DaisypathAnniversary Years Ticker

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Loads of Fun at Lollapalooza!

Howdy!

Well...Lollapalooza is officially over. PHEW, what a weekend! And SO much fun! The weather on Friday and today (Sunday) was a bit warm, but Saturday was PERFECT - low 80's and overcast. Luckily that was the day that we spent the most time there.

AND - the crowds were aplenty, but nothing near what we thought. The park is fairly expansive, so even though there were 100,000+ people there, it really didn't seem that extreme. We were able to see our "most important" bands up close, and the "not-so-important" bands from afar on our blanket. I didn't feel like tearing my hair out too often, which means it was a good time ;o)

Quick (ha) recap:


Friday:



Ted Leo and the Rx (above)- GREAT as always. This was our 3rd time seeing them and they were as energetic as ever. They played a few songs from their new CD, but a lot of their older tunes - which was great for those of us who have been fans for a while. Ted (the lead singer/guitarist) is such a vibrant performer who gives his all ever time. We were able to get up pretty close and get a good view, which is always nice! LOVE THEM LOVE THEM LOVE THEM!

The Polyphonic Spree - We've never seen them live - what a crazy show! Unfortunately due to the crowd, we weren't able to get up close, but they have massive screens to watch. As suggested by their name (Polyphonic), they are a band made up of 20+ members including: a ladies chorus of 9, various brass instruments (including a horn!), strings (with a harp that opened the show), various other wind and percussion (including timpani) instruments, and your typical rock band line-up (lead singer, bass, guitar, drumset). The music is very "Happy" and Love is definitely a theme. At times it was a bit dull, BUT the fact that they closed with the Nirvana tune "Lithium" was great!

M.I.A - We heard/watched as we ate. Very interesting. She's a Sri Lankan exile who has lived in England for most of her life. Her music combines rap, electronic, dance hall, and r&b. Very energetic and fairly entertaining, albeit a bit loud. (We were sitting pretty far from the show, but still needed to put our ear plugs in because it was so loud!)

Silversun Pickups - after eating dinner, we TRIED to see these guys, but had to sit and listen instead. They are a fairly respected pop/rock group, but they put them on a small stage near the main "boulevard." So, getting a spot to see them was impossible. But, we heard them pretty well and enjoyed.

We had intended to see the Black Keys and LCD Soundsystem, but I got a pretty nasty sunburn and wasn't feeling so well. So, we went home and rested up for Saturday - our big day!

Saturday:


Tapes 'n Tapes - AWESOME!!!!! And we were really close! We chose them over Pete Yorn; he's more of an inside/evening/intimate singer, and we knew that Tapes would put on a good show. This was the 2nd time we've seen them, and they had a very similar set list which included all of their great songs from their current album (The Loon), some new songs for their next album, and a few old ones. Considered to be "jangle rock," they are very unique when compared with current indie pop/rock. And, as before, they put on a great and VERY energetic, yet honest, show. Kurt and I were commenting on how they were very casual and how we appreciate that - they had a couple thousand people (or more) watching, yet they acted as if they were performing for friends. Good stuff.

Cold War Kids - Yet another popular indie rock band put on a small stage. Not a good idea. Yet again, we were forced to listen instead of watch. We heard most of the set, then went off for lunch. What we heard was pretty impressive. A lot of times, bands don't perform as well as their CD sounds - not so with these guys. Their music isn't uber-detailed, but they played it very well.

We had a break after these guys, so we grabbed an early dinner and found a nice spot to relax. We (unfortunately) were able to hear Motion City Soundtrack and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah while we hung out. Neither of them were what we wanted to hear, but it was impossible to ignore. We have issues with CYHSY - they plain suck. And they opened for our fav. band "The National" once in Columbus. It was a packed house that night, but 75% of the crowd left after Clap Your Hands was finished, leaving the place nearly empty for the headlining band. Argh. And they are the most ANNOYING sounding band. Anywho...you can tell we don't like them.

Moving on...


