Airing my Philthy Laundry

Lollapalooza 2006 recap (Consider this your September Artist of the Month)

Greetings music lovers. I was planning on doing a day by day recap of the whole Lollapalooza experience, but since I was lazy in getting up in the morning, and since I skipped out on most of the headliners, I decided a general overview would be best. I also thought that waiting a month after the festival would be better as well...right.

I'll start with who rocked:
Panic! At the Disco. After hearing that these guys were the next Fall Out Boy (who I hate) I was not excited to see them. I've heard their singles on the radio and while they didn't make me want to turn the channel, it would be a far stretch to call me a fan. However I was totally surprised by these guys. Not only did they sound amazing live, their songs are pretty catchy (using a wide array of instruments...any rock band with a string section gets extra points in my book) plus they covered Radiohead and Smashing Pumpkins beautifully. Bonus points. I still wouldn't consider my self a Panic junkie...but i would pay up to $20 to see them again.

Editors: That's right no article...just a noun. Pretty good British Rock band. Nothing ground breaking, but I like their sound.

Mute Math: I had this band recommended to me a few times, and after hearing them live, I can see why. They dominated the stage with a U2/Police style sound. Plus the lead singer plays a Keytar...which is so dorky it's cool.

The Racontuers: Probably my favorite show of the weekend. Definitely the best band on the Friday line-up. They are very infectious live...they lived up to the "Jack White's new band" hype. Plus they covered Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" in a way that made me appreciate why I liked the song to begin with before it was ridiculously overplayed.

Nada Surf: Yeah that Nada Surf...the one who came out with the hit "Popular" a decade ago, then disappeared from radio. As it turns out when a band vanishes from the top 40...the music gets better (imagine that.) One of my favorites by far.

The Smoking Popes: Always a crowd pleaser, especially in the skyline shadow of their hometown Chicago.

The Shins: Definitely at the top of the list this year. I've loved their music for years, but this is the first time I'd seen them live. I was surprised by the vibrance and intensity they were able to convey though what is generally considered pretty mellow music. I guess it didn't hurt that I was standing directly behind some of the craziest, and most entertaining, fans I've seen. Shouting the lyrics to every song, and doing what can only be described as African tribal dances. I never stopped smiling.

Blues Traveler: Really impressed by them as well. I was actually planning on leaving when their set started...but they quickly sucked me in, and I couldn't move until they were done. They played all they're old hits, but I was really impressed by they're newer music. Plus an amazing bluesy cover of Charlie Daniels's "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" with John Popper substituting his harmonica for a fiddle. Unbelievable talent.

Wilco: Always a great band to listen to on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Jeff Tweedy gave a pretty sweet shout out to his wife at the end of the show, thanking her for staying with him for 11 years.

Poi Dog Pondering: I can't believe I had never heard of this local Chicago band that's been around since the 80s. I really only stayed around for this show because I was too lazy to walk the mile to the other stage, but I was glad I did. I'm not sure how to describe the music...kind of folky, kind of R&B, kind of jazzy blues, some rock, and a little gospel. Plus A LOT of soul. They're truly one of the most eclectic sounds I've heard in quite a while. The best part, one of the songs repeats the line "Why don't we make a baby together?" which I subsequently adopted as my new pick-up line.

Who was overrated:

Death Cab for Cutie: I went to this show for 2 reasons. 1. My good friend Betsy who I went to the festival with is a big fan. 2. I was hoping that there was some sort of truth to the hype about their live show. Now that I've seen them, I'm still trying to figure out why this band is so popular. Some of their songs are kind of catchy, but they all sound the same...high and whiney. Plus the lead singer's constant swaying back and forth gave me motion sickness. The song "Into the Dark" while horribly morbid for such a happy sounding tune, was pretty cool, performed with just an acoustic guitar and a stool.

Wolfmother: They were ok...but not what I expected. These guys are possibly one of the most hyped bands of the year, but I wasn't impressed.

Gnarls Barkley: Even though I was sick of the song, I was excited to see them live. Turns out, they were pretty disappointing live. Maybe the acoustics (or lack there of) of Grant Park had something to do with it...but I wasn't impressed. Judging by everyone who left as soon as "Crazy" was over, I'd say I wasn't alone.

Who sucked:

Ryan Adams: Yet again, I was really excited to see him, but he was absolutely horrible. Just a note, when you only have an hour to play to a ton of potential fans, it's probably best not to go on 20 minute long jam-band style tangents of musical crap...(just a suggestion) If I had your CD, I'd give it to a homeless person to sell to some poor unsuspecting soul so he can buy cheap whiskey.

I'm sure there are more that I didn't see that would fall into all 3 categories. And there were a few bands I did see that really aren't worth categorizing.

Overall I'd give Lollapalooza '06 a thumbs up. Sure the mile walk between the north and south stages was a pain, but I didn't really miss out on too much because of it...plus it really improved the sound wash out issue from the '05 weekend. The 3 days was a bit much for an old-timer like me...but it wasn't horrible. As long as this festival stays in Chicago, I'll probably keep going. Anyone want to join me for next year?

posted by philthy @ 11:27 AM