Gallery: Coachella 2011: Glowing Balls, Giant Art and Mucho Music
01Glowing Balls (Eski PixMob G2) Dropped During Arcade Fire Finale
INDIO, California — More than 1,250 glowing balls dropped during The Arcade Fire's set at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival stole the show, technology-wise. The balls contained battery-powered circuit boards studded with full-color LEDs that changed colors in unison, thanks to built-in IR receivers and microphones. Complex stage-lighting schemes by [The Creators Project](http://www.thecreatorsproject.com/) and many large, interactive art exhibits (some new, some previously seen at Burning Man) added to the annual music festival's artistic heft last weekend. Coachella attracted nearly 100,000 attendees in 2011, a lower number than in previous years, thanks to RFID-tagged wristbands used to cut down on sneak-ins. The intentionally reduced attendance contributed to the overall calm of the event, according to festival organizers. Wired.com spent the weekend in the hot sun to capture a bit of the fun of Coachella. Take a look at what we saw in the photo gallery. __Above:__ More than a thousand glowing balls drop from the top of the stage as Arcade Fire plays "Wake Up" on Saturday. The effect was striking with the balls (mostly) changing color in unison. Unfortunately, after a few bounces, most people held onto the balls, either to keep them as souvenirs or sell them. One is [already listed on eBay](http://cgi.ebay.com/Arcade-Fire-Coachella-Ball-/150593760314?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2310166c3a#ht_1176wt_907) with a buy it now price of $999.
02balls-for-arcade-fire
The not-yet-glowing balls for Arcade Fire's finale sit waiting backstage (above) to be loaded into the black tent behind them.
03eski-pixmob-g2s-being-assembled-for-arcade-fire
Technicians from Eski spent most of the weekend putting together the electronics for the balls, which contained battery-powered circuit boards studded with LEDs that changed colors in unison, thanks to built-in IR receivers and microphones.
Dave Bullock04win-butler-of-arcade-fire
Arcade Fire's Win Butler serenades the crowd during the band's closing set on Coachella's main stage.
05chromeo
Chromeo's Dave 1 rocks Coachella's Outdoor Theater on Sunday night.
06wish-by-robert-buchholz
Artist Robert Buchholz's 50-foot-tall sculpture *Wish* is designed to look like three giant dandelions. The piece was installed at Burning Man last year, minus the LEDs used to light up the Coachella grounds.
Dave Bullock07lauryn-hill
Lauryn Hill rocks a crowd on the Coachella main stage Friday. The hip-hop icon performed many of her hits as well as the Fugees classic "Ready or Not."
08danny-devito-at-coachella-stage
The festival has no shortage of movie star concertgoers, including Coachella vet Danny DeVito. The *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia* star watched the Mumford and Sons set from the photo pit of the main stage Saturday.
09chemical-brothers-crowd-throwing-glowsticks
The crowd goes wild with glow sticks during the Chemical Brothers set Friday.
Dave Bullock10robyn
Swedish pop star Robyn rocks the crowd during her packed performance in the Mojave tent Friday night at Coachella. Although not widely known in the United States, Robyn is a huge star in Europe.
Dave Bullock11dan-auerbach-of-the-black-keys
Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys wails from Coachella's main stage.
12crowd-for-the-black-keys
Blues rockers the Black Keys keep the crowd clapping during their set Friday.
Dave Bullock13dave-king-of-flogging-molly
Flogging Molly front man Dave King belts out a verse through a megaphone Friday night on the Outdoor Theatre stage at Coachella.
Dave Bullock14zack-de-la-rocha
Former Rage Against the Machine front man Zack de la Rocha rocks the mic for a rabidly enthused crowd with his new group, One Day as a Lion, in the Mojave tent on Saturday night at Coachella.
15ipad-2-photo-of-mumford-and-sons
A tech-savvy fan uses her iPad 2 to grab a photo of Mumford and Sons.
Dave Bullock16mick-jones-of-big-audio-dynamite
Big Audio Dynamite lead singer and guitarist Mick Jones shows the crowd that the reunited band members still possess their musical skills during a set on the Outdoor Theatre stage at Coachella Saturday night.
17coachella-crowd
The main stage at Coachella is packed with tens of thousands of people Sunday night during a light show by United Visual Artists and the Creators Project, as seen from a lift high above the stage.
Dave Bullock18pj-harvey
PJ Harvey strokes an autoharp during her set on Sunday night. After several songs, she switched to guitar, keeping her fans enraptured through her entire Coachella set.
19kanye-west-above-crowd
Kanye West rises from the center of a packed main stage crowd during his headlining set Sunday night.
