10 things i learned on my mid-summer vacation

as all of you well know by now, lollapalooza 2006 took place last weekend in the “destination city” of chicago, USA. what a hook i thought and a great reason to hop in the car and visit one of america’s largest and greatest urban centres. so rather than recap my fabulous vacation and give you a straight-up review of the festival, i thought it best to keep it simple with a list of 10 things i learned on my mid-summer vacation.



10. The Hold Steady totally kick ass.
Legions of you may know this already and while it took me some time to come around to Separation Sunday, it was absolutely worth it. This band is dripping with bar-room authenticity and melodies to die for. I thought I was watching a more efficient E Street Band circa 1978. Plus all of the new songs they debuted from their upcoming album Boys and Girls In America were fantastic.



9. Pop music can give you whiplash.
Alright, so I didn’t really suffer any whiplash. And my neck actually feels pretty good considering I spent 10 hours in a car on Monday trying to sleep. But listeners beware, Phoenix and Mates of State have it in for you. The head-bopping catchiness of their new records soars to maximum heights at their live shows. I caught both bands in small clubs during the trip and was mesmerized by how well they brought those records to life on stage. How Phoenix went from being a studio band to the live powerhouse they are today, I have no idea, but who’s to complain.



8. The Comfort Inn in Wickliffe, Ohio has a pool.
How wicked it was to find a surprise pool at the Comfort Inn in Wickliffe, Ohio, where we were staying the night of the Phoenix/French Kicks show. Not only did the pool provide a refreshing dip after 5 hours on the road, but for some reason the staff doesn’t lock the door after hours – leaving it open for late night swims. Oh yea – and though I don’t necessarily recommend it, swimming is so fun when you’re into the beers.



7. DCFC is officially huge.
This too may be an obvious fact. Since the dawn of the O.C. Death Cab’s star has been steadily and rapidly on the rise – and what greater culmination can a band get than a headlining spot at one of the biggest music festivals in the world. Yea, their set was a little lack-lustre and I never really feel like listening to Plans, but I do admit that its cool to see these guys playing for so many people.



6. Cold War Kids will drop a bomb this fall.
One of the best surprises of the festival for me – California bred Cold War Kids. I caught the tail end of the set opening for Mates of State on the eve of the fest and the bulk of their show on Saturday. Having heard nothing going in, I was massively impressed. Look out for their debut Robbers and Cowards this October.



5. The Shins will change your life in 2007.
So maybe you’ve read that the new Shins album isn’t coming out till 2007. While it’s totally unfortunate that we have to wait longer for the new record, I have the utmost faith that its going to be brilliant. The band debuted three new songs at Lolla, all of which were fantastic. The smart money says these dudes are sitting on one hell of a record. For what its worth, the band themselves have also hailed the album their best work to date.



4. Don’t f**k with Hot Chip.
Seriously. The Warning is unquestionably one of my most-listened to records this year - and Hot Chip’s live interpretation leaves nothing out. Sounding so big and organic, they were easily a festival highlight. Their underappreciated debut album is also totally worth checking out.



3. The Flaming Lips might step on you.
Well, just Wayne Coyne that is. And in a big clear plastic bubble. But don’t fear the bubble, or the balloons or guns with streamers. Fear their full-on psych-rock assault. The Lips are by far the most entertaining band on the planet today.



2. Chicago is my kind of town.
What a city! I now fully understand why the promoters kept referring to it as a “destination city” – there’s so much sh*t to do there. Typically, my favorite thing to do when I go to a new city is just sort of wander around and get a feel for the neighborhoods, but I barely got to do that because I was so up to my ears in regular touristy stuff that you just can’t afford to ignore. Despite hitting up a Cubs double-header, the Art Institute, Shedd Aquarium and an Architectural Boat Cruise (OMG it was so cool!) I feel like I still JUST got a taste of what the city has to offer. I already can’t wait to go back to Chicago.



1. Broken Social Scene is the best band in the world today.
I’ve seen these guys a good number of times and pretty well every-time I see them it’s the best show I’ve ever seen. Their sunset shining performance on Sunday was no different. Serving up a note perfect set with the entire band in attendance, Broken Social Scene did what I always knew they could – rock the sh*t out of a massive festival crowd. I remember walking away from one of their shows in Toronto this January thinking that there’s no reason why this band couldn’t or shouldn’t be headlining one of those massive British festivals. And so it was Chicago instead, and they were second to last to go on. To cap it off, I’ve never before witnessed a crowd so desperate for a band to continue at the end of their set. Never.

Most photos courtesy of Lollapalooza (Cambria Harkey, Dave Mead, and Scott Newton), IGN.com

Posted by Geoff M at August 10, 2006 04:58 PM

Comments

Posted by: punky at August 11, 2006 11:23 AM

Post a comment