popwreckoning

Chicago’s MoneyPenny has launched a new website and in celebration, the electro duo is giving away “Cool & the Gang” for free. Just head to Lovemoneypenny.com to check out the latest news and new features and, of course, download the song.

Music lovers that traveled to Chicago for this year’s Lollapalooza, you might have caught MoneyPenny’s singer, Jess, performing with DJ duo Team Bayside High. Or perhaps you’ve heard their song “Say No” on MTV’s the “City.” For Chicago residents, you might have partied with the girls at their monthly SPANDEXXX performances at Beauty Bar. For those who haven’t had the chance to experience MoneyPenny live, just know that everything these girls touch is a fun, good time, so get ready for their soon to be released debut EP.

Playing to a sold-out crowd on Friday the 13^th sounds like you’re asking for trouble, right? Not for the Temper Trap, who did just that last Friday at the Showbox at the Market, by far one of the best venues in town, and on one of the warmest nights of the summer.

On a day that was already riddled with great (and some free) shows around Seattle, the line for the Temper Trap’s show was lined up around the block by with still twenty minutes to spare until the doors opened at 8.

It had been two and a half months since I’d been to the Showbox, and also two and a half months since I’d seen the Temper Trap at the Sasquatch Festival. So it was nice to get back to my old stomping grounds with what I expected to be a great show.

I was right.

Synth-laden electro pop San Francisco natives Butterfly Bones opened the show. Their sound was fun and comparable to Seattle natives Starfucker. Though the crowd was really feeling it, their upbeat grooves should have gotten more people dancing. I had a feeling that because it was a sold out show, no one really cared about an opening act. It also probably didn’t help that each of Butterfly Bones’ songs seemed to never end. I’m pretty sure one lasted about 7 minutes. I’m not kidding. But I like Butterfly Bones music – the funky jams like “Crystal Caves” and “<3” – both of which are on their MySpace. I mentioned the show to a friend of mine who lives in San Francisco, and she said that Butterfly Bones are normally really awesome live. Local favorites, local crowds: I know how it is.

By the time the intermission came, people were already ridiculously anxious. And at that point, the PA system started playing some random catchy dance pop. However, when the opening chords of Phoenix’s “1901” came on, people started dancing. It was quite awesome, actually, because people also were singing along – to the loudspeaker. I know, a bit surreal, right? I love Phoenix as much as the next person, so I joined in the intermission loudspeaker dance party.

Just after 10 p.m., a drawn-out synth introduction built the anticipation in the crowded room, a few people behind me already slightly inebriated.

Stepping out on stage one by one, the Temper Trap finished out the intro, a strong and powerful way to start the show, before jumping right into “Rest,” with lead singer Dougy Mandagi’s crescendoing “oooo, baby” throughout the chorus and verses. My sister and I were standing on the right side of the stage in front of bassist Jonathon Aherne, who has the most energy I’ve ever seen from a bass player, and it helped make our experience that much more exciting.

After “Rest,” we got the more upbeat and danceable “Fader,” which is my second favorite track off their phenomenally successful 2009 debut Conditions, and it’s by far the easiest to sing along to. How hard is it to sing, “Don’t go change a thing, ooo, ooo, oooo, oo?”

That was actually one thing I’ve been missing lately – people crowd knowing all the songs. The last three shows I saw were all the same band with an extended back catalogue, and because the Temper Trap only has one full-length out, there are only those songs to memorize. So naturally, I wasn’t the only person singing a long to all the words.

Except at one point three girls planted their feet behind me and the polite crowd of people I was standing with and decided to make fools of themselves. It was nearing the middle of the show, and one of the girls was literally crying. I’m sure it was a mixture of the heat, crowd, awesomeness of the show, and the alcohol in her system.

It provided a good laugh for the people I was standing with.

The crowd wasn’t nearly as excited as I’d hoped, with it being sold out and all, but once guitarist Lorenzo Sillitto started playing the familiar chords to “Sweet Disposition”…well, people still didn’t get into it. But then again, Sillitto’s guitar intro is quite long, and I remembered it from back in May, so I probably looked like a crazy fool getting all excited for unspecified chords while everyone else was like, “when are they gonna play “Sweet Disposition?!” In about a minute, my friends – just you wait.

So that’s when everyone went absolutely nuts and started swaying to the beat and singing at the top of their lungs. I just wished that’s how the crowd had reacted to each song, not just the single that was on the 500 Days of Summer soundtrack and got dangerously close to being overplayed.

