My Morning Jacket at SDSU Open Air Theatre

 Rawk Shows   

I don’t even know where to start with this. The short of it - opening night of the MMJ tour. A super talkative Jim James. Over 2 hours of epic-ness. The set list to prove it:

My Morning Jacket
SDSU Open Air Theatre
San Diego, CA
8/11/10

Encore:
Wordless Chorus
Circuital
Steam Engine
One Big Holiday

A lovely night at the OAT - over 2 hours of worship at the temple of Jim James. He was full of praise for San Diego and very appreciative of the crowd. As you can see by the set list, they played quite a bit of songs that spanned a good part of their catalog. I rather like the material from the Z album, so I was a very happy camper early on with “Off the Record” and “Lay Low” and of course, the first song of the encore “Wordless Chorus”. “Gideon”, “Dondante” and “Mahgeetah” are staples of their live show and really fired up the crowd. And I was kinda surprised that they didn’t play more from Evil Urges but am not complaining. TMIGTS (both parts) are really fun live and “I’m Amazed” and “Smokin from Shootin” were my faves from the last tour.  The only bummer of the night (and I only know this because Rosey tweeted it) is that they had 2 more songs on the set list that they didn’t play because of the 11pm curfew. But if you must cut your set short, you might as well do it with “One Big Holiday”. Seriously, just awesome.

Bonus: Russ shot video of “O is the One that is Real” with his new iphone. Watch it here.

Lollapalooza 2010: Day Three

 Rawk Shows   

We were totally slackers this day. Mostly because I was on the guest list at some party at the Hard Rock where Stars was supposed to play. So we get there and it was totally not what I expected. They had free adult beverages, all sorts of food and all sorts of stuff going on besides the bands playing. And the coolest thing was these bands were playing in this little room which held about 75 people. So we chilled while waiting for Stars. Their road crew came in and set up and Torq was actually hanging for awhile and then I got an email that they weren’t playng after all. Boo hoo. I was disappointed but the cool thing about this was we now had wristbands for the Hard Rock after party where Temper Trap and Mumford and Sons were playing as well as Phoenix doing a DJ set. Cool.

So after a bunch of drama with my totally wrecked boots and a phone left in the cab (not mine!), we headed back to Lolla for day 3. I went over to see Temper Trap since I didn’t know how later would shake out. They were really fun to watch - really happy to be playing Lolla. They reminded me a lot of Kings of Leon back in the day. Not in a musical sense, but in the way the conducted themselves on stage and with their fans. It was a great experience.

I listened to the National from afar and then made my way to Arcade Fire. Soundgarden had started 30 minutes before and the soundbleed over to the other side of the park was terrible. But I went to be one with my Arcade Fire fans, which was easy to do, because there were a lot of us and we were all into it. I have a love-hate relationship with Arcade Fire. I really didn’t get them until I saw them live and then it all made sense. I got a little bored here and there but then they would do some amazing song like “Neighborhood 3 (Power Out)” and I was sucked right back in. Plus there was a twitter rumour that David Bowie was going to join them on stage at some point and I would have kicked myself in the head if I missed that, so I sucked it up. The next to the last song (which Win said would be their last) was “Keep The Car Running” - everyone in the crowd was swaying along with their hands in the air. It was a sight to behold. And then they came back on stage and did “Wake Up”. A lot of people around me got emotional during this song and everyone there sang along. So worth staying even though Bowie never showed.

And that was it. We made our escape, all the while listening to random people still singing “Wake Up” and rolled over to the Hard Rock where we had a drink, looked around (Hi Britt from Spoon!) and bailed. I was pretty done and didn’t want to wait around for bands so off to the hotel and then late night dinner and drinks (where we ran into half of the National drinking Coronas and tequila). Which is how every festival should end.

