Back In Black

April 18, 2015

AC/DC

 

Lee

Back in Black

George Ezra “Budapest”

Among the early bands that we checked out were Azealia Banks, Raekwon and Ghostface Killah, George Ezra, War on Drugs, Interpol, Alabama Shakes and Lykee Li. They were all pretty decent but to my mind two really stood out, George Ezra and War On Drugs. Neither were all that familiar to me, but both won me over with amazing performances that had me hooked and wanting to see much more from both.

Ezra is yet another British singer-songwriter with a bright future, he has already conquered England where he debut CD topped the charts and produced seven top ten hits there. It will be a more difficult task in the US, where tastes are more pop-oriented but his first single here, “Budapest” was well received and the crowd seemed very familiar with it, so there is hope. 

One of the things that I love about Coachella is the attention that they pay to the arts, with various artists chosen to create large artworks that are found throughout the grounds and even at the campground site. Some of them this year were wonderful including a large roving caterpillar that cruised the grounds on day one, only to be replaced by a huge butterfly on day two. Both were present during the final day.

There was a large interactive building called “Corporate Headquarters” with three floors that was populated by dronish Hippos in suits who carried on meaningless tasks throughout the festival while bemused spectators peered through the glass windows, it was fascinating to watch and was a great art piece.

In addition to the art, Coachella provides a number of areas that replicate popular nightclubs with amazing lightshows, the most popular DJs spinning and a crazy vibe that could only be found here. The Do-Lab, the Heineken house and more provided club kids with every opportunity to get their freak on, these were in addition to the Sahara tent which featured EDM music exclusively and almost always was packed with masses of writhing youth. 

For the older folks such as myself, we were treated to some classic rock in the evening in the form of classic-rock radio staples Steely Dan and the night’s headliners rockers AC/DC. The concert literally had something for everyone. Steely Dan sounded fantastic and while I am not sure many in the crowd knew what to make of them, they were most likely curious as to what their parents…or grandparents perhaps might have enjoyed.

Steely Dan

AC/DC was another story altogether as there were many in the crowd there to see them specifically and the AC/DC fans decked out in classic AC/DC t-shirts ran the gamut of ages from teens to grey-haired rockers still sporting their greying pony-tails and tattoos. The show itself was fantastic as the band proved that they can still dominate the stage and bring a house down. They played both their greatest hits and cuts from their brand new CD which seemed to hold up pretty well.

AC/DC “Have A Drink On Me”