Even though that moment when everyone recognized “Sweet Disposition” was expected, it was still awesome. However, my favorite moments of the night came during the building and pulsating two part “Resurrection” and “Drum Song” where Mandagi took his water bottle and poured it directly on the floor tom he was beating on in almost a tribal way, which then sprayed across the stage in a cascade of water droplets. And “Resurrection” is my favorite song off the record, so that made it even better.

After a short encore and a loud round of applause, the Temper Trap came back on stage for a few more songs, after Mandagi introduced a new one, where he sat at a slightly undersized keyboard that was quite low to the ground. It was a softer song, which was a nice start to the encore, because the show ended on the second single off Conditions, “Science of Fear,” which also got the crowd in a tizzy, so it was the perfect way to end a great show from a great band.

The crowd may have been less-than-thrilling, but I was so into the music being played I didn’t care about the lame people standing to my right or the drunk people standing behind me.

One more thing – because I’m slow, I didn’t get a set list at the end of the show, but I can pinpoint which songs the Temper Trap did play.

Set list (don’t hold me to the correct order)

1. Intro
2. Rest
3. Fader
4. Fools
5. Rabbit Hole
6. Down River
7. Love Lost
8. Soldier On
9. Sweet Disposition
10. Resurrection
11. Drum Song
12. Unnamed new song
13. Science of Fear

(I know the last two were in the encore, I just can’t for the life of me remember what the third one was. Sorry.)

Rufus Wainwright will be in Kansas City this Sunday evening and it was recently announced that his sister, Lucy Wainwright Roche, will open the show.

The show begins at 8 p.m. in the beautifully restored Midland theater, a perfect setting for Rufus’ theatrical piano pop rock performances.

Tickets are still available. Head here to buy tickets or here to visit Rufus’ website.

New York’s the Pains of Being Pure at Heart have announced on their official website dates for a fall North American tour.

The band recently released a new single, “Say No to Love,” in June on Slumberland Records.

Tour Dates
Oct 20 – Paradise / Boston#
Oct 21 – Music Hall of Williamsburg / Brooklyn#&
Oct 22 – Pi Lam / Philadelphia#
Nov 04 – Venue / Vancouver^
Nov 05 – Vera Project / Seattle^
Nov 06 – Reed College / Portland
Nov 07 – EMU Ballroom / Eugene^
Nov 09 – Independent / San Francisco^
Nov 10 – Fresh and Fabulous Cafe / Oxnard, CA^*
Nov 11 – Loft @ UCSD / San Diego^
Nov 12 – Echoplex / Los Angeles^
# with Yuck
^ with Weekend
& with the Blow + Young Men
* with Sweater Girls, Sea Lions and Avocados

Photo: Mary Chang

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: website | myspace | @ Monolith Festival 2009, Saturday, September 12 | Interview with | @ Black Cat, 2009 | @ Irvine Auditorium

Exactly 1 year after a manic sold-out show at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg, English electropop / dance trio Friendly Fires have announced details of a forthcoming mix CD to be released through Rough Trade Records. The CD is one of a humorously-titled series called Bugged Out Presents Suck My Deck that has welcomed dance music acts / DJs such as Simian Mobile Disco and Brodinski to provide similar mixes. The Friendly Fires edition includes New York’s Phenomenal Handclap Band and Scandinavian disco-pop duo Lindstrom and Christabelle. While the album won’t be released until September 27, you can pre-order it now on Rough Trade’s website here.

In addition to 18 tracks hand-picked by the band from other artists, the compilation includes “Stay Here,” a collaboration with Toronto’s Azari & III. The tune will make its radio debut today on DJ Annie Mac‘s Radio1 show tonight from 7 to 9 PM GMT (that’s 2 to 4 PM ET). No worries if you miss it today, it will available for 7 days after broadcast on the BBC iPlayer.

Friendly Fires have been previewing other new tracks while on the European festival circuit this summer. Their yet-to-be-titled sophomore album is due sometime in 2011, according to various media reports. Track titles include “Running Away” and “True Love”, and the band have divulged that the new release will feature the Brazilian cuíca (commonly used in samba music) and the African kalimba.

