Filed under: music
And so the third day arrived.
And after it has ended, God looked down on what had occurred and it was good.
Highlight of the Day: The Killers @ 8:30PM
Pitchfork’s Paul Thompson wants to believe The Killers are real, but apparently he can’t and he goes on to describe their self-mythologizing artifice that is too perfect to take seriously.
I don’t care whether or not The Killers are real and I think their artifice is the best part about them. It’s all a show and The Killers know how to entertain us. From their beyond catchy hooks and the singable melodies, I fell in love instantly.
And at the end of the day (or a 3 days), the fun power pop rock The Killers deliver is exactly how I wanted to end my Lollapalooza. I wanted to jump and dance and sing every word with Brandon Flowers, and that’s exactly what I got.
With every song topping the last and Flowers’ presence growing ever more powerful, the crowd responded with equal enthusiasm. From the weirdly philosophical (but mostly meaningless), “Human,” to the heartbreak power ballad and total crowd pleaser, “Mr. Brightside,” Flowers never let the energy die and neither did anyone else.
To top off the night, the sounds of people chanting “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier” coursed through the air as the band rocked out to “All These Things That I Have Done,” which was then followed by a strong encore of “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” and “When You Were Young.”
And so the hordes of sweaty, exhausted music lovers stormed through downtown Chicago, and we felt good!
Lowlight of the Day: Not being able to see everyone.
Biggest Surprise of the Day: Vampire Weekend @ 4:30PM
Who would’ve thought there would be intense moshing at Vampire Weekend?
If you did, congratulations, but I was pretty effing surprised when I was almost crushed during “A-Punk.” Not to say that said near suffocation distracted in anyway than the euphoria of watching Ezra Koenig charm the pants off of everyone in attendance, it was just a bit unexpected.
But I guess it’s a testament to how into it everyone really was. From the second Ezra stepped up to the mic with his wayfarers and plaid button down, we were all his.
“You look beautiful, Chicago,” he told us, and we were all flattered. “This is our Metallica song,” he said, and we all screamed along in unison: “Blake’s got a new face!”
He even dedicated ever lovable “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” to John Hughes paying homage to the director and his beloved suburbs.
All in all in was an incredibly promising performance and definitely proves that Vampire Weekend has the talent, enthusiasm and stage presence to make it on to a stellar sophomore album. And as they I sang along to a song about getting out of Cape Cod, I knew there was something even better in the works.
The Rest:
Cold War Kids @ 5:30PM
Excellence all around. Even from the back, I could feel the passion and emotion in Nathan Willett’s voice. As he belted out the resonating lyrics of “Hang Me Out to Dry,” “We Used to Vacation,” “Dreams Old Men Dream,” and “Saint John,” we happily joined in and became part of the beautiful sounds that traveled through the airwaves… or maybe that was just me?
Silversun Pickups @ 7:30PM
Saw them from afar and it was really interesting to just watch the crowd enjoying themselves. They sounded great and although I couldn’t see very way, the crowd’s movement said it was a great time.
Snoop Dogg @ 6:30PM
Sounded like fun, but I was hungry and a turkey burger was calling my name.
The Airborne Toxic Event @ 2:30PM
Not as bad as Pitchfork claims. Actually, not bad at all. I love violins.
Filed under: music | Tags: Arctic Monkeys, Atmosphere, Lollapalooza, TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Day 2 was much better weather wise, but my black t-shirt was a very bad choice.
Highlight of the Day: TV on the Radio @ 6:30PM
While this concert started just as the effects of dehydration kicked in, I still managed to thoroughly enjoy it. (And that is saying a lot considering I almost blacked out.) A detailed recap is difficult under such circumstances, but I distinctly remember “Golden Age,” “Red Dress,” and especially “Wolf Like Me” wooing the crowd and making the most fatigued of spectators jump around and forget the heat and lack of H2O.
Lowlight of the Day: Arctic Monkeys @ 4:30PM
I love the Arctic Monkeys. I have loved them since their first album came out in 2006. But I do not intend on seeing them live again. You’d think that they’d be really fun to watch, but really, our dear lead singer just plays and sings and doesn’t even look that into it. What the hell, Alex?? I guess I should be happy to have gotten something out of “I Bet That You’d Look Good on the Dance Floor,” “Brianstorm,” and “505.”
Biggest Surprise of the Day: Yeah Yeah Yeahs @ 8:30PM
When you somehow make it to the 2nd row (and by somehow I mean wait around during the previous 2 acts) most things are looking good.
This was a big night for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and they had big shoes to fill. And while the nerves may have gotten to Karen O when she forgot the lyrics to “Maps,” the audience had her bad and gladly let her try again for a very satisfying second verse of their most well known song.
