This post first appeared on The Music Network.
One of the world’s most iconic music events, Coachella Festival has a rich and celebrated history spanning 14 years, over 1000 bands and hundreds of thousands of fans passing through the gates of the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California. That adds up to a lot of magic festival moments.
Whether you’ve made the festival pilgrimage or not, you can enjoy it all through our YouTube playlist of the most memorable Coachella moments - the good, the bad and the downright strange...
1. Arcade Fire’s glowing ball drop (2011)
This was certainly one of the most talked about moments in Coachella’s history and something that will be forever ingrained in my memory. An avalanche of light-up, sound activated balls were cascaded into the audience just as the band reached the crescendo of “Wake Up”, their final song for the night. The spectacular, interactive light display that unfolded not only cemented Arcade Fire’s reputation as one of the most formidable live acts, but left fans lucky enough to hold onto the balls (I scored one!) a pretty neat souvenir to take home. NB: my ball did not make it back to Australian shores sadly.
2. You Can’t Stop The Cure (2009)
Thanks (or no thanks) to Coachella’s strict midnight sound curfew and to their three (some may say extravagant) encores, frontman Robert Smith informed the crowd that they'd had been instructed to play only one more song and then they played two more tunes without incident. I remember walking away just as they launched into anthem "Boys Don't Cry”, the festival crew cut the main-stage speakers. Now playing acoustically and with no mics, the band triumphantly pushed on, causing the crowd (myself included) to rush the stage and join in an unprompted sing-along.
3. Ariel Pink’s brilliant meltdown (2011)
Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was the emotion of finally playing Coachella. Or maybe he was just having a bad day. The eccentric LA artist landed a prime afternoon slot at the festival, only to squander the opportunity by fleeing the stage 15 minutes into his show, moping to the audience "I'm sorry, I know you hate me now." I didn’t hate him, but I was bummed I’d missed Lauren Hill for it.
4. Daft Punk's Pyramid of Lights (2006)
Dance duo Daft Punk closed out day one of 2006 with their first U.S. performance in nine years with what has become a one of the most legendary sets of their even more legendary career. It was the first time many fans has witnessed the spectacle that was a 40-foot, LED-encrusted pyramid staging two robot-masked French men throwing out hits such as “Around The World” like it was no-one’s business.
5. Neil Finn gets hits with a bottle and plays on (2007)
Most blame bad scheduling. Some blame a lacklustre set. Either way, it was a bummer. Our beloved Crowded House played to a very irritable audience who were obviously only there to see Rage Against The Machine. The only thing between the fans and “Killing In The Name Of” was a few more songs from the Kiwi boys... and the only thing between the bottle being thrown and the place it was going to land was Neil Finn’s head. He played on like a trooper and I like to think the jerk who did it got escorted all the way out of there before RATM even started.
6. Roger Waters' Pig Takes Flight (2008)
This was epic. With a set to rival any NYE party, Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters had some surprises in store for the punters of Coachella. Unfortunately, things don’t always go to plan and he was forced to watch in distress as his giant inflatable (and probably expensive) pig that hovered about the crowd during the song "Sheep", floated off into the night sky at the song's conclusion. Coachella organisers offered four free lifetime passes and $10,000 to anyone who found the pig, whose vinyl carcass was recovered in a Palm Springs country club several days later.
7. Paul McCartney and the Hey Jude sing-along (2009)
“Nah, nah, nah, na na na na hey Jude”. What could possibly be better than a Beatle singing one of his finest hits to an overly-appreciative, ecstatic crowd in the middle of the Californian desert? When they all join in and it turns into the festival’s best ever sing-along. I called my dad 5 times during his set. Two generations of Beatles fans united by the moment!
8. Radiohead actually play ‘Creep’ live (2004)
Unprecedented. Radiohead are notorious for skipping over their anthemic smash hit “Creep” while planning their set lists. During the 5th annual Coachella where they followed a reunion set by one of their favourite bands ‘The Pixies’, they took a trip down memory lane and dusted off the hit, much to the delight of jubilant fans.
9. Bon Iver steals the show (2012)
Day 2 Coachella 2012: the lineup reads like a current who’s who of the music world. Up against the likes of Radiohead, The Shins, Feist, Azelia Banks and A$AP Rocky, Justin Vernon and crew still managed to steal the show with their near perfect performance of “Beth/Rest”. Fans reacted to the triumphant set with a flurry of praise and from what I understand, grown men did indeed cry.
10. Flip-flop dude can’t get it together (2010)
Last but not least we bring you... a grown man trying desperately to put his plugger back on. Certainly one of Coachella’s finest and proudest moments. It’s equal parts funny and frustrating to watch, but by the end of it you’ll be cheering for him. Almost there mate!
Posted by Sophie Hirst, YouTube Music Manager.
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