Coachella 2013 Day Three Recap: Red Hot Chili Peppers Dish Hits, Wu-Tang Get Orchestral + More
Coachella 2013's first weekend finished Sunday (April 14) with a virtual sandstorm. As high winds and chilly weather overtook Indio, Calif., it seemed for a time the festival might not conclude as scheduled, but the Red Hot Chili Peppers braved the gusts and gave the most intense audience of the entire weekend something to remember, as they energetically delivered hit after hit in the closest thing to a greatest-hits set we saw all weekend. Scroll down to read about other notable performances and see exclusive photos of day three of Coachella 2013.
Worst Makeup: DIIV
DIIV's Cole Smith brought us back to high school with a neck layered in hickeys that had everyone searching around for Sky Ferreira. Homeboy needed a little concealer there -- didn't he realize about 30 photographers would be zooming in on that? Music-wise, though, DIIV were one of many acts to live up to their buzz, just as Cloud Nothings and Smith Westerns had earlier in the day.
Best Female Performance: Grimes
Say what you want about Grimes' internet personality -- the lady has grown into a live force, charming the audience with her passionate yells and coy smile and never ceasing to dance, kick and twist knobs, all the while creating a pretty cool sonic portrait. Grimes managed to impress on all levels, to the point that her backup dancers were unnecessary -- gravy for her already satisfying meal.
Best Orchestra: Wu-Tang Clan
Yeah, Nick Cave had a children's choir and string section for his nutso main stage set with the Bad Seeds, but Wu-Tang Clan's orchestra was much more unexpected, and it reminded us of just how special Coachella is for performers. So many of the artists go the extra mile when playing in Indio that the the lineup is just one small aspect of the fest. The emphasis on creating memories is unmatched by Lollapalooza or Bonnaroo or any other mass musical gathering.
Other highlights included Vampire Weekend, Jessie Ware the Gaslight Anthem and Father John Misty. See photos these any other acts below.