Panda Bear @ La Gaîté Lyrique 11.29.11

If you've been actually reading this blog it would come as no surprise that I'm a massive Animal Collective fan. If not I'll help you out and refer you to my Coachella 2011 post here assuming I now have your attention. Upon booking my trip to Paris I stumbled upon finding that Panda Bear was going to be performing the day I had planned to fly home. Subsequently, I extended my trip for one day and then convinced my mother that she'd have a great time at a show I wanted to see. The venue was inside of what seems to be a modern art museum. Amidst some of the worlds most historic museums I was a bit surprised (and excited) to find that digital art had a home in Paris. I only wish I'd had more time to actually go and see the exhibits.

There are 2 music venues inside of La Gaîté Lyrique according to Wiki. Panda Bear performed in the "larger" of the two, with a capacity of 750. Wiki also told me "acoustic isolation was a high priority." (I nearly jumped out of my chair when I read this)

The projection screens behind the guys was likely larger than a movie theater screen. Combine that with a reputation for Animal Collective/Panda Bear/Avey Tare to have some of the most psychedelic visuals you've ever seen and prepare yourself to be in for a treat.

Coachella 2011 - DAY 2

Day 2 always has a much different approach, especially if you're anywhere over the age of 25 and from Seattle where a temperature of more than 45 degrees is so unfamiliar in the months November through July. We arrived much later in the day in order to save our energy for the heavily stacked evening line up. The lineup as a whole was jam packed with names I'd pretty much seen within the last year...some of which I skipped, some I saw for 2 minutes, and some I was ecstatic to see on a much larger scale.

What I would've seen had I had the energy to arrive pre 4pm: The Joy Formidable, Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, Bomba Estereo, Foals (thankfully I'd already witnessed a live show otherwise I would've made it a priority).

What I actually saw: Glasser (who I've seen but thoroughly enjoyed on a bigger stage), Yelle (couldn't get away fast enough), Elbow, Mary Anne Hobbs (for 2 minutes before heading to something I haven't seen), Shpongle (from the beer garden - to psych for my sober state), The Kills (saw most of the set before heading to something new), DJ Hype, ANIMAL COLLECTIVE (couldn't tear myself away to see Empire of the Sun even though I'd seen them before), Arcade Fire (3rd time and still as perfect as ever...still left early to see something new), Scissor Sisters (for 1 song until I realized Daedelus was playing), DAEDELUS!

Me & the girls heading in for Day 2.

Glasser

Elbow

Elbow

Elbow

A deserted Sahara Tent during sunset.

Mary Anne Hobbs

The Kills

The Kills - Alison Mosshart is such a babe.

The Kills

DJ HYPE!!!!!

Getting distracted by the Laser Land Sharks.

Animal Collective

Animal Collective

Animal Collective

I have yet to read a more than lukewarm review of Animal Collective's Coachella 2011 set and am only a little surprised at this. AC is definitely an acquired taste, however, I half expected to see some kudos coming from the blogosphere in some respect as the hipsters who run these things have the technical knowledge of why we should be paying attention to them in the first place. Those who go to an Animal Collective show must prepare themselves to hear noise. Seeing this show was either a true testament of fandom or purely doing your fucking research. I had been on Coachella forums for only the previous 2 months in anticipation of the event and had seen SEVERAL posts about #1 a new album #2 a new Panda Bear album (aka Noah Lennox of AC) #3 small club shows where the posse had been playing only new material. The good people on the forums were educating those of us who only came to know and love AC through Merriweather Post Pavilion as to what back catalog albums to refer to, to ensure enough knowledge of the band to have an enjoyable time given the assumption of only new songs. Taking this advice was the best thing I could’ve done going into this show. I listened to 'Feels' at least 3 times before touching down in Palm Springs. While I, like most of the general public (or at least most of the people writing crap on the internet) have a strong connection to MPP and would’ve loved to hear it start to finish on a desert evening on the polo fields as a prelude to Arcade Fire, was absolutely impressed at AC’s set of 60% new material. I’ll admit, the first few minutes were a bit painful until they dove into “Did you see the words” from Feels. The next 4 tracks were all completely new and I was swirling in emotion knowing that I was part of the artistic process that will ultimately be the next Animal Collective album. Thanks boys, I loved it!



Arcade Fire from a distance. Off to discover new things.





Coachella 2011 - DAY 1

The first thing you must realize about a massive festival such as Coachella, is that you're never going to see all the things you actually think you're going to see. While I would've loved to see many of the acts on the main stage, my approach this year was to purposely stay as far away from the main stage as possible. For me, the mission of this festival was to see things that I wouldn't normally be able to see in Seattle, or on such enormous stages/tents outdoors, on a grassy field, in 98 degree weather. Obviously, that still leaves a lot still on the table, and more importantly that means a hell of a lot of electronic to see. :)

What I wanted to see: Tokimonsta, Brandt Brauer Frick, !!!, Morning Benders, Cee Lo, Lauren Hill, Warpaint, Yacht, Black Keys, Cut Copy, Breakage, Magnetic Man, Nosaj Thing, Chemical Brothers & Boys Noize.

