Well, we’re already into Saturday for Coachella this year, but if I had to go home now, I’d almost be okay with it.  Because, yesterday, Friday, was one of the best concert days I’ve ever heard.  Not just at Coachella. But ever.  Almost every single act I saw yesterday (and there were many) impressed me on some scale, and many blew the socks off me.  So, here’s my quick recap with all the bands I saw:

THE RURAL ALBERTA ADVANTAGE (C)

As much as yesterday was incredible, Coachella got off to a rough start with these Canadian indie rockers.  The lead singer had a very hard time staying on pitch; some points even sounded like a drunk guy trying to sound like the Decemberists.  There were a couple notable numbers (the best probably being “Don’t Haunt This Place” from Hometowns), but all in all this was not the greatest set to start off the weekend.

BLACK JOE LEWIS & THE HONEYBEARS (B+)

Ah, much better!  Black Joe Lewis rocked out the Mojave tent yesterday with partied out soul and funk, not to mention a hefty supply of blues rock, too.  The set was heavy on new material (their sophomore effort, Scandalous, dropped a few months ago), so I only got to hear a couple tracks from the first record.  This was okay, though, because the material off the second record sounds even better live.

!!! (A-)

Wow, the first day just got better and better and better.  I only caught the last 25 minutes or so if this crazy dance punk sensation from NYC, but man!  Did they have energy, and most of all, swagger!  The lead singer would go into uncontrollable dance fits during their elongated jam sessions.  It was just so much fun to watch.  The closing song, “Heart Of Hearts” (from 2007’s Myth Takes), was completely on fire.  This band knows how to entertain a crowd.

TITUS ANDRONICUS (B+)

By the time these New Jersey rockers started their set, the sun was blazing hot.  I was beginning to worry that their overlong song structures mixed with their unabashed love for Bruce Springsteen would be too much for me.  Thankfully, though, Titus Andronicus delivered splendidly.  The drums were a little too low in the mix, but that’s pretty much my only complaint.  They had all the heart and emotion of a Springsteen set, with all the fire and intensity of a Replacements set.  Mixed together, it was grand and exciting.  I sense a bigger future for these guys.

THE MORNING BENDERS (B+)

When I saw the Morning Benders last year at Lollapalooza, they sounded almost amateurish.  But this year at Coachella, John Chu and the gang sounded much more refined and professional.  Interesting aspects of the show included surprisingly synth heavy new material, as well as two guys on either side of the stage painting pictures during the whole set.  An interesting take on a live show, with all the songs well performed and splendidly mixed.  The new material also sounds quite promising.

THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART (A-)

Man, were these guys spot on!  From the opener “Belong” to the giddy closer “Everything With You,” the Pains delivered a grade A set.  I was surprised to hear the singer so spot on with his delivery.  I figured a band like the Pains would shroud the vocals with their fuzzed out guitars, but no.  The vocals were up and prominent, and most importantly: on key.  Great stuff.  The set possessed equal amounts of both their albums.  All in all, a terrific, jangly, hook filled performance.  

TAME IMPALA (A)

Another set where I only caught the last half hour or so, but man!  I wish I saw the entirety of it.  Thankfully, I got there right when they started to play their hit single, “Solitude Is Bliss.”  Oddly enough, this Australian psychedelic rock quartet played their songs slow.  And not just a little slow.  A noticeable amount slower than their recordings.  At first I was a bit miffed.  Then I noticed how much better their songs sounded slower.  At times, their incredible Inner Speaker album does sound a bit rushed.  I feel that in a live setting, their slowed down versions sounded absolutely incredible.  Their improvisation was impeccable, and they were also incredible tight.  So when Tame Impala comes to your hometown, do yourself a favor and see them.

INTERPOL (B-)

Thankfully these guys only played around three songs from their terrible fourth album, so that’s definitely a plus!  Bad albums aside, though, I will say that the Interpol set was very adequate.  Nothing more.  Nothing less.  I’d say it was definitely a crowd pleasing set.  All the hits were played (“Slow Hands,” “Evil,” “Obstacle 1,” “The Heinrich Maneuver”), and they were played well.  Their new bassist handled the parts with precision.  But even though Interpol played well, I can’t help but feel very indifferent about this set.  It could have been much better.  The sound at the beginning was pretty off, so it didn’t start to sound really great until about four songs in.  All in all, an above average, albeit kind of boring set. 

CUT COPY (A)

As you may or may not know, The Kings Of Leon headlined the festival last night.  What you don’t know, though, was that Cut Copy was the REAL headliner.  Wow, I’ve seen a lot of great sets, but Cut Copy is now among the few that put on a headliner worthy performance when they weren’t headlining.  In a word, they sounded perfect.  Literally perfect.  They played exactly like their records, note for note, sound for sound.  And although there were a couple backing tracks for each song, the five members played everything else.  The oscillations and synth arpeggios that you hear on their records were manually played by the members, making this sweaty beat heavy dance rock collective sound like a real live rock show.  A completely unexpected performance, and one of the best surprises of the night.

THE AQUABATS (A)

When I said that Cut Copy was one of the best surprises of the night, I meant it.  Here’s the actual absolute best surprise of the night.  Honestly, I guess I didn’t know what to expect from the Aquabats.  I haven’t really listened to them since 8th grade.  What I saw was a mixture of Gwar stage theatrics and DEVO induced silly antics.  They were all dressed in superhero costumes, and at several points of the show, the lead guitarist would step onto a riser in the middle of the stage, where he slowly ascended up while he soloed.  At one point in the show, caveman walked on stage to destroy the Aquabats and the future of Coachella.  Before the band could stop them, a giant dinosaur arrived and the band fought them all off to the sound of heavy metal.  After that the band went into a ridiculous ballad while the dragon thing from the Neverending Story waltzed onto stage to start flying around amongst the other band members.  This.  Set.  Was.  Insane.

NOSAJ THING (A-)

The night went so well for me.  After the crazy punk/ska of the Aquabats, I was ready to start winding down.  It was almost 11 at night, so I had been there for almost 12 hours.  Nosaj Thing’s bass heavy dub step was enough to put me in a calm, serene mode.  There wasn’t much to see on stage.  Just the one guy with his decks and computer, backed by a screen that showed crazy patterns that moved with the music.  It was the perfect back drop to the cool desert night.

GAYNGS (A-)

And just when I thought Nosaj Thing would be a terrific closer to the night, Gayngs upped the ante slightly with their interesting take on R&B.  If you don’t know, Gayngs features Justin Vernon (singer for Bon Iver) on guitar and auto tuned vocals.  Almost every song featured a different lead singer, so what you got was a varied, collaborated feel during the set.  It was almost like a jam session between a large group of friends.  It was warm, intimate, and grand at the same time.

Well, there you have it!  The second day is already underway, so I have to go for now.  I’ll post Saturday’s results the first chance I get!  See you soon!