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(08/09/06 4:25pm)
08.06.2006:I can't believe that I am being forced to work weekends. I mean this is ridiculous. On Saturdays most people would probably go to a park or see a concert or something. Not me though. I am always on the job. I almost wore my legs out running around from stage to stage, band to band, all so I could come back here to tell you what has been happening at Lollapalooza. Oh well, it is a tough life but someone has to do it.\nSaturday could have possibly been the best collective day of music I have ever seen. Blackalicious, the Flaming Lips, Lyrics Born, Gnarls Barkley, I did not see a bad show yesterday... unless you count that HBO special I watched last night where a porn star had sex while juggling (just because you can doesn't mean you should).\nBlackalicious put on a great show, with special guest R.V. Salters from General Elektriks. Blackalicious front-man Gift of Gab was rapping with such lightning fast speed that it seemed almost impossible that the syllables he was spewing were even words. To say it was impressive is an understatement, try jaw dropping. Plus with R.V. Salters on keyboard and Chief Xcel on the turntables the entire crowd was jumping. After seeing that show I think it is almost insulting that they were relegated to one of the secondary stages as opposed to getting a slot on one of the main ones. The same thing with Lyrics Born who put on an entertaining show in his own right. I guess there is just no love for underground hip hop at Lollapalooza.\nGnarls Barkley put on a crowd pleasing show on the main stage about midday. It was probably the most highly attended show of the festival thus far, eclipsing even Kanye West, who even gave an homage to Gnarls Barkley by briefly playing their seemingly omnipresent pop anthem "Crazy." Adding Gnarls Barkley's own version and the Raconteurs cover yesterday, that was the third time that the song has been played on the same stage in just over 24 hours.\nEveryone was great yesterday even people I wasn't expecting greatness from, like Kanye West and Built to Spill. Still, by far the best concert was Flaming Lips. True, the did play all of their hits which could be seen as pandering, but they packed more entertainment into an hour long concert than one would think possible. After having seen the recent documentary about the Flaming Lips, "Fearless Freaks," I was familiar with a lot of their onstage antics, but there is still something almost awe inspiring about seeing Wayne Coyne run atop the crowd inside a giant balloon that is essentially the human version of those big plastic balls I would put my gerbil in as a kid. Really it is quite unfortunate that they only had an hour to play because I definitely would have enjoyed a second set.\nI think the one hour sets at Lollapalooza are a mixed blessing. On one hand, it is great to get the opportunity to see a lot of new bands and expand my horizons. On the other hand, it seems like just when I am getting into a concert, it abruptly ends. Luckily it looks like they are going to be letting the Red Hot Chili Peppers play to their hearts' content.
(08/09/06 4:25pm)
08.06.2006:When we realized we could go in the front row for every act to take pictures, things got ridiculously better. There were setbacks, like being dragged from the press area at a legendary Flaming Lips show, but front row access for dynamic hip hop acts Gnarls Barkley, Blackalicious, and Kanye West made Saturday an unforgettable day and night of music. Not to mention the free food, drinks, and hanging out with artists backstage.\nThe themes of the day were that everybody still likes "Makin me Crazy" and artists don't like George Bush. The only late night artist we saw that didn't talk shit about our president was Kanye, who has voiced his opinion pretty famously already.\nThis festival gets better every hour. We started Saturday off with a band we'd only heard of, but never heard, "Built to Spill." What a great surprise. They rocked with three lead guitarists' inventive style using slide, looping, and playing off each other beautifully with a great voice carrying them through the set. Definitely worth picking up an album or two of these guys. They were briefly over-shadowed by Wayne Coyne from "The Flaming Lips" signing a girls tush in the VIP area behind the stage, which was hilarious. Even as "Built to Spill" was rocking, Wayne just being Wayne got more attention.\nLyrics Born was another unexpected good show. Rocking a small stage, he got the crowd to sing along, urging the crowd to stop complaining and watching tv and get out and do something. The show was fun, had some call and response, like "Fuck George Bush" and kept us entertained until we headed over to "Gnarls Barkley."\nAll of "Gnarls Barkley" came onstage decked out in tennis clothes, headbands, and a couple racquets, playing "We are the Champions," with a massive crowd pumping their fists like a Queen show. Danger Mouse sampled and played keyboard, with a string section really filling out their sound.\nIt's official. "Makin me Crazy" is the song of the summer. The Raconteurs, "Gnarls Barkley," and Kanye all played it on the same stage within 26 hours of each other, all kicking ass.\nBarkley put on a solid show, but were not as great as I'd hoped.\nBlackalicious on the other hand, was unbelievable. Led by the fantastic MC Gift of Gab with a special appearance by RV Salters on a funky keyboard, they made a rap fan out of me. Gab would bust off freestyle's so fluid and quick I had to close my eyes to hear every word. Sometimes I'd get off and it would just sound like a stream of beautiful consonants, until I heard a word that stuck out, like hysterectomy. Rob was pumped about the keyboardist when they announced him and I soon found out why. When he wasn't dancing slyly between his machines, he complimented the DJ and Gab perfectly. I never thought I would really love a rap show, but I would pay good money to see that again. At one point they broke the crowd in half having one half yell to the other "Party over here, fuck y'all over there!" getting louder and louder building into another delicious offering of Blackalicious.