Ramblings of a Redhead Music Snob

Life & Music in New York, My City

2 Nights With Maps = Bliss!

Posted by xneverwherex on October 4, 2007

9/28 – 9/29

I somehow ended up with 2 tickets to Maps for each of the nights. Initially I had planned on seeing them on Friday night with a friend from out of town, but that didnt pan out, but instead of selling both our tickets, I sold off hers and kept mine. And I must say, I’m sure glad that I did.

It was an early set at the Mercury Lounge on Friday night starting out with Brooklyn’s own The Silent League. (as this is a recap of both nights – im infusing two nights shows together, got it?) 🙂 The Silent League played a really great set. I recall last time that I had seen them, there were more members in the band. (I havent seen them in at least 3 years).  Their sound was as incredible as always, and the trumpet player ended the set playing 2 trumpets at the same time. Their songs were quite slow and more mellowed out and we should have been just sitting around a campfire. I guess Kevin (or one of the other guys) was right when he stated that. Justin, formerly in Mercury Rev, has still managed to keep some of that sound in their style and it complements them perfectly. Has that feeling of being in an orchestra with the variety of instruments.

The highlight was definitely on Saturday when Justin brought his brother, Jason, along to sing backups on 2 of the songs. Jason is the lead singer of Hopewell and one thing that I did notice was that it seems Silent League’s new stuff invokes some of Hopewell’s last album. Such as Calcutta. Not necessarily the same middle-eastern/indian flare, but for whatever reason that is what it reminds me of.

Saturday night’s set was really great as well. The crowd didn’t seem to be quite as into it, with very few of us clapping or yelling in appreciation. Im definitely set on seeing them again. I got to meet Justin on Saturday night, and he’s a cool guy. We talked for a bit, and I told him I had come out here to see them. He playfully joked to me, that I better stay around for Maps. 🙂 I had told him that I had first seen them quite a few years back at the Mercury and he seemed pretty stoked about it. Good guy, good music, great sound! What more.

For those thinking that their music is completely different from Maps (which it is), they met when they were playing some festivals in the UK. And they all got along great, and voila! Together the bands were awesome.

Before I get to Maps – there was a 3rd band on the Saturday night show, but I swear it was a joke, and it was really awful. The lead singer cannot sing at all, and it was a cringe-worthy set. For that – I wont even name their name, aside for the fact I also blanked it out.

Maps, from Northampton, UK, were the band to see. Friday night I wasn’t sure what to expect. I remember falling in love with their sound the moment I heard it, but it still couldn’t match what was on stage. The Mercury set was packed and felt overflowing with Brits. I’d have to guage that at least 80% of the crowd were from the UK and the band was quite excited. This was their first show in the states and they were clearly excited to be playing in NYC.

James asked everyone to move forward to be as close to the stage as possible and wanted everyone dancing. Their music, while many would probably think is not the most danceable, works quite well live to dance to. James not only fronts the band, but is apparently THE band and he brings the other guys along with him when touring. His lush vocals almost drowned out by the guitars fit with the music. An electronic beat infuses with the swirling guitars complementing James’ vocals.

Now put all that combination together and you get Maps. A dancey-electronica band with guitars that you’d expect to hear at a My Bloody Valentine or shoegaze show. James seemed excited about Saturday night in a different way than Friday night. He seemed much more relaxed on stage and was having fun with the crowd. He was on the sides while The Silent League were playing, and I caught his eye a few times, and he gave me the biggest smile. You could just see the excitement. While it was not a sold-out show at Luna Lounge, the crowd up front seemed really into them (I think a lot of us saw them on Friday night). The girl next to me grabbed my arm at one point, and excitedely tells me “ive been singing this song all day, i couldnt wait to hear it”. About this time, her, me and some other excited girls continued to dance to a very happy James Chapman.

Stand outs from the set were definitely “You Dont Know Her Name” and “It Will Find You”. Great friends (new and old), great bands, great music = awesome time!

