M.I.A. accepted that it would be hard to top her 2005 Coachella debut, just before taking the stage at this year's festival. "It still is my landmark show in my career," she tells Spinner. "The day I performed at Coachella 2005, my life changed overnight. Missy Elliott called me the next day and Jimmy Iovine flew in on his jet and signed me. I could have anything I wanted. It was all so insane and it all happened at Coachella. The tent was really full, and they had me come out for an encore. I was like, 'My album hasn't come out. Who the f--- knows my songs?'"

Whether she topped her 2005 set in 2008 depends on the criteria. If sparking a near-riot amongst the crowd is part of that criteria, then color M.I.A. successful. But that achievement doesn't come without a price. "The cops tried to shut [my show] down," she says. "They were on the backside of the stage and they were trying to shut me down, and I was singing, 'Cops don't work, they just make it worse.' I was really thinking about the situation in New York."

The situation M.I.A. refers to is that of Sean Bell, the 23-year-old who was gunned down in a 50-shot round outside a Queens strip club on November 25, 2006. The officers involved in the shooting were acquitted of criminal charges the day before M.I.A.'s Coachella set. The reference wasn't out of character for the Sri-Lankan born artist, whose politically potent lyrics and artwork have gotten her subsequently banned from MTV. She believes that it's now when she and her fans have the most power for change. "Playing that right now in America, during the election times, I feel more and more connected with my fans," she says. "They cheer when s--- happens or boo when they don't agree. It's amazing getting people to be interactive."

Toronto-based Metric have been exploring separate terrain in recent years, with front woman Emily Haines releasing an acclaimed solo album and the rest of the quartet working in various projects. But the foursome are set to end a three-year drought between studio albums this fall. They told Spinner at Coachella, where they tested out new material, that the band is close to finishing the album. "We're gonna go home and get back in the studio," guitarist Jimmy Shaw said. "We should be done in four weeks or so, and then we'll be mixing."

Among the songs the band is excited to play live is 'Satellite Mind,' which is very personal to Haines. "I told Jimmy that I needed this certain vibe and he created for me this music," she explains. "I had to take a very depressing trip to Los Angeles for a funeral. While I was there, I became totally inspired to write this song. I wrote it in my hotel room at five in the morning, and then on the airplane. Then, as soon as I got off the plane, came straight to the studio and laid down the song. That's a favorite one for me."

The group is working with producer Gavin Brown, who, as Shaw explains, brought out a different vibe in Metric. "I had a feeling he was going to allow us to translate in a way I don't think we have," Shaw says. "If anything, the record is a little more dance-y and a little more airy than the last one. The last one had a bit more of a guitar/bass edge to it. Having found him made us not go more in that direction."

Sharon Jones is her own woman, but that doesn't mean she doesn't want folks to join her in her soulful conquests. Enter her ritual of pulling audience members up on stage to dance with her. At this past weekend's Coachella festival, Jones found a partner backstage, but she told Spinner that environment isn't always the most fertile ground for willing participants. "Sometimes, when I call, they all run," she said. "I don't usually call people backstage cause they're either the next musician that's gonna come on, or somebody's family or friends."

Nevertheless, Jones said her Coachella experience was a blast. "Look at this, I got my shoes off! This is grass. I have a room where there's a bathroom," she said. " loved it here. The audience was great; they was hearing me and I was feeling them. I hope to be on the main stage next time."

The remains of Roger Waters' massive, inflatable pig were identified Tuesday by Coachella officials. Following its unplanned release during the Pink Floyd brainchild's three-hour set at Indio's Empire Polo Club field Sunday night, the helium-filled, school-bus sized pig floated away from the festival finale only to land in a mutilated state at the exclusive, upscale Hideaway Golf Club in La Quina, California .

Two couples residing at the Hideaway each discovered half of the deflated pig the morning after its escape. Resident Susan Stoltz found a part of the plastic mound of pig in her driveway on Monday, but had no idea what it was until she read the local paper on Tuesday.

Ironically, Stoltz insists she was wearing a Pink Floyd t-shirt when she discovered the remains of the inflatable swine. Meanwhile, the other half of the pig was draped across a plant in the front yard of another Hideaway resident, Judy Rimmer. Rimmer had first thought she was the victim of a prank by Coachella concert-goers.

