Coachella 2011 Lives Up To The Musical Hype

By Michael Lopez

Twelve years in, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival still seems to be as popular as ever. This weekend over 100,000 people descended upon the normally quiet desert pocket of Indio, California, for three days of incredible live performances.

Though some naysayers complained that the 2011 lineup was not as strong as the ones from years' past, nearly all of the top acts drew rave reviews for their hard rocking jams. One of the weekend’s more “interesting” performances came from Cee-Lo Green, who pretty much took his “F**k You” song to a new level. Friday night, the hip-hop crooner hit the stage over 30 minutes late and got the plug pulled during one of his songs after badmouthing concert organizers on the mic.

But that was only one small glitch in an otherwise flawless Friday night. Other highlights from the kickoff included Lauryn Hill belting out her classic “Ready Or Not” under the warm desert sun. Killers frontman Brandon Flowers showed off his promising solo skills with tracks from his Flamingo album and even offered up a live cover of the 80’s hit “Bette Davis Eyes.” And though first night headliners Kings of Leon got some flack for being “too tame” during their set, they certainly delivered all of the hits.

Saturday’s Coachella performers definitely kept the fans on their feet (which is not an easy task after all of the partying that goes down the first night). Arcade Fire proved their headliner status with a universally praised live set. Taking full advantage of the jumbotron screens, the Grammy-winning indie band debuted a slew of inventive videos to go along with each of their songs. They also blew out bubbles to the crowd and even had a girl onstage interpreting lyrics in sign language.

"It's pretty intimidating to be up here in front of all you people," Fire frontman Win Butler told the screaming fans. "We don't take this for granted, even for a second."

Another major Saturday night crowd-pleaser was Mumford & Sons. Known for their unique style of British folk rock, they drew deafening applause for their virtuoso musicianship, which included a three-piece horn section, intense banjo playing, and some heavy duty finger-picking on acoustic guitars.

And for the fans who were able to hang in there for the final night, Sunday's headliner definitely made sure they got their money’s worth. Hip-hop kingpin Kanye West entered the stage atop a massive crane after a dazzling light show and intricate dance performances. His interpretations of tracks like “Power” and “Devil In A New Dress” from his new My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album kept people chanting until the bitter end.

“It feels like tonight is the best night of my life,” West said during his set.

And for many dancing the night away at Indio's Polo Field, that can pretty sum up the entire weekend too.

Were you able to make it to the Coachella festival this year? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Arcade Fire, Cee Lo Green, Coachella, Hot Stuff, Kanye West, kings of leon, Música, Mumford & Sons