Coachella 2008: Day 2

If the first day of the Coachella fest was an ease into a slow build, the next one was a rollercoaster all around. From comfortable crowds to considerably packed, from slow and stirring country croons to driving DJs spinning electronica and such, Saturday was far from a day of rest for festivalgoers.

It was a day to celebrate the breakout acts of the last year or so, as more seasoned elder statesmen like VHS or Beta and Minus the Bear began the day performing on the main Coachella stage and other more recently hyped acts like Kate Nash and MGMT kept tents tightly packed. The psych-heavy college crazies of the latter saved the crowning glories of their catalog for the very end of their time in the Mojave tent, sending the kids off into their sunny afternoons with the energetic anthem of the same name and finally “Time to Pretend.”

After a little sidestep to a slower-moving Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks and the cuteness of Nash, it was finally time to tap into the reserve of energy I’d been saving since before I left, for Saturday night was going to be nothing short of my ultimate dance marathon. Like clockwork, it was just starting to cool off at the start of Hot Chip. Made in the Dark dominated the greater part of their set, as classics like “Over and Over” could be found sandwiched between new tunes like “Hold On” and “One Pure Thought.” The Brits were cheeky and charismatic as they provided an electric charge to the alt-rock heavy morning schedule.

I had to take a breather after being in a place so packed, and I was more than pleased for that break to take the form of some new music from Death Cab for Cutie. Ben Gibbard was confident and endearing as ever fronting the band as it played a few from the forthcoming Narrow Stairs. “I Will Possess Your Heart” washed over the crowd with visuals from the abstract album art, and the band later forayed into much older songs from the vault like “We Laugh Indoors” and “Title and Registration.”

Things were heating up again as Rilo Kiley shook its “Moneymaker” the next stage over and Islands charmed their way through some technical problems, too. It was finally time for less of a formula and more artful freestyle as I made it to most of Animal Collective. Engaging and captivating, I couldn’t have been happier to hear new songs with seamless transitions in perfect tribal time, the first of which led into none other than Panda Bear’s “Comfy in Nautica” with the audience swaying and stomping in unison to the song’s driving chanting sample. His and Avey Tare’s frontman duties were virtually split 50/50 over the entire set and the lights blasting on cue during the climaxes of “Fireworks” were completely fantastic.

Although I’m a little too young to have experience the height of its career, Portishead could not have been more impressive. The quixotic blend of trip-hop soundscapes and sweet vocals was truly something to behold. Certainly an investment for the future.

My personal dance marathon was due for a comeback and I could not have been more excited to see Scottish dance sensation Calvin Harris. The young and gangly guy took his bedroom-spun digital crunk and translated it perfectly to a stage show with a full backing band. As he performed songs from his self-released debut I Created Disco, my expectations were exceeded with pleasure. I literally could not fight moving and kept my feet off the ground from start to finish. It was the perfect introduction to the performance no one at Coachella would forget.

The bottom line is that the day of quick-shifting fast-and slow/happy-and-sad dynamic definitely belonged to Prince. For a second I completely forgot where I was, wondering if I was either transported to 1985 or Las Vegas, or both. Wearing a white linen tunic lined with bedazzled silver, Prince blazed through a set of hits and unpredictable cover songs like Radiohead’s “Creep” and Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel” with backup dancers and the extra support of none other than Sheila E and Morris Day. He was something to behold across the tired crowd, shimmying through songs all over his shape-shifting catalog including “7,” and, of course, the undeniable party anthem “1999.” It was incredible to see the showman truly embracing the crowd ("Coachella, this is MY house now!"), encouraging the endless dance party he had apparently envisioned. At times looking like Hendrix and at others dancing wildly like James Brown, the littlest man with the biggest batch of soul knew how to keep us hanging on, saving “Purple Rain” and “Let’s Go Crazy” for the bittersweet end of Saturday.