Our favorite things from Day 2, Weekend 2 of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio Saturday, April 21.
Jon Batiste performs on the Outdoor stage during day two of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio on Saturday, April 20, 2024. (Photo by Drew A. Kelley, Contributing Photographer)
Music for the soul
I thought I knew who Jon Batiste was, but I had no idea who he really was until his Saturday night set blew me away. I admit I only knew him as the former leader of the house band on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” until his set, set me straight.
Sporting a shiny orange suit, he performed a wildly entertaining set. Mixing funk, R&B, blues and a heavy dose of deep soul plus African beats, he had the audience dancing as if their musical souls depended on it. He played the piano, the drums and some weird harmonica/keyboard instrument thing and he danced like a rhythmic madman along with the many other dancers and musicians on stage.
It felt like a musical revival, and while I may not have found Jesus, I did find Batiste.
— Richard Guzman
The Aquabats perform at the Sonora Stage during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Saturday, April 20, 2024. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Contributing Photographer)
Sonora coolness
The Sonora tent is always one of the cooler places at Coachella, both literally and figuratively because it’s an indoor, air-conditioned spot with some of the most energetic bands at the festival. A
s always, the vibe inside is chill. It’s dark, there’s an upper level open to everyone decked out with couches. It all makes you feel more like you’re in a small music club rather than a large music festival.
On weekend two bands like The Aquabats and The Adicts killed it with adrenaline filled sets. During The Adicts set there was even a mosh pit and people diving off the stage.
— Richard Guzman
Szechuan garlic noodles with pork from Bang Bang Noodles is a returning favorite to the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio. (Photo by David Brendan Hall, Contributing Photographer)
Food for the people
Besides the music and art, Coachella has also become a food festival with more than 65 restaurants serving all sorts of dishes. While the VIP areas had some great food options like Bang Bang Noodles, there was no need for a pass to eat like a very important person.
Some of the most delicious and popular eats were in the general admission area, like Tacos 1986. The spot was busy early all weekend serving up Tijuana-style tacos, which were as authentic as it gets. For a tsunami of flavors all in one bite, people headed to Sumo Dog to find Asian-inspired hot dogs.
And, of course, no festival is complete without pizza, but Coachella stepped up their game with Pies & Lows, a pizza spot by Food Network Chef Aaron May. Besides serving delicious pies, the place also felt like an actual restaurant because, well, they pretty much built an actual restaurant with a floor, walls and tables.
— Richard Guzman
Festival goers move through the Spectra art installation during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Saturday, April 20, 2024. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Contributing Photographer)
Human Sprinklers
It caught a lot of people off guard as they walked near the Spectra art installation. Some even jumped and looked up to try to see what had just hit them, but once they realized it was just a drizzle of water meant to cool them off they started looking for the sprinklers.
Standing about 15-feet tall, several poles lined the field and rotated to sprinkle water on people as they walked by. But because they were so tall it was hard to tell where the water was coming from. Regardless, it was a nice way to cool off people even if they were caught off guard a bit.
— Richard Guzman
Loren Murray, of Thousand Oaks, left, and Joseph Montoya, of Eastvale, hang out in PDT Tropicale, a hidden bar, at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Friday, April 19, 2024. (Photo by Jennifer Cappuccio Maher, Contributing Photographer)
Hiding in the hidden bars, the way the Coachella Gods intended
I finally made it into the VERY exclusive Coachella speakeasies, of which you need a password to be admitted. I made a visit to PDT Tropicale, a tiki-bar-style speakeasy that’s tucked away from the Coachella chaos.
There, an oasis of shade and slightly-less-loud music awaited, and I enjoyed the break. Also, I never witnessed a line for the drinks.
10/10 would recommend for my fellow sufferers of over-stimulation.
— Dorothy Elder
Grimes being her usual bizarre self
I have to give a shoutout to Grimes’ Weekend 2 set. After facing widespread criticism for technical difficulties that offset the music’s bpm during her Weekend 1 performance, it’s safe to say that the pressure was on for the singer songwriter and DJ.
Instead of shying away from the mishap, Grimes fully embraced it with a bizarre video that opened the set and pulled negative commentary from social media and news commentators, ranging from comments poking at her DJ skills to AI conspiracies.
It was kind of awesome, and the set (while still not perfect) was plenty fun and brought a lively crowd.
— Dorothy Elder
Festival goers watch Vampire Weekend play at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio on Saturday, April 13, 2024 (Carolyn Burt, SCNG)
Underrated viewing spot
I watched No Doubt from the comfort of one of the beer gardens, which is a seriously-underrated show spot. You can see the entire Coachella Stage from it.
No crowding, no beer-spilled-on-back, no pushing, no fuss. Just a mellow crowd, watching from afar.
Probably not ideal if you’re looking to dance, but perfect if it’s the end of the night and you’re looking to get out of the crowd, but still enjoy the music whether you want a drink or not.
— Dorothy Elder
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