Mix CD tracklisting:
01. The Egyptian Lover – Freak-A-Holic
02. Bot’Ox – Bearded Lady Motorcycle Show
03. The Phenomenal Handclap Band – You’ll Disappear (Munk Remix)
04. Tom Trago – Lost In The Streets of NYC (Boris Werner Lost In Malta Remix)
05. Ryan Crosson – Metro Bunker (Original Mix)
06. Lindstrom and Christabelle – Baby Can’t Stop (Aeroplane Remix)
07. Rebotini – 777 (Discodeine Remix)
08. Tensnake – Coma Cat
09. Munk – La Musica (Azari & III Remix)
10. Friendly Fires and Azari & III – Stay Here
11. Redshape – Dog Day
12. The 2 Bears – Be Strong
13. Butch – No Worries
14. George Kranz – Din Daa Daa
15. Jody “Fingers” Finch – Jack Your Big Booty (BHQ No Acid Vocal)
16. BDI – City & Industry
17. Alan Fitzpatrick – Green Light
18. Boo Williams – Mortal Trance
19. Round Two – New Day (Club Vocal Mix)

Thumbnail Photo: Mary Chang

Friendly Fires: website | myspace | Friendly Fires review | Remix Monday: “Skeleton Boy” | @ Black Cat | @ Dot to Dot Festival | interview with pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3 | Mercury Prize Nominations Announced | New Video on MTV, To Play Jimmy Kimmel and Winter Nylon Tour, Release Expanded Version of Debut Album | @ Lollapalooza 2009 | @ le poisson rouge | @ Music Hall of Williamsburg | on Jimmy Kimmel | Remix Monday: “Paris” | @ Paradise | Friendly Fires / Holy Ghost! – 12″ Split Single

Those in Kansas might have spent the last few months mourning the loss of the Wakarusa music festival. Now the only fest that this area of the country could claim is the mohawked, beer belly-filled Rockfest. But not anymore! There’s a new fest in town and in this blog’s opinion, it is pretty kick ass.

Scion Garage Fest will showcase local and national acts Saturday October 2 in downtown Lawrence, KS. An RSVP by August 30 gets fans in to the fest for free.

It’s set up like a mini-SXSW. You get to pick and choose what bars/venues you go into, but you need to plan accordingly for age restrictions (Jackpot is 18+) and capacity. The shows start at 4 p.m. and run until 12:30 a.m.

Some of the acts of note include The Oblivians, The Raveonettes, The Ponys, Best Coast, Thee Oh Sees, Times New Viking and Rooftop Vigilantes.

Sure, they’re some other hipsterfest going on at Starlight (*cough* Vampire Weekend *cough*), but this is FREE!!!! Make sure you RSVP here by August 30 so that it stays FREE! This is something you won’t want to miss.

Line Up:
THE OBLIVIANS
THE GORIES
THE RAVEONETTES
THE GREENHORNES
THE PONYS
KING KHAN & THE SHRINES
CLOUD NOTHINGS
BEST COAST
THEE OH SEES
HUMAN EYE
TIMES NEW VIKING
HUNX & HIS PUNX TYVEK
COLA FREAKS
THE LAMPS
NODZZZ
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
GAYE BLADES
DIGITAL LEATHER
BAD SPORTS
SEX BEET
NATURAL CHILD TEENANGER
ROOFTOP VIGILANTES
GAROTAS SUECAS
WHITE WIRES

Sunday nature battled itself giving us both the coldest and hottest day of Lollapalooza. But there was still music to be heard! So a poncho-packed crowd stumbled through the mud to start their day dancing to “USA Boys,” with HEALTH. As the guys thrashed about the stage with the guitar-driven dance rock, my only thought was that they should have had one of the prime evening spots like similar acts in Cut Copy and Hot Chip. I couldn’t believe they were stuck in one of the earliest sets of the day. Not with how good they are and how popular I thought they were. I’m sure everyone has at least heard one of their remixes at one time or another.

I picked my way past puddles to Perry’s where Team Bayside High was getting ready for their DJ set. I have to give the kids at Perry’s props: the rain seemed to peak during this set, but it didn’t kill their dance buzz for a second. It helped that the DJ duo in Team Bayside High really knew how to interact with the crowd and get them amped up. There wasn’t a single mix that they played that slowed them down too much or killed the mood. As they smoothly went from Franz Ferdinand to a Mario theme, I could see why these guys were asked to play a permanent residence at Rehab in Chicago: they were diverse and fun. For a special treat at the end of their set, Moneypenny‘s Jess joined them to sing her part live on their new single “Party Professionals.” You can actually download the track free at Team Bayside’s site. (We also did an interview with Team Bayside High, so check back to PopWreckoning soon for more from these guys.)

