LP Hastings

Jimmy English (left) and Tidas Friday: Two champions of day drinking at Coachella

In full grips of the dry desert heat, the fine art of day drinking at Coachella becomes a game of survival of the fittest. Sweltering temperatures in the high 90s aren't necessarily ideal conditions to bombard your liver with alcohol. And unless you've been used to trekking through sand in the Middle East in full combat gear, it's very possible you're not ready to do the amount of guzzling that you think you are. Fortunately for Jimmy English and Tidas Friday (two Marines who thought it best to keep their real names a secret), they're already used to such conditions. Less than two months ago, they were lacing up combat boots and shouldering 60-plus pounds of equipment in a rumbling military convoy in Kuwait. It's hard to believe now--considering neither one of them is old enough to legally rent a car--that they've been repairing tanks and other military vehicles as mechanics in the Marine Corps for several years each.

But for the last couple years, two weeks of their leave time while they're in the service is dedicated to one thing: A roadtrip to Coachella. They didn't seem psyched to see any artist in particular this weekend (though we did follow them around to check a few acts like Dam Funk and Alt-J ),but they are definitely serious about was blowing off steam no matter who was playing. And by that, we mean drinking as much as humanly possible--brutal sun be damned.

See also: Worst of Coachella 2013: Weekend Two

More »

Timothy Norris

Here's everything that bothered us about Coachella's second weekend. Hey, at least there was no dust storm!

Native American Headdresses
These have still not gone away. In fact, one particularly irritating woman (not pictured) wore a towering feather mohawk weave, a sartorial statement that combined racism with rave gaudiness. On Friday, she pushed her way in front of us, obstructing our and everyone else's view of the show. Congratulations, lady, you're Coachella's worst person! -Andrea Domanick

More »

LP Hastings

Butterfly?!

The Visual Stimulations for People Who Were High
Coachella's art installations -- the ones designed to impress you while you're high, aka all of them -- were particularly impressive this year. There was the tesla coil, the crane that was formerly a flower but now a praying mantis, the giant florescent snail, the golf cart that looks like a jellyfish, as well as remote controlled sharks and butterflys (above). There was also a structure designed to look like a mid-century, Palm Springs modernist mansion, called the Mirage. Projections onto the house created the illusion of a swimming pool, and a swinging cocktail party. Then there was the "Coachella Power Station," at which guys in hippo masks and white lab coats stood in a glassed room, like mad scientists, playing around with computer, video, and stereo equipment. Occasionally, they danced to Ricki Martin. -Ben Westhoff

More »

Kai Flanders

The Coachella campgrounds are the Wild West of the festival. They are the sort of place you can imagine Hunter S. Thompson running around with his pants around his ankles. Drugs are more plentiful than food and going to bed before 4 a.m. is considered an early night. Campers built incredible structures to house their debaucheries, though not all of them held up in the face of Sunday's sandstorm. Here are some of the most dementedly wonderful Coachella campsites. Hopefully they inspire the Weekend 2 campers to step up their tent game.

See also: The Best of Coachella, Weekend One

More »

Christopher Victorio

Karen O

Karen O's Outfit
Karen O's wardrobe on Friday night was bad ass. The Yeah Yeah Yeah's front woman appeared on the main stage in a technicolor cape draped over a suit that looked like it was made of mercury. The vibrant collage was topped with a headpiece that Liberace might have worn had he ever been elected pope. The eccentric layers slowly peeled off, as she swung the microphone like a lasso and shoved it down her pants. She eventually donned at leather jacket with "KO" studded into the back, which might have as well have stood for "knock out." -Kai Flanders

More »

Screenshot of the Daft Punk commercial at the Main Stage

Daft Punk Fake-Out

Friday and Saturday, all anyone could talk about was if Daft Punk was going to show up during Phoenix's set. Why? Because we were fucking teased. On the main stage before the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a long commercial for their new album played, and then we found out that members of the duo were in attendance. Yeah sure the group denied they would perform this year, but it seemed at the time to be one of those winking denials. Now it just seems like they were trying to hype their album. As our pal Andrea Domanick put it: "Shouting Daft Punk at Coachella is like shouting fire in a crowded movie theater." -Daniel Kohn

More »

We've spent a lot of time this Coachella talking about the magnificent bros in attendance, but how about the fair and talented ladies? Per usual, they were everywhere, doing their thing like it wasn't a chicken wing, or something. In any case, here are the hottest dancing girls this year -- in GIF form.

See also: Earl Sweatshirt - Coachella - April 12, 2013

More »

Timothy Norris

This look could catch on one day, right?

See also: New Order - Coachella - April 13, 2013

More »

Credit: Marco Torres

As we mentioned earlier, the bros are freaking bringing it this year! Sure, we all know about the women who wear just about nothing, but the guys are getting exceedingly creative, particularly when it comes to their funny t-shirts. So it's time to give the men some props for combining humor with style. Here are Brochella's best t-shirts from weekend one:

See also: A Tale of Two Coachella Bros

More »

Oliver Scherillo

New Order

New Order

Coachella

April 13,2013

While over at the main stage the bulk of the Coachella crowd was enduring Phoenix with the hope that Daft Punk would come out -- they instead got R. Kelly -- a smaller but perhaps-more-enthusiastic crowd got a first-rate greatest hits set from New Order last night.

See also: A Tale of Two Coachella Bros

More »