AC/DC, Tame Impala, Ride and The War On Drugs were among the acts to play the opening day of Coachella Festival (April 10).
The event, which takes place at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California, was headed up by Australian rockers AC/DC, who played a high-octane set on the main Coachella Stage.
The classic rock group’s set was their first full gig in almost five years, and included iconic tracks ‘Back In Black’, ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’, ‘Have a Drink On Me’, ‘Hells Bells’, ‘TNT’ and ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’, which saw the group performing alongside a giant inflatable woman. It was reported that Clint Eastwood, Justin Bieber and Paul McCartney were all watching the band play. “I hope you guys like rock and roll, because that’s all we do,” commented frontman Brian Johnson early on in the set.
AC/DC played against a wall of Marshall amps and finished with an encore of ‘Highway to Hell’ and ‘For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)’, in front of the biggest crowd of the day. Scroll down for a full setlist.
AC/DC played:
‘Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be’
‘Shot Down in Flames’
‘Back in Black’
‘Rock or Bust’
‘Shoot to Thrill’
‘Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap’
‘Thunderstruck’
‘Play Ball’
‘The Jack’
‘Hells Bells’
‘Baptism by Fire’
‘You Shook Me All Night Long’
‘Have a Drink on Me’
‘Sin City’
‘TNT’
‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Train’
‘Whole Lotta Rosie’
‘Let There Be Rock’
‘Highway to Hell’
‘For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)’
Earlier in the day, reformed shoegaze band Ride played. Opening up with ‘Leave Them All Behind’ and following it with ‘Taste’ and ‘Polar Bear’, they performed to a crowd brandishing Union Jack flags in honour of the Oxford group.
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Watched by actor Aaron Paul of Breaking Bad, The War On Drugs played a euphoric main stage set, which drew heavily from the band’s third album, 2014’s ‘Lost In The Dream’, including ‘Under The Pressure’, ‘Burning’, ‘Eyes To The Wind’, and a rowdy ‘Red Eyes’.
Alabama Shakes drew a huge crowd to the Outdoor Stage. “It feels so nice, the vibe is so good now that the sun is finally setting,” said frontwoman Brittany Howard against a picturesque backdrop of palm trees and a pink sunset, as the heat of the day began to mellow. The set included material from the band’s upcoming second album ‘Sound & Color’, including ‘Don’t Wanna Fight’. Steely Dan followed, drawing on classic tracks ‘Reeling In The Years’, ‘Hey Nineteen’ and ‘Kid Charlemagne’
Lykke Li turned in an emotive set that included ‘Gunshot’ from 2014’s ‘I Never Learn’, and ‘Never Gonna Love Again’. “Are you ready to slow dance?” she said as an introduction to the latter. “This song goes out to everyone who thinks they’ll never get over that someone and you’ll never love again. But amen, you will!”
Interpol played on the main stage before Tame Impala opened for AC/DC. Coming on to a chopped and screwed version of Elton John‘s ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight’, Tame Impala played songs from their two albums, including ‘It’s Not Meant To Be’, ‘Why Won’t They Talk To Me?’ and ‘Feels Like We Only Go Backwards’ and ‘Elephant’, as well as new song ”Cause I’m a Man’, which showcased a more electronic side of the band. “Thank you very much, lovely people of Coachella, the greatest festival ever,” said frontman Kevin Parker at the end of the set.