Having seen many of the next acts several times before, I walked past Company of Thieves as their female singer belted out Oscar Wilde refrences, past the Dodos’ percussion heavy set that features a bowed vibraphone and ended up at the Hard Rock Hotel for lunch.

The place was more packed than it had been for the entire weekend. I set off to to investigate what was going on. Turns out one of the larger lobbys had been completely closed off as a “special VIP” had requested privacy while getting a new tattoo. So I went into the cafe to eat and enjoy some hip hop music from Chiddy Bang. Hip hop isn’t usually my thing because I’m a lyric gal and often times the lyrics are offensive, dumb or just downright vulgar. I didn’t have this problem with Chiddy Bang and actually found it witty. I particularly liked that there was a live drummer and not just pre-recorded backing tracks for the performance.

After the performance, I ventured back up to the closed lounge, which was still closed. I was about to ask a girl standing next to me if she knew what was going on, but a beefy, tall man ushered her out of the lobby just as I opened my mouth. Turns out that girl was Hayden Panettiere – you know, from Heroes, Remember the Titans, etc? And it also turns out that she was the “special VIP” who had shut down the room for her new tatt. I guess the cast of Scream 4 had come down to Lolla from filming in Michigan. A part of me wishes I had realized who she was sooner, but I’m also glad I didn’t. That’s kind of the cool thing about Lolla. Actors and musicians are just walking around. You never know who you’re going to rub shoulders with, but at that fest, we’re all equals. We’re all music lovers.

So, since I am such a big music lover, it was time to take my leave of the Hard Rock and head back to the fest for some more bands. Only this time, instead of walking back, I took the Vitamin Water Bus back. This was kind of a cool thing set up where you could relax, rehydrate and enjoy some DJ music going back and forth between the Hard Rock and the fest. I wish I had thought to use it sooner!

I continued my love of watching bands that make you dance by checking out Hockey, who started with “Song Away,” played a few new songs before amping people up with “Work” and “Too Fake.” This set was a lot tighter than their technical-difficulty filled set from the year before. After that I went over to Yeasayer.

If you should know anything about me, it’s that I’m always feeling Yeasayer: multiple vocals, big guitars, lots of synth and even bigger drums. Plus you can dance! What’s not to love? “O.N.E.” got people to stand up and dance through a majority of the set, but it was really “Ambling Alp,” that drove home their awesomeness as a set closer. As I turned to watched MUTEMATH on a neighboring stage, I couldn’t help, but feel a bit bored after the great set that Yeasayer had just delivered.

Fortunately, Frightened Rabbit restored my faith that there was still awesome after Yeasayer. They’re completely different from that dance rock sound and pretty much straight up indie rock. It’s the cool Scottish accents and sweet harmonies that make this band stand out.

But I couldn’t stay there long. I needed to see the shit show that would be Erykah Badu and a shit show it was. Blonde hair and a hideous green dress that no one in the world could pull off. And let’s be honest – her music is uninspired, so we all just were gathered there to see what she would wear and what diva moves she’d pull. This was a clusterfuck, so I made it as long as I could before heading into media to grab some water.

In media, I got a special treat. Festival founder and lead singer in Jane’s Addiction, Perry Farrell, was making the rounds and greeting people. It was so cool to see the icon acting so down-to-earth, especially with how big his Lolla project has become.

I exited media in time to see a bunch of hair bouncing, hear surprisingly killer vocals yowling and watch as hands whizzed through Zepplin-inspired guitar riffs. This was Wolfmother and this was awesome. No, it isn’t something I’ll listen to the CD over and over for, but it is something I’d watch live again.

From here, it was indie rock hour on the other side of the venue. So I trekked over to see MGMT, The National and my most anticipated: Arcade Fire.

MGMT is one of those acts where I really, really, really love the singles, but feel ho hum about the rest of their music and even their live show. I’ve seen them a few times and was disappointed and bored. I wasn’t expecting much at Lolla, but they completely took me by surprise. I don’t know if people complained enough or what, but they were a changed live band. They talked to the audience, interacted, and offered up spots for the crowd to take over singing duties. They even had a frog puppet! It was bizarre and shockingly fun. And yes, songs from the new album did receive a more lukewarm reaction, but I was reeling from the overall change in the band, that I could care less about that. Nice work, MGMT. Maybe you do deserve your fame.

