A great big congratulations.

Pre-Coachella.  

Who I'm most excited to see at the festival this year hasn't really changed much since purchasing tickets in Janvier; I'm simply more excited about more of the artists/bands than I had been before. Been scanning the lineup poster a lot over the last few months and checking out a lot of the vaguely familiar, the stuff that's related stylistically to the stuff I already listen to. So far I haven't discovered too many bands that I've developed a love for as much as the artists I've loved continuously for the last many years (Bjork, Portishead, Goldfrapp, Massive Attack, Prince) but there are definitely some who've got the kind of swagger and substance that'll have me curious to check in on them sporadically from here on out. Local Natives and Deerhunter are among them. Fever Ray and La Roux are working on me too, and should firmly fall in that list after this weekend, that is, if they put on a good show. I'm still most excited to see MGMT, Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear, Beach House and Miike Snow.

What should I wear?
Hundreds of thousands of people will have been in attendance by Sunday (Day 3) and I imagine a lot of them will, on top of merely wanting functional wear to cope with the expected heat, want to dress for everyone else's eyes, and I don't quite know what kind of look I want to put on. Comfort is priority number one, but I want to look good! Most of my personal style icons don't typically dress for heat, crowds, or longevity (doors open at 11AM and closing is 1AM) - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Pelayo Diaz Zapico - so my brain is being taxed to come up with something that'll sustain a 12-hour day of blistering weather. I do, however, enjoy the look of these guys, who are actually going to perform on Day 1 of the festival...

 ...and whose look, though eccentric, is perfect and perfectly mainstream for Indio, California heat and Coachella indie culture. MGMT is composed of Ben Goldwasser (left) and Andrew VanWyngarden (right). Colorful, breezy, psychedelic, retro-futuristic. I'll have to post pictures of what I decide, after much putting-on-and-taking-off and deliberation.

Here are some fine examples of what was (stylishly) worn in the past:

 

Lesson learned: wear white, keep away from self-made contraptions that double as helmets and animal costumes. I should be okay. Still, picture to come (partly because Valerie has made this her second Coachella-related project after discovering new attending bands)!