Lolla 2012 mini-reviews

[Mr MidFi]

Just a few quick thoughts on some of the bands I saw last weekend at Lollapalooza. I may also update the thread next week, as I’m flying out to San Francisco for a one-day visit to the Outside Lands Fest.

Acts are reviewed in the order in which I saw them.

First Aid Kit –Swedish sisters who sing beautiful folk-pop melodies with two-part harmonies and a little country twang. A nice, easygoing way to kick off the weekend. (Note: front row!)

Anamanaguchi – Bratty punk-pop with a Nintendo-style electronic twist. Sounds like the soundtrack to that Scott Pilgrim movie. Fun, but forgettable.

The War On Drugs – I like this band. They had some technical issues getting set up, and they had to tweak the settings a few times after they got started… but once they hit their stride, it was all engaging, mesmerizing guitar-rock with a singer-songwriter-era accent.

Metric – This was a fun set. Emily Haines, formerly of Broken Social Scene, is a dynamic performer (and a cutie-pie)… but there was a little more bouncy pop and not as much balls-out rock as I’d prefer. Still, a good time was had.

Die Antwoord – Part of the reason for going to a festival is to experience acts you’d normally not pay money to see. This utterly bizarre hip-hop duo from South Africa fits that description. And that’s the only description you’ll get because, well, goddamn.

Band of Skulls – I got up fairly close for this show, which was on a side-stage. This band plays tight, interesting blues-based rock with nice interplay between male and female lead vocals. Definitely worth seeing, and they tour a lot.

Passion Pit – The original plan was to head down to the south main stage to catch the last half of The Shins… but man, it was hot and that stage was a mile away. So I caught the last couple of songs from these guys on the north stage. Mistake. They suck.

Black Sabbath – Highlight of the weekend. They rocked with great force, and the crowd loved it. The lineup is 3 original members plus a ringer on drums, who is a freakin’ beast (I think it’s the guy from Faith No More). Anyway, they played all the songs I wanted to hear most, including a powerful “War Pigs”. Great stuff, and my last chance to see the real thing.

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound – I got front-row, dead-center for the first act of day 2, a neo-soul showband in the James Brown vein. These guys are really good.

FIDLAR – California garage-punk. The name is an acronym for “F*** it dude, life’s a risk”. That sums it up aptly.

The Givers – Upbeat, indie pop-rock. Again with the male/female twin lead vocals. Difficult to describe their sound, but I rather liked their show.

(Halfway through day 2, they evacuated the park because of an approaching storm. I heard wrongly that they were NOT going to reopen the park, so I caught the train home. So I missed Franz Ferdinand and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I’m an idiot.)

Red Oblivion – The only notable thing is the smokin’ hot blond gal on lead guitar. Otherwise, ugh.

Hey Rosetta – A nice surprise. They sound like Andrew Bird meets the Cold War Kids… except it’s better than that sounds. I’m going to check out their album.

White Rabbits – Spoon meets Phoenix. I like these guys. So would many of you.

Dum Dum Girls – I’ll be honest here, I don’t really remember how they were. Just that they weren’t quite as fun as I’d expected.

The Gaslight Anthem – Straight-up bar rock. No more, no less… but these guys do it very well. They’re pros.

Florence & the Machine – I’m not really a fan, but the power of this live show is undeniable. The crowd was vast, overwhelmingly female, and unspeakably horny by the end of the set. Oh my.

Justice – My first-ever experience at a big-time, headlining techno set. Hey, we only live once. My plan had been to catch the opening, then walk the long mile to see Jack White. But a combination of factors* kept me on the north side, and I’m not sorry. True Fact: I had a full-fledged blast, and I don’t care who knows it.

*I was higher than Jesus.

[Mr MidFi]

Most of the pictures I took were awful. Here are a few that came out OK...

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[MasterCylinder]

Sounds like a fun festival..............thanks for sharing.

However, I truly cannot imagine a 63-year old & fu**ed-up Ozzy being fun to watch.

[Mr MidFi]

Sounds like a fun festival..............thanks for sharing.

However, I truly cannot imagine a 63-year old & fu**ed-up Ozzy being fun to watch.

He was twice as good as I'd hoped. Seriously.

And for a man who's dying of cancer, Tony Iommi was absolutely great.

