Coachella 2012: 10 Highlights of Weekend 2

The second weekend of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, CA, has been a scorcher, with temperatures hovering somewhere above 100 degrees for most of Friday and Saturday. Sweat aside, there was plenty of fun to be had both for those in the field and on the stage. Here, THR's list of 10 highlights (so far) from round 2...

our editor recommends

Coachella 2012: Which Big Guests Might Return For Weekend 2?

Levon Helm, Founder and Drummer of The Band, Dies at 71

Azealia Banks Signs With Lady Gaga's Manager

1. Levon Helm's sad passing last week has led to a few meaningful tributes to the late Band drummer: The Black Keys invited John Fogerty to join them for “The Weight,” the Cali band Dawes played “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” and guitar slinger Grace Potter dedicated her own touching “Big White Gate” to the beloved musician.

2. AWOLNATION singer Aaron Bruno took crowd surfing literally, standing atop a surfboard lifted above the audience during his band's aggressive set.

VIDEO: Black Keys, Joined by John Fogerty, Pay Homage to Levon Helm During Coachella Set

3. “Karma Police,” Radiohead's cathartic ballad, became even more meaningful for fans, who repeated the song's “For a minute there / I lost myself” coda for a round of choruses after the song was over as singer Thom Yorke, uncharacteristically moved, responded with his arms wide open on stage, letting it in.

4. The heat must have gotten to Kaiser Chiefs singer Ricky Wilson: mid-set, blessed with a wireless mic, he hopped off the mainstage, ran to the beer garden, and slammed back a brew before climbing the sound booth's lattice work to finish the song high above the audience.

5. Avant-guard music love alert: Andrew Bird and St. Vincent collaborated on “Lusitania” during his Outdoor Theater set.

STORY: Coachella 2012 Fashion Forecast: Flowers, Floaty Frocks and Fedoras

6. As Azealia Banks' “212” singalong segued into a cover of The Prodigy's “Firestarter,” fevered young hipster girls emerged very confused.

7. Pulp singer Jarvis Cocker discovered an American tradition: from the stage, he told the audience he'd just heard about “4/20”, then dedicated the next song to the marijuana smokers on the field, which, judging from smell alone, could have just been dedicated to “everyone on the field.”

8. Refused frontman Dennis Lyxzen described the last time his band had played the States before their recent, successful run of reunion shows in terms that made it sound as if they'd only toured frat parties. “We played to 45 people in a basement,” he said, before blasting into a punk tune sung along with by thousands.

9. Swedish House Mafia's light show, from behind the stage on the way to the parking lot: a view of a firey, laser-laced apocalypse.

10. Any time the temperature dipped under 90 degrees.

Twitter: @THRMusic