Music Forum / Summer Festivals
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06-August 07
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Ride6
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So basically I've just gotten back home from Lollapalooza 2007. It was the shit; easily one of the best times I've had in my entire life. I've been to Ozzfest, along with several random smaller concerts, but this was on a whole other plane. I saw ~25 bands in 3 days...
Of those bands I can rank them from the "absurdly excellent" to the "lame"... Lets start with the band ones.
"Lame":
Jack's Mannequin
Ludo (small unknown act; still sucked)
"Okay":
Ghostland Observatory
Polyphonic Spree (FUCKING LOUD, and pourly mixed, which killed them)
Electric Six
Dios
Silverchair
Los Campesinos!
The Diffs (another small act, punk)
"Good":
The Fratellis
Inward Eye (another unknown that shows potential)
Ben Harper
Tokyo Police Club
"Great":
The Rapture
The Black Keys
Daft Punk
The Roots
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"Absurdly Excellent":
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists
Tapes N' Tapes
Muse
Iggy and the Stooges
Modest Mouse
TV on the Radio
Pearl Jam
The reasons why for each of them in the last category vary greatly. Ted Leo and Tapes N' Tapes were excellent because we (meaning either I or one of the other people in my group) had heard good reviews but were otherwise (mostly) ignorant; plus both put on great shows with great music. Muse was a rather weak performance for them; I believe Mr. Bellamy was feeling a bit ill, as he basically didn't talk to the crowd at all (Dom aka drummer boy got that task) and he raced on an off stage between every song, many times without changing instruments; thus leading me to believe that he was getting drinks and trying to keep his voice going. Well that and even "Sunburn" and pretty much the definitive version of "New Born" couldn't make up for the lack of "Bliss" in the set. Iggy Pop was, without a doubt, the greatest "performer" I saw; he honestly demanded that the crowd "rush the fucking stage" which we were happy to do until it was completely filled with happy dancing people; Lots of other antics took place as well.
Now I know I was told to see My Morning Jacket; NOT Modest Mouse. And I honestly though I'd regret it but two of the members of my group (aka half) are total Modest Mouse fanatics. So after the whole affair with Iggy Pop I managed to work my way up to roughly 20 to 25 feet from Issac Brock's position on stage. The madness that ensued during the set honestly blew my mind. The energy level was genuinely through the roof; crowd surfing, singing, clapping, swaying etc. Moshing was simply out of the question where I was at because we were PACKED in; but that didn't stop the crowd from moving in massive human waves (jumping to the rhythm) once "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes" began. Honest to god if I had to pick one song from this festival to live over and over it would be that one; a 10 minute long rendition that included a good couple minutes of Johnny Marr and Issac Brock exchanging "guitar blows" so to speak. The performance was amazing; as was the crowd. Even the mix was good; only "The View" fell apart imo (the chorus sounded loud, and noisy, but not good). I know I missed something with MMJ; but I don't really care. I'll catch them next year at Bonnoroo or Lollapalooza; or hell, if they come to Ann Arbor anytime over the "winter".
TV On the Radio was a stop-over in-between Modest Mouse and Pearl Jam; meaning of course, that we didn't stick around long. None the less I heard "Playhouses" and "Wolf Like Me" jammed out with twice the intensity of the album versions. Somehow they're sound comes alive on stage like no others: the vocals were clearer, the guitars and drums louder and punchier and everything just sounded cleaner, tighter, and more energetic. Pearl Jam, faced with what I experienced during Modest Mouse couldn't quite compare, but put on an impressive set none the less. A bit to heavy on their 'new' material (from the self-titled album) but including basically all the old favorites except for "Jeremy" and "Yellow Ledbetter". They finished up with a cover of "Rockin' In the Free World" with Ben Harper and several other performers from the other bands joining in on stage; more for show than anything. It was a solid set though; I was pleased to hear "Do the Evolution" and "Rearview Mirror" as those are lesser fan favorites than the usual mainstays like "Betterman" or "Alive".
Overall I think Modest Mouse was actually my favorite because of how close I was and how crazy the crowd was. The band was also pretty much flawless other than "The View" but it's really the crowd experience that made them so good. Muse were the most consistant; Pearl Jam the longest set that felt too short; Iggy Pop the best 'performance'... Daft Punk or the Roots were the most pure "fun". Strangely after all this physical and audio abuse I don't feel terribly exhausted; quite the opposite actually. As a musician I'm inspired and mentally buzzing; but it's 4 in the morning and I don't think anyone (other than me) would appreciate the wake-up call.
Oh and thanks to Tracid Edge for recommending Ted Leo; he was the first act I walked away from blown away. He was also one of the only artists to have the crowd begging for an encore. Unfortunately due to an injury (he cut his hand falling on his cab mike early in the set as he flew around the stage) and scheduling conflicts (to keep things running smoothly at both the "Myspace" and "AT&T" stages) he couldn't.
But seriously I could go on and on about all the performers in the "great" or "absurdly excellent" groups. Oh and BTW I was close (like in the first 10 rows of standing people) for the Black Keys, Muse, and Modest Mouse; several of the small acts (The Diffs, Inward Eye) too, but nobody really cares because you could show up halfway through their set and wonder to the front because the crowds there were always light.
Lastly, please use this thread to talk about any summer festivals you've attended this year (other than Ozzfest since that seems to have it's own thread).
Ride6
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