Drew127I'm still in recovery from Virgin Festival here in Baltimore this passed weekend. And that is certainly not a complaint.
I went in there expecting a good time, but my expectations were exceeded. Before I get to that, though, I'd like to point out that Incubus has really gone down hill - I have yet to check out Light Grenades, and I was not an enormous fan of A Crow Left of the Murder, but I've always loved their material dating backwards from Morning Drive.
You'd think that with such stellar (no pun intended) older material, and a dedicated fan base, that the band would want to play some of their older, funkier, less-boring material. But instead, their set was chock-full of songs from their very mediocre recent recordings.
Brandon Boyd, he can still sing though. Not taking that away from him (although he looked rather strung out).
With Incubus being the biggest disappointment, time to talk about some of the highlights.
Matisyahu was the best set of the weekend - and much to my surprise. I never took the time to get into his music (though I never doubted it was good), but I was instantly sold on his live show. If you can stand there and watch the man perform, and not feel the overwhelming urge to move around, then I'd wonder if you have a pulse.
The next band that was amazing was the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Karen O is rather eccentric (I overheard some people who apparently mistook her for a very flamboyant man). She is easily one of the better performers around today. And nothing beats the double-whammy they closed with, which was 2 versions of
Maps: the plugged in version and an amazing acoustic version which was the perfect way to end the set. The only thing that could have made it better would be a sunset.
Interpol had a rather impressive set. They sure do have a strict image that they try to uphold, and normally I would be turned off by that, but the image reflects their music so much that it seems natural. I was disappointed that they did not play NYC, but a terrific version ofRest My Chemistry made up for it.
Modest Mouse closed out the South stage on Saturday night and needless to say, they were terrific (second overall to Matisyahu, in my opinion). And then of course 311 rocked the house as usual, and they made the smart choice of sticking to the fan favorites/older material, which is oh so much better than the new stuff. Incubus should take a page out of their book.
Those are the notables. I was disappointed to miss the Smashing Pumpkins and The Police, but Modest Mouse was must-see in my book, as was 311, and they both played in conflicting time slots.
The dance tent was never a let down either (I could praise that for awhile also but honestly I'm tired of typing/thinking).
I went in there expecting a good time, but my expectations were exceeded. Before I get to that, though, I'd like to point out that Incubus has really gone down hill - I have yet to check out Light Grenades, and I was not an enormous fan of A Crow Left of the Murder, but I've always loved their material dating backwards from Morning Drive.
You'd think that with such stellar (no pun intended) older material, and a dedicated fan base, that the band would want to play some of their older, funkier, less-boring material. But instead, their set was chock-full of songs from their very mediocre recent recordings.
Brandon Boyd, he can still sing though. Not taking that away from him (although he looked rather strung out).
With Incubus being the biggest disappointment, time to talk about some of the highlights.
Matisyahu was the best set of the weekend - and much to my surprise. I never took the time to get into his music (though I never doubted it was good), but I was instantly sold on his live show. If you can stand there and watch the man perform, and not feel the overwhelming urge to move around, then I'd wonder if you have a pulse.
The next band that was amazing was the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Karen O is rather eccentric (I overheard some people who apparently mistook her for a very flamboyant man). She is easily one of the better performers around today. And nothing beats the double-whammy they closed with, which was 2 versions of
Maps: the plugged in version and an amazing acoustic version which was the perfect way to end the set. The only thing that could have made it better would be a sunset. Interpol had a rather impressive set. They sure do have a strict image that they try to uphold, and normally I would be turned off by that, but the image reflects their music so much that it seems natural. I was disappointed that they did not play NYC, but a terrific version of
Rest My Chemistry made up for it. Modest Mouse closed out the South stage on Saturday night and needless to say, they were terrific (second overall to Matisyahu, in my opinion). And then of course 311 rocked the house as usual, and they made the smart choice of sticking to the fan favorites/older material, which is oh so much better than the new stuff. Incubus should take a page out of their book.
Those are the notables. I was disappointed to miss the Smashing Pumpkins and The Police, but Modest Mouse was must-see in my book, as was 311, and they both played in conflicting time slots.
The dance tent was never a let down either (I could praise that for awhile also but honestly I'm tired of typing/thinking).
