With the cancellation of Coachella and tours, we will be without concerts and live music for a while. Although Chris Martin and John Legend said they would do live performances online, which is cool, although I haven’t had a chance to see it yet. You think I would with all this free time.
So here’s a look at some of my favorite live performances I’ve found on YouTube. These all have something unique, like a special guest.
Landslide with Stevie Nicks and Dave Grohl
This song always brings out the feels. But what makes this performance so special is how Dave Grohl looks at her and really accents the emotions of this song.
End of the Innocence with Bruce Hornsby, Bon Iver and Jenny Lewis
Got a chance to witness this live during Bon Iver’s set at Coachella. There was no introduction, they just started playing and it took me a while to realize he brought out Bruce Hornsby and Jenny Lewis. It was a great moment.
This one keeps getting removed, so enjoy it while you can. There was a better version in the past. Hopefully it will pop up again.
Young Forever with Jay-Z and Beyonce
During Jay-Z’s headlining set at Coachella, he brought in Beyonce to cover the Alphaville’s “Forever Young,” for his song, “Young Forever.”
Never Gonna Give You Up, Rick Astley and Foo Fighters
Dave Grohl has some pretty inspired moments on stage and this is another one, with Rick Astley, giving a rock version of the Rickrolled song “Never Going to Give You Up.”
Shallow with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
As far as I can tell, this is the first time the two performed “Shallow” together since the release of “A Star is Born,” and it was definitely before their heavily buzzed Oscar performance.
One of the acts I’ve wanted to see for a while has been Bon Iver, as I think Justin Vernon is one of the best vocalist out there.
Halocene is such a beautiful song, and his cover of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make you Love Me” is extraordinary.
But I hadn’t read much about Bon Iver before watching them at Coachella this year during the second weekend. So when I heard the auto tune and the altering of his vocals, it threw me off.
My initial reaction was, “with a beautiful voice like that, why mess with it?”
But I know artists like to branch out, so I tried to give it a chance. But to be honest, it was hard to really soak it in because it did throw me off. It wasn’t bad, but I wasn’t prepared for it. I will have to listen more to his new CD, “22, A Million.” I want to listen to more of it and get an honest take on his new direction.
Yet, I think Bon Iver came up with the signature moment for Coachella 2017 for me when there was a surprise appearance by Bruce Hornsby and Jenny Lewis. They performed together on Hornsby hit, “The End of the Innocence.”
Bringing together three rich and beautiful voices together for that song just gave me goosebumps the whole song.
And it was cool because there was no introduction. I thought it was just a cover, but as I listened, “hey, isn’t that Bruce Hornsby?”
When I got home that night, I searched YouTube to see if anyone posted a video of it. Once I found it, I was sharing it with all my music friends.
Coachella can sometimes be a pain. With so many people, as they expanded to 120,000 this year, it’s can test your patience.
But “The End of the Innocence” is a moment that makes it all worth it.
When Coachella announces it’s lineup, the last few years, it’s been met with disappointment.
As the leading music festival in this country, expectations are high, maybe too high.
I look at this year’s lineup and it’s impressive, yet I still feel disappointed.
Having said that, I’ve been disappointed when Coachella’s lineup has been announced the last few years, but I still go and have a good time.
The headliners are strong with Beyoncé, who will be performing for the first time as an act and not a guest. Radiohead is a longtime Coachella favorite. And Kendrick Lamar is on the brink of surpassing superstar status.
No doubt, Coachella will do well with ticket sales and buzz.
It also didn’t help that BottleRock Napa Valley announced it’s lineup, with Foo Fighters, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Maroon 5 are the headliners. It’s a matter of tastes, but I’m more excited about those headliners.
But for me, I go to Coachella with an open mind. What usually happens, I’ll find bands I didn’t know much about and fall in love with them. And acts I was so-so with, I’ll fall in love with.
The truth of the matter is Coachella has been evolving and expanding it’s reach, having made hip hop and EDM more of a staple over the years. With the broader base, there will be less bands I really love that will fill the line up.
But that’s cool.
There’s still enough bands I love, as well as a few new ones I’m really anxious to see. If I go with an open mind, I’m sure there will be an act I will fall in love with and it might change my tastes yet again.
So here’s a few of my highlights after seeing the 2017 lineup.
HANS ZIMMER?: If Coachella was going to book an act that is famous for scoring movies, I figured it would have been former Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman.
Zimmer has done the score of countless epic movies, including “The Lion King” and “The Dark Knight.” He’s even teaching an online “Masterclass” online for $90.
I always imagine that if Hans Zimmer does something, it would be with a huge orchestra in a venue like the Hollywood Bowl.
But this could be a very cool show.
It reminds me of when producer Mark Ronson performed at Coachella. While he doesn’t sing, he had a great show with tremendous guests.
A WOMAN, FINALLY: Beyoncé becomes just the second woman to headline Coachella, following in the footsteps of Bjork in 2002 and 07. It’s surprising it’s been a decade since Coachella had a female headliner.
But Beyoncé will be a spectacular way to end the drought. She stole the show at last year’s Super Bowl, and “Lemonade” was her latest monster hit.
It won’t be the first time Beyoncé has performed at Coachella, as she’s been a guest for several acts, including husband Jay Z during his 2010 headlining set.
It also brings up this interesting tidbit. Will Beyoncé’s appearance bring out the Obama family as President Obama has bought a home in nearby Rancho Mirage? They have been friends and Beyoncé and Jay Z were at the White House frequently.
Here’s a look back at Beyoncé performing with Jay Z at Coachella, singing “Young Forever.”
CATCHING THOSE I MISSED IN 2012: So at Coachella, be careful what you eat. In 2012, I had something that forced me to leave the evening session, forcing me to miss some much-anticipated acts like Radiohead and Bon Iver.
Luckily, both are here this year.
But I did get one reprieve. Thom York was at the Ace Hotel the following weekend, and he was DJ-ing on a Friday prior to his Weekend 2 performance the next day.
Another band that I wanted to catch but missed was Bastille, as they played a tent that was so overcrowded I couldn’t get in. Hopefully they’ll be on the main stage this time.
WELCOME BACK: Bands who had some of my favorite sets will be returning, particularly New Order, Two Door Cinema Club, Capital Cities, GroupLove, Local Natives and the Head and the Heart.
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