Jack Johnson on the main stage Friday night at the Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival.
INDIO, California – Throngs of music lovers gathered Friday at the Coachella music festival, braving temperatures in the mid-90s to see their favorite musicians. With five stages and more than 30 bands playing each day, it's nearly impossible to see every act. Even seeing your favorite artists is difficult considering the main stage is roughly a half-mile from the largest performance tent.
The hot sun, far-flung stages and dense crowds didn't prevent Wired.com from catching photos of eight bands Friday. We photographed: Aphex Twin, Pendulum, Aesop Rock, Sharon Jones, The Breeders, Les Savy Fav and Luckyiam.
MC Ben the Verse rocks the crowd during Pendulum's set Friday at Coachella.
Photos of the aforementioned artists after the jump.
Luckyiam waits backstage before his opening performance on the Outdoor Theatre stage.
Lyla Butler-Forest enjoys her second Coachella with her father, Syd Butler, bassist of Les Savy Fav. Don't worry, Lyla has baby ear protection that she wears during performances.
The members of Les Savy Fav take a minute to pose for a photograph while waiting to go on. From left: Syd Butler, Harrison Haynes, Korey Guilbert, Tim Harrington and Seth Jabour.
Les Savy Fav front man Tim Harrington makes noise on the Outdoor Theatre stage.
Tim Harrington from Les Savy Fav jumps into the crowd in the middle of his set. To warm up before his set, he ran around the crowd and jumped over people laying on the grass.
The guts of a SWARM robot hang out during a charging session. The SWARM robots originally appeared at Burning Man last summer. The remote-controlled robots look something like spherical lawnmower blades.
SWARM Robot designer John Foote.
Aphex Twin twiddles knobs during his set.
A giant crowd fills the Sahara tent during Aphex Twin's set.
A dancing dog and panda accompany Aphex Twin during his performance.
Aesop Rock performs in the Mojave Tent.
The crowd goes wild for Aesop Rock.
DJ Big Wiz showcases his turntable skills during Aesop Rock's set.
Aesop Rock and Rob Sonic perform at Coachella on Friday night.
Pendulum bassist, producer and DJ Gareth McGrillen plays in the Sahara Tent on Friday night.
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings move the crowd with their soulful sound.
Sharon Jones sings in the Mojave tent.
The crowd at the main stage during Jack Johnson's set is relatively sparse for a headliner. Normally the whole field is densely packed. Saturday night, Prince will likely fill this area completely.
Photos: Dave Bullock/Wired.com
Full disclosure: Dave Bullock programmed the Coachooser.
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