Coachella Rocks The California Desert

INDIO, Calif: — Searching for an oasis of music in southern California desert, thousands gathered Friday for the opening day of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. Temperatures hovered in the relatively bearable mid-90s as the notoriously hot three-day festival got under way in the desert a few hours drive southeast of Los Angeles. Rogue Wave was the first act to hit the main stage, where Tegan and Sara, the Raconteurs, the Verve and Jack Johnson were to play later. "It's a clear day," said Coachella founder and organizer Paul Tollett, smiling from his backstage trailer. "You can see the mountains." Tollett, who heads concert promoter Goldenvoice, reported no major problems as the ninth annual festival got started. Approximately 60,000 fans were expected to attend Friday, fanning out across acres of grounds that included two outdoor stages and three concert tents. Some came for the day from L.A., while others laid out sleeping bags in the camping grounds. Not all were ... [link]