Pitchfork

Photo by Anoulay Tsai

Sure, you'll have to get yourself way the hell out into the SoCal desert, drop at least a c-note on SPF and bottled agua and some sort of silly hat, wreak maximum havoc on your joints and your ear canals and, just possibly, your sanity. But this weekend, there's nowhere else in the world you'll get to see Richard D. James and Prince Rogers Nelson occupying the same zip code.

The 2008 edition of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival kicks off today in Indio, California, and boy howdy, are tens of thousands of people about to have the time of their lives. (At least until the Smiths reunion next year, amirite?)

The mightily impressive lineup's old hat by now, but it's worth looking at again, if only to make those who won't be gettin' all red with sunburn green with envy.

Friday you can take in the likes of the Breeders, the Raconteurs, the Verve, whatever Aphex Twin does/doesn't do, Jens Lekman, Battles, Dan Deacon, Les Savy Fav, Vampire Weekend, Black Lips, the National, Spank Rock, Diplo, Goldfrapp, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Aesop Rock, Cut Copy, Architecture in Helsinki, Santogold, Busy P, Black Kids, DJ Mehdi, Tegan and Sara, Redd Kross, dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip, Rogue Wave, Professor Murder, SebastiAn, Múm, Datarock, Midnight Juggernauts, and the Swell Season. Though not all of them. Unless you are Batman.

Saturday's even more jam-packed, if you can imagine it, highlighted by the first North American appearance from Portishead in far too long and the late, great addition of the coolest motherfucker alive, the aforementioned Prince. Of course, there's also M.I.A., Death Cab for Cutie, Animal Collective, Hot Chip, Kraftwerk, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Man Man, Rilo Kiley, Islands, St. Vincent, Akron/Family (with the members of the Dodos joining them), DeVotchKa, Yo Majesty, the brand new lineup of Bonde do Role, the Teenagers, Boys Noize, Cinematic Orchestra, VHS or Beta, Erol Alkan, Uffie and DJ Mehdi, Carbon/Silicon, 120 Days, Yelle, Carbon/Silicon, Little Brother, Para One, Kavinsky, Minus the Bear, Mark Ronson, Kate Nash, MGMT, and the Cold War Kids.

Sunday's capped off with Roger Waters doing all of Dark Side of the Moon, but don't let his great gig in the sky distract you from the final day's ground-level goodness. Spiritualized, My Morning Jacket, Justice, Stars, Simian Mobile Disco, the Field, Holy Fuck, Metric, Black Mountain, I'm From Barcelona, Kid Sister with A-Trak, the newly added Swervedriver, the Cool Kids, Love and Rockets, Shout Out Louds, Chromeo, Booka Shade, Modeselektor, Gogol Bordello, Sons & Daughters, Annuals, Perry Farrell, Lonton Kwesi Johnson, Murs, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, and Sia will fill up your Sunday, and how.

Also, apparently Sean Penn is playing for 15 minutes before My Morning Jacket. We're guessing it will be something political.

As they did last year, the folks at AT&T's Blue Room are making sure we cheapskate sun-o-phobic sorts not trekking out into the heat can get our Coachella on as well by broadcasting a good chunk of the fest's performances live through their streaming video doodad. Sure, it's no substitute for the real thing, but unless you're already en route, it may be the closest you get 'til this time next year.

Oh, and make sure to watch these pages next week for a hefty wrap up of all things Coachella.