Desert Storm

Various Artists
Coachella
Anti-


Between 1999 and 2005, no fewer than 453 artists have played the Coachella Festival in Indio, California, so making one definitive film that encapsulates the experience is no small feat. Lushly photographed to maximize blue skies, green grass and bronze sunsets — nary a flooded porta-potty in sight here — the included performances bring home the festival’s eclecticism. Headliners Radiohead and Red Hot Chili Peppers are juxtaposed with small-tent acts like turntablists DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist. Bright Eyes’ sparse bender ballad “Lua” leads directly into the Chemical Brothers’ raucous glowstick-waving anthem “Music: Response.” The DVD climaxes with notorious showoff Wayne Coyne literally bouncing off the Flaming Lips’ audience in a gigantic beach ball, yet it’s the lesser-known Zero 7 who get the last slot in the film.

Curiously, the filmmakers never specify when each artist was filmed, so one could easily mistake Coachella for one long, crazy weekend. And the bonus disc, containing little more than poster art and uniformly unenlightening interviews with bands and stoned attendees, is a waste of whatever DVDs are made of.