cool to sit inside as the 360 degree mirrors reflected light and created a super unique environment.
Food & Drink
I came into the weekend not knowing a whole lot about the food and beverage situation at Coachella, and I was very pleasantly surprised. The food vendors throughout the festival were all amazing, and I found myself enjoying everything from sushi to paella to artisan pizza. Another pleasant surprise was the presence of the Craft Beer garden. Having survived festivals on Bud Light alone more than once, the availability of not only 1, but dozens of craft beers was simply delightful. The Absolut tent by mainstage also served up some of the best vodka cocktails I’ve ever enjoyed.
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