\nAs we walked to "The Flaming Lips," I told Rob it would be hard to top "Blackalicious," but The Flaming Lips put on an incredible audio and visual display. We got right up to the press picture area and took pictures inches from their lead singer as he prepared for the incredible intro. He was blown up in a plastic balloon (think bubble boy in Seinfeld) and launched into the crowd, riding on people's hands like body surfing without the chance of getting hurt. \nHere's where I almost get kicked out of the festival:\nI handed the camera to Rob to get pics with his 6'4" frame and forgot about Journalism for a minute to try to touch the bubble. In the haste I was pushed from behind into a 400 pound security guy. He saw me without a camera in a place I wasn't supposed to be and took it as a personal insult. He grabbed me by the wrist and viciously dragged me out of the photo area. I reached down for my backpack and that got him even madder. He turned my palm face up and grabbed at my wristbands, trying to rip off my ticket for the rest of the festival. I flung my arm back behind me into another 400 pound security guard who put me in a headlock. The two of them are shoving me out, trying to get on their walkie-talkies and ruin my weekend, but I just turned and deftly escaped through the crowd and found a decent spot a few rows back and watched the amazing show. \nAs always, the Lips had the stage filled with dancers in costumes. This time it was aliens, Santa Clauses and super heroes. And Coyne loves toys. Confetti machines, monstrous balloons that bounce 15 feet in the air before coming back to the crowd, and streamers poured into the stands as the sun set over Grant Park and the gorgeous Chicago sky line. \n"Let's stop traffic on Lake Shore Drive," lead singer Wayne Coyne yelled to the loving crowd. They played a perfect set, with "fanatical" and "The yeah yeah yeah song" off their new album sounding a million times better in person than on the album.\nCoyne fell in love with singalongs, having the crowd scream "fanatical, fuck!" and singing along the chorus to "Yoshimi battles the pink robots."\nCoyne got political saying, "Everybody needs to speak their minds. If they did, maybe George Bush wouldn't be in office."\nThey played "Race for the Prize," and "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" to great response, before closing with "Do you Realize."\nBefore playing their first hit "She Don't Use Jelly," Coyne said that Chicago radio was the place where the single took off, and they played their 12 times that year.\n"We love you, we'll continue to love you and we'll see you again," he said.\nClosing out the night was Chicago's own Kanye West who came out to massive "Kanye, Kanye" chants. He lived up to his headliner status, playing his hits (All falls down, Jesus Walks, and covering a couple other monster songs. He somehow maneuvered from Workout Plan to the "Eurythmics'" 80s hit "Sweet Dreams." At this point after Rob went front row to take pictures, I met him in the artist lounge and chilled with Lyrics Born and yet again, Joel from Umphreys.\nWe kicked back in the lounge, listening to Kanye, but not really watching, reflecting on having the best job in the world. If you have to work on Saturday night, I highly suggest it be at what is becoming the coolest festival of the year with backstage passes.\nSorry it's so long. Rob is getting annoyed. We should really head out for the last day of shows. Check back tomorrow for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wilco, Matisyahu, and Ben Kweller and more!
(08/09/06 4:25pm)
08.05.2006: Bursting through the gates, hundreds of fans sprinted to get front and center for opening act, "The Subways." I hadn't seen that much potential energy since last week when a rancid gallon of milk Rob's family forgot to throw out before going to Europe was about to explode in his fridge. Having gotten in an hour early with media passes, Rob and I just casually walked the few feet to the stage and propped ourselves front row center.
(08/08/06 3:51am)
08.04.2006: So I have decided that over the course of this weekend I will try and\nkeep track of all of the lame -palooza puns that I see. I am calling\nit punapalooza (that one doesn't count). So far we have the name of\nthis blog, and The Chicago Tribune's groan-worthy centerspread\nfeaturing the lineups for today: Plan-apalooza.\nAnyway, I digress. I kicked off the weekend by using my press\nprivilages to secure a front row spot for Brit-pop newcomers, The\nSubways. It was certainly a great show to be in the front row for with\nthe lead singer/guitarist running around the stage, climbing the\nscafolding, jumping off the drums and even doing a little crowd\nsurfing. Plus I had an unobstructed view of the cute little rock-tart\nplaying bass. The way she was jumping around the stage like a flea one\nwould think there was a giant metal key just back stage that they used\nto wind her up just before the show.\nAll in all it was a great show with the possible exception of the\napopleptic 50-year-old man who was just off stage, stage left. \nEveryone in the crowd on my side of the stage was almost completely\ndistracted by the crazy old man dancing like he was conducting an\ninvisible orchestra in a 23/47 time signature.\nAfter that I caught a little bit of the underwhelming Aqualung and\nCursive shows before heading over to see Panic at the Disco! If you\nhave never seen Panic at the Disco! on stage, immagine your Senior\nprom, if it were organised by Fredrico Fellini. After about two songs\nit became all too clea that I was about five years too old to enjoy\nthis show, and was almost blinded by the sun glistening off of the\nbraces of all the Panic fans as they glowered at me for leaving.
(08/08/06 3:50am)
08.05.2006:Well I have decided to end my pun hunt when it came to my attention\nthat most of the puns on the name of the festival were actually coming\nfrom me. I couldn't feel lamer if I were wearing black socks with\nsandals.\nAfter a full day at the festival there are a few inherent problems that\nhave come to my attention. It is really hard to stage hop at\nLollapalooza. The two main stages are about a mile and a half a part,\nor at least they seem like it (the map they provide isn't to scale...\nwhich would probably explain why I haven't seen any 4 story high\nmusical notes). The upside is that there is no interference in sound\nfrom the other stages, the downside is that the concerts are packed in\nso tight that the only way to get to a concert on the other end of the\nvenue is to leave the one you are at 15 minutes early, or arrive at the\nnext concert 15 minutes late. The point is this. I need a Segway. I\nwant to be the first person to successfully rock on a Segway. Does\nanyone have a spare $3,000 for me?\nSome of the highlights of Fridays concerts were The Raconteurs (there\nis a 45% chance that I will never be able to spell or pronounce that\nname correctly), Ryan Adams, and Ween. Ween probably took the crown on\nthe first day with a high energy show that got everyone moving. I wish\nI could have seen more of it but after running around from stage to\nstage for 12 hours I couldn't help but pass out under a power converter.\nIf Ween wasn't the best concert yesterday then certainly that honor\ngoes to The Raconteurs. They played a more than solid set that\nfeatured most of the songs from their album. I think. To be honest I\nhave never heard The Raconteurs album, but I just may have to give it a\nlisten after the show they put on. The strangest decision they made\nwas playing the Gnarls Barkley song "Crazy" when the hip hop duo would\nbe playing on the same stage less than 24 hours later. I am still not\nsure weather it is an homage or a slap in the face. Regardless I think\nwe are all getting tired of that song. Of course that doesn't mean\nthat I won't be hitting up the Gnarls Barkley show in about three hours.
