Sandstorm blights last day of Coachella

The Red Hot Chili Peppers closed out the first weekend of the Coachella festival in California by playing through a desert sandstorm on Sunday night (14Apr13) as drummer Chad Smith celebrated his 51st birthday. Severe winds whipped up sands throughout the afternoon and evening and threatened to wreck the band’s set, but the storm died down just as the group hit the outdoor stage and ceased to be a problem.
Frontman Anthony Kiedis told the crowd, “I feel like I’m in Lawrence of Arabia,” while bassist Flea added, “I feel like I’m in the Dust Bowl with Woody Guthrie.”
Rappers Wu-Tang Clan, who drew a huge crowd to the Outdoor Theatre, also commented on the storm during their celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of their debut album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) – RZA spat: “We didn’t expect a motherf**king sandstorm!”
Highlights from Sunday also included performances by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Vampire Weekend, Grimes, Tame Impala and The Gaslight Anthem.
All the acts will return to the Indio festival site this coming weekend (19-21Apr13) for the second leg of Coachella.