The day began with the traditional pre-concert pool party, and Anthem Magazine’s ultimate cool kid iteration did not disappoint in scope or stimuli. By 1:00 PM, the party had already reached capacity, and harried yet stylish check-in attendants pleaded with milling crowd of heat dazed party hopefuls to leave – all under the watchful eye of the fire department, of course. A man with half a beard and sunglasses hanging from his nipple ring served drinks with a couple of attractive lady bartenders while a parade of half-naked people decked out in their most esoteric pool finery and jewels gyrated and played with inflatable horses and school buses, a rowboat, or a giant slip ‘n slide terminating in a man-made lake.

After tearing ourselves away from the sun-pounded madness, we made it to the polo fields just in time to catch the hypnotically layered strings of Tinariwen. Formed in Muammar Ghaddafi’s rebel camps after being forced into military service, and with two albums outlawed in Mali & Algeria for their powerfully resonant political messages, Tinariwen was a rare and magical treat for both those in the know and those who stumbled into the Gobi tent out of curiosity or for a little shade.

From there, we made a quick lap to catch a bit of TV on the Radio and Fleet Foxes before heading back to the tents to see the legendary Booker T weave funk tapestries on the organ – an instrument he’s been playing for longer than most Coachella attendees have been alive. He informed the crowd he wrote the classic, movie soundtrack staple Green Onions when he was just 17 before launching into it and getting the crowd dancing just in time to really get down for M.I.A. Dancers with lit-up, neon detailing on their costumes and shoes emerged one by one onto a pitch black stage and bounced, twisted and jumped in front of images of protesters holding signs with slogans like, “M.I.A. Supports Terrorists” in reference to public comments by the rapper about the conflict in her native Sri Lanka.

The lady of the hour emerged to a mock press conference podium in a military cap, bedecked with her own neon accessories. After steam rolling through several songs aided by the likes of newly-signed protégé Rye Rye and other high-stepping lady rappers in neon jumpsuits, M.I.A. alluded to her last-minute addition to the festival lineup as Amy Winehouse’s replacement and admitted that she was a bit daunted by the size of the Main Stage audience, saying, “I’m not quite sure how to bring it at the Main Stage, but we’re going to try.”

From there it was back to the tents for bubble gum dance machine Glass Candy, whose multicolored giant balloons and singer Ida No’s sinuous, galloping dance moves mesmerized the dedicated late-night crowd. Glass Candy was followed by the Gang Gang Dance’s astonishingly tight musicianship and almost spooky samples and vocals. The all-band instrumental freakouts were an incredible sight, firing much-needed jolts of energy into the still-packed crowd that would soon be suffering through trying to find their cars. We rounded out the night with awe-inspiring melodic metal at Mastodon, the loudest band we’ve heard so far at Coachella 2009. Maybe their power comes from the fact that half the band looks like centaurs. Here’s hoping tomorrow will be as phenomenal as today. Check back in to find out.