Coachella organizers are offering $10,000 and four festival tickets for life in exchange for the safe return of the two-story inflatable pig that broke loose during Roger Waters' festival-closing set Sunday night. Just before the intermission between Waters' two musical sets, the pig escaped and floated into the desert sky. Anyone with information on the lost pig, should email lostpig@coachella.com.

It's unknown if the release of the pig -- which sports the spray-painted message "Don't Be Led to the Slaughter" -- was planned. The pig -- which first emerged as Waters performed 'Pig' from 1977's 'Animals', also featured a depiction of Uncle Sam holding a meat cleaver and a graffiti scrawling of the name "Obama" with an unchecked ballot box next to it.

Waters' heavily touted, three-hour set included a full performance of Pink Floyd's 1973 classic 'Dark Side of the Moon,' major elements of 1979's 'The Wall' and Waters' solo material. Encores of Floyd smashes 'Another Brick In the Wall' and 'Comfortably Numb' concluded 2008's Coachella Festival with an intricate fireworks presentation.

Ex-Clash and Big Audio Dynamite man Mick Jones brought his new band, Carbon/Silicon, to the Inland Empire for their Coachella debut. And while he was impressed with the California festival, he couldn't help but think back to 25 years ago, when the Clash headlined night one of the 1983 US Festival.

"That was pretty crazy for us," Jones told Spinner. "It started with an aborted press conference and ended with a fistfight. It was quite a night. It turned out to be my last night with the band. When you get to the desert, many people don't come back."

This time, however, Jones, who attacked the DJ in 1983 when he thought the band's set was being cut short, is making the return trip home. But, in true punk fashion, he's still up for a row if necessary. "We've tried to learn as we got older to not fight," he said. "Although I've done a lot of fighting in my life nevertheless. And sometimes there's nothing you can do -- you have to fight."

Judging from all of the Pink Floyd and 'Dark Side of the Moon' shirts, it was obvious who Coachella's final headliner was. Roger Waters didn't disappoint, relying on female singers to handle David Gilmour's parts in Floyd classics like 'Mother' and 'Wish You Were Here.' "I've always heard that this is a great festival, and it is," Waters, who brought out L.A.'s Lily Hadn for a new song, 'Leaving Beirut,' said.

Haydn later came out during the encore for 'Comfortably Numb,' during which she sang and played Gilmour's famous guitar solo on her violin. Haydn told Spinner backstage that Waters invited her to play after hearing her new release, 'Place Between Places.' "He called me up and said he really liked the album," she said. Hayden then admitted that he's released some album's she's pretty into, as well.

In typical Pink Floyd fashion, an inflatable pig flew over the crowd with graffiti that read, 'Fear Builds Walls,' as spotlights encompassed the field. A stunt plane dropped confetti with flames shooting from the stage as Waters ripped. The pig finally flew, cut from its teather. And, to the delight of Haydn and the entire Coachella crowd, Waters performed 'Dark Side of the Moon' in its entirety.

Perry Farrell opened the Sahara Tent on Day Three of Coachella accompanied by a DJ, guitarist and female singer, all dressed in silver and white. The forefather of Lollapalooza -- and hence the traveling American music festival -- opened with unfamiliar material before launching into Jane's Addiction's 'Just Because,' which led directly into a dancehall remix of 'Been Caught Stealing,' as a giant white inflatable was paraded through the tent.

Farrell pulled out others from Jane's songbook as well, including 'Stop' and 'Jane Says.' Crowd pleasers for sure, but looking around the grounds at Coachella's extras -- like art installations and vending villages -- Farrell's biggest influence might not be purely musical.

One of the summer's most-heralded live act, My Morning Jacket, treated fans on Coachella's main stage to a surprise early in their set by bringing on guest M. Ward -- one-half of the Monsters of Folk also featuring MMJ's Jim James -- for the now-classic 'Off the Record,' from the band's breakout album, 'Z.' The band kept the treats coming with two songs -- the title track and 'I'm Amazed' -- from the upcoming album, 'Evil Urges.'

MMJ also offered up the potential new song of the year, 'Smokin From Shootin,' as well as favorites like 'Gideon.'

James told the crowd that it was an honor to play Coachella. "On a personal note, it was great to see Portishead back in action. Whenever I hear Portishead, I feel like I'm trapped in an evil funhouse," he said. "But Beth [Gibbons'] voice guides me through like a spiritual angel and I was just so happy to see them."

The crowd felt the same way about MMJ.

