With ominous clouds looming overhead and the threat of a tornado, it seemed that only the most dedicated of music fans trekked to Liberty State Park in New Jersey for the second annual All Points West Music and Arts Festival. The festival, organized by the same crew who run Coachella, has struggled to define itself as an East Coast contender, this year boasting a noticeably heavier and more hip-hop inspired lineup.
Fleet Foxes
Before the storm hit, Fleet Foxes took the main stage looking gorgeous in full grunge regalia, wizard beards and tattered flannel, and pulling somewhat of a Déjà vu on us as they sweetly echoed the lush harmonies of Crosby Stills and Nash. Some say Beach Boys circa Pet Sounds, some say CSN–either way, I was in lust with the ornate detail in their rising, earthen sound; more hopeful than haunting. As the first light drops of rain began to fall and we donned our fancy five-dollar ponchos, the atmospheric, ethereal hymns of Fleet Foxes warmed me despite the murky mud my feet were slowly sinking into.
Ra Ra Riot
I was downright giddy when Ra Ra Riot, who have become one of my favorite bands of the past year, hit the stage with their triumphant cover of Kate Bush’s “Suspended in Gaffa”. The perfect marriage of quirk and skill, Ra Ra Riot and Kate Bush equal crazy genius. With a fully plugged in string section, Wes Miles’ chirping, blue-bird balladry and princely presence, Ra Ra Riot is a kind of modern day band of minstrels, redefining indie-pop as we speak. Was that a bagpipe I saw on stage? Wait, a flageolet?
Interlude 1: Happy Hippy Techno Trance Dance Party
All throughout the park there were “Burning man raised” and inspired sculptures that became makeshift rain shelter spots. Hordes of people, including myself a few times, sardined themselves under tiny winged tarps attached to tepees made of glowing branches. Inside one of these pulsing tepees was a DJ spinning a house, trance, pop goulash. It was the dance party that didn’t stop. At any point throughout the weekend you could walk by and find hundreds of people giving it all they had in the mud.
The National
My expectations for The National and the gift of Matt Berninger were extremely high. Before Friday, I had never seen them live and I, among many, hold The Boxer near and dear. For years friends have been telling me that live, The National will blow me away. They did not lie. It couldn’t have been a more perfect setting to take them in for the first time. Berninger’s baritone seemed to call the darkening rain clouds in closer and it began to downpour as the band tore through their set with certainty. The rousing intensity of the music and the heaviness of the rain began to make sense. The whole scene was gritty, rough, and completely anti. There was something romantic about committing oneself to the music despite the threatening sky as Berninger sang apocalyptic melancholy with menace.
Pharcyde
I was excited to finally see the complete and original Pharcyde crew performing together after all the breakups and makeups the band has gone through. I have fond memories of listening to “Passin’ Me By” while passing a… With my baby bro, once again by my side, we rocked our plastic hoodies with pride as we “raised ‘em up” respectfully. The reunion of these hip-hop legends had the boys throwing rhymes in the face of “those who thought we’d never sing together again.”
Interlude 2
As the rain got heavier, bulleting and beating us down, we took refuge in the State Farm tent. While wringing out our socks, Vampire Weekend announced that due to the rain, all Friday ticket holders have a free pass to attend the festival for one more day. All Points West: good peeps.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
A definite highlight and I’ll fight you on this if I have to. If you haven’t seen Karen O jujitsu posturing, body thrashing, equipment trashing, going completely psychotic, crazy, melt-downing on stage in front of you, well, you just don’t have the ammo I’m afraid. Yeah (yeah yeah!) this lady is cra-hazy, but she’s nuts in the way that ground breaking, mind-bending, authentic art is conceived. After watching her perform standouts like Heads “Will Roll”, “Zero” and “Maps”, it’s clear that she rocks with her heart on her sleeve, in every awkward yet honest moment she’s on stage. There’s a kind of rawness to both the sound and the performance that is rare. That juiciness is usually tapped by the time artists are throwing giant eyeball balloons off the stage and headlining festivals. My fingers are crossed that this chick stays bananas, for arts, our, sake.
Interlude 3
The rain is off the charts at this point. People have traded moshing for belly flopping in giant mud puddles. It’s a hipster wet tee-shirt contest if I ever did see one.
Jay Z
While most performers gave a shout out or two to The Beasties and MCA in particular, no one shouted quite as loud as Hova. By the end of day one, my feet were literal bricks of mud. As the rain subsided a chill moved in. Still soggy and beginning to lose steam, this last set of the night needed to be huge. People bought tickets to see The Beastie Boys and Jay definitely had some super sized Adidas Campus’ to fill. With the twinkling Manhattan skyline and Lady Liberty as his backdrop Jay Z stormed the stage and opened his set, a full band behind him including a three-piece horn section and two drummers, with “No Sleep Till Brooklyn”. Exactly. Car alarms, cats, the entire crowd, and pretty much the whole state of Jersey went absolutely feral. MCA, I hope you were watching ‘cause we love you. This much I know for sure: Jay Z is a certifiable superstar. With tributes to both Obama and MJ, classics plucked from across his entire catalog, and graphics of autotone machines blowing up on the Jumbotron screen, Hova owned the night.
All Points West: website
Photos: Dese’Rae Stage
Fiery English redhead Florence Welch is bringing her soul pop act Florence and the Machine to North America for a short tour in April. She is also scheduled to appear on Sunday, April 18 at Coachella.