Lollapalloza 2010: Day Two

 Rawk Shows   

So there was more to Day 2 than Stars. We had planned to bail out early since I have seen both Green Day and Phoenix and that is what we did. But I did get to catch a few sets. The rundown:

Harlem:
Pop Punkish trio from Austin, playing on one of the smaller side stages. I really dug the energy they brought to their set - all three of the band members sing along. Kinda felt like a throwback to boy bands that had multiple singers. That’s not necessarily a bad thing! I’d definitely see them again.

The XX:
They were on after Stars on the opposite stage. This was my first real clusterfiesta moment of the festival. I tried to get closer to the stage but the crowd has spilled onto the cement walkway and it was effing crazy! But since I had heard they were boring live, I didn’t really stick around. I will say that they did sound great. But definitely not a band you should be seeing in the middle of the day with a bunch of stoned teenagers.

Metric:
I’ve seen them a bunch and I just love Emily Haines so I trudged back over to see them. The crowd was considerably smaller than the one for XX, which was a bit surprising to me, but I wasn’t complaining at that point. Emily was her usual energetic self - if you’ve seen them on tour since they released Fantasies, you’ve pretty much seen the same show. Of course, the crowd loved the new ones - jumping around and singing along for “Help I’m Alive”, “Sick Muse” and “Gold Guns Girls”. I was happy that Emily threw us old fans a bone with “Dead Disco”. And then after an inspired “Stadium Love”, Emily surprised us with an acoustic version on their classic “Combat Baby”. That was a definitely a highlight for me.

At this point, I pretty much tapped out. Listened to a few Spoon songs from afar and bailed out for the rest of the night. I know, I missed both headliners....but it was pretty miserable out there and I was being eaten alive by mosquitos and other bugs so cutting out and getting real food and some cocktails were in order.

Lollapalooza 2010: Day Two: Stars

 Rawk Shows   

(Torq and Amy)

The highlight of day two was Stars so they get their own post. You guys have already heard me gush about them numerous times and this performance was again, a stellar one. Set list first.

Stars
Lollapalooza - Chicago, Ill
8/7/10

How Much More
Set yourself on Fire
Passenger
One More Night
Fixed
We Want Your Body
Ageless Beauty
Going Going Gone
I Died So I Could Haunt You
Elevator Love Letter
Wasted Daylight
Take Me to the Riot
Your Ex-lover is Dead

The band’s slot on Saturday was relatively early (2.15) so I figured I could get fairly close and I did. I was pretty much in my fangirl zone from the get-go but as I started to get into it, I noticed that the girl next to me was also singing along fervently and it made me feel even more connected with the band and the crowd. Because, really, it’s easy to catch that feeling between the emotion on stage and in the crowd. But I am getting ahead of myself. First off, I loved Amy’s sequined dress which reflected the stage lights and pretty much made it look like there were flashing lights on it. Awesome. I figured the set would have a bunch of new songs and it did.The material from their latest album Five Ghosts blended in well with the fan faves. Especially “Body”, “Haunt You” and “Wasted Daylight”. From their back catalog, the ones that had the most reaction with the crowd were the songs from Set Yourself on Fire. These songs always evoke sing-a-longs and even some tears in the crowd. Of course, I enjoyed Torq’s ever clever banter. And his dyanamic with Amy has never been stronger. As I am typing this, I am realizing that I am having trouble putting words to the emotions I felt during this set. This band just blows me away every time I see them. It’s a good feeling and I wouldn’t trade that show afterglow for anything. 

Lollapalooza 2010: Day One Recap

 Rawk Shows   

What an epic time at Lolla. Three days is a lot to write about in one post, so I won’t even attempt that. Plus I didn’t really take notes and I only have twitter and my memory to go by to write this. So we’ll go by day so you can get the feel of how it all shook out.