I also managed to catch +/- {plus/minus} on Friday night, but barely remember the rest of the night after a butterscotch shot and some beer on an empty stomach. I do remember trying to find somewhere to eat in Tribeca at 2am and that was not fun!

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Mum is the Word…

Posted by xneverwherex on September 27, 2007

So – I just bought my mum tickets as part of the Wordless Music Series. And I can’t recommend seeing shows at this series enough. I have been listening to mum a bit and am just blown away by how amazing they sound. So naturally, a church and mum seem a great fit!  Now really …. its on to Beirut.

9/24/07

Monday night was a great way to start the week by heading up to the Society for Ethical Culture on the corner of Central Park West & 64th. The church is still in amazing condition (I did read it was recently refurbished) and the paintings are gorgeous. The pews are about as comfortable as pews can be, but more importantly, the acoustics are amazing. This was my second trip to this church – my first time having seen Lisa Gerrard of Dead Can Dance.

This series is about putting together acts that we might never consider listening to. For a lot of indie fans (myself included), its not often that I’d go out and find a new classically trained artist with electronic influences. And its not that I don’t care for the music, I just don’t find myself gravitating towards that. So I look to this series to expose my horizons.

The first review I read about the Beirut show had me so disappointed with what I read, I was convinced I attended a different show. Thanks NYT for thinking outside of the box.

Colleen, a French woman who it turns out barely made it into the states thanks to our government’s efficient visa plan with turning away all these artists, was the first artist to play. She is classically trained and primarily played the cello. She was very gifted and her music was a fusion of classical and electronic. She played everything from a clarinet to wind chimes to the violin. And everything was so beautifully crafted it was hard not to drift away with the music. I had no idea what to expect coming in, but I must say I was pleasantly surprised.

The next artists up were Katya Mihailova (on the piano) and Colin Jacobsen (on violin). Katya came up to perform 2 songs by herself on piano. The song from Chopin was performed perfectly, her fingers flying over the keys amazing to watch. I was seated in the 3rd row on the edge and had an amazing view. Her next song – which I dont remember the title but has something to do with only the left hand – was even more impressive. With just her left hand, she played the entire song. I don’t know if anyone else would have realized it, but when it hit me that she was only playing with one hand, I was blown away. Brooklyn (where she lives) should have been proud tonight!

Katya was later joined on the stage with Colin Jacobsen. Their first piece was from Arvo Part which really played out well together. The violin accompanying the piano was just beautiful. I am a sucker for beautiful piano pieces, and I have a love affair with watching people play the piano. It takes me to a different world. The set ended with a piece from Bela Bartok and Colin asked the lovely men of Beirut to join them on stage. So 4 guys from Beirut came out with a trumpet, a cello and some other instruments. There seemed to be a bit of confusion, but by the last part of the song it came together. It was a great way to end the set and get us pumped up for Beirut.

 Beirut were amazing. Zach Condon, the ever talented lead singer of Beirut, was exceptionally cool! Possibly the epitome of cool. With heavy French influences in the form of Jacques Brel, the band put on quite a show. 6 other guys filled the stage playing a variety of instruments and the lone female primarily on violin. The music which has a very Eastern European flair contained a big sound from the accordion, trumpets, violins, ukuleles and minimal drums. Guitars were barely used which was quite the nice change.

Its hard to close your eyes and imagine this band from Brooklyn, performing this Eastern European music, but this is what they do. And they do it quite well. The evening ended with Zach coming back after the encore and telling everyone to move forward and stand up. It ended with some sort of Romanian jig like tune. It was a perfect setting for nearly an hour and a half even when inside of a church!

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Our Love To Admire (Interpol)

Posted by xneverwherex on September 17, 2007

9/14/07

This was the first time I had pit tickets in quite awhile at a big venue. I had decided originally to get there insanely early to get a great spot in line. But when it came down to it, I just had no energy to do that. So I arrived at The Garden around 10 till 6. And there were maybe 20 people in front of me. Not bad, not bad. I start talking with the girl in front of me, who seems so nice. And she is quite friendly. She has just moved here from New Mexico and loves to go to concerts. On that note – I should send her a text about tomorrow’s show.  So its always a great way to hang out before the show begins. I get a text from my friend Hannah who is coming up from DC. yay! After our last fiasco – which is the fiasco not named – we had our fingers crossed that the trains would have no delays. And she made it just in time before we were let into the doors.

