Thursday, August 9, 2007

Lollapalooza...in conclusion

So now that we've recovered from Lollapalooza, here are some afterthoughts and post-concert reviews. I know it's a week later but hey, this girl's been busy, and it's better late than never, right?

Pearl Jam
I've never really listened to PJ all that much. I know their hits from my high school days, but powerhouse vocalist Chris Cornell of Soundgarden was more my cup o' tea. Now it seems that Eddie uses his vocals to bring attention to world problems, which not all corporate sponsors are pleased with. During "Daughter," the band slid into a cover of "Another Brick in the Wall," where Eddie changed up the lyrics to "George Bush leave this world alone / George Bush find yourself another home." But curiously this section was missing from the AT&T webcast. AT&T has said that the censorship was done in error, and they are currently working to rebroadcast the performance yadda, yadda yadda, which actually means some poor editing schlub got fired because he did what he was told at the time, but when the backlash rolled in, he became the scapegoat. Lucky for you fine readers, I was there to capture the whole thing live! Click here for the complete unedited version. Oh and who knew Dennis Rodman would show up?

Daft Punk
Amazing set (for what we saw). Although I was okay with leaving early that night because it had been a full day, now I'm completely kicking myself for not staying longer. Obviously some were anticipating this act more than others. Check out this guy--100% commitment, people. For those of you not familiar with this getup, check out Daft Punk's video for "One More Time".


Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs
I only caught a couple of songs, due to having to hike about a mile to get from one end of the park to the other. Karen O was...interesting. Clad in a black leotard, crisscrossed pattern pantyhose, mid-arm-length latex gloves, and white sneakers, she was a sight to see. She also seemed to be channeling a bit of Marilyn Manson, sporting a bright blue forehead, which you could see when she wasn't singing under her sparkly Micheal Jackson-esque towel. I was so entertained by her outfit and onstage antics and flirting with the crowd that I really didn't listen to their songs until after getting home and reviewing the clips. Not sure if that makes them good, bad, or indifferent.



!!! (chk, chk, chk)
Oh where do I even begin with this fucking band? After seeing a rousing clip of their act at Coachella on YouTube, I was really pumped to see this group. They seemed like a fun, dorked-out dancing, super group (there's seriously like 10 people on stage), and I was more than willing to completely bust a move along with them when they came on. What I was not expecting was the singer's dorky dance moves to be paired with lyrics / spoken word / pseudo rap crap such as "I DON'T GIVE A FUCK", and "SUCK MY DICK" (or perhaps "cock"--I've tried to block it from memory) delivered as though he were some street-hardened thug. Dude, you failed, Failed, FAILED to pull this off. By the fourth song, I was making my way out of the crowd, shaking my head in disappointment. I probably could have written this off as a bad act and forgotten about it fairly quickly, but the fact that I had left Iggy and The Stooges right as the onstage riot was beginning just so I wouldn't miss any of !!! is like salt in an open wound. Especially since Gabriel had also given them a poor review prior to this. (maise says: I HATE it when he's right!)


Juliette & The Licks
These guys were awesome and so much fun! After their set, we got a bite to eat and casually made our way down to see who was on the list to sign autographs that day. Lo and behold, their names were taped to the schedule. Apparently they weren't initially scheduled, but Juliette had decided that since it was such a good set that they wanted to stick around to sign some autographs too. I had to have a CD to get in line, so I ran in the music store tent: sold out. The shady-looking guy selling them outside the tent: sold out. The people already standing in line: not willing to sell. But fortunately another case was found, and hubby snagged one for me. Up close, Juliette is just a tiny little thing but still full of so much energy. She'd let people come around behind their table to take silly pictures with her and the band and would really ham it up for the camera. Here's the face I got for my picture with her.

Of course I cut myself out because if the saying goes "the camera adds 5lbs," then it should be said that standing next to Juliette Lewis adds 20lbs. And then of course, my signed CD. HELLZ YEAH!




Other tidbits:
*LCD Soundsystem = perfection. Fabulous performance, even though the drummer was under the weather, and it seemed uncertain in a couple of songs as to whether he was going to make it.

*Interpol's bassist can keep the ash on his cigarette from the start of a song to the finish while still playing and moving around. Impressive. While admiring this with Ro's friend, I was hit on by a guy who had clearly stolen his look from Seth Green in "Can't Hardly Wait". I'm talking right down to the goggles.

*As we were walking to the Bud Light stage, Rodrigo y Gabriela played out a few minutes of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" on their acoustic guitars, which gave me chills. Described as a "Mexican-born, Ireland-based, heavy-metal-obsessed instrumental acoustic guitar duo," even if they don't sound like your kind of thing, they still are worth a listen because they're that good.


*Angelman will also be happy to know that I purchased some hippie-dippie Vegan sandals due to poor judgment that morning in festival-going footwear. They were more than I would ever normally pay for sandals, but then again I don't think my tire-tread sole will wear out anytime soon.

You can check out some of our other pictures here or click the link on the sidebar. They're organized by day 1, 2, & 3 for easier perusing. There are loads of them! I think they turned out pretty good considering this was about our average distance from the stages.

