BY the end of Coachella, over 100 bands had fanned out across five stages, more than 150,000 people had sweltered through the desert heat and at least as many bottles of water had been guzzled.

But there was one who rose above all others.

Prince, in his Saturday evening headlining performance, firmly established himself in Coachella lore among famous concerts from years past, including the Pixies and Rage Against the Machine. Prince, for certain, didn't plan to share the mantle.

Few seemed inclined to argue after Prince put on a funky, rollicking show that featured passionate performances of classics like "Let's Go Crazy" and "Purple Rain," as well as unexpected and creative covers of Radiohead ("Creep") and the Beatles ("Come Together").

Prince followed another much-anticipated performance by the newly reformed Portishead, which filled the night air with steely, cool trip-hop and gritty, fierce new songs such as "Machine Gun." Singer Beth Gibbons, who tightly clutched the microphone with both hands throughout, broke from her focus at the end of the set to hop off stage and gleefully run along the crowd, shaking hands.

Walking off stage, Geoff Barrow, the band's soundscapist, referred to Portishead's decade of dormancy: "Thanks for waiting," he told the crowd.

Sunday night's headliner was to be Roger Waters, who was expected to play "Dark Side of the Moon" in full, the masterpiece album by his former band, Pink Floyd.

Located in the Southern California desert a few hours' drive from Los Angeles, Coachella has emerged as one of biggest U.S. music events and the unofficial kickoff to the summer festival season.

Coachella is a well-run festival where five stages are laid out in an expansive U-shape, behind which a veritable racecourse of golf carts runs, shuttling musicians and VIPs to the stages. Hundreds of fans camped on the festival grounds, and a few dozen took more posh digs in $4,000 tents, complete with air conditioning and candles.