John Butler Trio, Iron & Wine, The National, and Nine Inch Nails. August 3rd, 2008 at Lollapalooza in Chicago, IL.
The final day of Lollapalooza brought out some stellar performances, but with it came some great disappointments as well. For instance, the Weakerthans. Not that I didn't enjoy their live show -- well, I never had the chance to. For an unknown reason, the band canceled their 1:15 set on Sunday. And since they were the reason I went down so early (the next band I really needed to see wasn't until many hours later), I was incredibly bummed. To say the least.
JOHN BUTLER TRIO
But I sauntered on, heading over to the John Butler Trio, a band whose recordings I don't particularly care for. That being said, I'd seen some amazing videos of Mr. Butler performing "Ocean" in the past, and that was what drew me in to check him out live. And while I hold my opinion of his songwriting to be the same (it's lyrically awful), there was some moving music performed. Especially, as I'd hoped, the instrumental "Ocean" was in fact played, and it blew me away. That song alone made it worthwhile to see him live.
IRON & WINE
Next up was a band that I've seen twice before, but I didn't particularly need to see them again. I don't really dig on The Shepard's Dog, and Iron & Wine's music has become less and less enticing to me. Similarly, they seem to get even more boring every time I see them live. I yearn for the days when Sam Beam's music was a more captivating folk, and less of an alt-country jam band. Artists have to grow and change; I'm just not a fan of where Iron & Wine have taken their music, and I was bored throughout their set.
Iron & Wine - Freedom Hangs Like Heaven (from Woman King EP)
THE NATIONAL
After surviving Flogging Molly's show (why they were scheduled right before the National, why I just don't know), I had a prime spot for one of my favorite bands. The National were absolutely as amazing as they were last time, and they cemented my belief that they are one of the best live bands of this decade. Frontman Matt Beringer freaks out and emotionally immerses himself in the music, while the rest of the band lays down amazing layers of sound, blended to perfection. Unfortunately, this all was practically ruined by poor sound mixing. As can sometimes occur at music festivals (no sound check), the National's sound was a mess. The mix was great, with the enormous exception of the kick drum, which was placed at an ungodly high level. The bass of the kick drum pummeled through the crowd like a tidal wave, while the flowers in the front of the stage shook vigorously throughout the show. I can safely say it was the heaviest bass (all kick drum though, no bass tones) I've ever experienced; I felt like my brain and body were going to explode from the vibrations that shook me to my core. It was so bad that the crowd yelled throughout much of the first half of the show (at which point the kick was turned down enough to stop folks from having a brain aneurysm, but still placed way too high), screaming and pleading to turn the kick drum down. I felt bad for the National, as I'm sure it messed with their mojo. I mean, they knew what was going on. They spoke to their soundman many times throughout the show, conferring about the problem. At one point, guitarist Aaron or Bryce (not sure which -- hey, they're twins) responded back to my section of the crowd, with a slightly sympathetic, "I think you're just standing in front of the subs..." I'd like to think he was right, but I couldn't hear any tones from the bass, just the kick drum. And I'm fairly certain they both would have been run through the subwoofers. Also, I spoke to people standing throughout the crowd, not just upfront, and the problem was universal. This immense mixing issue made it really hard to enjoy the show, and it flat-out ruined it for some fans. Had this not been an issue, I can safely say that the band's performance would have been one of my favorites (if not the favorite) of the festival. You cannot imagine how saddened I was to be constantly distracted from their stellar performance by a kick drum that overpowered everything else.
The National - Baby, We'll Be Fine (from Alligator)
NINE INCH NAILS
Lastly, to end my Lollapalooza 2008, I walked across the field for Nine Inch Nails. While I really don't dig much of their newer material (which is just too heavy and "metal" for me), I still listen to The Fragile and The Downward Spiral, both of which are outstanding albums. And when they performed songs that were from that era, it was simply magical. "Hurt," "Piggy," and "March Of The Pigs" were all highlights of the show. Aside from my bias, however, their performance never lagged. Trent Reznor is an incredible frontman, posing and playing the part 110%. Nine Inch Nails have evolved into the role of being a stadium-sized band, with an innovative and creative light show. These weren't the usual lights, rather it was playful use of a screen of lights, which came down in front of the band several times, acting like a curtain. There were "Wheel Of Fortune"-like moments where Reznor "changed" the color of a square, and moments where he skulked into a camera, his image projected via the screen's lights, like an infrared camera. Everything was impeccably choreographed, so that it all lined up perfectly. Reznor is so into the music, so energized, and so emotional. He was sincerely grateful to be playing as a headliner in 2008, as he gave a heartwarming speech before performing the penultimate "Hurt". It was an awesome show, and a great way to end the festival. See you in 2009, Lollapalooza.