Karen’s stage presence and wardrobe changes contributed to the overall fun and carefree nature of the show and provided for very enjoyable and very lighthearted entertainment. And the most fun of them all? “Heads Will Roll” off their latest album, It’s Blitz; however it was nowhere near a standalone successs. There were plenty of show stoppers to go around. Thumbs up to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs!
The Rest: Atmosphere @ 2:30PM
All I remember is thinking he was really funny… and my lack of memory does not mean it was a forgettable performance… it’s just my bad… or good?
Filed under: music | Tags: Ben Folds, Bon Iver, Crystal Castles, KiD CuDi, Kings of Leon, Lollapalooza, Of Montreal
Well the rain made this day harder than it needed to be. My first day of Lolla was a weather disaster but luckily still managed to be a great time.
Highlight of the day: Of Montreal @ 7PM
The way Kevin Barnes carries himself alone is enough to entrance, but when you add the elaborate costume and what appeared to be some sort of symbolic play (at least that’s what I’ve decided to call it) the result is one of the most incredible live shows I’ve ever seen. (It was so good, my dears, that I forgot I was soaked from head to toe and FREEZING.)
As his alter ego, Georgie Fruit, Barnes prances around stage and even sat on the shoulders of henchmen, while effortlessly dominating the desires of his audience.
Some notable performances include the power opening of”Nonpareil of Favor” (although I can’t be completely sure that it was, in fact, the opener), “Id Engager” the song that makes everyone want to play and “Wraith Pinned to the Mist” when the crowd wholeheartedly agreed to pretend we’re in Antarctica.
With a set list full of psychedelic indie power pop, there really is no way to go wrong, but Of Montreal’s dedication to theatrics and outdoing every performance give them the edge that made them one of the BEST performances at Lolla ‘09.
Lowlight of the Day: Kings of Leon @8:15 PM
After Of Montreal, I ran across Grant Park to catch Kings and, to my dismay, I felt one thing.
That one thing was disappointment. It was empty. I enjoyed my favorites like “Four Kicks,” but Caleb just seemed like he was going through rehearsed toned down motions of what a Kings of Leon concert should be (and, I have been told once was). All in all, I’m glad I didn’t sacrifice any time to attempt a closer spot for this blase performance.
Biggest Surprise of the Day: Crystal Castles @ 5PM
Having never intentionally listened to Crystal Castles before, I went into this show not expecting much and was really pleased with the outcome. Not only are they baller but some dumb as prick got punched in the face… BY THE LEAD SINGER! When Alice Glass crowd surfed, some asshole grabbed her boob and she socked him.
“I’m sure he didn’t appreciate that,” the irate vocalist admitted. “But I didn’t appreciate him grabbing my boob.” Not a direct quote, but pretty damn close. BAMF!
The Rest:
Bon Iver @ 3PM
The one man band has some beautiful songs and is quite charming in person, but the bottom line is his material is not conducive to an outdoor music festival. Love him, but it was just not right for Lolla.
Ben Folds @ 4PM
I didn’t realize I actually like Ben Folds. I didn’t stay for much but I liked what I heard.
KiD CuDi @ 9:30PM
“Day and Night” was a weird remix and that’s the only song of his I know so it was… fine.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Alison Mosshart, Jack White, music, song of the week, The Dead Weather, The Vic
So, I meant to post this last week after I saw this concert, but that is life.
Anyways, Jack White’s newest creative endeavour is everything we could hope for and more. The dynamic quartet lit up the stage in shades of black and blue. Composed of Jack Lawrence of The Ranconteurs, Dean Fertita, the power guitarist for Queens of the Stone Age, Alison Mosshart, the killer front woman of The Kills and, of course, Jack White, himself.
Throughout the show, Alison commanded the stage with her scary sex appeal, while White rocked the drums until his mind blowing guitar solo. And while each member of the group has their own greatness, the way they move and play together is what really give The Dead Weather the edge we’ve been looking for.
And once the much anticipated encore arrived, “Treat Me Like You Mother” blasted through the speakers and quite literally shook everyone to pieces.
I’m not very coherent right now am I? It’s only 11PM and I’m really tired so I’ll just let this one go and leave you with the video and pictures.
Fin.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: internet, interweb, schmuck, things i hate, Twilight, world wide web, You suck at photoshop, YouTube
While doing research for my prof, I stumbled upon this shmuck:
This video makes me cringe. Why would you publish something that makes you look like a total moron. It makes me cringe. And want to throw up.
That’s the worst thing about this whole media revolution. YouTube gives any moron with a computer the opportunity to pollute the world with their obnoxious and unnecessary “advice,” “tutorials,” and musical montages.
Dear avid YouTube users, my heart bleeds for you and your lack of a life, but stop saturating the interwebs.
Note: I am in no way referring to people to people who are actually funny like this guy.
