Best of Coachella Weekend One: Friday, April 13

Ben Westhoff/LA Weekly

Gary Clark Jr.Shadowed, beneath a fedora, sunglasses, and thick beard, Austin guitarist Gary Clark Jr. obscured himself at his performance Friday afternoon. From a distance, he could have been 70 years old. His music, too, hearkens back to another era. God knows there aren’t a lot of freaking blues players who can win over a crowd of thousands of young white kids with slight attention spans. Who knows, they may have come in to escape from the rain, but they were quickly and completely won over; Clark’s sound is practically a windstorm itself, possessing a swirling, driving quality, wrapping you up and kicking your ass just a bit. Exhilarating. -Ben Westhoff

Weather to Cuddle byThey say every grey cloud has a silver lining, and that was definitely the case today at Coachella. As storm clouds collected overhead, casting a foreboding shadow over the day’s festivities, the crowd thinned to a manageable size making bathroom use downright luxurious (by festival standards of course). Though cool temperatures may have led to some shivers, the weather created an environment conducive to cuddling within the crowds: always a nice vacation from simply being sandwiched between sweaty-shouldered strangers. Plus, the rainy day set the mood — complete with dimmed lighting — inspiring concert-goers to get closer, to dance harder, and find creative ways to keep warm. This is why, in the spirit of seeing the upside to a dreary day, the unusual weather is my best for Friday. -Gabrielle Canon

Frank Ocean, Gobi StageIf you want to be a dick about it, you could say Frank Ocean’s voice isn’t great. From a technical standpoint, he’s not in the same ballpark as, say, R. Kelly. Nonetheless, today at the Coachella Gobi Stage, Frank Ocean impressed the shit out of me. Mostly, it was his stylishly arranged renditions from last year’s Nostalgia Ultra LP, executed by a brilliant four-piece band consisting of synth, drums, sequencer and post-rock guitar texturing. Ocean gave the band space to improvise and build up tension, welcoming jams that peaked, bobbed and weaved through his compositions. Energy swelled beneath the canopy and billowed into the cold Coachella sunset. Average voice, sure. Unrivaled swagger, definitely. -Adam Lovinus

Hipsters Christen Kendrick Lamar with a Native American HeadbandAfter his solid set last afternoon, where he played hits like ADHD, Kendrick Lamar was chilling and eating with his crew when two blonde girls came up to him bearing a gift. They quickly adorned the Westcoast rapper with a yellow and green Native American-style headband. Lamar jokingly asked them “Do I look like a rockstar?” and posed for photos while the hip duo fawned over him. He looked like a Compton version of Kanye West’s style last year at the festival– keeping it gansta in the desert. -Kai Flanders

KonychellaAnnually, teens and twentysomethings usher in Coachella’s arrival by

decorating their hybrids with celebratory statements; “Coachella 2012!”,

“Carpoolchella!” and even “dickchella” (which came accompanied with a

retina-searing anatomically correct doodle). However, no group better

displayed a culturally relevant understanding of sleepy hipster irony than

a white SUV artfully decorated with the KONY 2012 logo. The Invisible Children campaign collapsed in on itself after a few embarassingly public

displays of “stress,” hamstringing the non-profit’s efforts to spread

awareness of Joseph Kony’s child army in Africa. Still, we can see why a

‘chella goer would appreciate both the festival and the cause. -Neda Salamat
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