Wow, is it August already? How the hell did that happen?
In just a couple of days, I will clean the shit out of my house to make it habitable for Iris and Mr. Iris, and then we will set out on our yearly Lollapalooza marathon. So get prepared for reviews and photos and videos (maybe not all in a timely fashion, but eventually). I'm swamped at work presently, but I'll give you guys a cursory list of some of the acts I'm looking forward to:
1) The Builders and the Butchers: I instantly fell in love with this band when they opened for Amanda Palmer, and I'm definitely looking forward to seeing them again. As I recall, they kind of sound like what would happen if Flogging Molly and Modest Mouse had a baby.
2) Ben Folds: I haven't paid much attention to him since his late '90s heyday, but he's always been an engaging storyteller with his music, and he did just produce Amanda Palmer's latest album, so maybe she gave him a few tips re: grinding against the piano.
3) The Decemberists: I can't decide whether their latest concept album, "The Hazards of Love" is the coolest thing ever or the most pretentious thing ever, but they're definitely worth checking out.
4) Peter Bjorn and John: Remember that "We don't care about the old folks" song that was on the radio a year or two back? That was pretty good.
5) Kings of Leon--I wouldn't mind seeing them, except we can't. Because they are scheduled against...
6) DEPECHE MODE! If Ro doesn't kill them with the previously mentioned Ro Curse, that is. God knows she's tried, with gastroenteritis and a malignant bladder tumor and torn ligaments. Why do you hate Dave Gahan, Ro? Why? I've been listening to "Sounds of the Universe" all summer, so in addition to the old favorites, I'm really looking forward to hearing "In Chains," "Wrong," and my ultimate FAVORITE from the album "In Sympathy." I'm not, however, looking forward to that part of "Peace" where either Martin or Dave gayly shouts, "It's an INEVITABILITY!!!"
7) Thenewno2: I don't know a thing about this band, really, but I've blogged about them before because they are fronted by Dhani Harrison, son and veritable clone of George Harrison, and how awesome is that? I'm really looking forward to finally seeing them in person.
8) TV on the Radio: This will be their second Lolla appearance, and I hope it will be as good as the first. I just remember being sort of entranced during this song:
9) Tool: Well, I'm not really looking forward to Tool. But my husband is! And I think the Irises are too. I probably would gladly have skipped them for the Beastie Boys, but alas, that was not meant to be. Get well soon, Adam Yauch!
10) Airborne Toxic Event: Gosh, I probably have downloaded a ton of albums before seeing these bands in concert, but I'll happily attend this band's set just to hear "Sometime Around Midnight."
11) Lou Reed: The man is a legend, and frankly, he has got some big shoes to fill after Iggy Pop's unforgettable, chaotic performance.
12) Neko Case: I'm not terribly familiar with her work, but she's a huge supporter of greyhounds! Anyone who is a friend to the greys is a friend of mine.
13) The Killers: Always entertaining, but I won't be able to see them because I'm saving my last Lolla show of 2009 for...
14) Jane's Addiction: Chicago didn't get a full NINJA show because JA was scheduled to play Lolla, the event that they started. Looking forward to Parry Farrell writhing like a snake and talking crazy and Dave Navarro running around without a shirt.
But really, more than any of these...I'm most looking forward to the bands I have yet to discover. The performances that make me an instant fan, move me to download the albums and have me singing along in my car the rest of the year.
More to come!
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11 comments:
One of the funny things about Sonisphere, was that a friend of mine from work joined us who isn't really a big NIN fan, so she decided to stay back when they came on thinking she couldn't really be bothered with mosh pits for someone she's not that into - of course, it turned out, there were no mosh pits. That is irony
Sorry for not mentioning the Lolla preview yet. Hope Dave Gahan is on form after his illness. I'm going to see DM in December, can't wait and completely agree on the songs 'Wrong' and 'In Chains'.
If you were to try and give Tool a listen where would you recommend starting?
I'm excited Lolla's this weekend because it means a bit of a break for me. I've had about 4 million things going on all at once so I apologize for my absence from here. Not that much has been going on.
