Coachella 2012 was an interesting one.  First off, we're still not done with it.  There's going to be a "identical" weekend 2 coming up tomorrow which is just an odd idea.  Secondly, I actually had phone service for the first time ever so I was able to send out some random thoughts while I was there (collected for your enjoyment below).  This was also the first time it's ever rained at a Coachella, it's notorious for being VERY dry and hot all day.  In any case, enjoy!

Note:  It's in reverse cronological order so read it from the bottom up.

I talked to my friend Brian today and he lives up in the north west so his festival of choice is Sasquatch while mine is Coachella (I live in southern California).  And he told me that Sasquatch is only going to sell 4-day passes.  Honestly it's kinda sad to see that this is becoming a "thing".  Coachella did this years ago and it sucks for the people that really want to enjoy the festival but can't commit to the whole thing.  And I gotta admit, a day or two of Coachella is all you really need.  Three full days is a little much (I'm an old guy now).  I can't even imagine FOUR days of Sasquatch.

I understand that at the end of the day it's just a business, but there's no reason to exclude a minority of fans that can't do it.  What I don't understand is the lame excuse, "there's such a high demand for tickets so we'll only sell 4-day passes".  It just translates to me as, "We can force people to pay $300+ for tickets, so why would we bother to accommodate the people that can only go one or two days?"  This year's Coachella is in such a high demand that they booked two full weekends of identical bands and sold them both out.

So as the demand increases it's just going to push the more casual fan out.  I know people really love the festival (I really do), but there are clear benefits of living in a major town with no festival scene.  At least then you have a fighting chance of seeing only the bands that you want to see and not have to put up with parking, dickheads, heat just to see Gotye.

Lots of good tour news last week.  I bought tickets to see Godspeed but got my scheduling messed up because it's on the same day as Coachella.  Damn, would've loved to see Godspeed at Big Sur, CA.  If you ever get a chance to drive up the California coast, do it.  But remember, it's a LONG drive so make sure you plan accordingly.

Lots of stuff this week.  I'm using the "predict a coachella appearance" expression a bit too much for my taste.  There are just a lot of tour dates announced and they all put bands in Southern California in late April.  In any case, lots of good stuff this week, enjoy!

Kasabian have followed Morrissey's stand against Canada, by criticising the country's annual seal hunt. - Source

Normally we don't take the time to tell you guys when a cool band is showing up for five minutes on some talk show or another, but tonight is a bit of an exception, as the stars are aligning for some serious televised goodness. First off, Conor Oberst is bringing BRIGHT EYES to the mainstream tonight with an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Then flip it over to the Jimmy Kimmel Show to catch THE RAVEONETTES. Then, swing your dial to the Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson to catch KASABIAN. Then go to sleep because you'll be tired from all that channel flipping.

Music/Kasabian
Henry Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
March 12, 2005

Around 1 P.M. a friend calls me to tell me that the doors for tonight's show open at 6pm with a sharp curfew at 9:30 P.M. It's a Saturday night, so they must have another club or something opening after the concert tonight. But it also means that if the show starts late, someone is getting cut off.

KASABIAN are easily one of our favorite bands of the past year. Any record that makes our 2004 poll as one of the year's best has to be good... the fact that Kasabian managed to do it without a US release is even more impressive. Finally, that situation is rectified. The record's out in the States on March 8 (at a reduced price!), and the band is embarking on their first US tour opening for The Music. We were EXTREMELY excited to have our Shane sit down with Kasabian bassist Chris Edwards for a chat just prior to the tour's East Coast kickstart. Just expand this article by clicking "READ MORE" to check out the interview.