Welcome to M. Ward's Coachella
"Do you recognize this idiot from seven days ago?,” a jokingly self-referential M. Ward asked a few songs into his late-evening set Friday. Then, “But I gotta say, this Coachella seems to be the one." It certainly was for the Los Angeleno songsmith and brains behind She & Him. In his black shirt and big black shades, Ward’s usually dour onstage persona was already cracking into smiles on the first song, "Poison Cup." It was set to be a good show from the get-go.
His five-piece band was all about the boogie-woogie good times, ditching Ward’s many downcast tunes to keep the mood upbeat. They battered through “Me and My Shadow,” which was straight rollicking fun, thanks in part to the soul of the backing band—a older guy, at least in his late 60s, who skiffled on acoustic as Ward riffed on his gold-lined vintage axe. His band were sharp, swapping bass for guitar, piano for trumpet, percussion for lap steel. I couldn’t help but picture these dudes jamming in some LA bungalow, hidden in a nook deep in the hills somewhere. Yes, it's enough to make you consider moving West.
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