(08/04/06 4:00am)
08.05.2006: Bursting through the gates, hundreds of fans sprinted to get front and center for opening act, "The Subways." I hadn't seen that much potential energy since last week when a rancid gallon of milk Rob's family forgot to throw out before going to Europe was about to explode in his fridge. Having gotten in an hour early with media passes, Rob and I just casually walked the few feet to the stage and propped ourselves front row center.
(08/04/06 4:00am)
08.06.2006:When we realized we could go in the front row for every act to take pictures, things got ridiculously better. There were setbacks, like being dragged from the press area at a legendary Flaming Lips show, but front row access for dynamic hip hop acts Gnarls Barkley, Blackalicious, and Kanye West made Saturday an unforgettable day and night of music. Not to mention the free food, drinks, and hanging out with artists backstage.\nThe themes of the day were that everybody still likes "Makin me Crazy" and artists don't like George Bush. The only late night artist we saw that didn't talk shit about our president was Kanye, who has voiced his opinion pretty famously already.\nThis festival gets better every hour. We started Saturday off with a band we'd only heard of, but never heard, "Built to Spill." What a great surprise. They rocked with three lead guitarists' inventive style using slide, looping, and playing off each other beautifully with a great voice carrying them through the set. Definitely worth picking up an album or two of these guys. They were briefly over-shadowed by Wayne Coyne from "The Flaming Lips" signing a girls tush in the VIP area behind the stage, which was hilarious. Even as "Built to Spill" was rocking, Wayne just being Wayne got more attention.\nLyrics Born was another unexpected good show. Rocking a small stage, he got the crowd to sing along, urging the crowd to stop complaining and watching tv and get out and do something. The show was fun, had some call and response, like "Fuck George Bush" and kept us entertained until we headed over to "Gnarls Barkley."\nAll of "Gnarls Barkley" came onstage decked out in tennis clothes, headbands, and a couple racquets, playing "We are the Champions," with a massive crowd pumping their fists like a Queen show. Danger Mouse sampled and played keyboard, with a string section really filling out their sound.\nIt's official. "Makin me Crazy" is the song of the summer. The Raconteurs, "Gnarls Barkley," and Kanye all played it on the same stage within 26 hours of each other, all kicking ass.\nBarkley put on a solid show, but were not as great as I'd hoped.\nBlackalicious on the other hand, was unbelievable. Led by the fantastic MC Gift of Gab with a special appearance by RV Salters on a funky keyboard, they made a rap fan out of me. Gab would bust off freestyle's so fluid and quick I had to close my eyes to hear every word. Sometimes I'd get off and it would just sound like a stream of beautiful consonants, until I heard a word that stuck out, like hysterectomy. Rob was pumped about the keyboardist when they announced him and I soon found out why. When he wasn't dancing slyly between his machines, he complimented the DJ and Gab perfectly. I never thought I would really love a rap show, but I would pay good money to see that again. At one point they broke the crowd in half having one half yell to the other "Party over here, fuck y'all over there!" getting louder and louder building into another delicious offering of Blackalicious.\nAs we walked to "The Flaming Lips," I told Rob it would be hard to top "Blackalicious," but The Flaming Lips put on an incredible audio and visual display. We got right up to the press picture area and took pictures inches from their lead singer as he prepared for the incredible intro. He was blown up in a plastic balloon (think bubble boy in Seinfeld) and launched into the crowd, riding on people's hands like body surfing without the chance of getting hurt. \nHere's where I almost get kicked out of the festival:\nI handed the camera to Rob to get pics with his 6'4" frame and forgot about Journalism for a minute to try to touch the bubble. In the haste I was pushed from behind into a 400 pound security guy. He saw me without a camera in a place I wasn't supposed to be and took it as a personal insult. He grabbed me by the wrist and viciously dragged me out of the photo area. I reached down for my backpack and that got him even madder. He turned my palm face up and grabbed at my wristbands, trying to rip off my ticket for the rest of the festival. I flung my arm back behind me into another 400 pound security guard who put me in a headlock. The two of them are shoving me out, trying to get on their walkie-talkies and ruin my weekend, but I just turned and deftly escaped through the crowd and found a decent spot a few rows back and watched the amazing show. \nAs always, the Lips had the stage filled with dancers in costumes. This time it was aliens, Santa Clauses and super heroes. And Coyne loves toys. Confetti machines, monstrous balloons that bounce 15 feet in the air before coming back to the crowd, and streamers poured into the stands as the sun set over Grant Park and the gorgeous Chicago sky line. \n"Let's stop traffic on Lake Shore Drive," lead singer Wayne Coyne yelled to the loving crowd. They played a perfect set, with "fanatical" and "The yeah yeah yeah song" off their new album sounding a million times better in person than on the album.\nCoyne fell in love with singalongs, having the crowd scream "fanatical, fuck!" and singing along the chorus to "Yoshimi battles the pink robots."\nCoyne got political saying, "Everybody needs to speak their minds. If they did, maybe George Bush wouldn't be in office."\nThey played "Race for the Prize," and "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" to great response, before closing with "Do you Realize."\nBefore playing their first hit "She Don't Use Jelly," Coyne said that Chicago radio was the place where the single took off, and they played their 12 times that year.\n"We love you, we'll continue to love you and we'll see you again," he said.\nClosing out the night was Chicago's own Kanye West who came out to massive "Kanye, Kanye" chants. He lived up to his headliner status, playing his hits (All falls down, Jesus Walks, and covering a couple other monster songs. He somehow maneuvered from Workout Plan to the "Eurythmics'" 80s hit "Sweet Dreams." At this point after Rob went front row to take pictures, I met him in the artist lounge and chilled with Lyrics Born and yet again, Joel from Umphreys.\nWe kicked back in the lounge, listening to Kanye, but not really watching, reflecting on having the best job in the world. If you have to work on Saturday night, I highly suggest it be at what is becoming the coolest festival of the year with backstage passes.\nSorry it's so long. Rob is getting annoyed. We should really head out for the last day of shows. Check back tomorrow for Red Hot Chili Peppers, Wilco, Matisyahu, and Ben Kweller and more!
