CSULB Online 49er: v9n121: Desert rocks

Music knows no boundaries.

And this was no exception at the third Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Sunday as the sounds from four stages melded into a pot of melted wax of rock, folk, hip-hop and electronic genres.

Coachella's eclecticism attracted more than 55,000 fans that turned out for some 60 acts over the two-day music-sampling event in Indio. Blonde Redhead gave fans a surreal performance under the sun with their alternate sound that has been compared to early Sonic Youth. Ozomatli gave their usual best in getting the crowd kicking up all that desert sand as they danced to Ozo's infectious rhythms.

Paul Oakenfold redeemed his performance from the previous year's disappointing set by reinventing himself with a new diversity. DJ Dan and BT also fed the crowd's energy in the Sahara Tent during their energetic sets.

During the remaining daylight hours of Day Two, Scottish band Belle & Sebastian gave a rare show of their pop-folk tunes that echoed nicely against the warm desert sunset. The sound of the Foo Fighters from the main stage was tough competition to Belle & Sebastian's mellower grooves but Belle & Sebasatian managed to steal that hour with their perfect arrangement of delicate and beautiful melodies.

The Strokes had a lot to live up to but didn't succeed due to their lack of stage energy. Might as well throw "Is This It" on your headphones.

Mars Volta stood out against all other rock acts with former At the Drive-In singer Cedric Bixler and lead guitarist Omar Rodriguez taking a musical charge in the Mojave tent. This band's energy and stage presence easily stood up to acts on the main stage like Prodigy.

Under the full moon, crowds began to claim their spots as the headlining acts began to take their place. Prodigy's energy proved dynamic for the flipped quality of the night acts compared to the day acts. This time factor was probably Zero 7's downfall in that their set was too mellow for the strength that Prodigy pumped into the evening air.

New Orleans jazz-funk band Galactic gave their all on stage with drummer Stanton Moore pounding on his drum set so hard he knocked it over during their jam set.

The closing minutes of Coachella were filled with Oasis fans singing along to songs from "(What's the Story) Morning Glory" such as "Don't Look Back in Anger" and "Wonderwall."