I'm From Barcelona's first gig in the U.S. was at last year's Lollapalooza, so they seemed well-acclimated to the festival vibe when they took to the Mohave tent on Day Three of Coachella by storming the stage with enough red balloons and confetti to make Wayne Coyne proud. Towards the end of their set, right before launching into their signature 'We're From Barcelona,' ringleader Emmanuel Lundgren handed out a stash of confetti to the front row, who threw it in the air, covering the stage. "I'm addicted to confetti," Emmanuel confessed. "I'm a confetti junkie!"

Backstage after their set, Emmanuel told Spinner that confetti generally isn't allowed at Coachella, and that even Roger Waters had difficulty getting permission to use it. Asked if -- and if so, how -- they got permission, Emmanuel smiled and said, "We did it the punk rock way." It's good to know that punk isn't dead after all. Even in Barcelona.

Prince took to the stage on Day Two of Coachella, saying triumphantly "Coachella, I am here! Coachella, where are you?" When they asked him if he wanted to come to Indio and work, he said only if he could party. And that he did, bringing out Morris Day and the Time for 'Jungle Love.'

Within 15 minutes of his set, Prince made his point: Nobody shreds like Prince. As if to drive it home, he pulled hits like '1999' and 'Little Red Corvette,' among others. But in typical Prince fashion, he also had a trick up his sleeve. Nodding to Coachella's past, the Purple One broke out a reworked rendition of Radiohead's 'Creep.'

Like other Coachella artists, including Jack Johnson, Serj Tankian and Stephen Malkmus, Prince had one serious message: "War no more," before launching into a cover of the Beatles' 'Come Together.' At the end of the night, Prince declared, "From now on, [Coachella] is Prince's house!" True story.

Like many of the artists that played Coachella on Saturday, Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard seemed psyched for headliner Prince. "He'll be landing in a purple helicopter and walk 100 yards to a purple stage, but only after he walks down a purple carpet," said Gibbard, before closing the set with 'The Sound of Settling.'

Earlier in the set, Gibbard told the crowd that he "took a five-hour Ambien, four-and-a-half hours ago." Thirty minutes later, in full swing, the show was put on pause for a moment following a stage mishap in the back. Gibbard checked to make sure everyone was OK, then launched into 'I Will Possess Your Heart' -- the first single from their new album. Most of the young girls in the audience seemed to agree.

When Stephen Malkmus took to Coachella's Outside Theater on Day Two, he asked the crowd, perhaps rhetorically, if they planned on staying the whole weekend. "That's not how I roll," he said, "because I don't roll. But if I did, that's how I'd roll. I just use a bong."

Done with the puns but not the tomfoolery, Malkmus said he saw M.I.A. backstage "and she said to say, 'Hello.'" Malkmus and the Jicks' set was in the afternoon of a desert day that reached into the 100's. Making light of the heat, began singing Soundgarden's 'Black Hole Sun' a capella. "I would've played that song if we were over there," he said, pointing to the main stage where band's like Tool and Rage Against the Machine played in the past.

Ironically, the Cold War Kids had just finished a set on that stage, performing a new tune -- 'Every Man I Fought For' -- and bringing on a no-name friend of the band's to assist on percussion. It was a long way from Soundgarden.

No stranger to festival stages, this is the year of the Jack Johnson headlining slot, coming soon to a festival near you (Bonnaroo, Outside Lands, etc.). Closing out the main stage at Coachella on Day One, Johnson proved his mettle with help from keyboardist Zack Gill, who put his duties with ALO on hold to tour with Johnson this summer. For Coachella, Johnson got help from other friends, too, namely Matt Costa and Mason Jennings on a couple of tunes.

Going it solo for an acoustic encore, Johnson playfully told the crowd, "We're going to have a party after the show. If you all want to come to it, the address is..." before launching into lyrics from his now-classic 'Better Together.'

Everyone went to the parties afterwards, anyway -- just not his.

Coachella has a history of getting bands back together and, sure 'nuff, a revamped version of the Verve took to the festival's main stage on opening night. While they sounded the same as they ever were, they mixed new songs in with old classics. Midway through the set, frontman Richard Ashcroft said, "Most bands, when they reunite, don't make new music. But that's not what this band is about. So we made some new music."

Of course, most bands when they reunite also remember how to please an audience, and so the Verve delivered their hits, including, of course, 'Bittersweet Symphony.'