Kevin Bronson on April 14th, 2014

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Who: Superchunk at the Gobi Tent
In 3 or Fewer Words: Venerable indie clinic
Memorable Because: Twenty-five years after Superchunk’s forming one might have expected a catalog-spanning retrospective of the essentials, but Chapel Hill’s over-the-hill heroes gave Coachella something just as good: the new stuff. It wasn’t the sing-a-long celebration they played on the Outdoor Stage five years ago, but Superchunk showed the kids how it’s done, shredding and exuberating through half of I Hate Music and a couple top tracks off Majesty Shredding. A few classics (“Detroit Has a Skyline,” “Punch Me Harder”) were sprinkled in as a courtesy. The bash was bittersweet without founding bassist Laura Balance pogoing on stage, and perhaps her absence played a part in the decision to leave the past behind. A definitive performance of “Digging for Something,” featuring an interlude about a young Superchunk tour van breaking down in Indio on the way to open for Sonic Youth, anchored the set. Always a sure thing, Superchunk delighted.
What I’d Tell My Friend Who Was Napping in the Shade: You slack m**********r!
– Ben “Mouse” McShane (Concert photography by Scott Dudelson)