We didn’t arrive until 5ish when Devo went on. Didn’t really watch them as much as had them as bacground music while we oriented ourselves. But after their set, Matt and Kim were on and we stuck around for that since I am a fan. If you’ve seen Matt and Kim, you know it’s just the two of them, but they bring on a high energy set where people dance and sing along and are really part of the experience. Much fun. But after “Good Old Fashioned Nightmare”, we were off the check out the North Stage on the other side of the park where The Black Keys were playing next. I think seeing the Black Keys in a space such as the one at Lolla is optimum for what they do and was not disappointed. They ripped through their set hitting high points with crowd faves (like “Strange Times") but also made old school fans happy (especially with the set ending “Your Touch”. Checked out for the next band (Jimmy Cliff) but then was back at the North stage for the Strokes. Definitely excitement in the air before they came on. When they did come out, it was just an hour of awesome. Julian Casablancas is such a rock star. He was captivating to watch. They all were, to tell you the truth, but god, Julian is just fantastic. He was super talkative and so gracious. He said he was “psyched” to be at “Chicago-palooza” and that he had been waiting months to say that. Of course that just made the crowd love him more. And the set was perfect - I never saw them back in the day when they all drank too much and slurred their way through sets and I am glad that’s the case. This set was just one for the ages.

(setlist via Time Out NY)

The Strokes
Lollapalooza - Chicago, Ill
8/6/10

Juicebox
Someday
Under Control
Heart in a Cage
Take It or Leave It

And this ended day one.....

Lolla Contest

 Rawk Shows   

OMG, leaving for Chicago in less than 36 hrs and have to post this contest. Of course there are all sorts of parties and what not going on and unless you *know* someone, you’re kinda screwed, right? Well, Express is hosting three days of music at the Express Café (the Music Lounge in the Hard Rock Hotel), featuring performances by Stars, Neon Trees, The Constellations, and more.  Entry for these events can only be won through contests. The schedule/lineup:

Fri 8/6 - Sun 8/8 || 12pm - 6pm each day

FRIDAY 8/6
Performances by The Constellations, Marc Scibilia, Andrew Belle, and Mayaeni
SATURDAY 8/7
Performances by Stars, Neon Hitch, Stationary Set, and Erin Martin
SUNDAY 8/8
Performances by Neon Trees, Purple Apple Band, and Chiddy Bang

How to get in:
The only way to get into the party, is to text ‘EXPCAFE’ to EXPRES (397737) to sign up to receive EXPTXT Mobile Alerts & updates on how to get passes to the Express Cafe at the Hard Rock during Lollapalooza.  Contest ends Thurs 8/5.  Standard message & data rates may apply.

Good luck!!!

Lollapalooza 2010 and more….

 Nine To Five    Rawk Shows    Wanderlust   

I guess I’ve been busy these past few weeks...not a surprise but I kinda wanted to write a bit since I will be home for a couple of weeks and actually would like to catch up on some stuff while I am here. First things first - I am headed to Lollapalooza in August. I’ve spent a bunch of time in Chicago this year and am excited to be able to rock out and also get some good food and culture in while I am at it. I made a custom schedule here but if you have any suggestions on who I should see, let me know. I have a couple of conflicts and am not going to be able to head down to the festival too early on Friday so those are the limitations.

Next month is going to be crazy. After Lolla, I am home for the week to see My Morning Jacket and to check out North Park Music Thing. Yes, yes, I will be writing my preview to the sessions - expect to see that next week. After NPMT, I am headed to Honolulu for a week. I’m actually working for a client Mon-Fri, but I am staying a couple extra nights to get my swerve on. After that, I have trips to Michigan and possibly Ohio before I am home for a few weeks to get ready for SD Beerfest (I am coordinating the food vendors this year) and then my work’s big schmooze conference.

The rest of the year is shaking out to be just as busy with more travel - to Pittsburgh, Houston and San Antonio for work. I am hoping to swing a few days in NOLA in November - Russ is supposed to work a conference there and I may head over for a few days to hang out. Though the two of us in that town might be scary. Slightly. And in December, I am totally checking out of town the week after Christmas and staying in SF for the week. It seems like every time I head up there, it’s just such a limited time and I can’t see everyone (friends + family) so if I don’t catch people that week, it’s not my fault. Hahaha.

All righty....so I think that catches everyone up. Catch you guys again soon.