(08/04/06 4:00am)
08.06.2006:I can't believe that I am being forced to work weekends. I mean this is ridiculous. On Saturdays most people would probably go to a park or see a concert or something. Not me though. I am always on the job. I almost wore my legs out running around from stage to stage, band to band, all so I could come back here to tell you what has been happening at Lollapalooza. Oh well, it is a tough life but someone has to do it.\nSaturday could have possibly been the best collective day of music I have ever seen. Blackalicious, the Flaming Lips, Lyrics Born, Gnarls Barkley, I did not see a bad show yesterday... unless you count that HBO special I watched last night where a porn star had sex while juggling (just because you can doesn't mean you should).\nBlackalicious put on a great show, with special guest R.V. Salters from General Elektriks. Blackalicious front-man Gift of Gab was rapping with such lightning fast speed that it seemed almost impossible that the syllables he was spewing were even words. To say it was impressive is an understatement, try jaw dropping. Plus with R.V. Salters on keyboard and Chief Xcel on the turntables the entire crowd was jumping. After seeing that show I think it is almost insulting that they were relegated to one of the secondary stages as opposed to getting a slot on one of the main ones. The same thing with Lyrics Born who put on an entertaining show in his own right. I guess there is just no love for underground hip hop at Lollapalooza.\nGnarls Barkley put on a crowd pleasing show on the main stage about midday. It was probably the most highly attended show of the festival thus far, eclipsing even Kanye West, who even gave an homage to Gnarls Barkley by briefly playing their seemingly omnipresent pop anthem "Crazy." Adding Gnarls Barkley's own version and the Raconteurs cover yesterday, that was the third time that the song has been played on the same stage in just over 24 hours.\nEveryone was great yesterday even people I wasn't expecting greatness from, like Kanye West and Built to Spill. Still, by far the best concert was Flaming Lips. True, the did play all of their hits which could be seen as pandering, but they packed more entertainment into an hour long concert than one would think possible. After having seen the recent documentary about the Flaming Lips, "Fearless Freaks," I was familiar with a lot of their onstage antics, but there is still something almost awe inspiring about seeing Wayne Coyne run atop the crowd inside a giant balloon that is essentially the human version of those big plastic balls I would put my gerbil in as a kid. Really it is quite unfortunate that they only had an hour to play because I definitely would have enjoyed a second set.\nI think the one hour sets at Lollapalooza are a mixed blessing. On one hand, it is great to get the opportunity to see a lot of new bands and expand my horizons. On the other hand, it seems like just when I am getting into a concert, it abruptly ends. Luckily it looks like they are going to be letting the Red Hot Chili Peppers play to their hearts' content.
(08/04/06 4:00am)
Lollapalooza far surpassed our wildest expectations. After a day of experiencing a day in the life outside of Lolla land, we break down our favorite shows, best and worst memories and more in our wrap-up.
(08/03/06 4:00am)
During their zenith Steely Dan was a pioneer of highly polished and perfected music that somehow managed to dodge one specific genre. While some might liken the unique group to fellow rock bands like The Doobie Brothers or Chicago, Steely Dan stands out as innovators of a sound and style that can only be described by listening to its music. It's not quite rock, not quite jazz. It's riddled with subtle laid-back R&B and soul flavors, but only below the surface. Dan is poppy when it wants to be but gives straight pop a twist. Above all, the band has always relied on the best musicians around to create the slickest of the slick.\nKaty Lied, Steely Dan's fourth studio album, followed the highly notable and successful Pretzel Logic and is important as being the first album recorded after the band's major decision in 1974 to stop touring and focus solely on studio sessions (a decision that cofounders Donald Fagen and Walter Becker would maintain up until the '90s). The result is an album that is not only nearly flawless but dabbles in a slew of diverse styles and utilizes an eclectic group of talented studio musicians including the crooning soul vocals of future Doobie Brothers member Michael McDonald. \nSongs like the funky melodic rock anthem "Bad Sneakers" or the mock jazz ballad "Your Gold Teeth II" feature tightly composed guitar solos, lounge style piano riffs, lyrics that don't insult our intelligence and an overall feeling of precision that shows a devotion to the music that is often absent from bands in the studio.\nKaty Lied may not be Dan's best album to date since the band has a rich canon behind them but it is important, as it served as a vehicle for future studio focused endeavors. The album is easily accessible--clocking in just above 30 minutes. The collection of songs are all catchy but also force the listener to appreciate the sound much like a great jazz player, and for anyone who says that the music sounds dated, corny or overworked…Well, only a fool would say that.