After standing around for an hour – and we are RIGHT in front (well one row ahead of us of shorter women) – The Liars come on. I had no clue what to expect of The Liars as I hadnt listened to them. The music is very loud, screamo type stuff but is quite out there at the same time. Some of their music was really good that I liked but for the most part I felt like I was in some sort of weird reality time-warp. The lead singer is entertaining and very much is a strong presence on the stage. He would mimic the drum movements and do all sorts of crazy little things. After about 35 mins. and their set was done.

I will say MSG has amazing acoustics and the first band sounded great. A super quick sound check and they were ready to go. Its not often that you get to see this, but suddenly you realize this is how its done by the pros 🙂

Next up was the amazing – Cat Power & The Dirty Delta Blues. I had always wanted to see her, as she has such an amazing beautiful, sultry voice. She definitely didn’t disappoint at this show. She seemed so happy to be there, working the stage as she made her way back and forth. She sat down on the side when there was nothing to see and let the band go to town. And this band was so talented. They really were a great backing unit to her. She played a cover (or maybe 2) and some other songs that I knew but for the most part I cant say I recognized them. It wouldn’t have mattered. She did not disappoint.

It was hard not to go insane once she left the stage. Floods of memories came back of seeing Interpol just a month ago at Lollapalooza. Thinking about what they might or might not play, was not helping the anticipation. I knew they were scheduled to be on at 10:30 per the employees of MSG who let us know. Around 10:20 Interpol takes the stage.

MSG at this point is so loud! Everyone is screaming and yelling for them and the place is going nuts. A large white sheet is in front of the band as they begin to play. The shadows that should have shown through the sheets were not working, so it didnt look quite right. Being in the front I could still easily make out the band and see everyone, but it didn’t seem quite right.  During the 2nd song, Daniel is going frantic yelling at the guy in front of him to take down the sheet.

The band has to stop the show and wait for the sheet to come down, which is having a malfunction. During all this the band starts to play, just instrumentals and the crowd is getting even more antsy just wanting to see them.

The sheet comes down and the band bursts into the rest of their set. The band was incredible. They played for a full hour and 40 mins, with not one, but two encores. Paul’s voice was so spot-on; Daniel was full of energy working the stage coming towards the crowd and Carlos D was naturally on his game and Sam worked it on the drums. The new songs which they played a bunch of were simply beautifully played. The highlights were “Pace Is The Trick” which has the trademark dramatic Interpol song. The crowd went nuts during “Heinrich Maneuver” with everyone singing along. Actually I think a lot of people were singing to every song. My favorite song on the album “Rest My Chemistry” was just what I had expected. From their first note, it was hard to contain oneself.

If anything Interpol far exceeded any other prior impressions I had of them. The final song “Untitled” was the perfect way to end the night. Luscious guitars that swirled and filled the room, with the constant drum beat in the background with the sparse lyrics from Paul was all that was needed. And the show couldn’t have ended on a better note!

Here’s hoping I can see them again soon.

Setlist:
Pioneer to the Falls
Obstacle 1
C’Mere
Narc
Say Hello to the Angels
Pace is the Trick
Mammoth
Hands Away
No I in Threesome
Slow Hands
Rest My Chemistry
The Heinrich Maneuver
Evil
Not Even Jail

NYC
Stella Was A Diver and She Was Always Down
PDA

Untitled

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Are You A Nerd?

Posted by xneverwherex on September 12, 2007

Naturally I have way too much time on my hands at work. So I decided to take this test. :) Nice to see I scored high in the comic book section :) Take yours?


NerdTests.com says I'm a High Nerd. What are you? Click here!

Posted in Random Ramblings | Leave a Comment »

The Veils Return

Posted by xneverwherex on September 11, 2007

9/10/07

Another great night at the Bowery. It was funny – as I was there a little bit early, I was upstairs talking to the guys who work security. And they were saying how they felt that Webster Hall by far had the best sound system. And that Mercury was OK, but Bowery was so much better. Then the guy was telling me – that I better make sure to have some earplugs as the bass lines for The Picture would be VERY loud.

So – alas I was ready for The Picture to come on. They are a 5-piece band from Brooklyn. And apparently all of their fans came out for this show. They are also playing on Friday night at Midway. And if I weren’t already going to Interpol, I’d have definitely gone back to hear them again. The bass lines weren’t so loud, but in general they were louder than usual. The bassist was really great, but the guitarists themselves were really great. The lead singer has a great voice and their songs were very catchy. Its yet another indie rock band, but I think these guys have a bright future ahead of them.

Next up – The XYZ Affair. Now this is a name I see around all the time. I had never listened to them, or if I had I really didn’t remember hearing them. I was not blown away by them for a second. Very loud guitars that just didn’t seem to connect. It seemed everyone was playing their own part, but never coming together as a band. The lead singer was very energetic jumping all over the stage, but I didn’t feel it completely translated over to the audience.

Finally – The Veils came on to the stage. They started their US tour at The Mercury Lounge, so how fitting was it that it ended at the Bowery Ballroom. Finn (lead singer) reminds me of this delicate creature when he plays. He came out in his bowler hat like last time, and looked to be wearing the near same clothes. Tighter than tight jeans with white shiny shoes. Looks great as always. Thin as a rail – I imagine him playing in most cities with a cigarette hanging from his mouth. It was a great set with music that just grabs you. Finn wears all of his emotion on his face, and at times it looks like he’s going to break down, and then a smile spreads across his lips for just a second. The intense look of joy on his face, only makes it that much better.

This time I was standing between Finn and the bassist. She had a taped up shoe yet again, and seemed excited to be there. She was amazing on the bass, her fingers just flailing away. As great as she was on bass, it was clearly Finn that is the band. With so much intensity on his face, its hard to remember to look down and watch him play. But when you do, his fingers move with such incredible speed, its amazing to watch.

This time the band played quite a few new songs, and then Finn noted that last time they didn’t play their cover of Scritti Politti’s “Lion After Slumber” – so that was included. He also pointed out, that just for us he’d play some songs they even played at Mercury 🙂 So we were treated to quite the show. Their new songs are sounding as great as ever, and Finn’s vocals were in top quality.

The encore was a real treat with a wardrobe change from Finn. He came out in red, white and blue striped pants with stars no less on them. Apparently a purchase from a store in LA, in which I guess it was told to him the colors wouldn’t bleed upon washing them. He had his button down shirt unbuttoned showing off his quite nice chest. The encore was 2 songs with an ending that consisted of him looking at the drummer, smiling, and then running into the drumset with his guitar and drums flying everywhere. What an ending to their tour in the states!

If you ever have a chance to see them, it should be worth your while. Its not often that you see guys who wear their hearts on their sleeve (so to speak), with vulnerability written all over their face.

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Friday night with editors

Posted by xneverwherex on September 10, 2007

9/7/07

Friday night started out on a great note at Webster Hall with Ra Ra Riot. I arrived there quite early and had a prime spot right in the front center. I’m slowly beginning to feel tho, that maybe they just arent ready for it all yet. The music still sounds as great as ever, but it just feels like they’re lacking something on stage. The 2 women in the band seemed nearly afraid of the crowd. Perhaps they’ve just been touring too much and need to take a break. Regardless, the new Kate Bush cover sounds quite good, but it doesn’t have the same catchiness as “Hounds of Love”. The drummer was good as well and it seems he’d make a fine replacement for John Pike.

The next band up was Biffy Clyro from Scotland. The first thing I noticed about the band was that they had die-hard fans who came out just to see them. A group of guys from Ireland were so excited to be seeing them, it was quite contagious. Now, I will start this out by saying Biffy Clyro is not someone I would normally listen to. It seemed an odd mix to put them between editors and Ra Ra Riot, two indie-pop/britpop bands. Biffy Clyro’s sound check was so loud I thought my ears might die. But when they came out to play it wasnt quite so loud. Or maybe my ears had adjusted. Some of the songs were quite easy to get into, but the loud, scream, noise heavy band was definitely not my cup of tea. The drummer and lead-singer (brothers), played with their shirts off. The lead singer has a collection of tattoos that range from everything from images to words. The band was very talented, and they could sure play those guitars. It was great fun to watch.

The highlight of the night – and probably one of my favorite shows from this year was editors. I became very addicted to the new album – An End Has a Start – , so I really couldn’t wait to see the band. Tom came out and right away jumped into Bones. What a track to start the night. The night continued with a set-list that I would say were some of their best songs.  Tom is very expressive with his hands, as he’d hold them out and wrap them around him. The crowd loved him and he played it up for the audience. His songs on the piano, enmeshed with his guitar were absolutely amazing. Watching his hands fly across the keys was pretty impressive. It was easy to see how truly talented he was. The lead guitarist is an incredible player and its easy to forgot how much of the music he actually plays.

Tom

The bassist on the other side of the piano, and nearly cut off from the band held his own and would often times go back towards the drummer and play facing him. When the 4 of them came together in the back of the room (bad pun), it was easy to see how they fed off of each other. The energy was there and in each song you could feel the energy emanating in the room.

The more popular songs were huge hits with the audience with everyone singing and jumping, and heads bopping along. I thought ‘Blood’ sounded amazing and one of my favorite songs ‘All Sparks’ was impressive. ‘Fall’ was as beautiful as it gets. Tom’s voice is so impressive live – it cant even compare with the recorded song. I am shooting myself that I am only seeing them once on this tour, because their new music is great. “When Anger Shows” is incredible live with the emotion all over Tom’s face and in his hands. Set list is listed below. If you haven’t yet seen editors, do yourself a favor and see them soon! They will not be this small forever. I keep thinking how impressive it would be to see Coldplay and editors play together. Similar styles and incredibly talented lead singers. Just might be a dream show.

Editors setlist:
Bones
Bullets
An End Has a Start
Blood
Fall
Escape the Nest
All Sparks
When Anger Shows
Lights
The Racing Rats
Weight of the World
Munich
Open Your Arms

You Are Fading
Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors
Fingers in the Factories

Video and photos to be added in the next day.

Posted in Adventures in the Big City, Friends, Live Music | 2 Comments »

Magnum Cum Louder!

Posted by xneverwherex on September 8, 2007

9/5/07

So – I’m a few days late on this posting, but better late than never. Wednesday night I found myself at BB Kings in Times Square. Never having been to this venue, and more importantly, hearing negative things via friends, I was unsure of what to expect. You go down a flight of stairs, and turn the corner, and voila! you arrive in a pretty big room, a stage in the center with tables all around. I was then seated, but told the woman I’d not be eating dinner. So I found myself hanging out by the sound stage awaiting THE HOODOO GURUS.

Now heres a bit of a flashback. I’m not really _that_ old, albeit what some friends might tell you 😉 I tend to hang around with younger(ish) people. Is that even a word? Well actually it really varies – my friends are either closer to 40 or closer to 25. With a range in between. So depending who you ask, I just might be old. Back in highschool, around 1991 or so when the aforementioned Magnum Cum Louder came out, my friends and I were HUGE fans of the Hoodoo Gurus. And with a title like Magnum Cum Louder (I didnt make up the spelling), we were taken with them. Needless to say, hearing that the guys from Australia were hitting the states – I was NOT missing them. So I felt like I was reliving my highschool days.

The first band The Elms were supposed to come on at 8pm. Around 8:05 or so, a band takes the stage, and announces in their THICK Australian accents – ‘thank you for coming to the early show, we’re going to play a few songs and then come back for the late show’. It was then that it hit me, The Hoodoo Gurus were the f’ing opening act. Guess The Elms bailed or something, so instead of one set with the Hoodoo Gurus, I got 2.

The first set had some catchy songs, but the one that hit me was “Good Times”. Dancing around and singing along, I might have been back in high school at a high school dance singing along “All the good times we had we’ll have again. ” Oh yeah! that was so high school for me. And at that moment I knew I was in for a special treat.

The band left the stage, only to come back promptly at 9pm to give us the late night version. I was surprised how many people missed the openers. Im one of those few people who is insistent on seeing openers. Im convinced Im going to have my own Joy Division story. (or is that the Sex Pistols?). You know the story – the one where there were 20 people who showed up for the show. Yeah – those stories rock! Because at some point most of us have them. But its more amazing when the band blows up and you can say I saw them at xyz. So I was talking to some people around me, and everyone asked if it was true that The Hoodoo Gurus did the opening slot. You bet your ass they did. And yeah – of course I saw it.

The crowd was a much older crowd, I was probably one of the youngest people there. I was standing right in front of the bassist, Rick. The bass lines soared, lots of guitars, vocals that came and went, and some older guys who could rock out. Rick kept staring down at me, as the older guys around me would all start getting into it, dancing, jumping around. A smile would pass his lips, and I was in heaven. Some girls would try and push into me, to catch Rick’s look, but alas too bad for them. I wasnt the chick who was wearing near nothing, but looked presentable (in clothes that covered me) and wasnt too cool to not rock out.

My only disappointment was not hearing my favorite song “I Want You Back”. Around the 6th song “Come Anytime” (one of my favorite songs), it became ‘audience request time’. Apparently they are staples at BB Kings, and even remembered what they had played prior times.

and btw – for anyone interested. they are playing maxwells on sunday night.

oh and they ended with a friend of theirs, Keith?, coming up and playing a song they rehearsed (apparently incorrectly).

Set List
(lets all) turn on
down on me
domino
death-defying (apparently dave’s fav song that he ever wrote).
for the ladies (which they were not going to play because they played it last time at bb kings)
come anytime
*audience request*
*audience request*
poison pen
1000 miles away
axegrinder
what’s my scene?
miss freelove ’69
bittersweet
the right time
kamikaza pilot

the encores were left to us
i think the songs were arthur and good son?

*and for those who need more…. editors update coming later this weekend*

Posted in Adventures in the Big City, Live Music | 1 Comment »

Sharp = $3.50 w/The Rentals

Posted by xneverwherex on August 24, 2007

8/23/07

I happened to come across this sweet deal, where I was able to obtain Rentals tix for $3.50. And seriously, for that price how could anyone say no. So I invited 3 other people to come along with me from my meetup group.

The night started off with a band called Goldenboy who apparently is friends with Matt Sharp. He played on one of their songs later in the set. Goldenboy played a bit too long for an opener, and it was a bit slow. It was good music, but it just didn’t have anything to get me excited about the Rentals. Nearly 45 mins later and they were finally done.

Next up was Copeland. I wasnt familiar with their music, had a familiar name, and one of the guys is convinced its a reincarnation of Radiohead. I must say I’m not sure I agree on that one. The lead singer has a great voice and their music is very catchy. It was easy to just get into their music with a very familiar indie-pop sound. Only major disappointment was a 35 MINUTE set. I was completely blown away, as I really thought they were much better than the first band. Truly, it seemed completely backwards. And besides, the guys were quite nice to look at 😉

Around 10:30pm The Rentals came on. Now truth be told, aside from Matt Sharp (formerly bass player in Weezer) fronting the band, I really didn’t know any of their songs. I knew the song “Friends of P”, but wasn’t sure I’d recognize anything else.

Instead, I was blown away to one hell of a performance. Very catchy songs that were quite recognizeable, combined with likeable performers consisting of a woman on violin, a woman on bass, and a whole bunch of other people in the band. A filled stage with lots of dancing and truly a band having a great time. Matt is an incredible front-man, making use of the entire stage, going back and forth to opposite ends, truly playing to the crowd.

He had some very funny banter about their trip to Minneapolis and some mention of Purple Rain and Prince. Along with the drummers mustache reminding people of Hall & Oates. Why they didnt play “Maneater” one will never know – but the crowd surely wanted it. It was enjoyable and even more funny.

It was a great crowd, although I’m not entirely sure about the pushing/shoving/mock mosh pit. Was truly annoying more than anything, and it cleared out the crowd in parts of the room. But these guys truly enjoyed their music as they were all singing along.

The set ended at midnight and Matt clearly didn’t have enough time to play everything he had wanted. I guess it means that they will have to return soon. Was awesome to hear “Friends of P” live. The crowd went insane! What a set it was and I will surely be seeing them next time they come around. Great company and great band = sharp time!

Posted in Friends, Live Music | Leave a Comment »

Lets Dance to Joy Division- Those Marsupials Rock!

Posted by xneverwherex on August 16, 2007

To describe a band as cute and cuddly would probably horrify most bands, but when you call yourselves The Wombats and show up to the gig with a stuffed animal, what can you expect. While they might look cute and cuddly they sure do rock. Infectious jangly hooks with post-punk/pop-punk melodies and somewhere in that you have The Wombats.

The Wombats, hailing from Liverpool, performed their first show in the states last night at The Annex. Wooo! If New Yorkers were happy that this was their first stop, the band seemed even happier to be playing in the States. They were headed off to the West Coast to play Popscene in SF tonight.

Their show started out as a Barbershop Trio (or is that triplet?). The 3 guys came out and sang a really catchy song (sans instruments) about marsupials! yay marsupials! It was hard not to be singing it along with them. Once that was done, they all went to their instruments and started playing like there was no tomorrow. With songs like “Lets Dance to Joy Division” and their single “Kill The Director” – its really hard not to start dancing.

The lead singer was very talkative and mentioned things about how we should do the waltz to one of the songs, and whoever waltzed best would win either a shirt, or a dirty nappy of the drummer. Sadly, no New Yorkers claimed to be doing the waltz. Next, he asked about swinging? Naturally, a few cackles were heard in the back, whether it was for actually swing dancing or other things, one will never know.

The show was just what was expected. With some songs sounding reminiscent of Maximo Park, it made for a great night of fun. The bands were asking for hand-clapping and lots of dancing and the crowd didn’t disappoint. Wombats are rumoured to be back in February so if you werent fortunate to catch them this time around, Feb is just around the corner.

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Lollapalooza 2007 – Day 3 !!! (Chk Chk Chk)

Posted by xneverwherex on August 9, 2007

Sunday started out by looking a bit overcast. So it was really hard to guage the weather. Needless to say, I really chose the wrong clothes to wear. Black in the heat of the sun is never a good choice.

Started my morning under the trees at the BMI Stage yet again checking out local band (Springfield, IL) The Graduate. The lead singer has a bit of the Mark McGrath (of Sugar Ray) thing going on. Good looking, great voice and to me, had that cocky attitude. Not a bad thing. This music is guaranteed to be on Top 40 radio. Its pop friendly, easily listenable, but for me, easily disposable. Enjoyable for what it was.

From there headed into the hot hot sun and caught some of The Postmarks set. The lead singer has a great voice, but their music just wasn’t getting me energized. Her music was low-key and a bit slow-going, so I have a feeling its a band I must see in a club. On the stage behind I could hear Juliette Lewis (yes, the actress) from Juliette & The Licks going crazy, so I had to check it out. She was working the crowd into a frenzy, running back and forth on the stage in her skin tight clothes. The band was great that was backing her up. From what I saw of her set, I was very entertained and the crowd loved it.

Slowly meandered from Juliette Lewis to the big stage to catch The Cribs. I somehow managed to get right in front of the big opening, and was very surprised. Lollapalooza Day 3 - The Cribs I should mention that at this time the weather is oppressive.  The stage felt a bit too big for them, but they managed best they could. Definitely a band better fitted to be playing a club. Liked what I had heard, and can’t say I’m a huge fan of them, but really enjoyed their set. With the hot weather, I lasted about 30 mins before heading to an open spot in the grass, grabbing some water as it dripped everywhere. Closed my eyes, and The Cribs took me away.

As I got some much needed food, I listened to Dios in the background. I really wasnt familiar with their music, but for background music it was quite nice. Then it was time to see Rodrigo y Gabriela. 2 guitarists from Mexico who are nothing short of being amazing live. Gabriela’s fingers fly over the guitar, making it seem effortless. Add the two of them together and its near magic. As they went from their own songs to breaking out into Hendrix, Metallica, Pink Floyd, Zepp, etc. it was easy to see how talented they really were. It was great as they played “Wish You Were Here” as the crowd attempted to sing with them. Somewhere during the set, Rodrigo mentioned as they played their new song that we should feel free to get naked. Ah, what a moment it was. Be sure to check them out if you can appreciate some great guitar work.

After this headed over to see Scotland’s own – Los Campesinos! Lollapalooza Day 3 - Los Campesinos!
I had just started listening to their stuff and easily loved their catchy, indie-pop music. Great stuff to dance to, so it wasnt that surprising when 6 of them were on the stage and just wanted to dance and have a great time. It was great when by the end of the set the lead singer had jumped into the crowd and was dancing with them. The only real down-fall is that they were having awful sound issues. They didnt start on time plus had problems in the beginning. They did make mention of their neighbor Amy Winehouse who was playing at the stage nearby.

Found myself looking for shade and swung back to the BMI Stage to check out The Diffs. Really wasn’t into their loud, thrashy music and headed to check out Blue October. Was having too many issues with sound bleeding over from The Annuals so had to leave. From what I could hear of Blue October, I did like them and it was catchy music. Caught bits and pieces of Paolo Nutini and Apostle of Hustle.

As I met with friends and grabbed some food, Kings of Leon filled the background. Recognized some of their music, but can’t say I’m a fan of their described ‘Southern Rock’ sound. So instead, headed over to proceed to get very close for !!!. Nic Offer is definitely the epitome of fun. Ridiculous dance moves  to music that cant help but make you dance. He made his way back and forth across the stage, jumping into the crowd, which apparently pissed off security. In tight blue shorts a bright blue shirt with a mop of curly hair, he entertained the crowd. Lollapalooza Day 3 - !!! Shannon, who has quite the voice too, danced it up and also managed to pour a can of beer down her body before proceeding to rip off her top. Danced and danced till I felt like I was going to pass out. “Must be the Moon” sounded great!

Needless to say, by the time TV on the Radio came on stage, I was sure at any moment I’d pass out from exhaustion. My great spot on the rail soon got moved back. Albeit, a very short set, the crowd was jumping and singing along with the band. I managed to get further back and could properly enjoy their last song ‘Staring at the Sun’. What a way to end the set!

As I headed towards the next stage for the last show of the night – Pearl Jam would soon be heard. And it could be heard even far out from the park. Eddie Vedder’s most catchy song of the night was his ‘Dont go to BP/Amoco’. As always, he said some great things that should have sunk in and were a perfect way to end the festival. But yes, it is important that we save Lake Michigan. It’s more important that the oil companies quit spilling oil into our lakes. Enough said. The set consisted of a mostly greatest hits set and it was great. Daughter and Even Flow live were simply amazing! The area was packed and everyone was singing along and really rocking out.

So what a way it was to end the 3-day festival. I’m already thinking about next years, wondering how on earth anything can top it.

And as a side note: Pearl Jam’s concert was edited by AT&T cutting out his Anti-Bush statements. Please join Rock The Net – Musicians Support Network Neutrality. To read about the Pearl Jam show, click here.

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