Country diva and Palm Springs native Shelby Lynne treated the folks in the audience for her show last night at Indio's Stagecoach Festival to an earful. But she wasn't serving up just the sweet sounds of her songs--she had an awful lot to say about how unhappy she was with the venue and the attendance."I love singing to empty seats," Lynne sarcastically said as she opened her set, remarking about the vacant chairs in the......

Yup, that's right. Ding, dong, Roger Water's pig is dead. Found, slaughtered in two parts at the La Quinta country club. The Desert Sun reports: Susan Stolz called The Desert Sun this morning saying she and her husband found a glob of vinyl in their driveway yesterday at the Hideaway Golf Club in La Quinta. Not sure what it was, they threw it away. This morning, they read about the missing pig in the newspaper......

There were at least a handful of LAist contributors at this year's Coachella Festival, and as we slowly recover from our Coachella "hangover" we'll continue to upload photos and tell the stories from another epic weekend in the desert... (or at least the parts we can remember) Part 1 of 5: THURSDAY - Peanut Butter Cream Pie and Riot Police Our plan was to leave LA by 2pm (or 3 at the very latest) to......

In the previous installations of Coachella there have been some huge headliners. Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead, Bjork, The Beastie Boys but none quite on the level of day two's headliner, the Purple One, Prince. From the moment he hit the stage with Morris Day and Shelia E. it was apparent that the audience was in for a lesson in musicianship and showmanship. As he played through a set mixed of standards and the cover......

Finally, after all the hubub and debate of the quality of this year's Coachella lineup, the festival got underway Friday afternoon. Featuring Jack Johnson at the top of the bill, the day featured outstanding performances from the Raconteurs who proved that they aren't just Jack White's side project but rather a band that is developing their own sound and identity. The Verve, playing for the first time in nearly a decade sounded like they hadn't......

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, music festivals are the dim sum of the concert-going experience; try a little of everything and go back for more of what you like (or ditch out on what you don’t). This year’s Coachella was no exception, with acts like country crooner Dwight Yoakam vying for time against dance-rock lovelies Hot Chip, or Prince breaking down the funk for the masses after a particularly breathtaking Portishead set. With the......

Bearlicious, by kpe II via LAist Featured Photos Pool on Flickr. Home plate Kerwin Danley, who took a 96 mph Brad Penny heater off the face mask during last night's Dodger game --and briefly lost consciousness -- has been released from the hospital. Dodgers medical personnel accompanied him to Good Samaritan Hospital, where officials Sunday said Danley was treated in the emergency room and released. To update our coverage of the Sierra Madre fire,......

With the Mayan Theater about half-full and slowly being filled with puffs of pot smoke, Portishead took the stage last night for their super-secret-show, and welcomed the crowd by announcing that it was a rehearsal for Coachella, and that this whole event is just so they can test their instruments....

Celebrate your weekend. | Photo by ronnie44052 via Flickr Not everyone is going to Coachella this weekend. For those who choose to stay put in Los Angeles, the city is literally filled with events this weekend: AltBuild Expo at SaMo Civic Auditorium: an eco-friendy building & design expo LA Times Festival of Books at UCLA: a must see & do Fiesta Broadway at Downtown: party!......

Well, ain't we swank? This year, in additional to their usual on-site campground, Coachella is offering fancy-shmancy "On Site Lodging." You still can't bring in your own beer, but at least they sell it there. With On Site lodging, your tent (along with air beds, new sleeping bags and pillows) will already be set up for you. All you have to do is stumble over and collapse after a long, hot day in the pit.......

Outside food and drinks are prohibited at Coachella, but the occasional peanut butter sandwich has been known to slip by security. Even if you can get into the “hospitality area” it’s slim pickings as far as decent food is concerned. The options at the cash-only food tents tend to be pretty limited. That doesn’t mean you have to spend three days surviving only on kettle corn and Ecstacy. The Coachella Valley is home to......

Photo of the Do LaB courtesy of The Do LaB Here is another sampling of tips from readers about Coachella. The contest to see Portishead's private rehearsal ends tonight. Good luck and we hope you learn and get some ideas from the suggestions below! "No matter how tempted, or drunk, you may be, do not go skinny dipping in the Salton Sea." ~ DPSeeck "Bring several sunscreen bottles -- at least as large as......

Photo by ">InfoJunkette via LAist Featured Photos It's been less than 24 hours and more than a hundred of you have entered LAist's Portishead contest. The name of the game? To be considered, you have to comment with a tip for attending Coachella, where Portishead will be playing. If you win, you get a pair of tickets to a Los Angeles area private rehearsal a week from tomorrow. Here are some highlighted tips, good......

Photo provided by artist As mentioned late Friday, Portishead, who seldom comes to the U.S. these days to perform, is holding an exclusive rehearsal on Thursday, April 24th from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. before they hit Coachella... and LAist is giving away five pairs of tickets, compliments of the good people at FILTER. It's at a location we cannot disclose yet, but it is in the Los Angeles area. In the past, we've run......

If waiting until Coachella to see Portishead reunite is causing you to grind your teeth with impatience, then maybe you'll be stoked to find out that you can try and win tickets to see them play a private rehearsal for their upcoming and highly anticipated Coachella performance on April 26....

Photo by Susan Catherine via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Best known for his authoring of "2001: A Space Odyssey," sci-fi writer Arthur C. Clarke has died at 90 in Sri Lanka. This just in from the LA Times's Soundboard blog...Prince has been added to the Coachella roster! Nice! Obama had a huge campaign moment this morning, perhaps the biggest yet: he confronted the race issue in a stirring speech after his......