(08/03/06 4:00am)
08.04.2006: So I have decided that over the course of this weekend I will try and\nkeep track of all of the lame -palooza puns that I see. I am calling\nit punapalooza (that one doesn't count). So far we have the name of\nthis blog, and The Chicago Tribune's groan-worthy centerspread\nfeaturing the lineups for today: Plan-apalooza.\nAnyway, I digress. I kicked off the weekend by using my press\nprivilages to secure a front row spot for Brit-pop newcomers, The\nSubways. It was certainly a great show to be in the front row for with\nthe lead singer/guitarist running around the stage, climbing the\nscafolding, jumping off the drums and even doing a little crowd\nsurfing. Plus I had an unobstructed view of the cute little rock-tart\nplaying bass. The way she was jumping around the stage like a flea one\nwould think there was a giant metal key just back stage that they used\nto wind her up just before the show.\nAll in all it was a great show with the possible exception of the\napopleptic 50-year-old man who was just off stage, stage left. \nEveryone in the crowd on my side of the stage was almost completely\ndistracted by the crazy old man dancing like he was conducting an\ninvisible orchestra in a 23/47 time signature.\nAfter that I caught a little bit of the underwhelming Aqualung and\nCursive shows before heading over to see Panic at the Disco! If you\nhave never seen Panic at the Disco! on stage, immagine your Senior\nprom, if it were organised by Fredrico Fellini. After about two songs\nit became all too clea that I was about five years too old to enjoy\nthis show, and was almost blinded by the sun glistening off of the\nbraces of all the Panic fans as they glowered at me for leaving.
(08/03/06 4:00am)
08.05.2006:Well I have decided to end my pun hunt when it came to my attention\nthat most of the puns on the name of the festival were actually coming\nfrom me. I couldn't feel lamer if I were wearing black socks with\nsandals.\nAfter a full day at the festival there are a few inherent problems that\nhave come to my attention. It is really hard to stage hop at\nLollapalooza. The two main stages are about a mile and a half a part,\nor at least they seem like it (the map they provide isn't to scale...\nwhich would probably explain why I haven't seen any 4 story high\nmusical notes). The upside is that there is no interference in sound\nfrom the other stages, the downside is that the concerts are packed in\nso tight that the only way to get to a concert on the other end of the\nvenue is to leave the one you are at 15 minutes early, or arrive at the\nnext concert 15 minutes late. The point is this. I need a Segway. I\nwant to be the first person to successfully rock on a Segway. Does\nanyone have a spare $3,000 for me?\nSome of the highlights of Fridays concerts were The Raconteurs (there\nis a 45% chance that I will never be able to spell or pronounce that\nname correctly), Ryan Adams, and Ween. Ween probably took the crown on\nthe first day with a high energy show that got everyone moving. I wish\nI could have seen more of it but after running around from stage to\nstage for 12 hours I couldn't help but pass out under a power converter.\nIf Ween wasn't the best concert yesterday then certainly that honor\ngoes to The Raconteurs. They played a more than solid set that\nfeatured most of the songs from their album. I think. To be honest I\nhave never heard The Raconteurs album, but I just may have to give it a\nlisten after the show they put on. The strangest decision they made\nwas playing the Gnarls Barkley song "Crazy" when the hip hop duo would\nbe playing on the same stage less than 24 hours later. I am still not\nsure weather it is an homage or a slap in the face. Regardless I think\nwe are all getting tired of that song. Of course that doesn't mean\nthat I won't be hitting up the Gnarls Barkley show in about three hours.
(08/02/06 7:15pm)
During their zenith Steely Dan was a pioneer of highly polished and perfected music that somehow managed to dodge one specific genre. While some might liken the unique group to fellow rock bands like The Doobie Brothers or Chicago, Steely Dan stands out as innovators of a sound and style that can only be described by listening to its music. It's not quite rock, not quite jazz. It's riddled with subtle laid-back R&B and soul flavors, but only below the surface. Dan is poppy when it wants to be but gives straight pop a twist. Above all, the band has always relied on the best musicians around to create the slickest of the slick.\nKaty Lied, Steely Dan's fourth studio album, followed the highly notable and successful Pretzel Logic and is important as being the first album recorded after the band's major decision in 1974 to stop touring and focus solely on studio sessions (a decision that cofounders Donald Fagen and Walter Becker would maintain up until the '90s). The result is an album that is not only nearly flawless but dabbles in a slew of diverse styles and utilizes an eclectic group of talented studio musicians including the crooning soul vocals of future Doobie Brothers member Michael McDonald. \nSongs like the funky melodic rock anthem "Bad Sneakers" or the mock jazz ballad "Your Gold Teeth II" feature tightly composed guitar solos, lounge style piano riffs, lyrics that don't insult our intelligence and an overall feeling of precision that shows a devotion to the music that is often absent from bands in the studio.\nKaty Lied may not be Dan's best album to date since the band has a rich canon behind them but it is important, as it served as a vehicle for future studio focused endeavors. The album is easily accessible--clocking in just above 30 minutes. The collection of songs are all catchy but also force the listener to appreciate the sound much like a great jazz player, and for anyone who says that the music sounds dated, corny or overworked…Well, only a fool would say that.