I think the band I'm looking forward to the most this weekend so far will be Depeche Mode. Beastie Boys were going to be another big highlight so I'm kinda bummed they had to cancel. Must make myself a note to really checkout the rest of the lineup. Yeah, I've been that busy that I've been away from INTERNET CONNECTION. An atrocity, right?
Oh, and if any of our readers are planning to attend Lolla, please be advised that it's supposed to be very hot this weekend, so drink LOTS of water. (And alcohol will only dehydrate you)
That's my public service announcement of the day.
Pounce on Martin Gore for me if you get a chance.
And you may recall that I had front row seats for Mr. Lou Reed last year, and anyone who tells you that 66 year olds can't rock is a LIAR.
I just saw Depeche Mode last week at the DC area show. Oh. My. God. You're in for a great show. If you're lucky Martin will wear his silver sequined suit, which I covet for my own. Barring any last-minute catastrophes, Dave Gahan is MOST DEFINITELY on form. You would never know he'd been sick at all this summer. His energy is mesmerizing. I hadn't seen DM live since about 1994, and I was hugely impressed. I think the performances on this tour, fifteen years later, were far superior. Sobriety FTW! I loved Peter Bjorn and John, too. Planning on seeing them again in the near future.
Brooklyn Vegan has pictures of both nights of the PBJ/DM shows at Madison Square Garden, if you want to go Google it. Martin wore the silver suit on their first night in New York, as well as in DC.
And Jane's Addiction - well, I know people have been raving about them all summer, but it bears repeating. They are colossally great. All those losers who left the NIN/JA shows right after NIN finished really missed out.
I wish I could see Neko Case. I was looking forward to seeing her at Bonnaroo, but she was late going on and by the time she started her set, we had to go into the comedy tent for the Michael Ian Black/ Michael Showalter show. Still irritated about that.
Hey everyone,
Had a great time at Lolla, but now I have to go to Michigan where I will be off the grid, at least where the internet is concerned. The plan is that Iris will put some some pics for you to look at, and I'll write up reviews when I get back next weekend!
TR is not even a C-lister in the music industry and can barely get his tours funded esp. after the failure of LITS tour. There were literally MANY LITS Shows that had 1500-2000 attendees. For 2008, LITS tours wasn't in the top 40 grossing concerts (individually) nor the tour as a whole (per Billboard). I can assure you NO record label is offering TR any million dollar record deal nor is LiveNation, who gave Madonna, Shakira, & Jay-Z million dollar contracts.
Notice how many people are knocking on TR door to collaborate--> very few & mostly Z-listed people. As for his internet/social netwoking experience - don't make me laugh - tons of artists gave away free mp3s before TR. The only reason he got the webby award is because of David Bowie - was a judge for the webby awards. He is doing nothing new on the internet that other bands (big & small) are doing. The only thing he did somewhat new was the unedited video/film download from the LITS tour. He couldn't get his LITS tour footage funded into a DVD so released it to the public for publicity. And I can show you were that idea can from (one of his fans) dated before he released the footage.
US journalists don't investigate anything much less what some z-listed musician states. I seriously question TR Ghosts $ figures that he stated in the press and got all of this press on. Notice you don't have heads of record labels, livenation, etc. talking about it because NOT EVERYTHING THAT COMES OUT OF TRENT'S MOUTH IS TRUE. He needs to release the financial statements on Ghosts before I believe those numbers. Notice the only people who took up the Ghosts music dist. model were very young (ie inexperienced) males who work for small internet companies. And actually, many top musicians are going in the opposite direction than TR stupid business model (which isn't a real bus. model). Look at Pearl Jam, ACDC, Black Eyed Peas recent music deals.
What happened to "Art Is Resistance" and "Anti-Totalitarianism" with Trent? Last night he erased a thread where people were objecting to the Horrors and his follow up negative comment.
Do you think Trent has been reprogrammed by the Greys in March 2009? What the hell happened?
Hey everyone,
I'm back from vacation, but of course, work is kind of hectic...will be starting soon on Lolla reviews!
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