My 5 Coachella Must-Sees

• by Melissa Bobbitt
• Apr 12, 2012

It's here.
Finally, after waiting since JUNE 2011 when tickets went on sale, Coachella is here. Remember when the Radiohead headlining spot was just a rumor? (TRUE!) And the speculation that since Dr. Dre was playing, Eminem couldn't be far behind? (TRUE!) And that Madonna would be sitting in on AVICII's set (erm, still just a rumor). We're ready to see it all unfold in Indio.
Sure, everyone and their grandma has posted lists recommending the bands you'd be remiss to miss, but this writer's never been one to do as others tell me. Here are the five I'm most stoked to see on the Empire Polo Field.

I DO remember the first time, Jarvis, my good man. The problem was I couldn't see AT ALL. I was at the Glastonbury 2011 "secret" performance, and it sounded incredible, but this Yank was stuck in the mud at a very disadvantaged view. Coachella will allot me to truly experience this epic comeback.

Coachella is the perfect opportunity to catch live acts one wouldn't normally get the chance to see. This out of left field headliner surprised and pleased many a '90s-loving heart. The classics are gonna flow like, well, gin and juice.

Despite my thinking all these years that his last name was Magnum (cos how alterna-rock is THAT?!), Neutral Milk Hotel's permanent resident is an artist after my own heart. His sincerity and striking voice has never waned, and the desert sun will be an awesome backdrop to his feverish folk.

Many say Coachella's gotten way too corporate. Enter the reunited Atari Teenage Riot, here to "Rearrange Your Synapses." Their criminally overlooked 2011 album, Is This Hyperreal?, is more powerful than a whole Occupy movement.

This SoCal band has stolen my heart and my ears for the better part of six months now. Their undaunted sunniness is ideal for the warmth of Coachella. As their "Naked Kids" suggests, it'll be time to "relax and have fun" when they hit the stage.