Coachella 2013’s first weekend is over, but it’s still alive online. SPIN has already carefully cataloged our favorite sets from Friday and Saturday, plus our field notes from each day. And don’t miss SPIN’s best live photos from the opening foray of this year’s Indio, California, throwdown.
If you weren’t there, though, the next-best-thing might be to watch the video footage for yourself. Which, luckily, you can do. We’ve assembled five must-see clips below.
5. Phoenix with R. Kelly
https://youtube.com/watch?v=SmPTI4vsUnA%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_detailpage
The YouTube comments suggests Coachella-goers didn’t “get” Chicago’s R&B pied piper, but his appearance onstage during Phoenix’s set was thrilling beyond novelty value. As SPIN’s Jordan Sargent recounts, Kelly began by belting out the opening of his own “Bump N’ Grind,” which gave way to his more recent hits “Ignition (Remix)” (with Phoenix playing their “1901”) and, briefly, “I’m a Flirt (Remix)” (with Phoenix’s “Chloroform”). Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce.
4. The xx with Solange
https://youtube.com/watch?v=xwPzoGhcdJ4%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_embedded
The xx’s sparse, after-hours intimacy has more in common with R&B than demographic marketing might tell you. Around the 20-minute mark of their Coachella set, above, the U.K. band showed it by collaborating with Solange on a smoky cover of Aaliyah’s “Hot Like Fire.”
3. Earl Sweatshirt with Flying Lotus, Tyler, the Creator, and Domo Genesis
https://youtube.com/watch?v=uvURXqJPs1M%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_embedded
Let SPIN’s Chris Martins tell it: “Want to make a small ocean of festivallers scream like it’s 1964 and the Beatles just rocked The Ed Sullivan Show? If you’re Earl Sweatshirt, all you’ve got to do is play a snippet of Odd Future associate Tyler, the Creator rapping over one of your songs — they’ll lose their damned minds roaring for his arrival.” Tyler showed up, FlyLo DJed, Sweatshirt rapped some new material, and you can watch it all above.
2. Blur
https://youtube.com/watch?v=yzMi8PSu3Us%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_embedded
Blur were making their first U.S. performance in a decade, and the last time they didn’t bring founding guitarist Graham Coxon, so their return was an event. As our own J.S. observes, it was “a triumphant, blown-up version of Blur justifying their return to American soil.” Watch their full set above.
1. Yeah Yeah Yeahs
https://youtube.com/watch?v=iFY6cK6Bh4w%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_embedded
Yeah Yeah Yeahs were the only band of its generation to play the Coachella Stage after sunset this year, as SPIN’s Caryn Ganz notes, and they used their high-profile setting to push the crowd forward. Watch their most crowd-pleasing songs, “Maps” and “Heads Will Roll,” above.
