Sly Stone’s Coachella Crash

Of all the things that have been written about Sly Stone’s April 18 comeback set at Coachella, perhaps the best was the fact that the funk veteran actually made it to the stage.

After keeping fans waiting for hours, Stone reportedly kicked things off by ranting to the audience about a pending lawsuit against his former manager.

He launched into an impromptu listening session and played bits of new material from a laptop before the band kicked in and coaxed him to perform some old favorites. Still, the show didn’t exactly take a turn for the good.

“Songs that began with a lurch sputtered to a halt moments later, several times in a row,” the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. “Sly stumbled repeatedly, lost his balance more than once and even sprawled out on the stage.”

And with the show apparently running too long for Stone’s liking, he waved several songs to an end, according to the New York Times.

“How long we been onstage?” he asked the band.

Not too long after, he climbed off the stage and was escorted out of the tent as the band finished out the set to a dwindling crowd.
The show may have defied logic, but it certainly won’t be forgotten, according to the Union-Tribune.

“An informal survey of several veteran Coachella attendees seemed to confirm this was easily one of the most unique and unforgettable performances in the festival’s history,” the paper said.