Lollapalooza Day Three: I'm Still Alive

Day three was really something special.

Los Campesinos!
For me, skipping The Black Angels is pretty serious. But the first few songs I had heard from Cardiff rockers Los Campesinos! had me very curious as to what they sounded like live. They certainly did not disappoint. Each and every song was filled with lots of energy. I especially loved You! Me! Dancing!

Apostle of Hustle
I had heard good things about the Canadian band Apostle of Hustle, so I thought I'd use this opportunity to check them out. I gave them five songs to pull me in and by the fifth I was ready to leave. The first few sounded ok, but the fifth (coined as an intrumental, but I swear I heard lyrics) was what singer Andrew Whiteman described as a "song about a pony express rider, with a bag of weed, a bag of MDMA, holding the decapatated heads of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and US President George W. Bush." While the idea neither pleases me nor offends me, the idea of a song being about that bores me.

Peter Bjorn and John
I was very excited to see this show and arrived at the Citi stage early because I thought that Lollapalooza had scheduled them on too small of a stage. I arrived early and eager to hear PB&J. Three songs in, the sound went dead and it appeared that the stage had no electricity. I waited for about ten more minutes for them to come back, but appeared that this was not going to happen. I was greatly disappointed, but not in the band. Too bad. I really hoping to see them again.

Modest Mouse
It was a tough decision to miss My Morning Jacket, but since they tour more often than Modest Mouse, the decision was made for me. Issac walked out on stage hardly recognizable as himself with a beard, glasses, and some silly hat. But it certainly sounded like him and the rest of the band as they reeled off song after great song from each of their last three releases. This should would have been outstanding if not for one thing - it was not loud enough. Granted I was sitting towards the back, I spoke to people that were much closer that had the same opinion. Either way, Modest Mouse with Johnny Marr is greatness.

Pearl Jam
I'll confess. I haven't listened to Pearl Jam since around 1996. I assume I probably wasn't much different than most of the people in the crowd in that aspect. Seeing the great Eddie Vedder walk out and play so many of Pearl Jam's great songs reminded me of a time in my life when music seemed different and more simple. It was a time before the internet, when finding new music was best done in your friend's car on the way home from school.

What's so amazing to me is how some of those Pearl Jam songs have, at least until now, stood the test of time. There were more that we all knew than we probably remembered that we did. They opened with Why Go, an early track from their monumental first album, Ten. Songs like Corduroy, Daughter, Elderly Woman Behind the Counter of a Small Town, and Evenflow were all crowd favorites. I even caught other people singing them as I was as I walked around. They closed their first set with Alive, their first single that I can remember. You could hear the crowd sing almost as loud as Eddie. My thoughts were, had Kurt Cobain hung around and Nirvana been there, we all would have been singing Smells Like Teen Spirit. Those two bands of that time were certainly of the same caliber and had the same impact. But it was great to hear everyone singing this song. These guys changed the course of music as we know it today.

The encore opened with Eddie playing the first few recognizable notes of Better Man, while letting the crowd sing the entire first verse. It was awesome how the words just flowed off of our lips. Another thing that Eddie got into was the campaign to keep BP Amoco from dumping waste into Lake Michigan. He even played a catchy little tune that went, "Don't go...to BP Amoco". Needless to say, the crowd loved it.

Lastly, the most memorable moment of the night came when Eddie did a third encore, bringing a veteran from the Iraqi War on stage to promote the ending of the war. Ben Harper then came out to join him in a song. The night ended in the two of them, along with several others, singing Neil Young's Rockin In The Free World.

I left Lollapalooza this year happy and proud. I was proud of someone from my generation (the of Gen X) to get involved and speak out on current issues. I was proud that it seemed that Eddie Vedder enjoyed every minute of that show. It showed on his face. And I was happy because music makes me happy. There are few subsitutes in this world that give me the same sense of joy. This was probably the best Lollapalooza Music Festival I have attended.


