Under The Rotunda

The Dodos, Occidental Brothers Dance Band International, Spiritualized, and Spoon. July 20th, 2008 at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, IL.
After exhausting myself the previous day, I had a late start to the fest on Sunday. I was planning on arriving early enough to catch the Dirty Projectors, but that proved to be a little too early for my tired head -- I had to re-charge my batteries at some point. Once I finally did get down, there weren’t any artists in the afternoon that I was interested in. But this was alright, thanks to the many side attractions that Pitchfork brings in. They always set up a giant record and craft fair, and it’s a great way to spend downtime if there’s no one you want to see for a few hours. I love perusing the entire tent, and I always find some wonderful buttons to add to my collection. And, in the last few years, Pitchfork has added a music poster fair, providing yet another distraction. Of all the music festivals I’ve been too, Pitchfork has consistently been the best, and it’s due in a large part to these little bonuses they always provide. Not to mention the music (duh); they tend to curate rather stellar lineups.

THE DODOS
While I enjoyed their latest album, Visiter, I hadn’t yet really been blown away by the Dodos. Thankfully, they made up for my lack of enthusiasm with a rather exciting performance. The duo (with a little help from a second percussionist) tore through songs with a heavy helping of energy. Frontman Meric Long also made good use of a looping pedal at times, layering his vocals or trombone into a heavy wash of sound. It was quite enjoyable.

The Dodos - Walking (from Visiter)

OCCIDENTAL BROTHERS DANCE BAND INTERNATIONAL
As soon as the Dodos finished, I scampered over to another stage to catch the end of Chicago locals Occidental Brothers Dance Band International. The lineup was originally perfect, scheduling the Dodos right after the Occidental Brothers, on the same stage. Unfortunately, there was a scheduling conflict, and the Dodos swapped places and times with Ghostface Killah. I should note that this was one of the few flaws of this year’s fest, as Ghostface ended up on the stage with the smallest surrounding area, making it hard for everyone to pack in. But, this only happened due to an unforeseen conflict, so at least they didn’t plan it like that. (Unlike last year’s Dan Deacon/Girl Talk overcrowding.) Anywho, the swap in times made me choose between Dodos and Occidental Brothers -- so I was only able to catch the last few songs from my favorite Chicago African dance band. For the brief time I spent there, though, it looked great. The band and the crowd were both high energy, and everyone seemed to be having a blast. Damn you, scheduling conflict…

Occidental Brothers Dance Band International - Bosco (from Occidental Brothers Dance Band International)

SPIRITUALIZED
I must confess that I haven't fully delved into Spiritualized's records, but I was prompted to see them nevertheless. Partly because they played right before Spoon on the same stage, and partly because a friend told me I couldn't miss them (thanks, Eric). I am so glad that I took his advice and saw their entire set, because they were stellar. Even though I didn't know any of the songs, I was sucked in by the sheer musicality of the band. While no one was jumping up and down in a wild rock and roll style, the performance was intensely musically exciting. Every song was simply tasty, with the entire band contributing. The five-piece was also joined by two backup vocalists, who added an awesome texture to about half of the songs. Their sound was so dense; yet it wasn't busy. Everything about the band's music was perfect. One of the only faults of their set was towards the end, and it was by no means their fault. The power in the speakers went out for a good 30-40 seconds during their closing song, and all that was heard were the original sources, that being the amps. The band powered through until the power came back, but frontman Jason Pierce was clearly miffed. In the final crescendos, he jammed his guitar through his amp, tearing several wide holes, before throwing his guitar towards the center of the stage. He then stormed off, while the rest of the band finished out the song. In a possible sign of realizing his rashness, however, he came back onstage to wave after the song was complete, which I thought was a nice gesture.

Spritualized - Any Way That You Want Me (from Me And You And Everyone We Know)

SPOON
Last, but not least (oh clichés...), came Spoon. I've seen them before, and unlike Wayne, I'm not crazy about the band live. I think it sounds great, but I'm usually slightly bored by their performance. Frontman Britt Daniel is the most energetic, and he gets into the music the most. The rest of the band is fairly stagnant, exhibiting zero to few signs of enjoyment. Still, I love Spoon's music enough that I have a good time seeing them. They brought out the horns for their performance on Sunday, and it was a welcome addition for "The Underdog," "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb," and others. The set included songs spanning most of their career, along with a handful that I didn't recognize. They played almost all of the fan favorites, though, and it was hard not to have a good time. It was a rather fitting end to a great festival and a great weekend. See you next year, Pitchfork.

Spoon - The Beast And Dragon, Adored (from Gimme Fiction)

Labels: Show Reviews