REVIEW MUSIC
Coachella brings best of indie to festival BY NIYAZ PIRANI and VIRGINIA TERZIAN Daily Titan Staff
Day 1 Aside from the parking (which placed us two miles outside of the venue) and the long lines to get in, Coachella’s first day was amazing. Although the high noon sun shone down on the concertgoers, the weather wasn’t unbearably hot for being in the middle of the desert. The Sexy Magazines and Boom Bip kicked things off in the Mojave and Gobi tents respectively, but the first highlight of the day was the United Kingdom’s Katie Melua. Her simple guitar songs and angelic voice mellowed the crowd and her short set gave Americans an insight to this multi-platinum artist’s work. After Melua’s act, the Gobi tent went from singer/songwriter to Hiphop for the rest of the day. Acts like Immortal Technique and Jean Grae kept heads bouncing for the remainder of day one. After Melua, Danish duo the Raveonettes took charge of the main stage playing songs from their new album Pretty in Black as well as old
favorites. During the Raveonettes’ set, Ambulance LTD took the stage in Mojave. Keane and Wilco pleased the crowd with their easy melodies and sing-along tunes. The sun began to set as folk-hero Jenny Smith and her band Rilo Kiley wrapped things up on the Outdoor Stage. Mexico’s Café Tacuba took the stage next, giving the fans a bit of a show before Weezer took control of the main stage. The band played a set full of radio hits and surprisingly showcased a plethora of new tunes from next week’s release, Make Believe. As Weezer ended their set with “Buddy Holly,” all the indie kids ran to the Mojave tent to catch the end of indie’s answer to prog, The Secret Machines. The Machines wrapped up their set and the crowd began to stir in anticipation for the night’s highlight, London’s Bloc Party. The band whipped the crowd into a frenzy by performing songs from their debut Silent Alarm. Coldplay topped off the evening, opening their set with a new song before launching into a set that had a couple new songs interspersed with hits like “Yellow,” “Clocks” and “In
My Place” before the day came to a close near midnight. Day 2 Heading off to the middle of nowhere never seemed more fun, then on May 1 with images of art exhibits, ‘80s rock stars, DJ’s, rock bands, venders and a return to the stage of a band that inspired an entire music movement, the second night of Coachella had everything a rock fan could ask for. The themes of the second night should have been “bands from other countries rule,” because with the notable exception of head liners Nine Inch Nails the vast majority of bands that had audiences singing, dancing and rocking along were from across the pond. From ‘80s new wavers New Order and KROQ frequenters the Bravery, to lesser known bands such as the Futureheads, a punk style band who gave what they described as their first main stage performance at this year Coachella. Also from the UK were the drugged out rock/electronica sounds of Kasabian and of course the closer of this year’s Coachella, fellow Brits and mid ‘90s rock band Prodigy. Their electronica/heavy
Suzanne Sullivan/ Daily Titan
metal mix sound had a tired crowd on their feet jumping in the air and screaming the words to “Smack My Bitch Up” and “Firestarter” mixed with new songs like “Spitfire.” The highlight of the night for anyone in attendance would have to be the return of Nine Inch Nails afterhaving spent the last six years recording instead of touring. Fans were all too eager to hear what Trent, Twiggy and the rest of NIN could do. The show was packed with everything from hardcore metal heads to
hippies to scenesters, all gathering around to hear NIN. The set included some old favorites like “Closer,” “Broken” and “Hurt” along with some of the new soon to be hits from NIN’s Album including “The Hand That Feeds.” NIN gave what can only be described as an awe-inspiring show. In the end, only two things were on the minds of the thousands of people leaving Coachella - “Where the heck did I park?” and, “I wonder who’s playing next year?”
Liven your relationship by doing it outdoors BY ALICIA ELIZARRARAS Daily Titan Columnist
Sure, sex in an airplane restroom is exciting and will get you into the “Mile High Club,” but when the plane lands, it’s time to get creative if you want the thrill of having sex in public places. When venturing out into everyday life you may notice that there are quite a few places that would be an erotic setting for your sexual fantasies. It may seem as though it is uncommon because you never hear of people getting caught, but just because you don’t hear about it doesn’t mean it’s not going on—a lot. I was surprised by how many of my friends confessed to having a secret desire and a longing to be a little rebellious by having sex in a public place, while others had personal exhibitionist experiences to share. So where are some of the places that thrill seekers are frequenting to have sex? I’ve broken it down into categories: Public Rooms—So maybe you want to experience what it would be like to have sex in a public area, but you don’t want your ass hanging out for the whole world to see. Well, a “public room,” may be just the choice for you. With the privacy of a regular bedroom but the excitement of a being somewhere unusual and perhaps caught, places such as public restrooms, dressing rooms in clothing stores, movie theaters, hospital rooms and photography darkrooms are examples of places
people go to get it on. Not to mention the break room at work, which could have severe consequences if caught by your employer (unless of course it is your employer you’re having sex with, in which case, there is a whole new issue at hand). If the Car is a Rockin’—Having sex in something that moves can be both electrifying and challenging which makes it even more appealing to some. Parked cars have always been
an exciting way to get your kicks in public but just because you’re doing it in a car doesn’t mean you and your partner are the only ones in the car. Taxi cabs have the advantage of actually being mobile while having sex, while the cab driver is only inches away. Back to Nature—Under the sun or the stars, the outdoors sets a beautiful scene for a place to have sex. I remember in high school,
hearing about kids who would go to the baseball fields at sunset and have sex in the dugout. Looking back, I’m just glad I never had to sit in that dugout. Public parks, balconies, pools and hot tubs are also places that may help you get back to nature, but the biggest cliché of them all is having sex on the beach. We’ve all seen it in music videos and movies, couples rolling around in the sand, with the wave washing up on to
them. Sure it seems like a romantic setting, but it seems to be so common these days you may find yourself rolling right into another couple in the sand, who had the same romantic idea you had. Next time you feel like getting frisky in a place where you may get caught, be careful because there are concequences for lewd conduct in public, and just because I don’t know what they are only means that I’ve never been caught.
Daily Titan May 05, 2005
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