M.I.A. wasn’t trying to top her career-making Coachella 2005 gig when she hit the stage Saturday night, but the Sri Lankan-born Maya Arulpragasam managed to outdo herself, delivering one of this weekend’s most buzzed about performances. “For me, Coachella’s different from other festivals,” she told Rock Daily earlier in the day from her backstage trailer. “When I played three years ago, it was such a crazy moment. It was my first festival and I had only done about five shows in my entire life. But after that show, they said that in the history of Coachella it was the first time they got an encore in a tent. They dismantled the stage and had to put it back together because all the people started going, ‘M.I.A! M.I.A!’ I don’t think I’d ever be able to do something like that again, because it was my moment.” Saturday’s gig had plenty of its own stirring moments: During a set that included hits such as “Galang,” “Boys” and “Paper Planes,” the agit-pop singer whipped the packed Sahara tent into a frenzy, with fans climbing the girders to get a view of her in her platinum wig and then cramming onto the stage to dance alongside her. Though the fans may have been more interested in her beats than her politics that night, M.I.A. doesn’t mind if her revolutionary messages don’t sink in right away. “I’ve given my life to music for now,” she explains, “and I’m not going to do it forever. For now, I think what matters is for me to keep whatever my message is consistent and then to tell my fans, ‘Look, I made you some music, then I made you a jacket, then I made you a piece of art, then I made you some curtains, then I made you a film.’ If you’re down with me, then you’re down with me and I’ll give you the best of whatever I find, through the way I live, and you can follow me. I’m trying to make sense of my life and that’s the point. I don’t think any one song is my perfect moment.”

[Photo: Getty]

“I am tempered for the Northwest, so I don’t do well in this kind of heat,” said Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard, hiding out in the icebox-cold back lounge of his tour bus several hours before his band took the stage at Coachella Saturday evening. The deep freeze paid off, and Death Cab played a stellar thirteen-song set packed with old favorites such as “The New Year” and “Sound of Settling,” alongside their new single, the eight-minute “I Will Possess Your Heart.” That tune is included on the band’s upcoming Narrow Stairs, their second album for Atlantic Records since leaving longtime indie home Barsuk in 2004 — a transition that, Gibbard says, was way more difficult than the band ever let on at the time. (more…)

When Portishead’s headlining gig at this year’s Coachella fest was announced, it was to be the British trip-hop trio’s first U.S. concert in a decade, so they were less than thrilled when Prince was added to the bill above them. “I’m not the biggest Prince fan,” says band multi-instrumentalist Geoff Barrow. “I don’t mean any disrespect. Obviously he’s an amazing musician. Usually when somebody that big comes in — we just thought we were going to be pushed aside a bit. At a lot of festivals it’s about how big your bollocks are and how many cricket bats your manager’s got.”

Not that touring was ever the first priority for Portishead. They are studio artists first. Coachella is likely to be the band’s last American concert appearance until 2009. But there are perks to festival life. As Barrow sits by the band’s trailer backstage, he hears a song off in the distance, something exciting, nervous and indie called “Hang Me Out To Dry.” Barrow smiles. “That’s a really good tune. Cold War Kids, right? I’ll bet they’re having it!” Rock Daily wanted to hear more: (more…)

There was no moon in the Coachella sky as Roger Waters stepped onstage for the final headline set of the festival on Sunday, bringing his own airborne props, exploding fireballs and the elegant, mind-expanding music of Pink Floyd. Embedded in Waters’ set was Floyd’s entire 1973 album Dark Side of the Moon, still one the best-selling albums ever, with songs of madness, hope and outrage.

At 64, Waters may have been an unexpected choice to headline a festival with roots in the alternative nation, but Floyd’s soaring waves of forward-looking sounds have been echoed in different ways by the likes of Radiohead and Massive Attack, both Coachella alums. And as huge clouds of stage-fog drifted across a field packed with festival-goers, Waters strummed an acoustic guitar for “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun,” a song from Floyd’s earliest days, accompanied by old black and white footage of the band wandering an English beach. The tune marked the beginning of a major theme of the evening: the genius and tragic breakdown of founding Floyd leader Syd Barrett, who died in 2006 after spending three decades fading into drug-damage and madness. (more…)

As we reported on Saturday, and as Jack Johnson prognosticated on Friday, Prince wowed the Coachella audience with an emotional take on Radiohead’s “Creep.” For those who missed the Purple One’s performance in the Indio desert, check out the cover above, and keep checking back for more video as the festival-goers return to their homes and hit the YouTube.