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

I LOVE Rodrigo y Gabriela! I only found out about them a few months ago when I saw their music video for the song "Diablo Rojo" on VH1 at about 2 a.m. Just as you said, it gave me chills. Their music's wonderful, and just to see the way they perform with their guitars is...amazing! It's really difficult to put their performance into words. Just..wow!So, ...umm, yeah, I highly recommend them as well. :D

-thelookingglass

maise said...

Whew, quiet day today! Either we're all still pondering those weighty gender-identity issues from the last thread, or if you're like me, were swamped with WORK all day. Blech.

Anyway, what I have heard of Rodrigo y Gabriela on the radio and the bit of Pink Floyd at Lollapalooza, I really enjoyed.

I do want to give Iris a shout-out and strongly urge you to check out our photo pages and YouTube page, if you haven't already done so. She was working HARD at the multimedia all that weekend, and the results are fantastic!

Anonymous said...

I know it, Maise--SUPER quiet. Angelman hasn't even made his usual "why isn't it metal?" comments with regard to my podcast. And this one featured guitars HEAVILY!

You don't suppose something happened?

Anonymous said...

Perhaps it's quiet because your entire race has been wiped out by the Cylon attack.

And you instead chose to disregard my views and opinions (and website) as irrelevant? You will soon realize your time has come.

NO MORE MR. NICE GAIUS!

D:ANGEL said...

Busy work day for sure...

Rodrigo y Gabriela caught my attention when they recorded an AWESOME version of Metallica's instrumental (from MASTER OF PUPPETS) ORION.

I checked out Iris' vid of PJ when they played that bit from THE WALL. It has to be disheartening, to say the least, to be in the middle of one your best known songs - then start playing Pink Floyd - and THAT is when the crowd comes alive.

I did like the inclusion of the Pixies on the Podcast, JR... at least it is a step in the right direction. I saw the Pixies in '93 at the Warfield in SF and they were AMAZING. One of the best shows I ever went to.

Gaius... did you ever see GALACTICA 80? NO? Do a youtube search on it...

Iris said...

The crowd wasn't all that bad Angelman. There was another song shortly after that Eddie sang the first line and then turned it over to the audience. They carried it all the way into the second verse before the band picked it back up. I'm struggling this morning to remember the name though. Maise?

maise said...

Wasn't that the Elderly Woman Behind a Counter Blah, Blah, Blah song? That's not one of my favorites of theirs, and I remember that it was a song I didn't really know the words to.

Iris said...

Well they might have sang along with that one too but the one I had in mind was "Better Man". I found it after searching some lyrics and I was way off on the timing. They didn't play that 'til the encore.

maise said...

Oh, you're right...that was the one everyone was singing along to!

maise said...

Well, it's another day when I'm plagued by actual work at work, but I haven't even started any because I'm completely unmotivated and just FATIGUED all the time. Every day I feel like I've been hit by a truck (energy-wise, not like body parts strewn all over the road), and I just can't seem to sleep enough.

Will I sound like a hypochondriac if I say I think I might have chronic fatigue syndrome?

Anonymous said...

Maise,
I used to have the same problem. I would drink pots of coffee all day just to stay awake. I started exercising and it helped immensely with the fatigue. I'm not saying you have to run a marathon or anything, even a good, brisk walk will really help. The hardest part is getting enough motivation to get started.

maise said...

Yeah, I've started getting back to the gym this past week, and I've found that it's much harder to actually make myself go than it is to do the exercise itself. But I'm trying.

What I need is for a doctor to tell me, "It's just your pesky thyroid. Here's a pill that will give you your energy back and cause you to effortlessly lose weight."

Iris said...

I think that's a pill loads of women would like to see developed. lol

Anonymous said...

I had a nightmare last night because of that picture of Juliette Lewis, Iris. I was screaming! Those pink eyes were going TO GET ME!

On to other business...

1. Angelman--you're damned right the Pixies rule. Too bad you can't see that Sebadoh, Dinosaur Jr and Sonic Youth ALSO rule. P.S. I love that your cat has a blog now. I can't wait to hear what he's got on his mind.

2. Maise, have you been watching The Golden Girls again?

3. Goddammit.

maise said...

The Golden Girls come on too late at night for me. I prefer to eat my dinner, watch Wheel of Fortune, and then go to bed for the night.

Iris said...

Quick JR! Was Juliette wearing her feather in her Indian headband? It could be a bad omen for you!

Anonymous said...

No, she wasn't--it was just those eyes. Those damned eyes....aaaaaccckkk!

Anonymous said...

Oh my god, you guys, speaking of work, I'm dealing with a problem that is harder than Angelman's abs.

Iris said...

Don't let the non-profit man get you down JR. BTW I left a spattering of comments over on your blog. Hope they don't bore you to tears.

D:ANGEL said...

Not to shamelessy promote - I've posted a new entry over at my place with some curious mp3s to anyone with an interest in my amazing musical career (including some Gabriel singing!)

D:ANGEL said...

my spelling/typing is god-awful...

Anonymous said...

Oh my god Angelman,
That cat needs to lose some weight. You are going to kill it with love.

Anonymous said...

Does that mean cats aren't supposed to eat ice cream?

maise said...

You'd think soy ice cream would keep a cat trim and healthy, but apparently, it causes them to grow freakishly, like a mutant after a nuclear strike.