[MasterCylinder]

I saw them in 1971 when they were at their peak -- Ozzy was not good then...............so that's why I say, " I can't imagine...................

Iommi has always been very good..............I really like his CD, FUSED from 2005.

[Mr MidFi]

Update: Saturday at Outside Lands festival in San Francisco. It was my first visit to OSL, and I was struck by how different the vibe is there. It's at Golden Gate Park, and it was shrouded in cool, misty fog all day long... a good 30 degrees F chillier than Lolla. And the people were all mellow as hell.

Tame Impala -- Garage-rock with a tasty neo-psychedelic flavor. Me likey.

Portugal. The Man -- Stupid band name, but fun and interesting group. It's indie-rock, but with more 'rock' than indie. Hard to describe, really... sounds like a half-dozen strong influences mixed randomly in a 10-lb. bag.

(Tried to see the Alabama Shakes, but the crowd there was too massive to get anywhere within a quarter-mile of the stage. Screw that. My daughter was up on the rail, and said they were outstanding.)

Explosions in the Sky -- Atmospheric, sometimes-soaring instrumental band. Hypnotic in a good way, like a good film soundtrack.

The Kills -- I'd seen these two play a couple of times before, but this was markedly different. Instead of just stripped-down blues/rock songs with one man, one woman and a drum machine, they had 4 percussionists on-stage and were clearly going for more of a performance-oriented show. Kinda cheesy for me, but others loved it.

Metallica -- Sonic fascism. I might have been up for this in a different time and place, but not this time. I hung for a while, then bolted for...

Sigur Ros -- Absolutely the opposite of Metallica in every way. It was pure art, pure emotion, in a surreal setting in a misty fog at night in the woods. A show I will never forget.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Update: Saturday at Outside Lands festival in San Francisco. It was my first visit to OSL, and I was struck by how different the vibe is there. It's at Golden Gate Park, and it was shrouded in cool, misty fog all day long... a good 30 degrees F chillier than Lolla. And the people were all mellow as hell.

Tame Impala -- Garage-rock with a tasty neo-psychedelic flavor. Me likey.

Portugal. The Man -- Stupid band name, but fun and interesting group. It's indie-rock, but with more 'rock' than indie. Hard to describe, really... sounds like a half-dozen strong influences mixed randomly in a 10-lb. bag.

(Tried to see the Alabama Shakes, but the crowd there was too massive to get anywhere within a quarter-mile of the stage. Screw that. My daughter was up on the rail, and said they were outstanding.)

Explosions in the Sky -- Atmospheric, sometimes-soaring instrumental band. Hypnotic in a good way, like a good film soundtrack.

The Kills -- I'd seen these two play a couple of times before, but this was markedly different. Instead of just stripped-down blues/rock songs with one man, one woman and a drum machine, they had 4 percussionists on-stage and were clearly going for more of a performance-oriented show. Kinda cheesy for me, but others loved it.

Metallica -- Sonic fascism. I might have been up for this in a different time and place, but not this time. I hung for a while, then bolted for...

Sigur Ros -- Absolutely the opposite of Metallica in every way. It was pure art, pure emotion, in a surreal setting in a misty fog at night in the woods. A show I will never forget.

Did you miss Franz Ferdinand again? I guess there were multiple stages again like most of these festivals and that makes it hard to see everyone you want to. The only one I would have wanted to see for sure would have been Neil Young.

[Mr MidFi]

Did you miss Franz Ferdinand again?

Unfortunately, I was only there for Saturday... had to get back to work. Mrs. MidFi reports that they were excellent yesterday, as was Jack White.

Here's a pic of me, the wife & daughter, and a friend of ours from SF (plus his teenage son).

Bruce Valentine's Photos | Facebook

Yes, my hair is an atrocity in that shot.

[Jack in Wilmington]

Unfortunately, I was only there for Saturday... had to get back to work. Mrs. MidFi reports that they were excellent yesterday, as was Jack White.

Here's a pic of me, the wife & daughter, and a friend of ours from SF (plus his teenage son).

Bruce Valentine's Photos | Facebook

Yes, my hair is an atrocity in that shot.

Damn, that's an expensive trip for one day. Maybe you'll be able to catch it on TV like I can with Lollapalooza.

[Mr MidFi]

Damn, that's an expensive trip for one day.

