Coachella 2012: Pulp, Badass Tattoos, and Other Top Moments From Friday, April 20

Photo by Timothy Norris

See LA Weekly's complete Coachella coverage -- plus four highlights from Saturday, April 21, including Black Lips' Biggie Smalls "hologram," and the top five moments from Sunday, April 22.

The first weekend of Coachella: cold, damp, and wet. The second weekend of Coachella: hot, sultry, and steamy. Here are our scribes' picks for the best of what they saw on Friday, April 20 at Coachella.

Pulp
Considering that before Coachella the Jarvis Cocker-fronted outfit Pulp hadn't played L.A. since the freaking '90s, their twilight performance yesterday was quite anticipated. Having re-formed in 2011 after a nine-year hiatus, Pulp showed no signs of rust; they were on fire throughout their 45-minute set, which featured a surprise appearance by former member Antony Genn, now the bassist for The Hours. Mark Webber's incredible guitar solo during "Sunrise" was the musical highlight of the night, leaving thousands of people gasping, believe it or not. If that wasn't enough, a badass version of "Common People" closed out the set, converting anyone who wasn't already a fan. --Daniel Kohn

Photo by Timothy Norris

Other Lives
Amidst the day's scorching heat -- when most sane people were asleep in their tents or at a fancy pool party -- a crowd settled in onto the shady, grassy grounds of the Gobi stage for Other Lives. It's a testament to the Other Lives' elegant third album,Tamer Animals, that people packed the tent to hear their opus about the dust bowl. The mini five piece band picked up any and every instrument near them and, like whirling Tasmanian devils, became their own orchestra. At the helm was the shaggy haired Jesse Tabish and his hauntingly sad vocals. The highlight was the closer "Dustbowl III" a spaghetti western-inspired epic, which fit perfectly up against the desert brutal sun and the swirling grit. --Molly Bergen