Lollapalooza Sunday: Choose Or Die
Posted: August 7th, 2009 | Author: Brian | Filed under: Chicago, Uncategorized, festival, hip hop, indie rock, pop | Tags: Band of Horses, Boys Noise, Cold War Kids, Dan Auerbach, Dan Deacon, Deerhunter, Friendly Fires, Gang Gang Dance, He Say She Say, Hood Internet, Jane's Addiction, Kaiser Chiefs, Lou Reed, Neko Case, Passion Pit, Snoop Dogg, The Killers, The Ravonettes, Vampire Weekend | 2 Comments »Let’s be honest. If you paid for a three-day ticket, by Sunday morning you will be fucking exhausted. You will be cranky. It will have probably rained twice in two days but yet it’s still 90+ degrees out and humid as all hell. We’re here to make your decisions for you:
Friendly Fires OR Yello Fever OR RaRaRiot
- Araceli: I may leave it up to a coin toss. Let’s see, Friendly Fires or RaRaRiot…and it’s heads! RaRaRiot it is!!! (ok, I didn’t really flip a coin, but it’s hard choice, Friendly Fires would perhaps be more lively, but RaRaRiot has a great song I want to hear live. (ditto on the press tent, perfect viewing spots too, though Bonnaroo’s VIP camp site was pretty awesome)
- Brian: I have to go with the amorphous anthemic poly-rhythmic Friendly Fires — they pump the kind of electro-funk that have made !!!, Cut Copy, and Hot Chip my favorite live experiences of the past few years. This may very well be the best show of the day.
- Lille: Did you know that Lollapalooza has the best press tents? They have free granola bars, fresh fruit, FREE BOOZE. Guess where I’m going to be?
Consensus: If you have press credentials make sure to make it really obvious to everyone who paid: eat your free food and drink your free booze in plain sight for all the cultural groundlings to see. Also mention to everyone you’re only at Lolla because it’s free for you.
Kaiser Chiefs OR He Say, She Say OR The Airborne Toxic Event
- Araceli: Once again, I’m tagging along with Brian (let’s see this white boy dance!)
- Brian: I don’t care for the Kaiser Chiefs — I’m amazed they’re still around. I’m sticking to the dance-your-ass-off trail and checking out Chicago’s electro-partystarters He Say She Say.
- Lille: When in doubt, I always choose the foreign band, just because I never know when they’re going to be in town. I haven’t heard anything new from Britpoprockers Kaiser Chiefs in YEARS, but I did like that one song…what was it called….
Consensus: I predict a riot… at the He Say She Say stage.
The Raveonettes OR The Hood Internet OR Gang Gang Dance OR Dan Deacon
- Araceli: Dan Deacon can kiss my ass. I’m Gang Gang Dance. Laters.
- Brian: As it was at Pitchfork, it is at Lolla. Girltalk killed at Pitchfork and played Lolla’s best set last year. Spazzy Dan Deacon drew nutso crowds at Pitchfork, he will be a most entertaining show here. I guarantee mash-up kings Hood Internet will be doing an aftershow somewhere during Lolla weekend — in a setting like this they won’t do much beyond play their singles on a computer.
- Lille: I’ve seen Dan Deacon before, and I never know if his sets as performance art stand up with repeated views. However, I’n sure they’re better than the snoozefest from Denmark, surfrockers Raveonettes
Consensus: Dan Deacon: loved by some, baffling to others, blogged by all.
Neko Case OR Glitch Mob OR Vampire Weekend
- Araceli: Neko Case? BORING! Vampire Weekend? DOUCHE BAGS…who the hell is Glitch Mob? Let’s find out. Damn, good thing no one reads this blog…I don’t mean to be this harsh-–bad week.
- Brian: To witness Neko Case live in the flesh is beyond description. She has a powerful voice that soars mellifluously through even the worst P.A. systems. Vampire Weekend has yet to prove live chops despite having great songwriting abilities. (I just wanted to use the word meliflous.)
- Lille: I love Neko Case! She saved my life at Northern California festival Earthdance last year; she was like a military general commanding a sea of dirty hippies. It was awesome.
Consensus: Neko Case pwns the granola crowd, Ezra Koenig’s feelings are hurt, Glitch Mob get a new fan.
Dan Auerbach OR Boys Noise Or Passion Pit OR Cold War Kids
- Araceli: Brian killed himself because he couldn’t choose? Be a man!! I love Cold War Kids, but Passion Pit is pretty fun.
- Brian: Honestly. You can’t make a bad choice here. You can make a BETTER choice, but not a bad one. Too many decisions —> brain aneurysm —> Brian involuntarily chooses death.
- Lille: Fifty percent of the Black Keys is still 100 percent fun. Dan Auerbach FTW!
Consensus: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Lou Reed OR Deerhunter Or Snoop Dogg
- Araceli: I saw this incredible Andy Warhol exhibit at the de Young Museum in San Francisco this Spring. I fell in love with Lou Reed there, so I shall see him.
- Brian: I tend to get all the deer and wolf bands confused. Does Lou Reed do Velvets covers? I’m would think so. Lolla is a big, generally uniformed, audience… most big names do “greatest hits” type sets so count me in. If it’s just his solo stuff, I’ll pass. Yes, I have just lost cred points.
- Lille: How can you go wrong with Lou Reed? Even if you’re not a fan of his solo work (a lot of which is awesome), the Velvet Underground is the backbone of most art rock these days, and you have to pay your respects.
Consensus: Witness the progenitor of modern rock take a walk on the slightly wild side.
Band of Horses OR MSTRKRFT Or Silversun Pickups
- Araceli: I hate when bands play more than one date. Nap time.
- Brian: Meh. Band of Horses. Could be a nice, sit on the lawn, recovery type set.
- Lille: Gah. Back to the press tent and free booze!
Consensus: Naps and Food
Jane’s Addiction OR The Killers
- Araceli: Jane’s all the way. (Brian, you’re saying that out of spite. I suppose it’s because you’re not from the West Coast).
- Brian: Perry Ferrell once again over-estimates how much people like him. He booked his lackluster Satellite Party last year for a late-afternoon set, now he books his own comeback as the 2009 closer. Sorry. I choose Killers.
- Lille: I hate the Killers as much as I love Jane’s Addiction. I disagree with Brian; I think Perry Farrell can still bring it. Go if only to say, “I saw a Jane’s Addiction reunion show, not a lowly band derivative.”
Consensus: Don’t choose shows based on spite; there’s a reason why “Jane Says (live)”, is available on every jukebox in the country.
Your map, sir:
