In a world where improbability often seems to be the number one commonality, there are three things you can be absolutely sure of if you’re heading out to Indio, California, this weekend for the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival.
There will be crowds, it will be baking hot and you will hear and see some of the best and most unexpected music around.
From headliners like Jay-Z, Muse and Gorillaz, to Charlotte Gainsbourg, the reunited Pavement, Beach House, Public Image Ltd., Devo, the legendary Sly and the Family Stone, Soft Pack and DJ Lance Rock from “Yo Gabba Gabba,” this year’s three-day festival really does have something for everyone’s taste … check out the entire line-up and set times here.The downside is that there really is too much music for even three days. So TheWrap --with some under-the-radar picks from KCRW's “Morning Becomes Eclectic” host Jason Bentley -- has put together this guide, including set times, to the best of Southern California’s best music festival.
FRIDAY
D Lance Rock. “Yo Gabba Gabba” might be not just the best kid’s show on TV, but the best music show as well. Amoeba Records’ former DJ is about to show Coachella why. (Sahara Tent, 2:15 p.m.)
Gil Scott-Heron. He once told us the Revolution would not be televised … and the urban poet was right. It will be on YouTube and Twitter, but that doesn’t diminish his genius and grace one bit. (Gobi Tent, 6:55 p.m.)Jay-Z: As his 2008 Glastonbury appearance showed -- and his recent Staples Center concert revealed yet again -- New York’s finest is the only rapper who can seamlessly scratch a stadium or a jam-packed hit-heavy field with as much bombast and finesse as he does the vinyl. (Main Stage, 10:50 p.m.)
Public Image Ltd. Everybody knows John Lydon’s first band the Sex Pistols, but just over a week after Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren died, and three days after PiL’s searing downtown L.A. gig, the former Johnny Rotten brings his other incredibly influential band to Coachella. There might be in a bit of overlap with Jay-Z but to miss PiL is to miss where some of the best of modern music came from and where a lot of it will go. (Outdoor Theater, 11:20 p.m.)
Jason’s Picks:Yeasayer. People know this band out of Brooklyn, but they are not a mainstream name yet. Having seen them at First Fridays at the Natural History Museum, they’re definitely one to watch. (Mojave Tent, 4:20 p.m.)
Little Dragon. One or two years ago, this electronic band from Gothenburg, Sweden first album was the number two most-played record on KCRW behind Radiohead’s “In Rainbows.” I might suspect Little Dragon could also join Gorillaz onstage on Sunday for the two songs they perform on their album. (Gobi Tent, 9:35 p.m.)
SATURDAY
2Manydjs. The mash-up masters play every song you’ve ever heard and loved in a way you never imagined.
