THE COACHELLA DIARIES, PART 2
Jigga who? The ten-minute count down to Jay-Z’s performance was electric. As soon as the two giant digital clocks appeared on the LCD screens, announcing his approaching appearance, seventy-five thousand people merged and shuffled to see hip hop’s finest. It was the reward for a stressful day. In the hours leading up to the main event, the conversations overheard on and off the field all dealt with the same issues: 1. The volcano in Iceland had artists and fans stranded in Europe. 2. At least five British bands had to cancel their performance, including Gary Numan and The Cribs. 3. 2 Many DJs was left with just one member and had to replace the younger brother with the Soulwax keyboard player. 4. For the first time in Coachella’s 10-year run, tickets were sold out, even if you had $300 to buy a 3-day pass, or $600 for a VIP pass. 5. Traffic from Los Angeles to Indio was brutal, causing massive delays. 6. My own artist wristband only arrived at 8.30pm which, sadly, caused me to miss Them Crooked Vultures. 7. All the hotels in the area were booked solid, or had jacked up the rates to at least $500 a night. 8. The lines up to the main entrance were almost a one-hour wait, which the blaring hot sun made all the more sweaty and messy. 9. Happily, the principal topic on everyone’s lips was Jay-Z’s rumored surprise guest. Many people were convinced it would be Dr. Dre or Drake. Others thought it was Rihanna.
So when Hova finally emerged on a platform through the stage floor, to the opening tunes of “Run This Town,” the suspense culminated to an explosion of cheers and whistles. What followed was an hour-long track list of Jay-Z hits interluded with rock ballads like The Verve’s “Bitter Sweet Symphony.” Forty-five minutes into the show, the band started to play the intro of Alphaville’s 1984 “Forever Young.” As the intro dragged on, the tenstion built. Finally, in white cut-out printed T-shirt and black hat, appeared the beautiful Beyonce, singing her heart out.