(07/27/06 4:00am)
The first adjective to come to mind when thinking about Pink Floyd is epic. Floyd is and always has been a pioneer of the grandiose. From its thick blankets of synthesized soundscapes to its often over-the-top visual spectacles and stage presence, Floyd is a master of crafting the magnificent. \nThe "Pulse" concert was recorded/filmed at Earl's Court in London in 1994 circa the band's Division Bell tour. While the post-Wall, post-Roger Waters segment of Pink Floyds musical epoch is often considered the lowest point of the band's career, "Pulse" manages to step away from any of these misconceptions, instead showcasing a beautifully aged and matured Floyd who, despite being past their musical peak, continues to shine on with each awe-inspiring musical note. \nThe two-disc "Pulse" opens appropriately enough with the always moving "Shine on you Crazy Diamond," a tribute to Floyd's late ex-band member/co-founder Syd Barrett. The band, comprised of the three last remaining original members (guitar virtuoso/lead singer David Gilmour, synthesizer maestro Richard Wright and the driving backbeat of Nick Mason's drums) and a slew of other supporting musicians and female backup singers, have never sounded better than when the group as a whole comes in at the song's first chorus. Goosebumps have also never felt sweeter.\n"Diamond" is followed by four tracks from Division Bell, which, despite being the low points of concert, are still fairly good tracks and are saved by the band's stunning visual light show and massive sound (it should be noted that if feasible this DVD should be listened to on the biggest speakers one can find, preferably ones that rival the size of most children).\nOther highlights from the first disc are the dark but beautiful "Sorrow" from Momentary Lapse of Reason and the always stunning "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)," which to this day still features one of the smoothest/funkiest rhythmic guitar riffs ever recorded. \nDisc two is the real crème of this concert as it features a performance of Dark Side of the Moon in its breathtaking entirety. The Dark Side songs are also some of the purest on the disc as the band strays away from the stunning yet often distracting stage visuals and laser light shows of the previous disc, focusing almost solely on the brilliant musical compositions. \nFloyd closes up the concert with three encores featuring the acoustic gem "Wish You Were Here," The Wall's "Run Like Hell" and a stand out, blow you out of your chair version of "Comfortably Numb," featuring a classic fiery five-minute plus guitar solo by Gilmour. \nThe DVD bonus material features two music videos from The Division Bell, some mini featurettes about the band's 1994 tour and poorly mixed but nevertheless moving introduction/performance of "Wish You Were Here" by Smashing Pumpkin's Billy Corgan taken from Floyd's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 where David Gilmour extends his award and the song to the absent Waters and Barrett.\n"Pulse" disproves all who claim that Pink Floyd is not complete with the absence of Roger Waters, while also proving that despite their age, the talented musicians behind Floyd can still blow us away. This legendary concert performance is a must have for all Floydians out there and for everyone else, "Pulse" is a prime example of the luminous and multi-faceted sound that bellows from every piece of music this band touches.
(07/26/06 7:38pm)
The first adjective to come to mind when thinking about Pink Floyd is epic. Floyd is and always has been a pioneer of the grandiose. From its thick blankets of synthesized soundscapes to its often over-the-top visual spectacles and stage presence, Floyd is a master of crafting the magnificent. \nThe "Pulse" concert was recorded/filmed at Earl's Court in London in 1994 circa the band's Division Bell tour. While the post-Wall, post-Roger Waters segment of Pink Floyds musical epoch is often considered the lowest point of the band's career, "Pulse" manages to step away from any of these misconceptions, instead showcasing a beautifully aged and matured Floyd who, despite being past their musical peak, continues to shine on with each awe-inspiring musical note. \nThe two-disc "Pulse" opens appropriately enough with the always moving "Shine on you Crazy Diamond," a tribute to Floyd's late ex-band member/co-founder Syd Barrett. The band, comprised of the three last remaining original members (guitar virtuoso/lead singer David Gilmour, synthesizer maestro Richard Wright and the driving backbeat of Nick Mason's drums) and a slew of other supporting musicians and female backup singers, have never sounded better than when the group as a whole comes in at the song's first chorus. Goosebumps have also never felt sweeter.\n"Diamond" is followed by four tracks from Division Bell, which, despite being the low points of concert, are still fairly good tracks and are saved by the band's stunning visual light show and massive sound (it should be noted that if feasible this DVD should be listened to on the biggest speakers one can find, preferably ones that rival the size of most children).\nOther highlights from the first disc are the dark but beautiful "Sorrow" from Momentary Lapse of Reason and the always stunning "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)," which to this day still features one of the smoothest/funkiest rhythmic guitar riffs ever recorded. \nDisc two is the real crème of this concert as it features a performance of Dark Side of the Moon in its breathtaking entirety. The Dark Side songs are also some of the purest on the disc as the band strays away from the stunning yet often distracting stage visuals and laser light shows of the previous disc, focusing almost solely on the brilliant musical compositions. \nFloyd closes up the concert with three encores featuring the acoustic gem "Wish You Were Here," The Wall's "Run Like Hell" and a stand out, blow you out of your chair version of "Comfortably Numb," featuring a classic fiery five-minute plus guitar solo by Gilmour. \nThe DVD bonus material features two music videos from The Division Bell, some mini featurettes about the band's 1994 tour and poorly mixed but nevertheless moving introduction/performance of "Wish You Were Here" by Smashing Pumpkin's Billy Corgan taken from Floyd's induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 where David Gilmour extends his award and the song to the absent Waters and Barrett.\n"Pulse" disproves all who claim that Pink Floyd is not complete with the absence of Roger Waters, while also proving that despite their age, the talented musicians behind Floyd can still blow us away. This legendary concert performance is a must have for all Floydians out there and for everyone else, "Pulse" is a prime example of the luminous and multi-faceted sound that bellows from every piece of music this band touches.