• Complete Coachella Coverage
• Coachella 2008 in Photos

The crowd was noticeably thinner (and the bathroom lines therefore shorter) on Coachella’s third and final day. Attendees weary from Prince’s marathon set Saturday night wandered in to the strains of Stars‘ boy/girl vocal combo of Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan emanating from the Main Stage. The group performed an energetic rendition of “Set Yourself on Fire” from the critically acclaimed 2005 album of the same name, with Campbell in a yellow jacket despite the baking afternoon sun, the stage strewn with flowers. “I can’t believe I’m standing where Prince stood,” Campbell announced. “He said this is the coolest place on Earth, and if Prince says something you believe it.” Millan dedicated the charming, bouncy “Midnight Coward” to all the swingers in the crowd, and as the song raved back up after a momentary slow-down listeners grinned and bopped their heads to the band’s beautifully lush work.

Over at the Outdoor Theatre, L.A. fuzz-rock band Autolux tested out some darker, less melodic material from their forthcoming Transit Transit and droned their way through favorites from their first LP, 2004’s Future Perfect, including the head-nodding “Sub Zero Fun” and “Turnstile Blues,” a mellow but urgent groove that ably shows off the skills of drummer Carla Azar.

The real afternoon party was taking place at the Gobi tent, where SXSW vets Does It Offend You, Yeah? were throwing down their dance-rock tunes with furious energy. (more…)

One of the Cool Kids MCs, Mikey Rocks, was wielding a giant blue supersoaker and threatening to douse anyone in the VIP area “who’s trying to look too cool” when Rock Daily caught up to him Sunday afternoon outside his trailer in the artist area at Coachella. Before the water carnage began, we asked him some questions about the group’s desert gig:

Dream Coachella headliners:
Headlining on the far left stage I want Nas. And then in the middle left stage, A Tribe Called Quest. Middle stage, this is the main stage, I want a collaborative show with Red Hot Chili Peppers, Biggie and Hall & Oates. That would be my dream concert right there.

Best show you’ve seen so far:
Prince. People were talking about no, he’s not going to do any of the jams, he’s going to do a bunch of new stuff, but he came out straight into the jams. He’s Prince, man. He could walk into a room and point at me and be like, “Shut the fuck up” and I’d be like, okay, Prince, whatever you say, man. (more…)

James Rushent and Dan Coop of Does It Offend You, Yeah? have a solution for bands missing that key piece of percussion that you always seem to need more of: “When there’s not a cowbell, use a bottle,” Rushent says. Beer bottles weren’t as plentiful at Coachella as they’d hoped, though. “You can’t take drinks out of here into the other VIP bit and you can’t get drinks in the VIP bit and bring them backstage,” Coop lamented. “In England, if you’ve got a can of beer you can take it anywhere in the festival.” Rock Daily managed to chat with the pair for a few more moments before they went off in search of alcohol:

If you had five minutes alone with Prince …
Coop: I’d check to see if he’s got all his ribs.

Dream headliners:
Coop: Rage Against the Machine.
Rushent: Nirvana.
Coop: Yeah, they’d smell a bit. (more…)

Thanks to its proximity to L.A., Coachella is known not only for top-notch headliners and broiling temperatures, but for its celeb-packed VIP area and plentiful parties. Junkie XL got the ball rolling early on Thursday by performing an hour-long set on the Coachella Express, the Amtrak train that took concert goers from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to Indio. “It was a great experience,” he said. “I’m from Holland and it reminded me of how they do things there. Public transportation is big and they always try to make it comfy and fun. So, I thought of that and how they do it when I decided to do this. And, it’s very green and a great initiative that Coachella took.” Junkie XL’s train set included some of his remixes and original material done in what he said was “super amateurish but really fun. People were dancing the aisles.” We didn’t mean to be rude, but we just had to ask how (er, why) he was wearing a brown leather jacket in the midday desert sun. “Leather is a statement,” he laughed. “If I don’t wear it, I burn like a lobster.” Fair enough.