I'll have pictures and other festival commentary up tomorrow.

Lollapalooza Day Two: Turn On The Bright Lights

Day Two, you ain't no day one.

I'm From Barcelona
The much anticipated show from the Swedish band I'm From Barcelona was nothing short of spectacular. All members of the band came out and immediately began distributing balloons. I was sure this would be a fun show and no doubt it was just that. They played the full hour of songs from their debut album, Let Me Introduce My Friends, along with several other tracks. This show was a great way to get the day started.

Pete Yorn
It had been nearly five years since I had seen the great Pete Yorn. Since then, I had pretty much forgotten about him, putting his phenomenal debut album musicforthemorningafter, up on the shelf. He made me regret this and I will certainly be pulling it back from the shelf very soon. I also need to add his latest title to my collection. Pete Yorn put on one hour of great live music. I found myself singing along to many of the songs of a few years ago that I used to jam to. And in a comedic moment, he did a cover of Peter Bjorn and John's Young Folks, citing that someone had mistaken him for being the author the "whistling song". I was quite impressed with his rendition. And I'm sorry for abandoning you, Pete. But you are back in the rotation now.

Sam Roberts Band
I didn't catch much of this show and had never heard of Sam Roberts Band, but I did enjoy the few tracks I heard. They had a pretty good rhythm to their music.

Cold War Kids
Truth be told, the planners of Lollapalooza had this band on the wrong stage. They should have been at a much bigger stage because it was overcrowded. Meanwhile, Motion City Soundtrack were at the larger stage and did not attract as many people from what I could tell. However, Cold War Kids sounded much better than I remember them sounded at this years SXSW conference. I'll have to check them out again when I get a chance to actually see them.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Gone are the days when I used to get up close to see CYHSY. They've become much too popular and for great reason - they're even better than ever. An hour long set of old and new favorites was as solid as any show I've seen from them in the last couple of years.

The Hold Steady
I promised a friend of mine that I would try my best to get in to this band. Musically, I thought they sounded great, but vocalist Craig Finn's voice is hard for me to get into. In fact, it almost ruins the sound for me. I'd like to hear him try singing rather than talking. Other than that, the performance was pretty good.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I'd been waiting to see Karen O and her band for quite a while now and this was my chance. A packed AT&T stage would not allow me to get up close, but I was able to enjoy this show from a distance as Karen O in her costumes sang and danced across the stage in her unique way. I really enjoyed Gold Lion, Date With The Night, and especially, Cheated Hearts.

Spoon
Seeing Spoon anymore is like going to see an old friend. Though it was raining and tons of people were walking around me to get to their next show, I enjoyed seeing and hearing Britt Daniel play the songs from their new release, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. They mostly stuck to playing from their last three albums, which are all great. I could watch this band play everyday and not ever get tired of them. I only regret leaving too early to get to Interpol. They played my favorite song, Anything You Want, after I left.

Interpol
While I am sure that Muse had tons more people at their show, there was no way I was going to choose them over Interpol. And Interpol would not make me regret that decision. Fresh off the release of their third full length, Our Love To Admire, Interpol played what would become my favorite show of the day. The guitar Carlos Dengler sounded so amazing on each and every song that it is hard to choose a favorite. As always, the Interpol light show used solid reds, purples, and blues to illuminate the set. I especially enjoyed the encore of NYC and Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down. Interpol is one of the best live acts going today.

Lollapalooza Day One: Music's Got Me Feelin' So Free

Day one of Lollapalooza 2007 was definitely one to remember. Here are the details of each of the bands we saw.

The Fratelli's.
We arrived at Grant Park close to noon and made it to the MySpace stage about fifteen minutes into their set. As we walked up, they were playing their song Flathead, made famous by the iPod commercials that they have been featured on. I was hoping to hear Whistle for the Choir, but perhaps they had already played it before we got there.

