The Coachella Non-Wrap-Up

I had planned to write a long post, or more likely series of posts, about Coachella. However, now too much time has passed. Although I had a great time, spent time with friends, and listened to great music, I just don't have the motivation to write a long synopsis of the experience. Instead, I'm going to cut to the chase and talk about Friday night, because, really, it was the best festival night ever.

Although Franz Ferdinand is one of my favorite current bands, I did not see their set. At that time I was trying to get as far forward as I could to see Leonard Cohen. I have been a Leonard Cohen fan for probably about 20 years now, and I wanted to see him live so badly that when the official lineup was announced and he was on it I was on the verge of tears all day.

I expected greatness, but given my high expectations, I felt like there was a strong possibility I would be let down. Could any performer live up to the expectations I had for this particular set? Leonard Cohen could.



He sounded great. He looked great. He sang the songs I wanted to hear.

When one of the musicians on stage played a solo, he took his hat off, turned to the musician, and watched him. He didn't speak much, but when he did, it was to thank us, his "friends". The crowd giggled when he sang racy lines.

Singing the chorus to "Hallelujah" with thousands of other people is one of the highlights of my life so far.



The last comment of his set was, "Thank you for your kind attention." He was the epitome of class, and he was very humble. I was blown away. It was amazing. If you have the chance to see Leonard Cohen live, see him. If you can't afford it, go without food. You will not regret it.

Paul McCartney was the headliner that night. The Beatles are my all-time favorite band, and he's one of my heroes. I didn't quite have the sense of anticipation I did before seeing Leonard Cohen because I have seen him before, but I was still excited. Of course his set was amazing.



My all-time favorite song is "A Day in the Life", which I never, ever expected to hear live. But much to my delight, he sang it. I was in awe, and cried throughout the song.



I go to a lot of concerts (though not as many as I used to), and I honestly don't think I will ever, ever have a better concert-going experience as I did that Friday night.

A few other comments:
--It was awesome to finally see The Cure
--Glasvegas canceled and that made me sad. I went to see Calexico during that time slot, and they were great.
--I expected to like The Gaslight Anthem, but I was surprised at how great they were
--My Bloody Valentine = Awesome noise
--Yeah Yeah Yeahs was the sleeper set for me. I liked their music before this, and had never seen them live. I enjoyed the set, but as the evening wore on and I thought about it more, I realized how much I loved it. I can't get enough of them now.