As people flocked to the National on the neighboring stage, I moved closer to a better a spot for Arcade Fire. Sounds of “Blood Buzz Ohio” buzzed in my ear, and as much as I like the National, it wasn’t long before their music became exactly that: just a buzz. Their songs started to sound the same, but it might have been that I was just antsy for Arcade Fire to start.

Oh, Arcade Fire. You, with your bajillion members and insane amounts of instruments from accordion to violins to brass and more. Can I join your band?

Before the fest, one of my friends tried to insult the Arcade Fire by calling them, “The indie world’s Coldplay.” In other words, they meant the band was wildly popular, but without any real merit. You have to understand, this same friend is driven crazy by Coldplay’s unwillingness to use more than three chords. After seeing them live, I can attest, that Arcade Fire is not overhyped. They deserve all the attention they get.

While fireworks went off for other headliners and light shows blinded, Arcade Fire settled on a simple video backdrop and relied only on their music to dazzle. They fittingly started with “Ready to Start” and from there it was just one great song after another. Everything was tightly performed with jubilation. For a moment, I forget my painful blisters and just let their complex instrumentations swallow me. Fantastic. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end Lollapalooza 2010. Sorry Soundgarden – Arcade Fire is where it was at this year.

Now who’s ready for 2011?

…

Be sure to check out the rest of the Lollapalooza 2010 coverage on PopWreckoning.com. More posts and interviews!

Weary festival goers clutched their Starbucks cups closely on the CTA. The enthusiasm for day 2 of Lollapalooza was there, but the energy was not. Friday had been hot and filled with a combination of lots of dancing and walking. The evening was packed with after shows and after parties, so passengers suavely tried to glance at the tangled wrist bands of others to see what Chicago venues they had ended up at or in some cases, were just now returning home from.

For those that thought Saturday would leave thoughts of Gaga in the dust, they were wrong. One of the first bands I saw that day paid her an early afternoon tribute. Over at the BMI Stage, I caught the pop rock act: Skybox. These guys are Chicago-based, but they also have a Kansas City (where I’m from) connection. So I already, felt a bit of a bond to these grandiose rockers. The band’s singer, Tim Ellis, quickly had the crowd in the palm of his hand as he bounced around the stage singing catchy hooks and amping the crowd up for the rest of the day. When it came time for their last number, he said they were dedicating it to Lady Gaga, and he disappeared. When Ellis re-emerged, he was wearing a sparkly bra with his striped pants. Once past the initial shock of his change, we went with it and started dancing and having fun. It was like a big party in front of the stage. Fantastic.

Wild Beasts were one of those surprise bands that I ended up loving and had just kind of stumbled into. I honestly, didn’t know a thing about these ethereal rockers, but from the sampling I saw, I’m recommending everyone check them out.

Dragonette continued the trend of the BMI stage featuring synth-heavy, up-and-coming rock bands that were great for dancing. Considering that Gaga was able to blow up after her hot mess of a set on the BMI Stage a few years ago, I wouldn’t be surprised if this tight performance launches Dragonette into even bigger stardom.

Speaking of hot messes, I was less of a fan of the poptart I saw at the Hard Rock Music Lounge: Kristine Elezaj. She wants to be the next Britney or something, but with her over the top performance for a bunch of already established music industry people was a bit much. Honestly, we don’t need to see some over produced act feeling herself up while we’re trying to enjoy lunch. Ugh. Disgusted, I hurried back to the festival for some guaranteed good music.

More from day 2 soon to follow!

Life has recently been a challenge for many people, however in the past few years it has been noted that even through these tough times the human population has put more faith in music. Faith to entertain, faith to inspire, or even just faith to be a sympathetic ear. Each band has their role in this current state and with the newest tour from the gents of the Goo Goo Dolls they have done their part to offer up some help. In support of their new album Something For The Rest Of Us the band will be hitting the Kansas City area soon. And in support of the upcoming show, Robby (vocals, bass) was kind enough to give Popwreckoning a half hour of his time:

Rachel for Popwreckoning: Your new album hits stores at the end of the month and it’s been nearly 3 years since an album full of new material has presented itself – that said, what can fans expect or look forward to?