Ghostland Observatory
The screechy voice Aaron Behrens and groovy rhythms of Thomas Ross Turner that make up Ghostland Observatory continue to get a crowd moving, even in the noon hour. Once again, they did not disappoint as they reeled off track after track of dance rock.

Son Volt
Since Jay Farrar reworked the band, he is writing and performing perhaps the best music of his post Son Volt days. They mixed in several songs from this years The Search and 2005's Okemah and the Melody of Riot. But of course, the band closed their set with the crowd favorite, Drown.

The Polyphonic Spree
It's been just over a month since that amazing show that I attended at the Granada in Dallas. Today's show was every bit as as great as that show as the band played mostly from the recently released The Fragile Army and included a few from The Beginning Stages Of... They stopped half way through their set and changed in to their classic robes to finish the set with When A Fool Becomes A King. This might have been my favorite show of the day. This band continues to bring lots of smiles to my face.

Sparklehorse
Mark Linkous and crew played a very typical show - not much from the new album, and loads from the first few albums. They did seem a tad uninterested in playing. I have to admit, I was surprised to see them on the bill since I did not think they were touring any longer this year. They finished the set ten minutes early much to the disappointment of the crowd. I did enjoy Painbirds, Spirit Ditch, and Gold Day though.

Silversun Pickups
I didn't catch much of this set. The singer's leprechaun voice and face scared me away. But I really do love their music. Had Blonde Redhead not been up against them, I would have stayed longer.

Blonde Redhead
My first time seeing this band in Dallas almost doesn't count. I knew none of their songs and had only heard the newest album one time. Since then, I've listened to 23 probably fifty times and I love every note of it. I was quite happy as the trio played many songs from that album and a few that I did not know. I really love the sound that this group has going right now. This time definitely counted.

Satellite Party
I was only partially roused by Perry Farrell's attempt to coerce a crowd over to see his sub par band that he created a few years ago. He played several unfulfilling Satellite Party songs while sticking in songs from his formerly great band Jane's Addiction and one or two from the less than satifying Pornos for Pyros. However, it was worth it to hear the Jane's Addiction. I kind of miss it.

LCD Soundsystem
I got really burnt out on this band fast a few years ago when they had their single Daft Punk is Playing at My House. Since then, I have tended to ignore them. I did learn that, despite looking like a bunch of ordinary white boys from Milwaukee, they have a pretty good sound and are actually from New York City. Perhaps I won't turn past the dial the next time Sirius 26 plays their music.

Daft Punk
I didn't want to see Ben Harper because I had seen him before. And I had never seen Daft Punk ever. But am I ever so glad that I went to see them. The guys came out and played atop a pyramid while wearing space suits. They turned me and everyone around me into complete and total spazzes as we danced wildly and enjoyed the amazing light show in the background. For an hour and a half, I thoroughly enjoyed their music. They seemed to keep mixing in pieces of their two most popular songs, Around the World and One More Time, until they played the entire songs. I really had a great time at this show. I am glad they were chosen as one of the headliners.


Day two coverage to come...

I'm The Best Seventeen Year-old Ever

There are some bands out there that just rock no matter what they do. The Wrens are one of those bands. Hailing from New Jersey and putting out a mere four records and a shared EP in the last thirteen years, they are regarded by their fans as one of the most underrated bands in indie rock today. In 2003, the band released perhaps their best album to date, Meadowlands.

I was fortunate to attend my second Wrens show on Friday night at Hailey's in Denton. I saw them two years before at the same venue and the show was one of my favorites of that year. As expected, the band did not disappoint. The show opened with singer/guitarist Charles Bissell singing and playing a solo version of This Boy Is Exhausted, before the band kicked in midway through the song to finish it out. Most of the show included songs from 2003's Meadowlands, such as Faster Gun, Happy, and Everyone Choose Sides. I was especially happy when they played my favorite song of theirs, Boys, You Won't. During the song, they invited members of the audience up, handed each a drumstick, and asked them to bang on the stage with them. As I moved closer, I noticed the drummer Jerry MacDonnell coming towards me. He handed me a drumstick and told me to get on stage. I gladly did and began banging on the stage while singing every word of the song. I got to keep the drumstick as a memento. The band played one encore and closed it with what I think is their best song, She Sends Kisses. They are done touring for the year, but I am hoping that they come around next year.