Meanwhile, Rock Daily bumped into Steven Tyler (with two beefy bodyguards) in the VIP area and spotted Sean Penn camping out with the civilians, demonstrating his commitment to green living. We also caught up with Elijah Wood at the Viceroy Hotel in Palm Springs midday on Saturday where the big talk was that night’s Prince show. “It’s going to be great,” Wood said. “He’s smart. He’ll play the hits. I saw Aphex Twin, the Breeders, and Datarock [Friday] and they were extraordinary. Coachella is great because anytime you can be in a massive field with any number of bands that are amazing, it’s a good thing.” (more…)

So, David J. of Love and Rockets — Coachella, Lollapalooza, and European festivals, what about a new album? “There are no plans for any record, but we were approached a couple of weeks ago by a big name producer who wanted to produce us and offered us free studio time,” he said, sitting the shade backstage. “There’s no clock. It’s something that’s on the backburner at the moment.” For now, he’s living in the moment of Coachella and trying to keep cool.

Coolest Thing About My Own Set:
David J: The surprise guests. I can’t tell you or it won’t be a surprise.

If I Had Five Minutes Alone with Prince…
David J: I certainly wouldn’t challenge him to basketball. Have you seen that Dave Chappelle skit? It’s hilarious. I would want to, but certainly wouldn’t bring up basketball. (more…)

“This is my first Coachella and I’m surprised it’s even hotter than Big Day Out in Australia!,” Kate Nash told us backstage by her trailer Saturday afternoon. “It’s so L.A. here, but you gotta love it even if it’s not your thing. It’s just funny.” Still glowing from her Saturday afternoon show, she had one thing on her mind: Prince.

If I Had Five Minutes with Prince …
“I’d want to tell him that I want to write a song together. I’d want to talk about emotions. I think I’d confess so much to Prince. I’d be like hey, ‘This is my life. This is what I’m sad about. This is the bad shit that happened.’ And, I think he’d be like, ‘ok, look baby…’ it would be amazing! I think Prince would understand. He’s emotionally tuned into things.” (more…)

At 11:11 p.m., Prince seemingly materialized out of nowhere, took his place at the center of Coachella’s main stage, and spoke: “Coachella, I am here. … Coachella, where are you?” Promising to rock the party only if he could choose the music, he added, “You’re in the coolest place on Earth right now,” and then set out to prove it.

After a few horn blasts, Prince — decked out in a flowing white jumpsuit with glittery trim and playing a Telecaster with a leopard-print pick guard — stepped aside and turned over the stage to his Purple Rain co-star and the Time singer Morris Day, who showed off some fancy legwork dancing along to “Jungle Love.” “What did I tell you!” Prince shouted at the crowd, pleased with his carefully orchestrated plans, before bringing out Sheila E. to play her 1984 hit “The Glamorous Life.” Satisfied that the crowd had been sufficiently warmed up, Prince slipped on a devilish grin and got the party started for real with “1999,” surrounded by a cadre of female backup singers in elaborate dresses. (more…)

Saturday’s late-afternoon primetime sets began just before 5 p.m. at the Outdoor Theatre, where Stephen Malkmus was holding court with the Jicks. After joking about the environmental crisis, he half-heartedly crooned Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” adding, “I would have played that if I was over there,” gesturing towards the slightly larger Main Stage. After doodling one of his many lengthy solos during “Elmo Demo” (from the band’s new Real Emotional Trash), Malkmus, outfitted in a giant floppy hat, told the crowd, “That was one was for me. It felt so good to say something so stupid.” Informing the crowd the next track, “Hopscotch Willie,” was actually for them, the band broke into an extended desert jam, with power drummer Janet Weiss playing so integral a role, Malkmus spent the majority of the show turned sideways to partially face her. “These guys are so fucking good, I can’t believe I get to front this shit,” the former Pavement leader concluded.

As the mid-day heat finally started to abate, strains of Death Cab for Cutie’s “The New Year” rang out across the Coachella field. Singer-guitarist Ben Gibbard rocked back and forth on his heels in front of several thousands fans at the Main Stage as his band debuted tracks from their new album Narrow Stairs (including winding, dark single “I Will Possess Your Heart” and “Long Division”), which sounded even broodier rubbing up against poppier older favorites like “We Laugh Indoors” and “The Sound of Settling.” (more…)

Moments after MGMT’s Saturday show in the Mojave tent, Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told us that they might need to “learn how to play for a large crowd.” Why is that? “We’re just not ones for stage banter,” said VanWyngarden. “But this crowd loves that. We said ‘fuck yeah’ once and they went crazy. And when our sound guy shouted out the word alcohol at sound check, that got the crowd going too. So, maybe we should do more of that.” Rock Daily made the band chat a bit more with our Coachella quiz:

Best show seen so far: VanWyngarden: The Verve Friday night was the best so far, and Aphex Twin. I can’t wait to see Kraftwerk and Prince tonight. He’s gonna do all the hits. I know it. He knows what people want. (more…)