Florence + The Machine
Florence Welch not only possesses one of the most recognizable voices, but has truly come into her own as an energetic and charismatic front woman in complete control of every aspect of her voice and presentation. On "Dog Days Are Over" she had the entire audience in the palm of her hand from the get-go and never let up until she, uh, broke her foot.
Jenny Lewis
While the headlines may portray the "semi Rilo Kiley" reunion as the highlight of her set, make no mistake that Jenny's momentary nod to her musical past comes as she stands on the precipice between indie cult status and widespread mainstream acceptance. Of course, with the current state of the music industry, the line between the two has never been more blurred.
Kaskade
Chicago-born Ryan Raddon (aka Kaskade) commanded one of the largest crowds during Week 1 of Coachella 2015, proving once and for all that the presumed fading of EDM's popularity is supremely overstated. And as if his command of his audience is in question, he closed his set with a new song ("We Don't Stop") nobody had yet heard and nobody left til the last note had finished.
AC/DC
If there is one band who are known for rising valiantly from the ashes of tragedy, it is AC/DC. Their Coachella set marked the debut performance of Stevie Young, stepping in for his uncle, Malcolm whose dementia prevents him from further touring. The crowd welcomed the band wildly and Brian Johnson's vocals, as anguished as they are, could barely be heard above the crowd singing along at times. The sight of Angus, adorned in bright red school boy outfit and bouncing about the stage, proved once and for all just how determined AC/DC are to out-kick the hands of time, personal tragedies be damned.
Clean Bandit featuring Marina (from Marina And The Diamonds)
Considering that we've been singing her praises since she first came on the scene in 2010, Marina is poised for breakout success with the release of her third album, Froot, yet it was her appearance during Clean Bandit's set to perform new tune "Disconnect" that one was able to truly see the star-power of this Welsh songstress reach an audience that was more than likely completely unfamiliar with her music until she made them aware with a seductively understated performance.
Tame Impala
It was only fitting that up-and-coming Aussie rockers Tame Impala were given the opportunity to play before AC/DC's set and the band absolutely rose to the occasion with a confident performance that saw them debut a brand new tune, "Cause I'm A Man". Mark my words, it won't be long before this band is a bonafied festival headliner.
Ryan Adams
The normally prolific Adams has been keeping a low profile as of late, but has returned to active duty with his first full-length in three years, the self-titled Ryan Adams. Considering his recent dalliance with DC-style punk on the EP 1984 and the break-up of his last band The Cardinals in 2009, one could not be blamed for wondering which Ryan Adams was going to take the stage at Coachella. What we got was a business-like Adams who proceeded through his brief set with a slightly reserved demeanor, breaking character only briefly to chide the loud EDM music infiltrating the air from one of the other stages.
Alabama Shakes
While the material from their newly-released second album Sound & Color is still growing on us, Brittany Howard continues to sell the shit out of it by turning in one barn-burner of a vocal performance on each and every track from this album that the band performed during their set. Blessed with pipes that would have made Janis Joplin blush, Howard and her band took full command of the Coachella stage and delivered one of the weekend's best sets, by far.
Jack White
Ever the crowd-pleaser, genuine throwback Jack White gave the Coachella crowd a set that leaned heavily on White Stripes favorites, but it was his rendition of this Raconteurs hit that got the audience on their feet as White and his crack band showed a flair for musical histrionics that you just don't see that much of at an "indie-rock" music festival. Since this show, White has announced that he'll be taking an indefinite sabbatical from live performance so next weekend's Coachella set will be our last chance to see White perform with a full band for who knows how long.
Eagulls
We've been singing this band's praises since they first debuted last March with their amazing self-titled debut album and their Coachella set proved them to be up to the challenge of breaking the U.S. market once and for all. A year on the road with the likes of Franz Ferdinand has tightened their sound immeasurably as the twin guitar attack of Mark Goldsworthy and Liam Matthews has been honed to perfection, providing the perfect distortion-drenched pastiche for singer George Mitchell to work his magic.