The first opening band was Austinites The Midgetmen. I found their rhythms to be quite good, especially their lead guitarist. However, the vocals from all three vocalists left much to be desired. The next opening band was Get Him, Eat Him. I had heard a little of their music before, but this was probably the most I had heard from them at one time. I was impressed with how well composed their songs are. I will most likely find an album or two soon and give them another listen.

July! July!

I remember when I first discovered the music of The Decemberists. It was early in 2004 when B had given me a copy of The Tain and Five Songs. I instantly fell in love with their music and would get to see a less-than-sold-out show at Trees just a few months later. Since then, I've seen the band something like seven times including Monday nights show at Summerstage in Central Park.

The sold out show lasted hour and forty minute show and included one very long encore. I was surprised how little they played from their most recent album, The Crane Wife. The suite called The Island sounded incredible and I was happy when they played Summersong. I was happy to get some of the older songs like July! July! and Oceanside. The first set closed with Sons & Daughters. It was awesome to hear and sing along to, "Hear all the bombs fade away".

The second set included what may be the bands two most fun songs in their catalog. First was Chimbley Sweep, in which Colin puts all the band members to sleep and then asks the crowd to sit down. And when they sing, "I'll shake you from your sleep", the crowd rises again. Then, to close the show, they played the crowd favorite Mariner's Revenge Song, asking the crowd to scream as if they had been swallowed by a whale. Both songs are fun to sing along to.

The Decemberists are one of the best live acts around. Singer Colin Meloy really knows how to entertain a crowd by getting them involved in sing alongs and other activities. The band always brings along a host of instruments such as a stand-up bass, melodica, and accordion. I highly recommend seeing them on tour.

Now Hear This

With the year just about half over, I thought it might be a good idea to write about some of the albums that have been released this year that have had my iPod spinning like crazy. Not included in this list are albums by some of the more well known bands like The Shins, The Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, and Wilco. Those bands have all put out extraordinary albums this year, but I am sure that you are all probably listening to them already. So, without further ado...

Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir (Sub Pop)
I've written much about this Swedish band throughout the year. Their most recent release is perhaps their best. This is one of those albums where there is not a single weak track on it, with I Am John topping the list of great songs.

The Postmarks - s/t (Unfiltered)
This Miami band has a soft, melancholic sound mixed with a dream pop melodies. I fell in love with their music at this year's SXSW music conference and festival.

Blonde Redhead - 23 (4AD)
I've known about Blonde Redhead for years but never really listened to them. I picked up their latest album the day that I saw their show for the first time. I really dig this album as it has a consistent vibe the whole way through. My favorites right now are 23, Dr. Strangeluv and Silently.

Menomena - Friend and Foe (Barsuk)
This Portland-based trio really knows how to create a full sound going beyond just the traditional guitar, bass, and drums with horns and keyboards. The album is solid from start to finish with such great tracks as Muscle N' Flo and Wet and Rusting.

Low - Drums and Guns (Sub Pop)
I recently discovered this band despite knowing of them for years. I bought older albums of theirs and really enjoyed them. This latest offering is just as solid and chalked full of slo-core sounds as albums past.

Brandi Carlile - The Story (Sony BMG)
How dare I put someone on a major label on this list. However, I do believe that the lovely Ms. Carlile is quite a talent. In her latest release, she embraces her country roots to produce one excellent album.

A Good Laugh

If you need a good laugh, these two videos from Funny Or Die with Will Ferrell should do the job. Pearl rocks!

The Landlord

Good Cop, Baby Cop