5. Blur, Purity Ring and Grinderman on Friday night at 9:55, 9:40, 10:10-11:15, 10:30 and 11:15
All of these acts are amazing in concert, but Blur is the clear winner here. The British alternative band is back together and beats both the new Canadian band and the Australian garage rockers. The excitement of fans has been stoked by ParkLive, Blur’s new live album, and a fantastic box set that includes 21 discs full of major albums, rare recordings and a funky assortment of tracks that fans haven’t heard before.
4. Phoenix, Booka Shade, Sigur Ros and New Order on Saturday night at 11:35, 11:50, 12:00 and 11:35 p.m.
The decision process is truly torturous here. Between the amazing festival experts from Iceland, the time-tested band from France, the techno group from Berlin and New Order, fans won’t have an easy time choosing who to see in this time slot. Sigur Ros is probably the best bet, although New Order is a contender considering their ongoing lineup issues that point to probable substitutions with crowd favorites from other popular groups like the Smiths. At the same time, the Icelanders will surely set the stage blazing. It’s very hard to choose here in any case.
3. Beach House, TNGHT and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on Friday Night at 8:15, 8:40, 8:35-9:30, 9:05 and 9:20 p.m.
Although the stage times of these bands don’t totally overlap, attendees might not get a chance to see them all play at Coachella. The New York rockers, slow-pop Baltimore favorites and hip-hop techno producers are all competing for time here, and it’s a strain to choose one over the others.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are surely the best choice here. TNGHT is great, but fans planning to see them simply won’t be choosing another. Beach House is incredible, but they’re also somewhat slow for fans who want to check out other bands as well. Besides, choosing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs means being in place for Blur later.
2. Tegan and Sara, How to Destroy Angels, Earl Sweatshirt and the Stone Roses on Friday Night at 11:40, 12:00, 12:05 and 12:00 p.m.
Trent Reznor’s band, the most awesome member of Odd Future, the creators of the excellent album Heartthrob and the raving rockers from Britain make this a particularly difficult choice. While some might not agree, Tegan and Sara are likely to be the best of the lot. However, every attendee has to follow his or her own musical preferences. For fans of Trent Reznor, there might be no worries about seeing Stone Roses since the Nine Inch Nails will be playing later in the season.
1. Red Hot Chili Peppers after fighting heavy traffic on Sunday Night at 10:15 p.m.
Natives to the Los Angeles area, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have been a mainstay on the American rock scene for decades now. More recently, the group has created a number of different single that are stoking fans everywhere. Some might think that traffic won’t be too hard to beat for this group, but this is truly a huge event that calls for punctuality and perseverance from dedicated fans. In addition, those who arrive on time will also get to enjoy the British band Disclosure, who are playing at 11:10.