R. Kelly performs with Phoenix during day two of Coachella in Indio, California.
Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Coachella
Phoenix
pulled off a major Coachella surprise on Saturday, but it wasn't the
Daft Punk cameo that festival-goers had been buzzing over: About
three-quarters of the way through the band's joyous,
two-years-in-the-making headlining set, R. Kelly
– the Chicago R&B star who shares little if anything in common with
the French rockers – belted one of his best known lyrics from offstage,
shocking virtually everyone: "My mind's telling me no! But my body . . .
my body's telling me yes!" Seconds later, Kelly and Phoenix leader
Thomas Mars were arm in arm and duetting on "Ignition," Kelly's sexy 2003 Chocolate Factory
smash, as the band jammed out to its own "1901" riffs, then segued into
the even-loucher "I'm a Flirt." The whole thing lasted less than five
minutes, but that was plenty of time to send fans into a frenzy – not
that Phoenix needed the help. They were tight, propulsive and supremely
confident all night, their painstakingly-planned set demonstrating
exactly how to hold an overstimulated Coachella crowd's attention.
Phoenix's
giddiest synth-pop singles, from "1901" to "Fences" and "Lisztomania,"
came sprinkled between new tunes from their upcoming Bankrupt!
LP that venture into more far-out places, but never sagged live. A
romantic at heart, Mars was obviously feeling extra mushy on this night,
bounding about the stage and hugging his bandmates at the knees. "For
the last two years, we've been thinking about tonight," he gushed. By
the time Mars ended the night by running to the lighting riser and
crowd-surfing his way back to the stage, Springsteen-style, fans were
more than happy to lift him off into the stratosphere.
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