Best & Worst Moments of Coachella: Day One

BEST USE OF A ROCK GOD: THEM CROOKED VULTURES
The lone survivor of Led Zeppelin's legendary rhythm section needs no introduction but got a nice one nevertheless from Them Crooked Vultures' bandmate Josh Homme two songs into the supergroup's set on the main stage: "And on every instrument known to man, that is John Paul fucking Jones!" Impressive as Jones was rocking the bass (four-string or twelve-), lap-steel guitar, and piano, Homme was no slouch himself. Leading the band from the salacious funk-rock of "No One Loves Me & Neither Do I" to the demonic psychedelia of "Gunman," both off the band's solid, self-titled debut, he more than kept up with Jones, and Dave Grohl's double-bass-pedal-powered percussion showed that he's still indisputably one of the best rock drummers in the world. LIAM GOWING

BEST RESPONSE TO BACKLASH: VAMPIRE WEEKEND
Alongside the deserved praise heaped upon this quartet of Columbia University-educated New Yorkers, some critics seem to believe Vampire Weekend are just privileged white kids who ripped off Fela Kuti by way of Graceland-era Paul Simon for instant fame and, who knows, some kind of deal with the devil. But Vampire Weekend's pitch-perfect set at the Outdoor Theatre, Coachella's second-largest stage, proved a confident, fuck-you moment to the haters. From the sunny, calypso-tinged opener, Contra's "White Sky," to the closer -- their self-titled debut's own exodus story, "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" -- the band not only paid tribute to their Afropop forefathers' formula. At times, they may have even (horror of horrors) improved on it. And damn if singer-guitarist Ezra Koenig didn't sound exactly like Paul Simon. How awesome is that? L.G.

BEST UNEXPECTED COVER: STREET SWEEPER SOCIAL CLUB DOES M.I.A.
Though M.I.A. wasn't billed for this year's festival, her presence was clearly felt. Both Jay-Z and Vampire Weekend sampled Maya in their sets -- for a retooled version of "Jockin' Jay-Z," and "Diplomat's Son," respectively -- but Street Sweeper Social Club did them one better by performing a hard rock version of "Paper Planes." Revered Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello aimed his guitar at the crowd and mock-blasted in time with original's faux gunfire, while oft-incendiary Oakland rapper Boots Riley (also of the Coup) strutted and chanted in time. It was a welcome break from the band's otherwise heavy-handed agitprop rap-rock, as was the late-set appearance by RATM drummer Brad Wilk. CHRIS MARTINS

BEST ACTRESS-SINGER CROSSOVER: SHE & HIM
Appearing at Coachella's Outdoor Theatre with her She & Him partner, countryfied rocker M. Ward and a five-piece backing band, Zooey Deschanel instantly proved herself to be part of that lonely minority of actors making a successful crossover into pop music. Time-warping back to the age of eyeliner-loving girl groups with lush, melodic originals culled from 2008's Volume One and the new, slightly more formulaic Volume Two, the (500) Days of Summer cutie led a retro-pop revival. And though M. Ward was the instrumental star of the band, gently urging his guitar chords through a haze of vibrato, Deschanel held her own as an instrumentalist, taking to the keyboards on the inanely catchy "Don't Look Back" and "Over It Over Again." L.G.

BEST FRESH-AIR RAVE: PASSION PIT
Yeasayer may have dominated the first half of the day, but their polyglot-pop cousins from Cambridge, Mass., packed the few hundred yards of field surrounding the Outdoor Theatre. Taking a moment's respite from his own furious dancing, singer Michael Angelakos polled the audience: "How many of you are seeing us for the first time?" From within the crowd, the response was deafening, and the ensuing mood was an oddly thrilling mix of MTV Spring Break meets European beach disco. Glow sticks were cracked prematurely (even with the sun still high in the sky) and a gaggle of girls-as-mermaids positively raved to the Pit's synth-loving New Wave soul. C.M.

BEST SET DECORATION: FEVER RAY
Swedish art rocker Karen Dreijer took some questionable approaches to her set with Fever Ray late-night set in the Mojave Tent: Starting the ten minutes late was one; shrouding her phantasmagorically costumed band in so much fog that they were practically invisible was a second; playing a dirge-like set of monotonous trance-inspired synth-rock with exactly zero interaction with the audience was a third. But the stage decoration selected by this bad-trip Bjork (who also records with the Knife) was pure genius: Antique floor lamps. Sometimes they turned on. And sometimes they turned off. L.G.

BEST ANTI-WAR DEMONSTRATION: GIL SCOTT-HERON
"We love our soldiers and we're proud of them, but we hate war and hate the things that happen during war," said Gil Scott-Heron halfway through his Fender Rhodes-fueled set of jazzy spoken word. Famous for his politically charged lyrics, Scott-Heron has long been known as the "Godfather of Rap," but if his early work inspired some of hip-hop's most confrontational artists, his live show at the Gobi Tent was hypnotic, but mellow, and all about building bridges. "We've got to work for peace," he crooned throatily on the aptly named 1994 song, "Work for Peace." Amen. L.G.