Nine Inch Nails - Piggy (from The Downward Spiral)
The final day of Lollapalooza brought out some stellar performances, but with it came some great disappointments as well. For instance, the Weakerthans. Not that I didn't enjoy their live show -- well, I never had the chance to. For an unknown reason, the band canceled their 1:15 set on Sunday. And since they were the reason I went down so early (the next band I really needed to see wasn't until many hours later), I was incredibly bummed. To say the least.JOHN BUTLER TRIO
But I sauntered on, heading over to the John Butler Trio, a band whose recordings I don't particularly care for. That being said, I'd seen some amazing videos of Mr. Butler performing "Ocean" in the past, and that was what drew me in to check him out live. And while I hold my opinion of his songwriting to be the same (it's lyrically awful), there was some moving music performed. Especially, as I'd hoped, the instrumental "Ocean" was in fact played, and it blew me away. That song alone made it worthwhile to see him live.
IRON & WINENext up was a band that I've seen twice before, but I didn't particularly need to see them again. I don't really dig on The Shepard's Dog, and Iron & Wine's music has become less and less enticing to me. Similarly, they seem to get even more boring every time I see them live. I yearn for the days when Sam Beam's music was a more captivating folk, and less of an alt-country jam band. Artists have to grow and change; I'm just not a fan of where Iron & Wine have taken their music, and I was bored throughout their set.
Iron & Wine - Freedom Hangs Like Heaven (from Woman King EP)
THE NATIONALAfter surviving Flogging Molly's show (why they were scheduled right before the National, why I just don't know), I had a prime spot for one of my favorite bands. The National were absolutely as amazing as they were last time, and they cemented my belief that they are one of the best live bands of this decade. Frontman Matt Beringer freaks out and emotionally immerses himself in the music, while the rest of the band lays down amazing layers of sound, blended to perfection. Unfortunately, this all was practically ruined by poor sound mixing. As can sometimes occur at music festivals (no sound check), the National's sound was a mess. The mix was great, with the enormous exception of the kick drum, which was placed at an ungodly high level. The bass of the kick drum pummeled through the crowd like a tidal wave, while the flowers in the front of the stage shook vigorously throughout the show. I can safely say it was the heaviest bass (all kick drum though, no bass tones) I've ever experienced; I felt like my brain and body were going to explode from the vibrations that shook me to my core. It was so bad that the crowd yelled throughout much of the first half of the show (at which point the kick was turned down enough to stop folks from having a brain aneurysm, but still placed way too high), screaming and pleading to turn the kick drum down. I felt bad for the National, as I'm sure it messed with their mojo. I mean, they knew what was going on. They spoke to their soundman many times throughout the show, conferring about the problem. At one point, guitarist Aaron or Bryce (not sure which -- hey, they're twins) responded back to my section of the crowd, with a slightly sympathetic, "I think you're just standing in front of the subs..." I'd like to think he was right, but I couldn't hear any tones from the bass, just the kick drum. And I'm fairly certain they both would have been run through the subwoofers. Also, I spoke to people standing throughout the crowd, not just upfront, and the problem was universal. This immense mixing issue made it really hard to enjoy the show, and it flat-out ruined it for some fans. Had this not been an issue, I can safely say that the band's performance would have been one of my favorites (if not the favorite) of the festival. You cannot imagine how saddened I was to be constantly distracted from their stellar performance by a kick drum that overpowered everything else.
The National - Baby, We'll Be Fine (from Alligator)
NINE INCH NAILSLastly, to end my Lollapalooza 2008, I walked across the field for Nine Inch Nails. While I really don't dig much of their newer material (which is just too heavy and "metal" for me), I still listen to The Fragile and The Downward Spiral, both of which are outstanding albums. And when they performed songs that were from that era, it was simply magical. "Hurt," "Piggy," and "March Of The Pigs" were all highlights of the show. Aside from my bias, however, their performance never lagged. Trent Reznor is an incredible frontman, posing and playing the part 110%. Nine Inch Nails have evolved into the role of being a stadium-sized band, with an innovative and creative light show. These weren't the usual lights, rather it was playful use of a screen of lights, which came down in front of the band several times, acting like a curtain. There were "Wheel Of Fortune"-like moments where Reznor "changed" the color of a square, and moments where he skulked into a camera, his image projected via the screen's lights, like an infrared camera. Everything was impeccably choreographed, so that it all lined up perfectly. Reznor is so into the music, so energized, and so emotional. He was sincerely grateful to be playing as a headliner in 2008, as he gave a heartwarming speech before performing the penultimate "Hurt". It was an awesome show, and a great way to end the festival. See you in 2009, Lollapalooza.
Nine Inch Nails - Piggy (from The Downward Spiral)
Labels: Show Reviews
Wow, I didn't go down to hear NIN and your review was one of the only ones that really made me wish I had braved the crowds and done it! Thanks!