Glad to be Back Home

Even though it was a short vacation, I’m still stuck in vacation mode. I just got back Monday night from Chicago and I realized after collapsing onto my couch and remaining there all night that I will need this week just to recover from the long weekend. I admit to claiming that the Lollapalooza weekend was supposed to be relaxing. I was so wrong.

I always forget that it’s nothing like a weekend lying on the beach. Lots of walking, sweating, sun exposure and minimal sleep evoked the realization that the three-day festival is a day too long. As my friend Scott put it, “By the end it just feels like a test of endurance or survival.” Regardless, I always leave with really good memories that make for really good daydreaming while I recuperate.

Here’s a quick Lollapalooza band recap…

Day One – Son Volt, The Polyphonic Spree, Electric Six, moe., Silversun Pickups, and Daft Punk.

This day was my least favorite for bands and the overall feel of the festival. It was unusually low-key and mild in comparison to last year, not to mention the smoldering heat nearly melted all festival goers.

I started the day with Son Volt. I knew a small selection of their music and liked it, but after the concert I’m more interested in the alt-country band.

The Polyphonic Spree, a group that flaunts a flutist, harpist, and two drummers among its mammoth roster, had many odd wardrobe changes. In particular a switch into white robes for an encore that included a massively layered rendition of “Lithium” by Nirvana. I’m a Nirvana fanatic, thus, it was strange to hear the cult-like group attempt to cover the grunge sounds of Kurt Cobain and band.

After a subpar start to their set, Silversun Pickups pulled through in the end to keep me feeling mildly dissatisfied by the uninspiring sounds of a band that I thought was one of my new favorites.

At the end of the evening, famous electronica duo Daft Punk dazzled dance fans with a fantastic stage setup. Though the outdoor venue was less conducive to “getting down” than a club setting, the ever-changing pyramid of lights in which the two played while dressed in spacesuits was a site to behold.

Day Two – Pete Yorn, Silverchair, Cold War Kids, The Roots, Regina Spektor, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Spoon, Muse, and Interpol.

Clearly my favorite day of the two.

Silverchair seemed to be in a state of confusion while on stage in the afternoon. One minute the lead vocal/guitarist, Daniel Johns, was playing guitar with his teeth and alternative-rock tunes like "Mind Reader." The next, he was yelling things like "make me feel important!" and “I once had a dream that I vomited dolphins.” The vanity and attitude of self-importance really turned me off; at the same time, Silverchair was once called “Nirvana in pajamas,” so there’s still a place for them in my iPod.

Lollapalooza’s big mistake (besides pairing every band I wanted to see with every other) was putting Cold War Kids on a small stage. I had planned on seeing them, but the crowd was so huge and the entire area was in such disarray that I eventually pushed my way through the crowd to head for the Roots (who were characteristically entertaining).

Lead singer Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs arrived in full costume including a black and white robe and a silver mask; the fans ate up her performance as I was in awe of her energy and spunk. This was without a doubt my favorite performance of Day Two. The band itself is serviceable, but Karen O is a main attraction herself.

Spoon was good, as usual. Britt Daniel and band did some pretty standard renditions of their album tracks. They sounded really good; new songs like "Rhythm and Soul” melded quite nicely with old favorites "Fitted Shirt" and "Small Stakes.” Even as the rain began, the audience kept dancing.

Interpol and Muse finished the night’s festivities on opposing sides of Chicago’s Grant Park (once again due to genius scheduling). I split the last two hours with both bands. I witnessed Muse launch into an arena-style rock show complete with a grand piano and backed by a light and video show of epic proportions, and then I observed a more subdued band on the opposite end. Muse’s high-energy show and Interpol’s dead-on sound and catchy tunes were the perfect ends to the long, rainy night.

 

Day Three – Amy Winehouse, Blue October, Kings of Leon, Peter Bjorn & John, Modest Mouse, and TV on the Radio.

On account of the evening rain, the final day was sultrier than the previous two. Besides sitting in mud, once the air cooled from cloud covering and as the music began, the day couldn’t get better.

Early on in Peter Bjorn & John’s set the sound system conked out. PB&J clapped along to the drum beat to finish a song and annoyingly walked off the stage until the sound was repaired. I did hear (and whistled along with) "Young Folks,” so something could be salvaged. Unfortunately right after, we had to make our way to Modest Mouse.

Another difficult choice was the option of seeing alt-country geniuses My Morning Jacket or checking out the brilliant indie rockers Modest Mouse. In the end, the chance to see just how Modest Mouse sounds with The Smiths' Johnny Marr was too intriguing to pass up. The band mostly stuck to playing their two most recent and popular albums. The highlight of the set came early with the sleek disco riffs and dance beat of "Dashboard."

TV on the Radio was a great way to end the final day of Lollapalooza. Appropriately enough, it began to drizzle during the first song, "Young Liars,” as if the soulful band had conjured the weather itself as a reflection of their haunting spiritual overtones and lyrics. The sound was a great melting pot that isn’t easily classified as rock since the pop-style music is layered with low-key electronic textures upon pulsating drum beats, R&B, doo-wop, and soul. The band at times showed the fatigue of its year-long-plus tour, although "Wolf Like Me" was perfect.

