Caribou, Vampire Weekend, the Hold Steady, and Animal Collective. July 19th, 2008 at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, IL.
This year, Pitchfork once again showed off just how great of a festival they can throw. Not even the slight rain of Saturday morning could stop the joy, although it would have been nice to have weather that was a bit sunnier. No matter, as the scattered rain was no deterrent for an energetic Caribou. By the end of their set, the sun would be poking through the clouds, and that was the last of the rain we'd see. The after-effects (mud, etc.) would be minutely bothersome throughout the rest of the fest, but it was certainly no biggie. Here's my full take of the artists I saw, along with photo coverage. Sorry for not getting this up on Monday morning, but I guess it's okay since even Pitchfork themselves have yet to post their coverage.
CARIBOU
I've seen Caribou before, and I got exactly what I expected. They bring a high-energy, incredibly dense soundscape to the stage, and it's quite satisfying. Although the bass was waaaaay too high and the vocals almost non-existent almost the entire time (come on, engineers!), it didn't stop me from enjoying their set. They build up amazing textures live, fulfilling the vast sound of their records in a live context. Their drummer is certainly the most charismatic of the band, and I love watching him enthusiastically and musically pounding the drums. Frontman Dan Snaith sometimes joins him on the drums, bringing a double attack. Whenever they do this, it's impeccably orchestrated, and the time between the two of them is perfect. For me, the first band I saw this weekend was one of the best; Caribou are always stunning live.
Caribou - Kid, You'll Move Mountains (from Up In Flames)
VAMPIRE WEEKEND
Next up on my schedule were newcomers Vampire Weekend, who left me feeling wholly unfulfilled. Don't get it twisted, I love their debut album, but their live show leaves much to be desired. Most of the band was into it and moderately energetic -- with the exception of their keyboardist, who looked like he was contemplating suicide -- but they were lacking some spunk and stage presence. In between every song there was far too much downtime, and frontman Ezra Koenig is sorta kinda really bad at stage banter. That is, when he wasn't just letting silence fill the air and kill the energy. They just weren't very inspiring live. I mean, Koenig had his collared shirt tucked in. And that seems like the perfect metaphor for their live show -- it was just too nice, too well-mannered. Too boring. Sorry, boys.
Vampire Weekend - Wolcott (from Vampire Weekend)
THE HOLD STEADY
I hope Vampire Weekend were backstage taking notes during the Hold Steady's set, because they could learn a thing or too about how to win a crowd over. Craig Finn and his bandmates upheld their status as the best party band in the world, and a drunken crowd enjoyed partying with them. Helped by Finn's unabated enthusiasm, the band just had fun on stage. Towards the end of their set, Finn commented, "There is so much joy in what we do up here. Thanks for taking part in that joy with us." And that sentiment rang true throughout the entire audience.
The Hold Steady - Lord, I'm Discouraged (from Stay Positive)
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
Finally, Animal Collective took the stage to finish off the first full day of Pitchfork. Their performance was incredible, with a simply hypnotic hour-long jam including "Fireworks," "Peacebone," and Panda Bear's "Comfy In Nautica". There were only a few breaks in the sound as the three mad scientist musicians tore through material, blending heavy rhythmic textures and layers upon layers of dense psychedelic washes of sound. Animal Collective have an amazing way of building up dynamic crescendos that manage to be both epic and surreal at the same time. At some point throughout their performance, it occurred to me how much the mainstream music taste has changed. I mean, if you ask my brother who Animal Collective are, he still won't have a clue. But here, thousands and thousands of people stood and were mesmerized by Animal Collective and all of their trippy charm. And while I found it hard to believe, that put a smile on my face.
One comment to the Pitchfork organizers -- why allow your headliners only an hour? As Animal Collective left the stage they commented, "We'd love to play all night, but they'll shut us down." Most music festivals give their headliners at least an hour and a half, and it's rather unfortunate that Pitchfork does not. I, for one, think Animal Collective deserved more time than they got. For when they left the stage, it was all over too soon.
