Sketchism

Alright. It’s taken me a while to gather all the photos and memories of last week’s trip. I wish I had my own laptop (a mac of course) and universal wi-fi access so I can make all these updates while I’m on the actual trip. I’m not big on writing too many details of the trip because there’s simply not enough brain cells in me to remember all of it. But I will list the highlights, starting with the bands I saw chronologically: Brother Ali, Comedians of Comedy (Not a band, but a traveling stand-up comedy show), Nickel Creek, Silversun Pickups, Arctic Monkeys, Rufus Wainwright, Interpol, Bjork, DJ Shadow, The Frames, Jack’s Mannequin, Peter Bjorn & John, The Decemberists, Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Cornelius, The Rapture, Lupe Fiasco, The Coup, Explosions in the Sky, The Roots, Kaiser Chiefs, Cut Chemist, Air, and finally Rage Against The Machine.

People have asked me which was my favorite performance. I’ll boil it down to 5: Arcade Fire, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, and Brother Ali. All these performers had amazing stage presence, energy, and an incredible sound. I wasn’t familiar with the music of the last two until I got there, but boy they had me itching for more.

It was definitely a lot to take in. The music was loud, the temperature was sizzling, the food was expensive, and the people were friendly.

Highlights of the trip include:

• Mosh pits


• Yummy carnival food


• Fresh air


• Meeting Cut Chemist


• Shopping in San Francisco


• Eating dim-sum in Chinatown


• Cold water during the desert days


• Baby powder


• Nutri-grain bars and apple sauce


• Spending time with Tony and Enrique


• Laying on cold grass in the shade


• Not having any stomach problems while in the desert


• Talking music with other fans


• Having a walkie-talkie during Coachella


• Falling asleep under an 18-wheeler at noon


• Sneaking into a nearby Best Western pool for 2 days straight


• Taking my brand new sketchbook with me (Thanks Nat!)

Low moments of the trip include:

• Unsuccessfully calling my brother’s walkie talkie for an hour


• Making the same mistake to Tony on the next day


• Sleeping on a thin sleeping bag


• Porta Potties in the evening


• Walking distance between the parking lot, the campgrounds, and the performance grounds


• Having a police helicopter wake me up in the middle of the night as they threatened to arrest some campers


• Stepping on dry horse turd


• Smelling dry horse turd in the middle of the day


• DJ Shadow’s set


• Missing performances by Amy Winehouse, Damien Rice, Ozomati, Jose Gonzalez, Pharoahe Monch, Tokyo Police Club, Tilly and the Wall, and Regina Spektor


• Hearing the sounds of Bus Driver while eating dinner


• Not seeing Scarlet Johansen perform with The Jesus and Mary Chain

I hope next time we can gather a bigger group to join us on our coast-to-coast adventure. It was well worth the $700. And staying in San Francisco for 3 free days wasn’t bad either.