Since I’ve been back, I’ve done nothing but loaf around. I have a hamper full of dirty clothes that need a good wash, stacks of work piled on top of my desk due to my absence in the office, phone calls to make to friends that think I’ve died and a laundry list of issues to resolve with my apartment manager. Gosh, life is difficult.

You might realize that many Lollapalooza bands have already been to Milwaukee during our grand festival, Summerfest. Still, many are scheduling future tour dates at several of the venues throughout Brew City. The following is a list of Lolla bands that I recommend you check out when they perform in Milwaukee:

Mickey Avalon
Friday, August 10 at the Rave Eagles Club

Satellite Party
Thursday, August 16 at the Pabst Theater

Pete Yorn
Saturday, August 18 at the Rave Eagles Club

Regina Spektor
Monday, October 8 at the Rave Eagles Club

Blue October
Friday, October 12 at the Rave Eagles Club

Rodrigo y Gabriela
Tuesday, October 23 at the Rave Eagles Club

Motion City Soundtrack
Friday, November 23 at the Rave Eagles Club

For more information, go to the Pabst Theater and Rave websites.

Muse photos by Scott Collier

Comments

[meg]

Even though Lollapalooza was in Chicago, it's nice that you mentioned the bands that were there and that will be in Milwaukee. It's a decent way to make it relate. Sounds like it was a good festival.

[mjonthemove]

Thank you for discussing good music on a Milwaukee blog. It shouldn't be abnormal. I really appreciate it. Additionally, I am glad that you picked Modest Mouse over My Morning Jacket. Even if they didn't play anything from Lonesome Crowded West, they are still awesome.

[KarenC]

Meg-
I had a great time at Lollapalooza! Since I enjoy writing about concerts, I didn’t want to deny myself the opportunity to share my experience with everyone who reads PITC. Of course I don’t want to write something that has absolutely nothing to do with Milwaukee, which is why I thought that listing several bands coming to MKE would connect the two.

Plus, my hope is that locals realize that they can see the same bands without traveling to another city or paying high ticket prices (shows at the Pabst are usually reasonably priced and worth the money). I think the concert scene in Milwaukee is finally flourishing, which is great for music enthusiasts like me and those looking to learn more. :)

[KarenC]

MJ-
I’m glad you have good taste in music! Also, I’m happy you don’t mind me blabbing about it. :)

The reason I chose Modest Mouse over My Morning Jacket was solely based on the fact that I saw MMJ at the Pabst in the spring and I haven’t seen the genius of Modest Mouse. Much like on their recent release, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, they sound just about the same, only with crisper guitar. I was very (very) pleased with my decision!

[Amanda]

I heard that Peter Bjorn and John lost sound at Lollapalooza. Bummer. I saw PB&J at the Pabst on Monday night. They were okay. I thought they had an odd stage presence. Also saw the opener, Andrew Bird. I already saw him at Summerfest last year. He was great as usual, but played more of his newer stuff that's more symphonic.

[KarenC]

FYI, I added some photos from the Muse show (thank you, Scott, for the donation). Now you can see what I meant by calling it a “video show of epic proportions.” What a spectacle!

[Scott]

Lolla was a blast, but it is always better seeing bands in the small wonderful venues we have right here in Milwaukee. For example I got to see The White Rabbits and The Cribs at the Pabst the Thursday before, and they were both fantastic. Making the night even better, we ended up going out to John Hawkes Pub with the "Rabbits" after the show. That's probably one of my favorite things about places like the Pabst, Cactus Club, or any other smaller Milwaukee venue is that most times you can interact with the bands before and after the shows.

Thanks for a great recap and also for letting us know about some upcoming events. I would be interested to check back here for both recomendations of upcoming shows and recaps of them(wink, wink)

P.S. - Just recently announced at the Pabst is Grizzly Bear playing Tue, Oct 9th and I recommend it as the upcoming show in the area not to miss. Just my 2 cents.

[Brooke]

Check out early Son Volt first. The first three albums - Trace, Straightaways, and Wide String Tremolo - are good. Trace is a desert-island disc. The fourth one is meh and the most recent one is dreadful. Their set at Summerfest was unbelievably boring and generally pretty awful. My first listen of Trace was practically a religious awakening, but now I'm not sure I'd bother to walk across the street to see them. Maybe if it were free.

[Kristin]

That's really interesting about Son Volt... They were among Blue October and Spoon in my top 3 surprise performances -- the bands that I didn't expect to be that great live, yet ended up being pretty terrific. I'll have to check out Son Volt's earlier stuff. Thanks for the tip, Brooke.

[KarenC]

Thanks for the tip Brooke! I might check out their newer stuff just because I feel I need to give it an equal shot, but I will definitely look into the three you recommend (especially Trance if it moved you that much). I don't care to waste money on an album that’ll only collect dust on my shelf. Good info. Thanks!

Kristin-
I also was pretty impressed by Son Volt. They were actually one of the better bands on Day One. Maybe it was the heat getting to our heads… ?