Robby: It’s the next step in our progression of records. After putting out records for a really long time, we just try to take a comfortable step as a band. And take a little of what we learned, merged with what we see on the planet and that human beings are going through. That equation ends up being our next record. We’ve had the luxury to take a look back over the past 25 years and see that there was a progression, so this album is the next step in Goo Goo Dolls albums.

PW: It’s been mentioned that the lyrical tone on this album is more somber and serious, is this a new direction for the band?

Robby: I don’t know if it’s a new direction for the band, but it’s a new direction for people and society in general. We’ve seen a lot of job loss and a couple wars and I think all those things plus the economy [as well as the dehumanization of job] leads to seeing a lot of people in a very confused state. Trying to figure out how they give their kids a good life and this is the first generation in awhile that’s felt these kind of things. The tone is a reflection of the things around us.

PW: Do you feel a risk making a more serious album in an already serious time?

Robby: We don’t really think about it that much, but we’re just in the moment when we write. We don’t think about it for four years and then go in and write. When it happens really quickly like that, I think you get a snapshot of what’s really going on. I do think that there are optimistic moments and ideas going on, on this record. But I think when you listen to it as a whole; I think it does what we set out to do. And has a spectrum of what’s going on. That tone of optimism is in there, but you gotta dig for it, cause that’s the times we’re in.

PW: Why the switch in producers for the new album?

Robby: Because of all the chaos with releasing albums, we didn’t know what we were going to do. We had the luxury of being able to listen to everything and fix stuff on the record. And before you knew it, the lid came off and we were off to the races with all the songs. We got into each song and were like “wow there are ways we can make this better” and just happen to have people around to work with. But without question, what you’re getting on the record is what you’ll be getting at the live show.

PW: Was the plan to tour with Switchfoot all along (another band that recently shifted their sound)?

Robby: I think we’re always just looking to find a tour that our fans will like. For the summer we really like to find the tour that people will dig. Switchfoot has great songs and fantastic fans. Plus they definitely have the West Coast, where as we have the East Coast, so it works.

PW: What can people look forward to from the tour?

Robby: I think that people don’t realize how much of a Rock band we are and that really comes out in the show. Plus we’ve just been lucky with all of our songs being widely accepted, that everyone should be able to find at least a few songs that they will enjoy.

So perhaps after a tough day at work, it’s a Goo Goo Dolls show that will make everything right again. And for as large of a band as they are, it’s humbling to hear that they recognize and understand what the population is going through. But it’s the coupling with Switchfoot that kicks this tour to the next notch and makes it one for the masses.

Side Note: If all that wasn’t enough the boys have joined forces with USA Harvest for their shows this tour. So make sure to bring as much food for donation as you can, because their Street Team will be tracking the masses and the person with the biggest donation will win a “Meet and Greet” with the band!

Check out their site for remaining tour dates!

The first day of Lollapalooza was basically goo goo for Gaga day. The line up was stacked with glam, synth-heavy, dance-loving bands leading up to the fashion icon’s performance and the crowd was packed of Lady Gaga wannabes. They could be found flooding performances by My Dear Disco and Semi Precious Weapons at the BMI Stage. Whipping it good to Devo and continuing the dance with Hot Chip before the queen’s own show.

However, though the blonde wigs and pleather jackets reigned supreme, there were still plenty of fans gathered rocking real leather jackets and tight black jeans, while they waited for their beloved the Strokes to reunite on the Budweiser stage. These were the fans that could be found singing along to “Dominoes” with the Big Pink or chilling on the lawn with the Black Keys. These were even the hipsters at Wavves and the Dirty Projectors.

And of course, you did have a smaller crowd that was prepared to bounce between both headliners.

For me, my day started with Chicago’s own BBU. I had flown in to Chicago from Kansas City and immediately hopped on a CTA train to drop my bags off where I was staying before heading to the fest. The train was packed and I was wedged between baseball and music fans. At one stop a large posse of people hopped on the train shouting, “Lolla, lolla, lolla.” They tried to get the train to join in. One of the women in the group laughed and shook her head, pretending to be embarrassed by the boys’ antics, but still having a great time. The group asked who was heading to the fest then revealed that they were BBU and that they’d be performing on the Perry’s Stage. Some older woman on the train, who had probably never listened to hip-hop before, asked what they sounded like and if they could sing for us. Guess what? They did. A very brief little rap before more chants of “Lolla!” It was fun, rather than annoying, to have the ride disrupted by this group and I was glad I got to have this unique introduction to a group that I probably would have otherwise skipped.

