Ramblings of a Redhead Music Snob

Day 2  

Saturday started out by being a relatively nice day, on the cool side, but nothing crazy. Oh how Chicago weather can change in the blink of an eye.

Started out the morning by catching some of Dear and the Headlights set. Loved their sound, but was sad to say only caught the last 2-3 songs of their set. It was a slow start on a Sat. so unfortunately missed a bit of it. They are definitely worth another listen as I enjoyed their music so much.

Then on my way wandering over to the next show, I managed to catch a small bit of Arckid. Arckid is from Leeds (now living in nyc and royston (singer) is married to Liv Tyler) and previously made up most of the band Spacehog. Their sound is somewhat similar and is very catchy britpop/rock music. Good stuff from the few songs I was able to hear.

Finally, I was able to hear Sherwood, whom I had been wanting to catch for quite a while. They are from San Luis Obispo, CA, and it seems apparently the band went to Cal Poly. Not big of a surprise. So, I was very excited to see some sunshine-y Cali pop rock, to get me dancing and clapping and having a great time. Unfortunately, had to get moving as other shows across the park were awaiting.

Then it was off to see I’m From Barcelona, who are of course from Sweden. Great band with 30 or so members. Some of them were dressed up in costumes, and they all were dressed sunshine-y and colorful. Pic below. Their music is very indie-pop sounding, bright and cheerful. The whole set was basically a dance party, bursting into songs about the Chicken Pox, their band name, and the like. At one point balloons were pouring onto the crowd. And it was amusing to hear the singer ask if anyone from the band of Montreal were there, because he had apparently ‘stolen’ Kevin’s red guitar strap 🙂 Lots of fun and great music to dance along with.

Next, was Tapes ‘n Tapesfrom Minneapolis. They put on a good enjoyable set, but didnt find myself really getting into their music. Some of the songs seemed to drag out a bit to long, but in general it was good indie rock. Caught a bit of Silverchair who were apparently rocking out, but couldnt be bothered to go farther up and get closer. I did like what I managed to hear.

After all that was the nightmare that I call Cold War Kids. CWK was on a very small stage and as they are opening for Muse have quite a big following. Needless to say, the stage was way too small for them, and the crowd was everywhere. There was nowhere to stand and really get a great view. From what I could hear, I wasn’t impressed. Just wasnt quite the sound that I was expecting.

The show I had been long awaiting was CSS and unfortunately (or fortunately) they cancelled. Instead I was treated to Cage The Elephant – enjoyed their set. Definitely rocked out. But the BIGGEST surprise was a band from Isle of Man called Back Door Slam. Back Door Slam is a blues/rock band but what makes them stand out is the guys in the band. The lead singer, who comes across as very shy and almost embarrassed, plays guitar as if he’s possessed and has become Stevie Ray Vaughan, and for all we know, that could have happened. Words cant describe how talented he is, and as he closes his eyes and the music envelopes him, something beautiful happens. As the music filled the area, people came by to see what it was, and everyone walked away a changed person. This quote sums it all up: “I heard the spirit of Jimi Hendrix, it was Back Door Slam from the Isle of Man” – Seattle Times

Pic of lead singer of Back Door Slam

So what a high that was to go and see Gary next. The Gary above would be one Gary Lightbody, lead singer of Snow Patrol. Snow Patrol did not disappoint. Gary is a great frontman, talking to the crowd, dedicating songs to “Spiderman with the Irish flag”. This is one band that is clearly used to playing for huge stadiums and crowds. Their music soared from the first song “Hands Open” and just drew people in. Everyone was yelling out the lyrics and singing along. It was a real treat when Nikki (from Silversun Pickups) was brought on for “Set the fire to the third bar”. Last time I had seen this perform it was with Martha Wainwright (who is also used on the album), but Nikki definitely held her own. It was a great setlist and read like a best-of including “Chasing Cars”, “Run”, “Spitting Games” and “How to be Dead”.

Finally, the long awaited-last band was here. I waited for over and hour to be up front and finally hear new Interpol live. Interpol took the stage as the skies grew darker and rain came and went. But can anyone imagine seeing Interpol in a better setting. Interpol was as brilliant as ever. Carlos D’s bass lines could drive any crowd into a frenzy. Paul, hidden behind his locks, muttered barely a few words to the crowd, aside from acknowledging that we were all standing in the rain. The band stood there in their fashionable black threads, and played through a setlist that had me yearning for more. It was great to hear a good dose of their first album, and a smattering of hits off their second. By the time “Slow Hands” came on, the crowd was going nuts. Everyone screaming out the lyrics, jumping, dancing, having the times of their lives. Does it really matter that Interpol doesn’t do much on stage? HELL NO! They deliver the music they put out, exactly as one would expect. But from the moment the lyrics “Rosemary, heaven restores you in life” I knew we were in for a treat. Everyone sang along to ‘Evil’, and I must say I figured more people would know the first album, but it seems they didnt. Crowd surfing began, to which I wondered what band they had really come to see. I mean can you imagine surfing to ‘NYC’. And ending the set with Stella was simply put – BEAUTIFUL!

Here is the entire list of their 70 min set. And yes, I am most excited to be seeing them again in NYC! Ill be front and center baby!

Pioneer to the Falls
Slow Hands
NARC
Say Hello to the Angels
Rest My Chemistry
Mammoth
Hands Away
No I In Threesome
Heinrich Maneuver
Evil
Not Even Jail
PDA
NYC
Obstacle 1
Stella Was a Diver and She Was Always Down