What I actually saw: Skrillex (for 2 minutes until I got bored of the novelty), The Morning Benders, Yacht, Kele, (some) Cut Copy, Magnetic Man!, Nosaj Thing, & Chemical Brothers.

The ladies & I arriving on Day 1.

The Morning Benders

Perfectly timed snap of the artist painting on stage during The Morning Benders.

Artist painting during MB.

Y△CHT

Y△CHT

Kele (of Bloc Party)

Giving Kele a 2nd chance (after Coachella 2006's fail of a performance from Bloc Party) turned out to be an excellent show!

Magnetic Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How can you go wrong w/ Skream & Benga?? MM was UH MAY ZING

Coachella staffed quite a few teams to record a ton of live sets (in HD of course). Head to YouTube to check out a few videos from this set in hopes of having at least the slightest idea of how wicked this was. This one reminds me why I spent the money I did to get into this thing....the LAZERS!! I also love that they dropped the dirty, heavy stuff to weed out the fair weather fans right in the beginning. This one is just too catchy...I've had this song stuck in my head for weeks.

The MC had the lights turned on while the music stopped to get the entire crowd onto the ground. A pretty intense "wait for it moment" while he was trying to calm everyone down enough to follow instructions and let the energy build. The boys on the decks lead in while we all crouched on the ground. When the bass line dropped EVERYONE jumped sky high and went NUTS!!! Such a great moment and definitely one of the best sets of the weekend.

I didn't take any pictures of Nosaj Thing, who I saw after MM, due to my inability to function as a human being after my face and mind had been melted by Skream & Benga. I honestly don't recall any of the visuals during his set as I'm sure my eyes were closed, whilst bobbing my head and vibing during this incredibly melodic set. There's something to be said about time and place, and this was exactly when I needed to hear this during after such a hectic day. I am happy to report that all rumors and expectations were met, and subsequently exceeded. This guy just has talent. I loved it. Check this vid out if you want to see what his set looked like.

THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS!!!!

Epic graphics during the Chems.

The Chemical Brothers were absolutely FLAWLESS!

I swear I've seen them at least 3 or so times back in the day. Maybe an Endfest in Bremerton, maybe at Qwest Exhibition center during the rave days...maybe I'm completely mistaken and am confusing them w/ The Crystal Method? Regardless, I was reminded why I started listening to electronic music in the first place during this set. Remember when house music wasn't just about the cheesy vocals and a bass drop? Well, I had forgotten until this night. Simply stunning. I strongly encourage watching the entire 10 minutes of this video on YT to see the most insane graphics you've ever witnessed during a concert. No joke.

Magnetic Man - Getting Nowhere ft. John Legend

Coachella lineup is officially posted so let the research begin.

Magnetic Man, new project from Dubstep legends Skream & Benga, will likely be a Sahara Tent headliner.

Coachella 2011 Lineup

Struggling a bit here on the initial pass. I've skimmed through twice and found new things both times. Digging deeper and finding some gems...just didn't expect to have to read the fine print to get excited.

Die Antwoord - Evil Boy

For those of you out of the loop on this, I'm truly sorry I'm the one to bring this to your attention. It's taken me quite a few go's to really get what the hell these guys are all about so bare with me. Being from South Africa, these guys had epic proportions of hype in the UK early this year. I suppose with the Grime scene what it is over there, it's not that big of a surprise that a sound like this trashy hip hop was so big early on. So somehow with only a self released EP in 2009, they made it onto the Coachella bill in April. Naturally, with a spot there the bloggeratizi & who's-who of LA media were all over these guys. I wouldn't be surprised to see 2010 year end lists galore showing these guys as one of THE MOST hyped bands on the Internet. To put it lightly Die Antwoord is f**king weird...yes, that is lightly which has definitely added to the attention.

Don't expect to fully understand any of their songs, interviews, or blog posts as most of it is in Afrikaans. And even when they are speaking English its so full of African slang you'd be hard pressed to really get it. I watched my first Die Antwoord videos with 2 S.Africans who were literally crying on the floor laughing while I just stared in disgust at how disturbing it all was. I was forwarded this video this morning from the same friends and am still staring in disgust. The difference is now I'm starting to drink the kool-aid. It's got the whole reggaeton, MIA (Mad Decent) vibe going, it's totally trashy and not trying to be anything but that. I could continue, but really, you should just watch this. Good luck.


EVIL BOY (official) from Die Antwoord on Vimeo.