Animal Collective - Cuckoo, Cuckoo (from Strawberry Jam)
This year, Pitchfork once again showed off just how great of a festival they can throw. Not even the slight rain of Saturday morning could stop the joy, although it would have been nice to have weather that was a bit sunnier. No matter, as the scattered rain was no deterrent for an energetic Caribou. By the end of their set, the sun would be poking through the clouds, and that was the last of the rain we'd see. The after-effects (mud, etc.) would be minutely bothersome throughout the rest of the fest, but it was certainly no biggie. Here's my full take of the artists I saw, along with photo coverage. Sorry for not getting this up on Monday morning, but I guess it's okay since even Pitchfork themselves have yet to post their coverage.CARIBOU
I've seen Caribou before, and I got exactly what I expected. They bring a high-energy, incredibly dense soundscape to the stage, and it's quite satisfying. Although the bass was waaaaay too high and the vocals almost non-existent almost the entire time (come on, engineers!), it didn't stop me from enjoying their set. They build up amazing textures live, fulfilling the vast sound of their records in a live context. Their drummer is certainly the most charismatic of the band, and I love watching him enthusiastically and musically pounding the drums. Frontman Dan Snaith sometimes joins him on the drums, bringing a double attack. Whenever they do this, it's impeccably orchestrated, and the time between the two of them is perfect. For me, the first band I saw this weekend was one of the best; Caribou are always stunning live.
Caribou - Kid, You'll Move Mountains (from Up In Flames)
VAMPIRE WEEKENDNext up on my schedule were newcomers Vampire Weekend, who left me feeling wholly unfulfilled. Don't get it twisted, I love their debut album, but their live show leaves much to be desired. Most of the band was into it and moderately energetic -- with the exception of their keyboardist, who looked like he was contemplating suicide -- but they were lacking some spunk and stage presence. In between every song there was far too much downtime, and frontman Ezra Koenig is sorta kinda really bad at stage banter. That is, when he wasn't just letting silence fill the air and kill the energy. They just weren't very inspiring live. I mean, Koenig had his collared shirt tucked in. And that seems like the perfect metaphor for their live show -- it was just too nice, too well-mannered. Too boring. Sorry, boys.
Vampire Weekend - Wolcott (from Vampire Weekend)
THE HOLD STEADYI hope Vampire Weekend were backstage taking notes during the Hold Steady's set, because they could learn a thing or too about how to win a crowd over. Craig Finn and his bandmates upheld their status as the best party band in the world, and a drunken crowd enjoyed partying with them. Helped by Finn's unabated enthusiasm, the band just had fun on stage. Towards the end of their set, Finn commented, "There is so much joy in what we do up here. Thanks for taking part in that joy with us." And that sentiment rang true throughout the entire audience.
The Hold Steady - Lord, I'm Discouraged (from Stay Positive)
ANIMAL COLLECTIVEFinally, Animal Collective took the stage to finish off the first full day of Pitchfork. Their performance was incredible, with a simply hypnotic hour-long jam including "Fireworks," "Peacebone," and Panda Bear's "Comfy In Nautica". There were only a few breaks in the sound as the three mad scientist musicians tore through material, blending heavy rhythmic textures and layers upon layers of dense psychedelic washes of sound. Animal Collective have an amazing way of building up dynamic crescendos that manage to be both epic and surreal at the same time. At some point throughout their performance, it occurred to me how much the mainstream music taste has changed. I mean, if you ask my brother who Animal Collective are, he still won't have a clue. But here, thousands and thousands of people stood and were mesmerized by Animal Collective and all of their trippy charm. And while I found it hard to believe, that put a smile on my face.
One comment to the Pitchfork organizers -- why allow your headliners only an hour? As Animal Collective left the stage they commented, "We'd love to play all night, but they'll shut us down." Most music festivals give their headliners at least an hour and a half, and it's rather unfortunate that Pitchfork does not. I, for one, think Animal Collective deserved more time than they got. For when they left the stage, it was all over too soon.
Animal Collective - Cuckoo, Cuckoo (from Strawberry Jam)
Labels: Show Reviews
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