Hold Steady (Below)- Another great show where we were up close (annoying kids in front of us
though...FYI - parents do NOT bring whining kids to Lollapallooza). We chose them over Regina Spector - yet another intimate performer not suitable for a festival. Anywho, this band is a cross between GOOD classic rock (strong rock with good melody/harmony) and talking. Yeah...that's right...the lead singer tends to "sing speak" more than actually he actually sings. BUT, what a super show! We had tickets to see them back when we were in Columbus, but had to sell them so we could come visit here. These guys are no spring chickens and have been in other indie bands, but came together 4 years ago to make great music. Very energetic and very entertaining!





















Yeah Yeah Yeahs - The crowd was massive, so we just looked on from afar. I enjoyed their previous album "Fever to tell," but not this album. So, when they played some old songs, it was pretty great. The newer ones, eh. From what I hear, Karen O (the lead singer) puts on quite a show with interesting costumes. But oh well...






Spoon (Above) - This is the second time we've seen Spoon at a festival. Last year at Pitchfork, we were unimpressed. They seemed lifeless and uninspired. Luckily, this year was the opposite. We didn't have the greatest spot to see (well...I didn't, Kurt can always see ;o), but it was still a great show. Spoon is heralded as one of indie music's star bands - considered to be "stripped" down pop rock with a nice groove. They were really quite impressive. Yet another band that performs as well as their album sounds. Super tight and super entertaining.

Interpol (Below)- Dark, smooth dance rock at it's best. We opted for a bench and the big screen for this, as the crowds were very big. We were both pretty wet from the rain (it started back during the Hold Steady), so we didn't mind sitting under the trees. Even though we didn't really see the show up close, the music was terrific. Even so, we decided to leave a little early to beat the crowds to the trains!


Sunday:

We went a little later yesterday than we had hoped because our landlord came over to look at the AC unit upstairs. It was burnt out, so we've been without air in the heat. BUT, he had a smaller unit that he installed for us instead and it WORKS! Yeah for AC! We used it last night and it really helped. Will probably just turn it on at night - don't want to run the electric bill sky high.

ANYWHO....

Yo La Tengo - We opted to listen rather than watch so we could get a seat for the next show. This band has been around for some 20 years, so they have a massive repertoire. Even so, they played quite a few songs from their latest album ("I am not afraid of you..."). Their psychedelic/jam rock fits well with a festival and was very enjoyable to listen to.




Modest Mouse (Above - Isaac Brock, Johnny Marr) - Yet another of my fav. bands for quite some time. In their most recent releases, they've gone a bit commercial/mainstream. Yet, they have still retained some of their artsy pop characteristics. As always, they put on a good show (this is our 3rd time seeing them) - very entertaining. AND, I had a pretty good view! Unfortunately, most of the crowd was made up of teenagers and young 20's people, so they were singing along to all of the songs. Sigh...I don't want to hear YOU sing - I want to hear Isaac sing! Even though their set included songs from their 2 latest releases, they did play a few from my fav. album - The Moon and Antarctica (try saying that 5 times fast).

We left a little before the end of their show to see....

TV on the Radio - WooHoo! This is our 2nd time seeing them, and we were pleased yet again. TV combines so many styles of music to make their eclectic pop that I wouldn't even know how to explain it - except that it rocks. Their music is very unique, unlike anyone else out there. The first time we saw them was at the Newport in Columbus - that's definitely one of my all time favorite shows. This time wasn't as great, but not because they didn't perform well. They did. But the crowd was pretty awful. TV has quite a few energetic tunes, so much of the crowd was jumping all around. There was a rather large (meaning tall/big boned) girl behind me, which made me nervous. I kept feeling elbow jabs, but I knew if I said something, she might harm me ;o) ANYWHO...still a great musical experience.

And, to close the evening...

Pearl Jam - The band is iconic in modern/mainstream american rock music. Their career has spanned nearly 20 years, and they still continue to put out great music. I've never been a huge fan, although I like much of their music. However, Kurt has been a fan for many many years. He recalls listening to them in his high school years, so this show brought back memories. Yet again, we opted for a far off seat as the entire population of the festival crowd was viewing the concert along with us. We were able to see a screen, so we enjoyed it as they played a lot of older tunes. Once they got into the newer stuff, we decided to head out.

Before we left, we got a few pictures and stopped to buy a T-shirt.


Overall, this was a super experience and if the lineup for next year's festival is just as good, we'll definitely go. The tickets were a bit pricey, but considering the experience, well worth it!


No comments: