Lolla Fri
I got there way late. I had scheduling for Boston in the morning, my flight left at 1245 which made me nervous I wouldn't be able to schedule and get to my flight. Ultimately that was not a problem. The drive to the airport took forever causing me to miss the black keys which I was not happy about. I heard a couple songs walking into the show.
The first band I saw was cat power. It was pretty good. Lacks a lot of energy but that is the point. Chan is a great song writer so it makes up for a less energetic show. E and I left and walked over to watch grizzly bear for a while. They were pretty good, similar to Cat Power. Good to watch but not a whole lot going on. Still the sound was great and the set was strong. At this point Ethan and I split up cause he was tired and wanted to sit down and I left to see Raconteurs. Mistake on my part. It was really crowded so I couldn't see the stage. Also at various points they sounded like a bad Zeppelin cover band.
I left Raconteurs for three the hard way: Cool Kids, CSS,The Jicks. I first went to Cool Kids, they started late but brought lots of energy. I saw about a 1/4 of a set, they played Gold and a Pager, Mikey Rocks, a beastie boys freestyle and couple other songs. I hope they come around Boston cause they would totally be worth seeing again. CSS were a little disappointing, they had energy but left me wanting something. I got there right as they played Music is my Hot Hot Sex. I then heard a couple more songs, it was cool to see Lovefoxx body suit and a dancing girl on stage but otherwise it wasn't that sweet. The Jicks were great. Stephen Malkmus knows how to play and I love Pavement. And had the best stage banter "We are the Jicks, not Radiohead". They jammed for a little but kept it interesting. Probably the best of the three in all honesty. Colin stopped by and felt that they suck balls.
I would write about Radiohead but I don't think i can add anything to the conversation. I was a great show. I unfortunately had to take off cause of exhaustion. I wished I stuck around but oh well. There stage set up was incredibly cool and the fireworks were perfect. I will post a vids/photos.
Lolla Sat
First up is Ting Tings. This is where I met up with the crew. Harry, Pac, Steph and I meet up and went to Ting Tings. They were surprisingly good. Kind of like an upbeat bloc party. I can see why they used it for an ipod commercial. I only watched a couple songs of Dr. Dog from across the field I was not really impressed or interested. This may have been due to the heat.
From Dr. Dog we walked over to Mason Jennings/Dereks Bentley area. We were not planing to see Mason Jennings just sort of happened. He turned out to be really good. Would have fit nicely on a juno soundtrack. Dereks Bentley was fun. A little bit country a little bit rock n roll. I should have stuck around longer but oh well all part of the experience.
We to MGMT from there too Booka Shade. Mgmt had a huge crowd but they didnt have good sound. It was way way way too quiet. So after two songs Pac, E and I bounced. We walked over to Booka Shade which we met up with C. Booka Shade was crazy. They totally punked MGMT by being about 500x louder with mad bass. C looked to me and made sure that it wasn't just him that thought it was loud. I danced like an idiot but had a lot of fun.
Explosions in the Sky to Spankrock to Jamie Lidell. Now this was a mash up. The fam crew and I left booka shade to go see explosions. They were pretty good but we lacked the weed to make it a great show. After half hour we went to see spankrock. That was a lot of fun, and really dirty. Amanda Blank and the other girl who were up on stage freaked hard. The Plastic Little crew got up there eventually. It was a good time, from there Ethan and I went to Jamie Lidell. Colin left and went to uffie. Lidell was amazing he made his beats out of his own vocal samples. So he would beat box and stuff and eventually sample himself enough to create a new song. I have to see it again.
Lupe Fiasco was pretty good. Had real good flow and lots of energy which was need for such a large stage. Started it out with kick push which was probably the easiest way to psych up the crowd with losing the fewest people. Colin was backstage for the set and apparently lupe pumped him self up by staring at C looking like he was going to kill him. Good times
Sharon Jones was a lot of fun. And the band was tight. They kept that shit on lock and everyone in the crowd was dancing. Too bad I didn't have a dance partner. I really want to see her again, for a full performance. The Dap Tones know how to play and she works the stage as good as anyone I have seen.
Wilco were pleasent. Every time I was just about to leave they played a song that I liked. The ominous sounds of rage were coming from the other end of the park and I kind of wished I saw them. Then again I hear that they had to stop the show and get people to chill out which I wasn't exactly looking for. Oh well Wilco put on a great show anyway, and I am trying to break your heart is a great song.
Lolla Sun
White Lies first band i saw. I was on the side of the stage trying to get there for the weakerthans. The Weakerthans canceled so i watched White Lies. They are pretty good. The 11am Chicago sun does not match their music style but have to pay your dues. They played solid dance rock. Much like the killers or bravery, if I heard them in high school I would have loved them. I heard them now, and I still think they are way good.
What Made Millwaki Famous/The Whigs these guys were playing while I was walking around trying to find my friends. They played very serviceable rock. I was not blown away but they did a good job. They had the awful job of opening the show in the heat, on the last day and get people to care.
John Butler Trio these guys could play. Everyone at Lolla could play but these guys could really play. They were a jam band but damn if it wasn't a good time. The songs were great, C and I listened to a lot of them in the artist lounge playing ping pong, which is specifically what the music is made for.
Amadou and Mariam or what I refereed to as the African Band. This was an amazing set. They played ultra global, ultra funky music. Serving as inspiration for Talking Heads and Vampire Weekend, only this band has way more soul. I stood on the stage for the show, rocking out next to me were guys from flogging molly and nine inch nails. The band is couple who meet at the Mali Institute for the Blind. It is a very compelling back story. Sort of thing that makes me want to take Swahili and help Africa.
Iron and Wine and Flogging Molly I listened to from behind the gates in the Lollalounge. I have decided that this is the way to go. If your going to spend the money to go to Lolla, get the lounge pass. Free food, free alc, better bathrooms, close to the stage and most importantly a place to sit and get out of the sun. Iron and Wine were a very pleasant band. C and I played ping pong back in the artist lounge watching Sam from Iron and wine write his set list. The music almost puts you to sleep in the heat and three margaritas in you. Flogging Molly did not put me to sleep. In fact they woke me up and shocked me with how good they were. I had sort of forgotten about them. Relegating them to that high school section of my itunes that I no longer listen to. Yet there songs made me want to hop out of the lounge and go mosh, that was until I had another beer and decided it was easier to stay in the shade.
Love and Rockets I did not really watch these guys either. I wasn't sitting in the lounge I was walking around trying to get backstage for the national. I liked the song "so alive" unfortunately the rest of their set was not as good. They were kind of a bad blend of goth and the rolling stones, which is how the dressed as well.
The National played a great set. They played most of Boxer and a good chunk of Alligator. They opened strong with Start a War and stayed strong ending with ADA, Fake Empire and Mr. November. Now if there is a better way to end a set I do not know it, with the possible exception of Optomistic, 2+2=5 and Idiotque. The mix was a little muddy but it always is. It was great to see these guys have such a huge draw, especially since lots of people were getting ready for Kanye and Nine Inch Nails.
Nine Inch Nails was the second best show I saw this festival. The light show that went on was incredible and I was surprised at just how good the songs were. Nine Inch Nails for me frequently get filed away as dumb Kroq music. This is not true, Reznor has a very cynical and angry world view but makes great music. The show was broken in several parts: the hits, the noise, ghosts, trip-hop and hits part II. All of which was broken up by some of the best staging that I have ever seen. The show was populated by a group whose rallying cry was "FUCK Kanye!" and by the end of it I was shouting it right along with them.
I got there way late. I had scheduling for Boston in the morning, my flight left at 1245 which made me nervous I wouldn't be able to schedule and get to my flight. Ultimately that was not a problem. The drive to the airport took forever causing me to miss the black keys which I was not happy about. I heard a couple songs walking into the show.
The first band I saw was cat power. It was pretty good. Lacks a lot of energy but that is the point. Chan is a great song writer so it makes up for a less energetic show. E and I left and walked over to watch grizzly bear for a while. They were pretty good, similar to Cat Power. Good to watch but not a whole lot going on. Still the sound was great and the set was strong. At this point Ethan and I split up cause he was tired and wanted to sit down and I left to see Raconteurs. Mistake on my part. It was really crowded so I couldn't see the stage. Also at various points they sounded like a bad Zeppelin cover band.
I left Raconteurs for three the hard way: Cool Kids, CSS,The Jicks. I first went to Cool Kids, they started late but brought lots of energy. I saw about a 1/4 of a set, they played Gold and a Pager, Mikey Rocks, a beastie boys freestyle and couple other songs. I hope they come around Boston cause they would totally be worth seeing again. CSS were a little disappointing, they had energy but left me wanting something. I got there right as they played Music is my Hot Hot Sex. I then heard a couple more songs, it was cool to see Lovefoxx body suit and a dancing girl on stage but otherwise it wasn't that sweet. The Jicks were great. Stephen Malkmus knows how to play and I love Pavement. And had the best stage banter "We are the Jicks, not Radiohead". They jammed for a little but kept it interesting. Probably the best of the three in all honesty. Colin stopped by and felt that they suck balls.
I would write about Radiohead but I don't think i can add anything to the conversation. I was a great show. I unfortunately had to take off cause of exhaustion. I wished I stuck around but oh well. There stage set up was incredibly cool and the fireworks were perfect. I will post a vids/photos.
Lolla Sat
First up is Ting Tings. This is where I met up with the crew. Harry, Pac, Steph and I meet up and went to Ting Tings. They were surprisingly good. Kind of like an upbeat bloc party. I can see why they used it for an ipod commercial. I only watched a couple songs of Dr. Dog from across the field I was not really impressed or interested. This may have been due to the heat.
From Dr. Dog we walked over to Mason Jennings/Dereks Bentley area. We were not planing to see Mason Jennings just sort of happened. He turned out to be really good. Would have fit nicely on a juno soundtrack. Dereks Bentley was fun. A little bit country a little bit rock n roll. I should have stuck around longer but oh well all part of the experience.
We to MGMT from there too Booka Shade. Mgmt had a huge crowd but they didnt have good sound. It was way way way too quiet. So after two songs Pac, E and I bounced. We walked over to Booka Shade which we met up with C. Booka Shade was crazy. They totally punked MGMT by being about 500x louder with mad bass. C looked to me and made sure that it wasn't just him that thought it was loud. I danced like an idiot but had a lot of fun.
Explosions in the Sky to Spankrock to Jamie Lidell. Now this was a mash up. The fam crew and I left booka shade to go see explosions. They were pretty good but we lacked the weed to make it a great show. After half hour we went to see spankrock. That was a lot of fun, and really dirty. Amanda Blank and the other girl who were up on stage freaked hard. The Plastic Little crew got up there eventually. It was a good time, from there Ethan and I went to Jamie Lidell. Colin left and went to uffie. Lidell was amazing he made his beats out of his own vocal samples. So he would beat box and stuff and eventually sample himself enough to create a new song. I have to see it again.
Lupe Fiasco was pretty good. Had real good flow and lots of energy which was need for such a large stage. Started it out with kick push which was probably the easiest way to psych up the crowd with losing the fewest people. Colin was backstage for the set and apparently lupe pumped him self up by staring at C looking like he was going to kill him. Good times
Sharon Jones was a lot of fun. And the band was tight. They kept that shit on lock and everyone in the crowd was dancing. Too bad I didn't have a dance partner. I really want to see her again, for a full performance. The Dap Tones know how to play and she works the stage as good as anyone I have seen.
Wilco were pleasent. Every time I was just about to leave they played a song that I liked. The ominous sounds of rage were coming from the other end of the park and I kind of wished I saw them. Then again I hear that they had to stop the show and get people to chill out which I wasn't exactly looking for. Oh well Wilco put on a great show anyway, and I am trying to break your heart is a great song.
Lolla Sun
White Lies first band i saw. I was on the side of the stage trying to get there for the weakerthans. The Weakerthans canceled so i watched White Lies. They are pretty good. The 11am Chicago sun does not match their music style but have to pay your dues. They played solid dance rock. Much like the killers or bravery, if I heard them in high school I would have loved them. I heard them now, and I still think they are way good.
What Made Millwaki Famous/The Whigs these guys were playing while I was walking around trying to find my friends. They played very serviceable rock. I was not blown away but they did a good job. They had the awful job of opening the show in the heat, on the last day and get people to care.
John Butler Trio these guys could play. Everyone at Lolla could play but these guys could really play. They were a jam band but damn if it wasn't a good time. The songs were great, C and I listened to a lot of them in the artist lounge playing ping pong, which is specifically what the music is made for.
Amadou and Mariam or what I refereed to as the African Band. This was an amazing set. They played ultra global, ultra funky music. Serving as inspiration for Talking Heads and Vampire Weekend, only this band has way more soul. I stood on the stage for the show, rocking out next to me were guys from flogging molly and nine inch nails. The band is couple who meet at the Mali Institute for the Blind. It is a very compelling back story. Sort of thing that makes me want to take Swahili and help Africa.
Iron and Wine and Flogging Molly I listened to from behind the gates in the Lollalounge. I have decided that this is the way to go. If your going to spend the money to go to Lolla, get the lounge pass. Free food, free alc, better bathrooms, close to the stage and most importantly a place to sit and get out of the sun. Iron and Wine were a very pleasant band. C and I played ping pong back in the artist lounge watching Sam from Iron and wine write his set list. The music almost puts you to sleep in the heat and three margaritas in you. Flogging Molly did not put me to sleep. In fact they woke me up and shocked me with how good they were. I had sort of forgotten about them. Relegating them to that high school section of my itunes that I no longer listen to. Yet there songs made me want to hop out of the lounge and go mosh, that was until I had another beer and decided it was easier to stay in the shade.
Love and Rockets I did not really watch these guys either. I wasn't sitting in the lounge I was walking around trying to get backstage for the national. I liked the song "so alive" unfortunately the rest of their set was not as good. They were kind of a bad blend of goth and the rolling stones, which is how the dressed as well.
The National played a great set. They played most of Boxer and a good chunk of Alligator. They opened strong with Start a War and stayed strong ending with ADA, Fake Empire and Mr. November. Now if there is a better way to end a set I do not know it, with the possible exception of Optomistic, 2+2=5 and Idiotque. The mix was a little muddy but it always is. It was great to see these guys have such a huge draw, especially since lots of people were getting ready for Kanye and Nine Inch Nails.
Nine Inch Nails was the second best show I saw this festival. The light show that went on was incredible and I was surprised at just how good the songs were. Nine Inch Nails for me frequently get filed away as dumb Kroq music. This is not true, Reznor has a very cynical and angry world view but makes great music. The show was broken in several parts: the hits, the noise, ghosts, trip-hop and hits part II. All of which was broken up by some of the best staging that I have ever seen. The show was populated by a group whose rallying cry was "FUCK Kanye!" and by the end of it I was shouting it right along with them.
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