Coachella Weekend 1, Day 1 recap;

Sabrina Carpenter (seen in the upper left) performing on the Coachella
Stage on Friday, April 10. Photo courtesy of YouTube

While not everyone can attend Weekend 1 of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, just about everyone can watch key performances in their entirety thanks to YouTube's official livestream of the event. In this column I will highlight a handful of the outstanding artists I caught on day one of Coachella (Friday, April 10) via the livestream. And I found both the visual and audio elements of the livestream to be excellent.

Devo / Photo courtesy of YouTube

Performing on the Mojave stage, groundbreaking American band Devo brought a mix of new wave and art rock to a set that spanned just under an hour. Highlights included the robotic "Don't Shoot (I'm a Man)," hyper synth rocker "Peek-A-Boo!," driving "Girl U Want," infectious hit "Whip It" and set-ending "Freedom of Choice."

The xx performing on the Coachella Stage on April 10.
Photo courtesy of YouTube

The xx thrilled throughout their 50-minute set on the Coachella Stage. Although the trio is armed with a signature sound that showcases the unique talents of Romy Bradley Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie xx in spades, each of the selections highlighted different areas of the trio's collaborative command of their sonic universe. Dream pop, Euro dance sorties, electronic rock and more styles were masterfully explored during the fast-moving 16-track outing. I look forward to catching The xx when they return to perform in Indio on April 17.

Another strong performance came from New York City native Moby, one of the most important artists to emerge in the 1990s. His energetic and inspired 50-minute set on the Mojave stage was a chance to catch the legendary artist mix up a number of his beloved classics including the high-octane opener "Bodyrock," dance-meets-world music foray "Go" (the latter featuring Moby on percussion), his doomed relationship-themed "Porcelain," the rousing electronica romp "Extreme Ways," and several poignant originals featuring guest vocalist Jacob Lusk ("Natural Blues" in particular was a powerful standout).

The day's headliner Sabrina Carpenter (seen on the left) turned in a 90-minute production taking full advantage of the larger-than-life setting afforded by the Empire Polo Club. The multi-Grammy winner unleashed a parade of high energy, accessible tracks in front of a massive crowd positioned in front of the Coachella Stage. 

For more information, visit Coachella.com.