Kid Rock, The Strokes, Tenacious D and Zwan
Jamboree
Tinsley Park, Ill.
Q101, the premiere alternative rock station of Chicago, held their annual Jamboree at the Tweeter Center in Tinsley Park, Ill. Saturday, and in correlation with its title, the event was jammin'.
First, let's get the criticism out of the way. I, being late, missed Local H's performance, but rumor has it they're pretty kick-ass. Our Lady Peace wasn't bad, but with the minimal amount of time allotted for each act, their set was little more than a greatest hits reel. Hoobastank held true to their namesake and stunk -- their music as well as the set as a whole sucked. The X-ecutioners weren't bad in my humble opinion, but 15 minutes after the group entered the stage to a funky re-mix of "The Terminator" theme, the classless crowd booed them off. Kid Rock sucks, and I knew that prior to the show, hence I bailed before his set even began. I've heard he puts on quite a show replete with strippers, pyrotechnics and white trash chicanery. But if I wanted to see these things I could just spend some quality time with my extended family.
Now for the good. The Strokes were most certainly the highlight of the day. Although their set was only an hour, it was an hour jam-packed with musical craftsmanship. Much of the set was comprised of album perfect renditions of tracks off Is This It (2001), as well as "New York City Cops," a track excised from the album due to its controversial nature in wake of 9/11. The set was essentially flawless; I only wish it had lasted longer.
Tenacious D, true to form, put on one hell of a show, albeit a slightly abridged one. They played much of their better stuff the forever-phallic "Kielbasa," their breakout singles "Fuck Her Gently," "Wonderboy" and "Tribute," as well as tributes to their buddy, "Lee," and Black Sabbath legend Ronnie James Dio surprisingly enough entitled, "Dio." The highlight of the set was their "stirring" rendition of "Double Team," which was prefaced by their traditional mock flirting with masses of "Backstage Betty's."
Zwan did the hometown crowd proud. Prodigal son Billy Corgan sounds just as good now as he did when he was with the Pumpkins, as does Jimmy Chamberlain but with a slightly heavier sound and backed by Paz Lenchantin of A Perfect Circle.
All in all, Jamboree was well worth the time and money, if for nothing else to see The Strokes, Tenacious D and Zwan. The rest of the bands I could either take or leave.
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