Coachella 2009

after a glorious weekend full of sun, music, would you rather questionaires, tents, walking, hauling gear, and yummy/yucky foods: i've come up with my top 10 highlights. in order.

#10 The yeah yeah yeahs. they were excellent. i wished they were on a smaller stage so i could've been closer/heard them better. but they put on a good show. eyeball beach balls in the audience.  

#9   Henry Rollins. although after a thorough critique, i still really was glad to see him. i think he's got alot to say and has found a really good medium for that and people love listening to him. plus he's totally hot at 50.
#8  tv on the radio. really. do i really need to say why? they're lower on the list than expected because of the grab ass going on throughout their entire set. plus the setting sun/muffled sound/ inability to see much of anything.

#7  paulo nutini. LOVED him. the whiney horns/harmonica guy was so so good. plus the bassist was smokin. his voice was great, he was charming and the folkiness/catchiness of the songs were just as charming.

#6  conor oberst. i'd never seen him and he was quite amazing. he has a lot of stage presence and is a joy to watch.  plus i hadn't heard many of these songs before and they were compelling: i love his voice and lyrics and songwriting and the folksy/country sounding band was something special.

#5  ida maria. i was looking forward to her. she was what i thought she'd be (even if the sound was a bit out of whack) she sang a few songs i knew and a few i didn't. plus she seemed so genuinely at ease on stage. 

#4  devandra. even if we only caught the end of his set in an overcrowded (and surprisingly the smallest) tent, i was still so very happy to see him. i love his sound and he didn't fail to deliver.

#3  m ward. honestly what can i say? he's got a special place in my heart.
#2  the friendly fires.

SO GOOD. what a show. they're so upbeat and put on a fucking great show. the drumming was mesmerizing and the lead singer had a heaping amount of stage presence. he was dancing so wildly all over the place. i really love them even more now.
#1  jenny lewis. .  .

goregous, sassy, subtle and sweet. 

the set was perfect. we were nice and cozy up in the front. she was just effortless. she totally commands all of your attention on her. and her band was great. i especially love the guitarist's voice.  just so good.... so good.

(plus we saw jake gyllenhaal backstage.)