(07/20/06 4:00am)
It's fair to say that my expectations going into "Little Man" were about as low as the main character's center of gravity. A movie like this is going to be stupid. We know that. But stupidity, if done right (see "Airplane!," Leslie Nielson or Monty Python's entire career), can be very funny. Unfortunately the Wayans Bros. decided to go beyond stupid, entering a world of, wait for it, shit-fueled unadulterated suck. \nCalvin AKA Little Man (Marlon Wayans) is vertically challenged. Calvin also chose a life of crime. After being released from a stint in prison, he robs an extremely valuable diamond from a poorly run jewelry store with his friend/driver Percy (Tracy Morgan, whose only funny line, "word." may also be the only funny part of the film).\nAfter Calvin and Percy flee the scene with the police on their backs they stash the bling in the purse of a random woman in a pharmacy.\nThe random woman is Vanessa (Kerry Washington) who, believe it or not, just found out that she wasn't pregnant with the child that her husband Darryl (Shawn Wayans) desperately wants to have. Calvin, overhearing this discussion, decides to shave, dress like a baby and show up on the poor couple's doorstep to infiltrate an elaborate forced adoption scheme to get back the diamond. Badamn! We now have a plot folks.\nEventually a mob boss (Chazz Palminteri, who I'm guessing has a child to put through college or just wanted a wicked yacht when he signed on for this role) pops up who also wants the diamond. Enter the poorly delivered suspense element.\nI wish that I could tell you that stupidity tries, and that "Little Man" has its funny moments. I wish I could say that, but I can't. Instead of utilizing the clever parody and social satire that made the first two "Scary Movies" somewhat funny, the Wayans instead rely on poop and booby milk jokes and seven, count them, seven moments where someone is hit in the balls. \nThen there is the creepy CGI miniature Marlon Wayans, whose size at times rivals that of a toddler or a My Buddy doll but then will magically grow in size (take the scene where the little man drives an automobile in the film's little car chase scene) dwarfing even the Stonehenge midgets from "Spinal Tap." But hey, who said continuity was important.\nJudging by the stellar box office results of the Wayans' last film, "White Chicks," and the two giggling pre-pubescent mall urchins sitting two rows ahead of me at the matinee, "Little Man" will probably do quite well, maybe even warranting a sequel--"Bride of Little Man" for example. This is unfortunate since if I were given the choice of screening this film again or falling off a Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle going 50MPH on a gravel road, I'd lean towards the crotch rocket.
(07/20/06 4:00am)
David Bowie has always been somewhat of a chameleon in the rock and roll arena. He single-handedly jumpstarted the glam rock scene of the 1970's, paving the roads for other artists like Mott the Hoople, Iggy Pop and T-Rex, to name a few--and since then has moved from genre to genre, style to style with the comfort and ease of an artist determined to challenge himself and the world of music. \nLow was the first of three albums known as the Berlin Trilogy (the others being 1977s Heroes and 1979s Lodger) that Bowie recorded in Berlin with ex-Roxy Music member/ambient soundscape connoisseur Brian Eno. \nFollowing his brilliant but short 1976 album Station to Station, an album that was in many ways a spawn of his growing addiction to cocaine, Bowie moved to Cold War-riddled Germany to work and tour with friend Iggy Pop. The result of his time there was a trio of albums that, while stepping away from the more mainstream and conventional David Bowie, remain some of the artists finest to date.\nWith Low Bowie strays away from the pop-friendly songs of previous successes such as 1975s Young Americans or the unprecedented and most well-known The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust. The album is harshly divided between futuristic, avant-garde synth rock tracks that are reminiscent of early German techno/Kraut Rock groups such as Neu! or Kraftwerk, and dense, often completely instrumental compositions that reflect Eno's prior ambient records such as Another Green World.\nThe first half of Low features Bowie experimenting with the radio friendly rock of his past. Tracks like the album's one surprising pop hit "Sound and Vision" or the cool, stripped down jazz/rock cut "Always Crashing in the Same Car" are catchy but at the same time require an avid listener due to bizarre vocal distortion and unusual instrumentation.\nLyrics fade on the radically different second half, which relies on five heavy, often depressing yet curiously beautiful instrumental compositions that include the doleful epic "Warszawa" (which may be Bowie's symphonic opus about Poland's anguish plagued capital) and the mysterious and lethargic, but utterly breathtaking closer "Subterraneans."\nWhile Low is without a doubt the most inaccessible and challenging album of the Berlin Trilogy and possibly out of Bowie's entire catalogue, it still stands at the meridian of this versatile artist's musical gamut. It paved the way for Bowie's future reptilian style shifts, influenced artists like Trent Reznor who claims Low was partially responsible for his Downward Spiral album and to this day remains one of the finest ventures into experimental rock out there.
(07/19/06 5:36pm)
David Bowie has always been somewhat of a chameleon in the rock and roll arena. He single-handedly jumpstarted the glam rock scene of the 1970's, paving the roads for other artists like Mott the Hoople, Iggy Pop and T-Rex, to name a few--and since then has moved from genre to genre, style to style with the comfort and ease of an artist determined to challenge himself and the world of music. \nLow was the first of three albums known as the Berlin Trilogy (the others being 1977s Heroes and 1979s Lodger) that Bowie recorded in Berlin with ex-Roxy Music member/ambient soundscape connoisseur Brian Eno. \nFollowing his brilliant but short 1976 album Station to Station, an album that was in many ways a spawn of his growing addiction to cocaine, Bowie moved to Cold War-riddled Germany to work and tour with friend Iggy Pop. The result of his time there was a trio of albums that, while stepping away from the more mainstream and conventional David Bowie, remain some of the artists finest to date.\nWith Low Bowie strays away from the pop-friendly songs of previous successes such as 1975s Young Americans or the unprecedented and most well-known The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust. The album is harshly divided between futuristic, avant-garde synth rock tracks that are reminiscent of early German techno/Kraut Rock groups such as Neu! or Kraftwerk, and dense, often completely instrumental compositions that reflect Eno's prior ambient records such as Another Green World.\nThe first half of Low features Bowie experimenting with the radio friendly rock of his past. Tracks like the album's one surprising pop hit "Sound and Vision" or the cool, stripped down jazz/rock cut "Always Crashing in the Same Car" are catchy but at the same time require an avid listener due to bizarre vocal distortion and unusual instrumentation.\nLyrics fade on the radically different second half, which relies on five heavy, often depressing yet curiously beautiful instrumental compositions that include the doleful epic "Warszawa" (which may be Bowie's symphonic opus about Poland's anguish plagued capital) and the mysterious and lethargic, but utterly breathtaking closer "Subterraneans."\nWhile Low is without a doubt the most inaccessible and challenging album of the Berlin Trilogy and possibly out of Bowie's entire catalogue, it still stands at the meridian of this versatile artist's musical gamut. It paved the way for Bowie's future reptilian style shifts, influenced artists like Trent Reznor who claims Low was partially responsible for his Downward Spiral album and to this day remains one of the finest ventures into experimental rock out there.
