photo of Björk by Rodrigo Peña / The Press-Enterprise
Amy Phillips and Daphne Carr supplied Pitchfork with a massive review of Coachella, which took place last weekend at Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif. near Palm Springs.
There was no overwhelming sponsorship presence, no corporate banners on stage or Army recruitment stations. Rather, there were tables for left-leaning social and political causes, displays devoted to alternative energy, and a free bottle of water for every 10 empty bottles delivered to certain recycling stations. The programming was as diverse musically and culturally as one could possibly desire. And despite the fact that two of the three headliners were the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Rage Against the Machine, the annoying frat presence was pretty easy to avoid.
As for Björk’s mothership-inspired outfits and performance, Amy Phillips reports that the “middle-aged man in golf shorts standing next to me” didn’t get it. Ah, the poetry of an Icelandic chanteuse…I love it.