Saturday started good. I didn't have a band I needed to shoot until 3:45, so I took my time getting to the festival. Had an actual breakfast. But that mean ridiculous traffic. I ended up missing the band I needed to shoot because I sat in traffic for 2 hours right in front of the entrance. That was pretty crazy... but I probably should have expected it.
Saturday turned out to be the party day. Lots more people showed up and hung out all night. This was good for me too, as I needed to get scene shots for a slide show. So I spent whatever free time I had shooting the people and scenes at Coachella in between bands. I managed to get some really great shots.
I met one guy who just showed up in shorts. No shoes, no shirt. Long blond hair, tattoos, nipple rings... just darting towards the main stage. I had to run after him to grab him, but he was really nice. Turns out he's a music video director in L.A., small world. He reminded me of Matthew McConaughey. Great picture.
This was also, in my opinion, one of the best days to shoot bands. Everything seemed to come pretty easy this day. I got a lot of great shots, all of bands I really wasn't familiar with. But that made it interesting.
Amanda Palmer was very neat to shoot. She is the singer from the Dresden Dolls. This was her solo project. I'm not that familiar with her solo stuff, but she was very energetic and animated. Face paint, a gold bustier, and hairy armpits. :) What a woman.
TV on the Radio. Now, this was neat to shoot. I shot them way back when they opened for Bloc Party. Which was my first music gig for the Phoenix New Times. So it was neat to see them on the big stage at Coachella. They've come a long way, and I thought the put on a heck of a show. The crowd was really into it. I thought the quilts were an odd touch, but I guess I don't know the full story.
Band of Horses was another I didnt know, but they had a cool vibe. I managed to get some really nice shots. Their set was back lit for a while, but it was bright, so I got some really crisp shots of the band members silhouettes. I'm really happy with how these pics turned out.
Turbonegro was another band I had shot before at a small venue in Phoenix. They also had the crowd in their pocket. I saw a number of groups of people dressed in the Turbonegro garb. These guys put on a wild show. Really high energy. Lots of great poses. They know how to sell it. And it was really cool. Again, some of my favorite pics. This was a good day!
Ok. The Killers. No one was allowed to shoot them. THEIR photographer made his photos available to the press. LAME! Just another notch lower in my book.
TRV$DJ-AM. This was more entertaining that I imagined. It could have possibly been because of the fact that Max Headroom was singing all the songs on a large screen behind them. Travis totally ruled on the drums tho. You have to give that guy credit. He was working hard, and it was cool to see the drummer showcased like that. And I thought their lights were rad. Just subtle enough.
Overall it was a really fun day of shooting. I saw a lot of interesting things. Lots of cool people. And heard some great music. I wasn't quite as worn out as the first day. If felt like I found my Coachella groove. I got a text from my wife saying that Robert Pattinson was spotted there the night before. So I was on the lookout for him. It was ironic, because we had just watched Twilight before I left, and I said off the cuff "If I see Robert Pattinson at Coachella, I will make sure to stop and talk to him." I did meet Jared Leto, "Paul Allen" from one of my favorite movies. When I stopped him, I think I came off as a paparazzi, so I didnt take his picture. Perry Ferrell was cool tho. :)
So, the night wound down and I made my way to the car. The parking lot was beginning to empty. I couldn't find my car. Jim and I wondered around for about 20 minutes looking for it. We found it, got in, and tried to get out. We were dead stopped for at least an hour and 30 minutes. It took 3 hours to leave and get to the hotel. Got in bed at 3:45am. Nuts.
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