(07/19/06 5:11pm)
It's fair to say that my expectations going into "Little Man" were about as low as the main character's center of gravity. A movie like this is going to be stupid. We know that. But stupidity, if done right (see "Airplane!," Leslie Nielson or Monty Python's entire career), can be very funny. Unfortunately the Wayans Bros. decided to go beyond stupid, entering a world of, wait for it, shit-fueled unadulterated suck. \nCalvin AKA Little Man (Marlon Wayans) is vertically challenged. Calvin also chose a life of crime. After being released from a stint in prison, he robs an extremely valuable diamond from a poorly run jewelry store with his friend/driver Percy (Tracy Morgan, whose only funny line, "word." may also be the only funny part of the film).\nAfter Calvin and Percy flee the scene with the police on their backs they stash the bling in the purse of a random woman in a pharmacy.\nThe random woman is Vanessa (Kerry Washington) who, believe it or not, just found out that she wasn't pregnant with the child that her husband Darryl (Shawn Wayans) desperately wants to have. Calvin, overhearing this discussion, decides to shave, dress like a baby and show up on the poor couple's doorstep to infiltrate an elaborate forced adoption scheme to get back the diamond. Badamn! We now have a plot folks.\nEventually a mob boss (Chazz Palminteri, who I'm guessing has a child to put through college or just wanted a wicked yacht when he signed on for this role) pops up who also wants the diamond. Enter the poorly delivered suspense element.\nI wish that I could tell you that stupidity tries, and that "Little Man" has its funny moments. I wish I could say that, but I can't. Instead of utilizing the clever parody and social satire that made the first two "Scary Movies" somewhat funny, the Wayans instead rely on poop and booby milk jokes and seven, count them, seven moments where someone is hit in the balls. \nThen there is the creepy CGI miniature Marlon Wayans, whose size at times rivals that of a toddler or a My Buddy doll but then will magically grow in size (take the scene where the little man drives an automobile in the film's little car chase scene) dwarfing even the Stonehenge midgets from "Spinal Tap." But hey, who said continuity was important.\nJudging by the stellar box office results of the Wayans' last film, "White Chicks," and the two giggling pre-pubescent mall urchins sitting two rows ahead of me at the matinee, "Little Man" will probably do quite well, maybe even warranting a sequel--"Bride of Little Man" for example. This is unfortunate since if I were given the choice of screening this film again or falling off a Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle going 50MPH on a gravel road, I'd lean towards the crotch rocket.
(07/13/06 4:00am)
Science fiction author Philip K. Dick once said that, "Drug misuse is not a disease, it is a decision, like the decision to step out in front of a moving car. You would call that not a disease but an error of judgment." \nThe author, best known for his sci-fi short stories of the 60s and 70s, wrote his novel, "A Scanner Darkly," as an allegory for the troubling epidemic of drug abuse that was plaguing not only those around him, but also himself (he was a speed junkie) during the early '70s. The story is science fiction, relying heavily on futuristic technological advancements, but only on its surface. Richard Linklater's "A Scanner Darkly" marks the eighth film adaptation of a Dick story and is on par with previous successful films such as "Blade Runner" and "Minority Report."\n"A Scanner Darkly" is set seven years in the future in Southern California. Keanu Reeves (playing, well, the best Keanu Reeves he can) stars as Bob Arctor, a police officer who goes deep undercover to infiltrate a growing underground drug cartel of a new radically powerful hallucinatory drug called Substance D. The trouble is Arctor is so far involved that his mind starts to play tricks on him and he begins to question his true identity. On the one hand he is Arctor, the normal guy who spends his days getting high with his friends and constructing mind puzzles that tread the waters of paranoia. On the other hand he is a police officer who goes by the code name Fred. As the plot thickens Arctor begins to unfold the intricate inner workings of the cartel while also coming to grips with his shattered mental state. \n"A Scanner Darkly" is complicated and plays tricks on the audience much like the mind-bending drugs play tricks on the main characters. Reeves is decent as Arctor, however, the true shining performances come from Robert Downey Jr. ("Chaplin"), Woody Harrelson ("Natural Born Killers") and the horribly underappreciated Rory Cochrane ("Dazed and Confused's" Slater) who all play Arctor's Substance D fiend friends. Some of the best scenes of the film occur around Arctor's run-down Cali bungalow where the friends get high, ponder meaningless notions about the current state of the world they live in and create elaborate, paranoia fueled puzzles and conspiracy theories. \nDirector/screenwriter Richard Linklater delivers a wonderfully written script and the film's unique style of rotoscoping visual animation (a technique that Linklater helped create with his film "Waking Life") never distracts the viewer and is a perfect counterpart to the Dick's often-surreal story.\n"A Scanner Darkly" deals with drug abuse and addiction in the same vein as David Cronenberg's film adaptation of William S. Burroughs' "Naked Lunch," using bits of comedy and surrealism to show the chaotic nature of mind altering drugs. The film is often very funny and visually the equivalent of eye candy, however, there is an underlying level of depressing realization that Substance D or any drug for that matter can truly have devastating effects on the human psyche.
