The Dead Part of You

So when we last left off, I was on my way to check out Sparklehorse. It was hot and I would be standing on pavement [which was a little weird - Coachella certainly wins that matchup] but I learned from previous festival experience that I should never by a bottle of water. I should always buy two or three bottles of water, so I was all set.

I didn't even really have high hopes for Sparklehorse, and was mostly checking them out based on web-log buzz. As it turns out, not only were they really good, but I've already bought one of their records since coming home. Kind of a cross between Red House Painters and The Jesus and Mary Chain, if that makes any kind of sense. It was shoegazey, it was alt-country, it was A++ and I survived!

After they were done, I had an hour before Blonde Redhead, who were playing the other side of Grant Park. Crossing back by Buckingham Fountain, it gave me that 'festival' feeling, of 'holy fuck there are a ton of people here'. I waited in line forever for some ice cream [at a park vendor, not a festival vendor] and went over to stake out space for Blonde Redhead. And shade.

Blonde Redhead were just fine. I had seen them years ago when they were a noise-rock four piece and liked them then - but now as a dream-pop three piece I say A++ to the 4AD record label! Sadly, I missed the last 15 minutes of their set [and luckily they didn't play "Equus" or "Misery is a Butterfly"] to meet up again with Bob for dinner [we parted ways after The Polyphonic Spree so he could go see moe.]. Will I go see Blonde Redhead at The Roxy next month? THE ANSWER IS QUITE LIKELY!

Dinner was a pretty awesome vegetarian plate from the chinese food vendor - fried rice, lo mein and spring rolls for $7, and it actually tasted good. Oh, I went nuts and got a smoothie for dessert, which was another $7.

We ate while watching Satellite Party, Perry Farrell's latest deal, from about as far away as humanly possible. Was it nice to hear the old Jane's Addiction songs? Sure. Even the Porno For Pyros stuff, and new stuff sounded great. But goddamn is Perry ridiculous. I don't have a lot of complaints about the whole Lollapalooza thing, but one thing that got to me was the presence of his ego everywhere - like, you were not getting out of there without knowing that this was a Perry Farrell joint. And it was just all so preachy and obnoxious. SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!

Bob and I went to check out LCD Soundsystem. I had seen them earlier this spring and it ruled. At Lollapalooza? Not so much. It wasn't really their fault, it was a fine performance. It was so good Bob was converted the way I was last spring.

First, there's a big difference between a hot and sweaty nightclub, and a huge field of people outdoors. Bob and I were pretty far away from the stage by the time they went on, behind the soundboard actually, and while they had a TON of energy, it couldn't really reach that far.

Additionally, I was now completely out of energy. Hyper dance-punk was the last thing on my mind - I just wanted to sit down. Thank god I had abandoned my original plan of being RIGHT UP FRONT - I seriously think I would have been killed.

Their set list was almost exactly the same as last spring with a few cuts dropped for time. I was also a little disappointed they played "Daft Punk is Playing at my House" so early in the set - I was hoping they'd close with it and it could bleed into Daft Punk's opener across the field. James noted the irony of it all, shouting "You've got to set them up" at the people who actually were setting them up. James was pretty chatty and that worked.

They did well playing with the sunset and the Chicago skyline as their light show. He started getting cranky about the lights near the end - I couldn't really catch exactly what was going on from so far away. Had I conserved my energy during the day, had I been up closer - LCD Soundsystem could have ruled.

Now that it was dark, James told us to "turn around - go there - now" and those five tones from Close Encounters of the Third Kind floated across the field.

[to be continued]

The phone stopped mobile photo web logging [it usually does]. After Sparklehorse was Blonde Redhead, LCD Soundsystem and Daft Punk. It was a very tiring day.

I assure you, higher quality pictures and rants and raves to follow. Today's winner? The Polyphonic Spree!

So last Friday night I went to see that Simpsons movie. I know, right? Anyway, the only spoiler I got is that it pretty much sucked after the first half hour. Surprisingly, the whole opening night fiesta involved didn't irk me nearly as much as I had thought it would.

Today? The iPod is set on a Friday Lollapalooza shuffle. I've pretty much been listening to LCD Soundsystem all morning [which isn't a bad thing].

So last Friday was the big indie electronic show at Avalon. LCD Soundsystem played with Yacht.

For a long time I had just assumed LCD Soundsystem was just a fancy name for a DJ, and it sort of is, but there's a lot more going on. Live, there were 5-6 people playing the songs that James Murphy wrote and recorded by himself.

It ruled.

It's been years since I've had that kind of concert experience - I got there early and staked out my spot up near the front. Opening with Us vs Them got a small pit started behind me, like at a hardcore show. Murphy stopped briefly to remind the aggressive boys that dancing with girls was much more fun, and was completely ignored as everything exploded around and behind me as they tore into "Daft Punk is Playing At My House".

[I couldn't find a set list online, however I did come across what seems to be a nice free set of bootleg remixes from Sounds of Silver.]

Pretty much any old song and the place exploded - the new stuff also got good reactions. Most noticeably/obviously was "All My Friends". It was what they were doing on every song - starting minimal, slowly rising into screaming and cacophony while keeping everyone moving with their steady 4/4 beat. For reals, Al Doyle went nuts on his guitar for the last few minutes of it. I just started screaming it was so intense. So loud. Actually, the intensity level reminded me of Mogwai, only instead of an internalized shoegaze rage, this was an external primal release.

Other set highlights? Only the most amazing encore imaginable. Coming back into "Someone Great", a cover of Joy Division's "No Love Lost" [where I truly realized how similar this live set up was similar to New Order] and an odd closing number of "New York I Love You". I didn't think closing out such a high energy night with a balled would work - but it totally kicked ass.

And why was it such an awesome gig all around? When the lights came up and I hit the street my shirt was drenched in sweat. Like dripping from the workout I had just been through, and dripping from the sweat of all the kids crashing into me.

Opener Yacht reminded me exactly why I hate 98% of all electroclash.

I was able to get a few shots off with my new phone during the few moments I wasn't being thrown around. Most of them didn't really come out. However, I was up close enough to tell that James Murphy is packing some heat below the belt - I swear if he wasn't stuffing then he could probably do some serious damage. Just sayin'.

So originally, the plan for tomorrow was to go hear Chuck Palahniuk read at the Coolidge Corner theater. Lucky for me, the day that I was going to go very far out of my way to get tickets, I checked the listing again, and saw that it started at 5PM. There's no way I'd even get there for the last 5 minutes so I didn't bother getting tickets. I figured I'd still show up for the requisite book signing, since I haven't picked up the new one yet, and have a hole in my deep catalog.

Then, I became completely and totally obsessed with LCD Soundsystem. I picked up Sound of Silver a few weeks ago, and quite randomly threw "Someone Great" into a playlist of new stuff to check out. When it randomly came up, well, it killed me:

I wake up and the phone is ringing,
Surprised as it's early.
And that should be the perfect warning,
That something's a problem.
To tell the truth I saw it coming,
The way you were breathing.
But nothing can prepare you for it,
The voice on the other end.

I actually spent a few hours trying to remix it with Audacity, and while I got a pretty awesome sludgy ambient noise out of it, it could hardly be called a remix.

Originally I had planned to check out the show this Friday long before I had heard this. Now, I'm absolutely compelled to go. It got moved to a larger venue, more tickets opened up, and to be perfectly honest, I'm way more excited about this than I was about Ben Gibbard. I'm bummed it's early [7PM] and across the street from a baseball game which equals NO PARKING. I now have to race home, change into my safety glasses, cardigan sweater and indie rock courier bag, and race out by train so I can get there early, so I can get right to the front by the stage, so I can sing along at the top of my lungs with James Murphy and cry.



SUCK THE DNA RIGHT OUT OF YOU.