Air at Coachella (and those bullshit NY Times reviews)

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A quick first thing: The NY Times is bullshit. I cannot believe that they actually pay some guy to go review the biggest music festival in America and then let him get away with writing what amounts to a bio of The Pixies and The Cure.

Ok, now, Air at Coachella. Loads of great bands, an incredible, mindblowing set by Kraftwerk, etc., but I'm telling you, Air OWNED Coachella. Sure, a sunset slot on the breezier second day gave them a big push, but they still managed to outshine every other band that graced the main stage, Radiohead, The Pixies, and The Cure included. Whereas The Pixies thrived on the surge of their influence and rarity, and Radiohead used a been here/done that setlist (and The cure were so tired and going throught the motions that they don't really deserve much mention at all), Air used their time to take their music to another level. Remember hearing or reading stories of those great moments in rock history where Iggy Pop or the like does some amazing set where he's not even addressing the audience, but gazing off into the horizon for the whole show, as if playing for some higher purpose, knowing that this set will someday stand as a defining moment in the evolution of rock and roll? Well, that was Air Sunday night- I shit you not. I'm not going to drop all kinds of details because this is already too long an intro (if you've got ?s, I've got answers), but I thought I should throw it out there, because I'm not even a huge Air fan or anything, but they just really nailed a perfect set. Last thing: those people that run the live video edits for the monitors at big shows- they can make or break you. Air's editor was AMAZING- rich, lush, color saturations, slow fades and disolves, glitter, haze, and impeccable timing. Same said for their crew on the sound boards....

― js, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 18:57 (twenty-one years ago)

So did you like Air?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 18:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Sorry, I don't follow. Was that not clear, or is this more of the ILM "post ironic" thing?

― js, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:10 (twenty-one years ago)

This is like a Harry Knowles movie review.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:13 (twenty-one years ago)

FIRST!

― dean!dean!dean (deangulberry), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:13 (twenty-one years ago)

This is like a Harry Knowles movie review.

There'd have to be a preface about posting from a hot tub.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I love AIR.

― dean!dean!dean (deangulberry), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:15 (twenty-one years ago)

AIR are the sexiest tomboy beanpoles on the planet!

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Did they play mostly new stuff, js?

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:16 (twenty-one years ago)

I did not post this from a hot tub, but I did unwind from the festival each night in a pool at a Rat Pack house in Palm Springs, and Talkie Walkie was in the stereo, so I got nothing but LOVE for Air....

They split the set equally between Talkie Walkie and Moon Safari, with nothing from any other albums. Let me get my brain together and I'll post a set list (desert heat + drinking + flu + sudafeds = me still fried from Coachella).

― js, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:26 (twenty-one years ago)

I've heard many good things about they're show from numerous attendees.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:27 (twenty-one years ago)

their show even...

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:27 (twenty-one years ago)

Nothing from 10k Hz legend? Damn, that's my favorite one...

― moofman (moofman), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:31 (twenty-one years ago)

You weren't there, Spencer? I'm shocked, I was sure you'd see that set!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I skipped the whole shebang! I woke up on Saturday morning and it was like 90 degrees already in L.A! Also, I don't especially care for live music!

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Much as I love them, when I saw them on the 10,000 ... tour they bored me to tears. I couldn't listen to them for a while after that it was so bad. Guess they got better?

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I skipped the whole shebang! I woke up on Saturday morning and it was like 90 degrees already in L.A! Also, I don't especially care for live music!

Fair nuff! Yeah, the heat made me glad I DIDN'T go. Air at sunset does sound pretty nice, though.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:34 (twenty-one years ago)

I couldn't think of a better time and place to see them, except for maybe ON THE MOON.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Don't be silly. You see Daft Punk on the moon.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:37 (twenty-one years ago)

It was just that of all the bands there, Air seemed to be the ones that realized that the strength of the line-up this year gave the whole festival an extra push, that perhaps this festival compared with the likes of previous greats from Glastonbury, etc. (I mean, Kraftwerk? How can you compete with that?!), and decided to recognize that by just giving it an all out flawless effort. I'd love to find out who their live drummer was- that guy was incredible...

― js, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah- and at sunset, too. Looking past the stage at sunset into a fading orange haze, with the silouettes of palm trees and then mountains beyond them on the horizon is the PERFECT way to see Air. And they knew it. And the crowd did, too. Maybe I was just caught up, but I heard heavier applause for them than anyone else. Though the band that got the crowd the most worked up was The Rapture on Saturday, oddly. The Rapture really brought it....

― js, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:44 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd be far more amazed if the Times didn't want bios of Pixies/Cure, actually

― Matos W.K. (M Matos), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Um, it IS the Times, not some uber-hip underground magazine with hi-gloss pictures. (p.s. Parales is fantastic.)

― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:49 (twenty-one years ago)

damnit, Matos. x-post (kinda)

― Jeanne Fury (Jeanne Fury), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw Air the weekend before last, and also thought that the guy drumming was awesome. The show was all-around very, very good, but it's still hard to imagine them outshining everyone else at Coachella.

― rainman (rainman), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Ok, here's how I think it went:

Venus
Talisman
Alpha Beta Gaga
Run
People In the City
Kelly Watch the Stars
Sexy Boy
La Femme D'Argent

My friend who was there with me is pretty sure they did "People in the City" from 10,000 hertz, but I'm not sure because I don't own that record. Not 100% on the sequence, either, but the rest of the songs were definitely performed and in pretty much this order...

― js, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:52 (twenty-one years ago)

(x-post times 2 or 3)

i think pareles is pretty great, too, though occasionally he gets lazy. e.g. "Kim Deal's bass tugged at the songs from below." that's pretty awful.

― fact checking cuz (fcc), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:53 (twenty-one years ago)

And I'm totally aware of the dangers of trying to claim one stand-out band at a festival, but I will say this: I was there with 10 people, all of whom like Air well enough, but were like me primarily there for other bands, and after Air finished, every single one of us had that post-orgasm while peaking on acid look on our faces, and everyone agreed that they were the most mind-blowing performance of the festival. Go figure....

― js, Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I saw Air last night, you know.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:59 (twenty-one years ago)

In the East Bay, too.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 19:59 (twenty-one years ago)

And? How was it?

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 20:05 (twenty-one years ago)

It was...good.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 20:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Not amazing, though. They did an amazing beefed up versions of "Run" and "People In The City". The more...soporific songs were a bit boring, though. Certainly they were more muscular live than they are on record.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 20:08 (twenty-one years ago)

And very polite and funny men. With vocoders.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 20:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Was the live drummer Brian Reitzel? I remember reading an interview with him a long time ago where he talked about playing for Redd Kross and Air.

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 20:24 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, I think he was. They introduced the band as being from the US. The keyboardist was funny-looking. He looked like Bill Bailey, to those of you who know who Bill Bailey is.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 4 May 2004 20:25 (twenty-one years ago)

The live DVD that comes with Talkie Walkie is so painfully bad that I'm rather suspicious..

― Baaderoni (Fabfunk), Wednesday, 5 May 2004 06:33 (twenty-one years ago)

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