100 years and nine months ago, an American ship called Chesapeake was cannonballed by a British vessel, and not in the Ron Burgundy way. Apparently, the Americans refused to be boarded, the Brits fired and an international incident was born. A century later, our shores are still under assault, but less from the nautical variety and more of the musical kind. Very recently, we have been boarded by British Sea Power, who rocked Spaceland Thursday......

Chipotle is hot for Westwood and UCLA is hot (or just plain cheap) for them As said in Extra, Extra, thanks to our friends at EaterLA, there are free burritos in Westwood tonight: "Those poor students and cheap business people, they love the freebies. A new Chipotle opens on Broxton today, and to commemorate, they're giving away free burritos." One student reader phoned in from the line. "It is sooooo long. This is crazy......

Earlier this month, A-Trak (MySpace) and Kid Sister (MySpace) performed as the co-headliners of First Fridays (MySpace) at the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park. Meanwhile, Dublab (MySpace) DJs Frosty (MySpace) and Take (MySpace) spun tunes in the African Mammal Hall. When Kanye West appeared at their show a week before at the American Museum of Natural History in New York (West is featured on Kid Sister's song "Pro Nails"), there was speculation that......

The last time, it was locally based artist Shepard Fairey. This time, it's the Coachella Valley natives Carlos Ramirez and Armando Lerma, known as The Date Farmers. Upper Playground, a San Francisco based online store and collective of artists, has asked the Date Farmers to create a campaign poster to be mass-distributed on offset posters throughout Texas prior to the primary on March 4th. "For too long we have been plagued by mediocrity and incompetence......

They've brought luminescence to Burning Man nights and misting relief to blistering Coachella days. This Saturday, Do LaB sets out to light up your love life, whether you hate V-Day or not. Skip the roses and head downtown for a night of burlesque, nonstop beats, and a brand new performance by the Los Angeles' own Lucent Dossier Vaudeville Cirque. The Do LaB's transporting the naturific, visionary vibes you know from their Lightning in a......

Photo by el daverino via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr A Musical Valentine to Santa Monica: Sia just announced a last-minute show (definitely her last before Coachella!) for tomorrow, February 14th at 2PM in Santa Monica at the Starbucks Hear Music Coffeehouse on Third St. Promenade, first come first serve. She kicks off her North American tour the following day, Friday, in San Diego. The 15-year-old boy shot on Tuesday at a......

Think your Super Bowl Sunday went sour? Try being a resident of Coachella Valley at kickoff time. According to The Desert Sun, Time Warner Cable is reporting a sustained outage in the cities of Twentynine Palms , Yucca Valley, and Barstow. Officials have not said what caused the outages, but according to a recorded message at Time Warner offices, engineers are "aware of the problem" and there is "no estimated time of repair." Super......

Here at LAist, we really love local folk music, especially The Hollow Trees. In fact, we love them so much that we've interviewed them three times: a little ">over a year ago, then in May about Stagecoach (the roots version of Coachella) and this last December. We'll spare any in depth analysis this morning, but will just say if you're looking for things to do late this morning, whether your a parent or babysitting some......

The moment has finally materialized: The official lineup for the three-day mega music fest in the middle of nowhere (aka Empire Polo Field in Indio) has been announced. Start putting those Susan B. Anthonys in your piggy banks now, music fans. 3-Day passes will run you $269.00 (+ $3 charity + applicable service fees), and single day passes are $90 (+ $1 charity + applicable service fees). If you're just picking one day, be ready......

Eisley on stage at Coachella in 2005 | Photo by Jason Upshaw via Flickr The Oscars are set to be announced tomorrow in Beverly Hills, but today, this Holiday day, the uber-California music festival experience will be announced. From Mexico City, no less. "It is something that's crossed my mind," Paul Tollett, creator of Coachella, told the LA Times when asked if he was going to start a Coachella type festival south of the......

Two weeks ago, local singer/songwriter Inara George (MySpace) and her band The Bird And The Bee performed as the headliner at Detroit Bar (MySpace) in Costa Mesa. Opening for The Bird And The Bee were Two Guns (MySpace) and Charlie Wadhams (MySpace). On Wednesday, The LA Times' Kevin Bronson confirmed that The Bird And The Bee will be performing at Coachella the weekend of April 25th-27th. More photos and a video of "Again And......

As winds died down Sunday, firefighters gained the upper hand on the Malibu blaze that burned at least 49 homes and sent thousands fleeing. It is now 70% contained and officials expect full containment by Tuesday. The damage could run close to $100 million. Firefighters rescued a father and his 4-year-old son in a Sun Valley home that burned down this morning. The father got his wife and daughter out of the house, but,......

Marking the first Los Angeles appearance since 1998 (when legend has it members of the Scottish alternative rock band decided to part ways), last night The Jesus and Mary Chain headlined after opening acts Evan Dando and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Earlier this year the band reunited, playing a show at Coachella that seemed to elicit more mentions about Scarlett Johansson on stage than the actual music. If the performance at the Wiltern yesterday......

Regina Spektor - "Us" @ Coachella, 2007 Maybe you're like us. Maybe you already have been to every great Halloween that Isla Vista has to offer. Maybe you are tired of scaring the little kids in your Dick Cheney costume showing them how Social Security will be wiped out by the time they're 40. Maybe the West Hollywood omg I'm a slut costume has worn thin(ner). Maybe you just want to get away from......