I'm wacky like that. Ask Forever Autumn!

[Swish]

Just a few quick thoughts on some of the bands I saw last weekend at Lollapalooza. I may also update the thread next week, as I’m flying out to San Francisco for a one-day visit to the Outside Lands Fest.

Acts are reviewed in the order in which I saw them.

First Aid Kit –Swedish sisters who sing beautiful folk-pop melodies with two-part harmonies and a little country twang. A nice, easygoing way to kick off the weekend. (Note: front row!)

Anamanaguchi – Bratty punk-pop with a Nintendo-style electronic twist. Sounds like the soundtrack to that Scott Pilgrim movie. Fun, but forgettable.

The War On Drugs – I like this band. They had some technical issues getting set up, and they had to tweak the settings a few times after they got started… but once they hit their stride, it was all engaging, mesmerizing guitar-rock with a singer-songwriter-era accent.

Metric – This was a fun set. Emily Haines, formerly of Broken Social Scene, is a dynamic performer (and a cutie-pie)… but there was a little more bouncy pop and not as much balls-out rock as I’d prefer. Still, a good time was had.

Die Antwoord – Part of the reason for going to a festival is to experience acts you’d normally not pay money to see. This utterly bizarre hip-hop duo from South Africa fits that description. And that’s the only description you’ll get because, well, goddamn.

Band of Skulls – I got up fairly close for this show, which was on a side-stage. This band plays tight, interesting blues-based rock with nice interplay between male and female lead vocals. Definitely worth seeing, and they tour a lot.

Passion Pit – The original plan was to head down to the south main stage to catch the last half of The Shins… but man, it was hot and that stage was a mile away. So I caught the last couple of songs from these guys on the north stage. Mistake. They suck.

Black Sabbath – Highlight of the weekend. They rocked with great force, and the crowd loved it. The lineup is 3 original members plus a ringer on drums, who is a freakin’ beast (I think it’s the guy from Faith No More). Anyway, they played all the songs I wanted to hear most, including a powerful “War Pigs”. Great stuff, and my last chance to see the real thing.

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound – I got front-row, dead-center for the first act of day 2, a neo-soul showband in the James Brown vein. These guys are really good.

FIDLAR – California garage-punk. The name is an acronym for “F*** it dude, life’s a risk”. That sums it up aptly.

The Givers – Upbeat, indie pop-rock. Again with the male/female twin lead vocals. Difficult to describe their sound, but I rather liked their show.

(Halfway through day 2, they evacuated the park because of an approaching storm. I heard wrongly that they were NOT going to reopen the park, so I caught the train home. So I missed Franz Ferdinand and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I’m an idiot.)

Red Oblivion – The only notable thing is the smokin’ hot blond gal on lead guitar. Otherwise, ugh.

Hey Rosetta – A nice surprise. They sound like Andrew Bird meets the Cold War Kids… except it’s better than that sounds. I’m going to check out their album.

White Rabbits – Spoon meets Phoenix. I like these guys. So would many of you.

Dum Dum Girls – I’ll be honest here, I don’t really remember how they were. Just that they weren’t quite as fun as I’d expected.

The Gaslight Anthem – Straight-up bar rock. No more, no less… but these guys do it very well. They’re pros.

Florence & the Machine – I’m not really a fan, but the power of this live show is undeniable. The crowd was vast, overwhelmingly female, and unspeakably horny by the end of the set. Oh my.

Justice – My first-ever experience at a big-time, headlining techno set. Hey, we only live once. My plan had been to catch the opening, then walk the long mile to see Jack White. But a combination of factors* kept me on the north side, and I’m not sorry. True Fact: I had a full-fledged blast, and I don’t care who knows it.

*I was higher than Jesus.

Funny how you characterized White Rabbits because their last CD was produced by Britt Daniels. I saw them when they opened for Spoon at the Chameleon in Lancaster, PA, and I got these pictures of him including one of the back of Britt's head with my buddy's fingers behind it;

[Mr MidFi]

Yeah, the White Rabbits' latest album is almost certainly in the top 5 for me this year... it's getting frequent rotation in the MidFi household these days. I'm also looking forward to Britt's collaboration with the guy from Wolf Parade/Handsome Furs; they're calling themselves the Divine Fits.