But seriously though, as the kick-off to this year’s Musicfest Northwest (or MFNW for future reference), The Kills at the Crystal Ballroom were awesome. I caught maybe five minutes of their set at Bumbershoot, but this venue was so much better for them, with the smoke machine and creepy paintings of cherubs on the walls. The only downside was the fact that it may have gotten to be over 100 degrees in there at some point.
For some ungodly reason Portland was in the low 90s all weekend, and you know what that means for music venues – they’re even hotter. But surprisingly, I didn’t see anyone pass out the whole time I was there.
But back to the music, shall we?Eleanor Friedberger, of the Fiery Furnaces, opened for the Kills, with an understated, but stellar performance. It was virtually just herself up on the stage, and she was very well-received by the possibly-dehydrated crowd, and it made for a lovely opening set.
I’m just amazing that she survived that stage wearing all that denim. It was refreshing to see her without her brother Matthew, though her style stayed true to the sound we all know from her – gritty garage blues, but solo Eleanor had a bit more sassy pop to her. I liked it.
After the temperature of the room went up like… at least ten degrees, more smoke machines were turned on and even more people crowded in. Thank god for the free water station at the back of the room.
I will start off by saying – Alison Mosshart is one of the best front…women? I’ve ever seen. No, one of the best frontpeople – because she can stand next to Anthony Kiedis any day. I’m serious. This chick can rock her ass off – and it doesn’t hurt that her hair on this particular occasion was flaming red.
She’s crazy. Crazy awesome that is. She and guitarist Jamie Hince have all the chemistry two people need on stage, but it was so unspoken and understated that you almost forgot that there were two separate people on stage.
The Kills’ live performance was much bluesier than one would expect from the bands’ earlier albums. I guess Mosshart’s time with the Dead Weather rubbed off a bit, because the new songs were much heavier than previous albums, but just as good and just as sexy. And the opening number with “No Wow” was definitely not ‘no wow.’
Oh come on, I couldn’t not do it.
By the end of the evening, I was thoroughly satisfied with the Kills’ live show, even if I was a bit sweaty. Alison Mosshart might be my new favourite person to photograph. The girl does not stop moving!
It seems like yesterday that Horehound was released. But hard rock super group the Dead Weather featuring Alison Mosshart and Jack White on vocals are back with a new album, Sea of Cowards, and will be playing the forthcoming album in full live on their MySpace on May 3. The “show” begins at 5 p.m. CDT.
Watch the video for ‘Die by the Drop’, the first single from the new album, below. Sea of Cowards will be released May 11 in America and can pre-ordered through several different retailers. For more information, please visit the Dead Weather’s official Web site.
With the summer fog and windy chill separating the locals from the ill-prepared tourists, day 3 of the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park had both moments of brilliance and powerful performances across the festival’s seven stages. If you missed day 1 or day 2, check them out now!
Matt & Kim
Almost too happy for their own good, the duo of Matt and Kim bounced through their Casio-infused set including “Daylight” and “I Wanna.”
The Dead Weather
All of the elements were in place for The Dead Weather’s mid-tempo performance on Sunday afternoon. The weather was indeed dead and gloomy and The Kills’ Alison Mosshart’s vocals were bluesy, primal and raw. While Jack White, pulling double-duty on drums and vocals, fits the personality of the band perfectly, he was overshadowed by Alison’s powerful onstage presence.
Modest Mouse
Proving that plaid may just be the new black, Modest Mouse played their set, curiously skipping their most radio-friendly tune “Float On.” While the show was enjoyable, I found that I would rather have a Modest Mouse experience which includes a comfy chair, good headphones and a copy of The Moon & Antarctica.
Loop!Station
Performing their third brilliant set in three days, Loop!Station shared part of their show with performers from the Vau de Vire Society.
Ween
Ween’s hard-core fans were out in large numbers to see the free-spirited absurdist-rockers on Sunday. Filling the spot occupied by Primus at last year’s fest, Dean Ween and Gene Ween(Mickey Melchiondo and Aaron Freeman) showed their cred as gifted guitarists.
M.I.A.
After her bratty reaction to the announcement of Tenacious D as replacement headliners for the Beastie Boys on the final day of festivities, M.I.A.’s performance did little to improve her image. M.I.A. (Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam) failed to generate much enthusiasm from the crowd, even after passing out hundreds of annoying toy horns which, coincidentally, sounded just like “boo” when played en masse. It was quite fitting that Street Sweeper Social Club’s version of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” was more inspired than her own.
Band of Horses
Shimmering with reverb, the Southern-tinged rock of Band of Horses was filled with warm and moving moments. Song such as “The Funeral” and “Ode to LRC” were part of a well-crafted and rousing set.
Tenacious D
Bringing skits, stunt doubles and shtick-heavy rock, Jack Black and Kyle Gass closed out the final night of the festival. After being named as replacements for Beastie Boys who dropped out due to the throat cancer diagnosis of Beastie’s Adam “MCA” Yauch, The D unleashed their “earthquake of rock” on the Bay Area.
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