Coachella 2012 Day 2

I woke at around 11am on Saturday, Day 2, which felt amazing. Before my head even lifted from the pillow, I could hear our neighbours next door already pumping the music, smoking on the balcony and astonishingly, partying in full force. Where do these young adults get their energy?!

We headed out for the essential coffee and brunch to revive ourselves. Driving through Palm Springs before noon and the temperature gauge read 40'c. Another hot day on the horizon.

Downtown Palm Springs

The locals of Palm Springs were very accustomed to having tourists and Coachella attendees in town and were more than happy to ask where we had come from, did we like the town, will we ever come back etc. The majority of locals appeared to be aged and retired. They loved the warm weather and quiet lifestyle. 

The icon of the desert

Deciding it was too hot in the middle of the day, we had an extended brunch and leisurely drive around town. Mid afternoon, we showered and jumped on the shuttle to begin our journey for Day 2's program.

Riding the shuttle on Day 2

I made the mistake of taking my DSLR which has detachable lenses. According to Coachella's guidelines, my camera was deemed for 'professional use' and we were denied entry. Camera-less, I went through the VIP gates, while poor James had to run back to the general admission entrance to store my camera in a locker but he was refused entry again as the lockers were inside and through the main gates. Finally, a decent security guard let him in but warned us to not bring the camera on Day 3. Hence why ALL my photos were taken on my iphone. I foolishly should have at least packed my trusty Canon Ixus camera but alas, there wasn't much I could do at the time. James said the pat down at the main gate was worse than coming through Immigration at LAX airport!

Arriving at the site, the heat was just so overwhelming. At 4:30pm, it was still 41'c and I was overcome by the dry desert sun. We decided wisely to sit in the shade of the VIP tents and sip beer, watching artists on the main stage. 

Kaiser Chiefs were splendid, loud and fun. The crowd was quite small which surprised me. We ventured out into the main area to meet with our friends who had travelled from Sydney, New York and London for Coachella. We stood in the general over 21 drinking area and listened to Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds who were amazing. Noel even belted out some Oasis classis including Little by Little and Don't Look Back in Anger, a crowd favourite. 

My vid of Noel, the highlight of the set

View from VIP to main stage

Next on was The Shins. I've seen the Shins at Fuji Rock Festival in Japan but their set at Coachella was much better. They played one of my favourite songs named 'Australia' which I grooved away to.

The Shins kicking it

Our friends split up from then on, some to ride the famous Coachella ferris-wheel, others to see Feist, Kasabian or David Guetta. James and I headed back into the VIP and settled for another beer and early dinner of vegetarian pide which was sublime. The sun had set but the temp didn't really drop at all. 

Lining up at the various food outlets in dining area

We moved into the crowd and up the front in time to see Bon Iver take the main stage. My heart swelled with emotion. I was lucky enough to see Bon Iver 6 weeks ago at the Opera House so to see them again so soon, I felt blessed.

Bon Iver take the stage

The breeze was perfect, the stars were shining, the palm trees swaying in the shadows, so by the time Bon Iver had started, I had to pinch myself that I wasn't in a dream. A perfect experience that I tried to soak in for minutes. Right there, in that moment, I was utterly at peace and overjoyed with happiness.

Bon Iver performing 'Blood Bank'

Bon Iver was wrapping up so we headed over to see Miike Snow on the Outdoor Stage. According to stats later on, apparently 40,000 people squashed into this small area to catch a glimpse of Miike Snow's extraordinary talent. Black & Blue, Sylvia and Animal were crowd favourites. I danced away in the dark and dirt, blissfully gleeful.

Miike Snow

Lovers goofing off

We headed back to the VIP for a cocktail while Radiohead began. To be honest, they were a little underwhelming which really surprised me. The crowd didn't seem to be getting into it either so we called it a night and made the long walk back to the shuttle. 

Trying to cool down at the misty fans

After another quiet dark bus ride home, we spoke to my family again, assured that the kids were having a great time, although starting to show signs of missing us.

Our view of the kids looked as we face-timed back home

We showered the festival dirt from our skin and climbed into bed around 4am, weary and exhausted knowing we still had ANOTHER day of music ahead of us.