Deerhunter Improvise, Give Props to Julian Casablancas at Coachella

Clad in a jacket and slacks during Deerhunter's mid-day set on day three of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, frontman Bradford Cox seemed slightly overdressed for the scorching heat. "I have to wear this jacket so I don't end up in the hospital," he later explained to the crowd -- perhaps alluding to precautions he takes to avoid complications from Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that the charismatic singer suffers from that causes strikingly elongated features.

Cox, a prolific musician who has, in addition to output with his Atlanta friends in Deerhunter, released two albums under solo project Atlas Sound, can be a volatile presence onstage. Infamous for his onstage antics and quirky banter, you really never know what you're going to get. But today it was all about the music -- old, new and improvised.

After some fine-tuning, Deerhunter launched into their set with 'Wash Off' -- a nostalgic, psychedelic rocker that set the tone for a no-nonsense afternoon. As they ripped through 'Hazel St.,' 'Never Stops,' 'Nothing Ever Happens' and 'Cover Me,' the eager audience, along with Spoon's Britt Daniel who watched from side stage, were clearly feeling what would become every Deerhunter fan's idea of a greatest hits set.

But there were more treats in store. Coachellagoers took in a rare vocal performance from guitarist Lockett Pundt and the band showcased a new song -- a gorgeous, melancholic tune that served as a break from the band's signature fuzz and fury. The real highlight of the foursome's turn at the Outdoor Theater, however, arrived when technology failed them. While the engineers scrambled, Cox picked up a guitar and played a humorous little ditty about Coachella that started, "How many kids OD'ed in the medical tent last night/How many condoms broke in the hotel rooms last night?"

For their last song, Cox made a joke about Echo and the Bunnymen's Ian McCulloch thinking every song of theirs is the best thing ever and threatened to close out the set with German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen's entire discography. He then invited Spoon bassist Rob Pope onstage (the two bands are currently on tour together) to play a rousing rendition of 'Disappearing Ink,' which he prefaced with a "shout out" to Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas, who was also performing that day, admitting, "I ripped of his vocal style for his song."