[concerts] Lollapalooza 2008 Day 1 (8/1/2008)

Here we go again. While I didn't make it to see The Raconteurs, their new album, Consolers of the Lonely, could have been an overarching theme. Flying solo for this festival this year felt weird. Yes, I could go see what I wanted when I wanted, but that doesn't mean I had to like it.

Yeasayer
I was hoping to get through the gates in time to see Rogue Wave, but a last-minute meeting and a 75-minute wait made that impossible. As it was, I only caught about half of Yeasayer's set, and it was a good start to the weekend. The downside of being the first band is that I really don't remember all that much, other than that I enjoyed them. I recall liking the range of textures and sounds coming from both the lead guitarist and the drummer, who was relying heavily on a Roland SPD-S. This may or may not inspire me to finally figure mine out.

Louis XIV
Reminded me a lot of Jet, in that they're mining a certain AC/DC vibe, although there was also a bit of a mid- to late-80s metal vibe. Just without the spandex trappings and the balls-in-a-vise singing. In the end, they didn't hold my attention, so I skedaddled down the hill to the MySpace stage about halfway through.

The Kills
I've seen this slashing-guitar-and-vocals-over-programming duo before, and they ushered in what seemed like a lot of acts relying heavily on backing tracks. At this point, the heat was really bad, and you could tell the band was feeling it, resulting in another emerging trend of ending sets just a bit early.

The Black Keys
The second duo of the day, and I still don't get the rabid appeal. Of the Black Keys, not duos in general. I guess it has to do with the ferocity of their playing, but someone pointed out at some point during the weekend that it almost seems like you're watching these guys jam in their garage. I'm not going to remember anything about any of the actual songs they were playing.

Cat Power
Another performer that lots of people get excited about, but was a bit underwhelming to me. Competent, yes, but not terribly gripping. Some of this may have been unfair comparisons to female indie-pop-ish singers I've seen on the same stage in years past, particularly Feist and Dresden Dolls. It could have been the heat at this point, along with the unfamiliarity with her work, but it didn't resonate, and the bigger picture here is that I could have just parked it at the AT&T stage for Radiohead and not really missed that much.

Bloc Party
The last time I saw this band -- the same show where I saw The Kills, I think -- I was really disappointed with the drummer, so I was pleased to note that his time, while still not great, was much improved. I liked how they got the crowd to do the intro to "Price of Gas," which sounds more like boots marching on the record. And while I've seen others deride the new single "Mercury," it kind of grew on me by the end: I liked the syncopated beat at the beginning and the way the vocals were being manipulated and looped. They seemed to do more material from Silent Alarm than Weekend in the City, or it may have just seemed that way since I don't actually have the latter album. Overall, I don't care if all the angular guitars are lifted from Gang of Four, I still dig the tunes.

Radiohead
I was talking to this guy next to me who proclaimed to be a huge Radiohead fan, and then went on to postulate that they might open the show with "14 Step." Missed it by that much, as they opened with "15 Step." The first two times I saw this band, I think I was pretty captivated by the Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood, but this time, it was utility infielder Colin Greenwood and the impeccable rhythm section of Phil Selway and Ed O'Brien that really impressed me. I was excited when they ripped into "The Bends," even if the tempo seemed a bit slow, and Yorke got a bit yelpy at the end -- his vocal style seems to have evolved since that song was recorded, and it might not quite fit as well as it used to. But still, come on, "The Bends"! Accompanied by fireworks!

It's almost a downside of having seen Radiohead two times before, because while songs like "The National Anthem" and "Paranoid Android" were still amazing, they didn't carry that "oh my God, I can't believe what I'm seeing/hearing" novelty. Having context is a bitch sometimes, but then again, "Bodysnatchers" as a set closer still packed a wallop. At the end, Yorke asked if we were all still out there, because we were so quiet, but he hadn't been standing out in the heat for eight hours straight.

The strong start and strong finish to the day more than made up for the lull in the middle, which was also buoyed by my discovery of the chicken tamales at the Adobo Grill tent.

Bands I would liked to have seen: Rogue Wave, The Enemy UK, The Go! Team, Gogol Bordello, CSS