Coachella's main stage sits ready Thursday night, waiting to be surrounded by music lovers sweating it out in the hot desert sun.
INDIO, California – Tens of thousands of concertgoers have traveled to this overheated intersection of the Mojave and Colorado deserts to watch 134 bands rock out at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Bands including Prince, Portishead and Kraftwerk will perform Friday through Sunday on five stages spread out over a giant Polo field.
The desert was calm and cool Thursday night as Coachella staffers worked to prepare for the crowds' arrival. I got a lift up on a cherry-picker to take these photos of the grounds receiving their finishing touches.
The Steampunk Treehouse is a giant steel tree with a clubhouse welded to its metal branches. The shack has several balconies, one with a telescope. Unfortunately, the Treehouse won't be open for climbing during the concert like it was at Burning Man.
More photos of art and staging after the jump.
The main Coachella stage is covered with a complex mesh of high-tech rigging. At the rear of the stage is a massive array of Barco's new MiTrix LED displays (above right). This LED wall is transparent and pumps out full-motion video while allowing for a view of the sky and the palm trees.
Another Burning Man art piece that is sure to serve as a background for thousands of photos this weekend is the Big Rig Jig. At Coachella, the massive artwork sits on a giant field of grass instead of a dry lake bed.
A welder adjusts a musical sculpture, lighting up the night with sparks. At Coachella, even the sculptures have a lineup of bands: The Do Lab (above left) has more than 20 artists slated to play inside its colorful confines.
A group of friends hang out as a few final lights are added to the Steampunk Treehouse's branches.
Check back at Listening Post on Friday and over the weekend for photos of bands playing at Coachella, starting with Luckyiam, Les Savy Fav, Busy P and the Breeders.
Photos: Dave Bullock/Wired.com
Full disclosure: Dave Bullock programmed the Coachooser.
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