Eventually, I made it to my stop and dropped my bags off at my friends. Then it was immediately back on the train to ride to Monroe and the fest. Train delays, and then a ridiculously long walk to the press check-in meant that I missed more morning acts (These United States, Wavves, Javelin, Foxy Shazam, etc) than I would have liked and my feet were already sore before even walking to a single stage. I booked it to catch the tale end of the pop rock piano tunes of Jukebox the Ghost. The DC-trio plays songs that I think puts Ben Folds to shame. I stuck around waiting on My Dear Disco to take over after them on the BMI Stage. I had just spoken to the group the day before, and was excited to see that their music lived up to my expectations: unique instrumentations to craft fun dance songs that got the crowd moving despite the heat.

I then went on a trek down to the Hard Rock Hotel to grab a tasty bite to eat and a few drinks, while enjoying an acoustic set from the Constellations. This was the perfectly blend of jazz, blues and rock to accompany my meal. All the vocals blended together perfectly and single “Felicia,” was so upbeat and catchy, that I completely forgot my veggie wrap because I was so absorbed. After their set, I explored the rest of the music lounge. People were getting tattoos, enjoying DJs, getting massages, and having their hair-styled. It was a pretty sweet set up, but there was still plenty of music to be heard back at Grant Park.

Perhaps the most talked about incident of the day happened about midway through Friday. Gaga tour mates Semi Precious Weapons were owning the BMI Stage when the headliner herself joined them on stage. She did some impromptu drumming and singing, a little provocative dancing and then ended with a stage dive into the crowd. Insane! It was a great treat for the smaller crowd gathered there while the indie kids were listening to Neko Case sing with the New Pornographers and a little bit of an older crowd broke out their dome hats with Devo.

For me, the highlight of my day was the BMI Stage, but it was the performance of Neon Trees that I thought was the best. These guys are poised for success with their easily accessible songs perfectly crafted for singing and clapping along. Tyler, the lead singer, knows how to hold the crowd in the palm of his hand – or even the claw of his hand. He really takes the single, “Animal,” to heart and rawrs and claws at the audience. The band has the added perk that it not only sounds a bit like The Killers, but it also was discovered by the Killers.

Since I’ve seen the Black Keys multiple times this summer I excitedly ran over to watch Hot Chip. Fully ready to dance, I was a bit disappointed with the performance. Sure, Hot Chip played the singles and songs you wanted and yeah, it was cool to hear them dedicate a song to Gaga, but they were boring. They never moved. How can a dance band expect people to dance if they don’t even want to move to their own music? For all I knew, they were just playing CD recordings because there really was no reason for the band to be on the stage. Continuing the disappoint was Chromeo. Lots of lights, and it wasn’t so bad when it was just the music, but the vocals, I could have done without. They were obnoxious, repetitive and just didn’t offer anything of substance. I was more than over their nonsense and ready for my headliners: Lady Gaga and The Strokes.

I’m still processing the spectacle that was Lady Gaga, so check back in a few hours once I have my thoughts sorted. For now, enjoy a few photos from the performance.

Lady Gaga, Lady Gaga, Lady Gaga. What to say? Gaga’s Lolla show is pretty much the spectacle that she’s been touting across the country for her tour. It’s a mix of an actual concert and a Broadway production. The plot of the show is that Gaga and posse have to get to the Monster Ball-an incredible place where you can be your true self-but the car is broken down. Gaga, of course, says she can save the day and goes to tinker and play around in the engine, which doubles as a piano. The staging is cool, but it is all just a bit over the top as well. Dramatic pauses that lasted uncomfortably long left you praying that she’d just start singing already; gross, bloody photos graced the megascreens; and then there were motivational speeches. Oh My Gaga the speeches. Look, I give the lady props. She actually has some talent and knows how to work a crowd. Heck, she really knows how to work a piano. But the near-crying routine? I didn’t realize this was some weird motivational speaker I was watching. I thought I was supposed to at a concert. Too much. When Gaga started going off on how inspirational we all were and she started tearing up, that’s when I bailed. I needed music and I needed it to rock. Fortunately, the Strokes had me covered. It was moreso a visit to the classics of their catalogue, so sorry that I can’t give anything away about what to expect from a new Spring album. All that matters is that they still sound amazing, they kill the guitar solos and damn, is it good to have their no-nonsense rock back.

Check back for more updates and recaps from Lollapalooza Saturday, Sunday and the after shows.