via Apostrophe Media
After last year's experience at All Points West, I was fairly certain that I would never go back. Aside from the headlining Radiohead, I had a long list of gripes with All Points West. As luck would have it, I found myself with a pass for Friday and an opportunity to see Jay-Z, who replaced Beastie Boys as the day's headliner. I made the decision to go, one I'm not sure I would have made in retrospect.
The clouds reveal what is to come
Learning from the NJ Transit debacle last year, I opted to shell out for a one-day roundtrip ferry ticket. Was it worth the hefty price tag? For one day, yes. I wouldn't pay for 3-day ferry transportation, but I would definitely recommend it for one day or even a return one-way ticket. I arrived around noon, and departed about 5-10 min later. Getting back to Manhattan from Liberty State Park wasn't too bad either. The ferry really should be a complimentary service or significantly subsidized to ~$5.
What is this? Burning Man?
The doors opened well past the designated time of noon, and I spent some time wandering around the grounds once I got in. There were more concession stands and beer gardens this year, which was good news since I would inevitably be forced to buy something to eat. To my shock, I couldn't find any of the water fountains to fill up my APW-approved Nalgene bottle. After walking around in circles with my worthless APW map, I gave up and shelled out $2 for a bottle of water. Did anyone locate the fountains??
I caught the very end of The Knux, a hip-hop duo originally from New Orleans. Next up was Seasick Steve, a one-man blues act who played a variety of different stringed instruments, including a cigar box guitar. An unbelievable guitarist, Seasick Steve sings about his real life experiences in such a rarely blunt and genuine way. For me, the most memorable song was about his abusive stepfather and how Steve had run away from home instead of shooting his assailant.
It's no secret that Fleet Foxes is much loved by Made a Blog, and this performance was unforgettable like all the rest. As the boys set up onstage, the winds started to pick up, a sign that severe weather was on its way. Like they always do, they opened with "Sun Giant" into "Sun It Rises." And, every single time without fail, they send shivers down my back. Rain started to fall during the Fleet Foxes' set, but there was something fitting about bobbing along to "Ragged Wood" in a little precipitation. Unfortunately, my tolerance for the rain did not last long. Fleet Foxes played a new song, one I didn't recognize, but it basically had all the elements that we've come to expect from Fleet Foxes like the mandolin, beautiful harmonies, and a memorable melody. I think they may have sung "wooden hand" a few times, so I'm going to assume that it's the name of the song. Correction: They were actually singing "What in hand" and the name of the song is "Bedouin Dress." Thanks, L.!
Setlist
Sun Giant/Sun It Rises
Drops in the River
English HouseNew Song (Possibly called "Wooden Hand?") Bedouin Dress
White Winter Hymnal
Ragged Wood
Your Protector
Mykonos
Blue Ridge Mountains
via Apostrophe Media
The National is another consistently good band that always delivers what the audience wants. They kicked off with "Start a War," one of my favorite songs and a most appropriate opener. Unfortunately, the rain became unbearable during their set. The park was getting muddy, the wind was cold, and I almost left to go home. I stuck around for half of The National's set before I sought shelter in an ATM tent. 
via Apostrophe Media
I emerged from the ATM tent as Vampire Weekend hit the main stage. They started with "White Sky," a song that Ezra referred to as being "a new one." I didn't realize that a song could still be new if the band had been playing it since January 2008. However, Vampire Weekend did play a real new song in the middle of their set. I don't really remember much about it other than that it was also characteristically VW-style fun. All in all, it was like every other Vampire Weekend show I've seen. Ezra has become a more comfortable frontman over the years, albeit he has some difficulty stringing words together to form coherent sentences. Seeing as he studied English and that we share the same alma mater, I find this to be a bit embarrassing.
via Apostrophe Media
By the time the Yeah Yeah Yeahs hit the stage, the rain had subsided. People rejoiced by slipping, sliding, and dancing in the mud. I'm not the biggest fan of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but Karen O is an amazing lead singer and she knows how to command a large audience. The large inflatable eyeballs that they sent flying into the crowd reminded me of the theatrics of the Flaming Lips show at Pitchfork. I wish I hadn't seen the band on this particular day and setting, because all I could think about at this point was seeing Jay-Z so that I could go home and sit down.
via Apostrophe Media
When it was announced that Jay-Z would be replacing the Beastie Boys at APW, I almost regretted not planning to go. Well, the stars aligned and I ended up with a ticket. As much as I hated being wet and muddy and standing up for nearly 7 hours straight, Jay-Z made me forget about all these things. When his 10-minute counter went down to zero, Jay-Z emerged onstage and immediately went into a cover of Beastie Boys' "No Sleep Till Brooklyn." And then, he performed everything I wanted to hear, including some new tunes. "D.O.A." "Beware (ft. Punjabi MC)." "My President is Black (Remix)." "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)." The crowd yelled out most of the first verse of "Can I Get A..." Jay-Z seemed like a music festival pro, playing some new songs and doing medleys of his many hits, even "Numb/Encore (with Linkin Park)." Incredible.
My misery at All Points West was mostly attributed to the terrible weather and mud, but I still wouldn't choose to go to this festival on my own dime. It's absurdly expensive, and I was pretty pissed that I couldn't find the water fountain that was supposed to be closest to the main stage. Getting there and back is painful (PATH + NJ Transit), especially the return trip to NY. The ferry is awesome, but expensive. That said, if Daft Punk were to headline APW, I would be there in a second.
August 4, 2009
All Points West 2009 - Day 1
August 19, 2008
The Mystery of Animal Collective
via brooklynvegan
There are a lot of things about Animal Collective that I just don't get. First of all, I don't really get their music. I once said that they were one of the most overrated bands of 2007. After seeing/suffering through them at All Points West, I still don't really understand how anyone could like them. This excerpt from an interview with NPR pretty much sums it up:
In an online statement to fans, Animal Collective says, "Don't be surprised if you come to see us and it's not what you thought it would be, and try not to get too upset." The group adds that it hopes its music is "at times totally pleasing and at others completely scary and confusing, but most importantly is refreshing in this crazy, crazy world."
If by refreshing, you mean painful, then yes. Yes, it is refreshing. When Animal Collective was performing, I was sitting on the ground, in utter pain. Let's just say I was lucky to have my in-ear headphones at the time. I thought to myself, "This is what hell must feel like. Animal Collective live." An AC fan told me that the APW people had screwed up their sound check. Another fan said that AC had become far, far worse. I think it's safe to say that this is how they have always sounded live.
Now, if you're an Animal Collective fan, I don't mean to offend you, although there are times when I've said that AC is for people with hearing difficulties. I just don't understand who anyone could rock out to all of their music. Don't get me wrong, I like Panda Bear, but Animal Collective is pretty much unlistenable.
So, why am I writing about Animal Collective? If you know me personally, or read my blog, you probably got that I don't like to bash music. A snide comment here and there, fine. But, I don't go out of my way to talk about how much I hate the band.
That's the thing. I've stopped hating Animal Collective, or at least one AC song, and I'm even more confused by the fact. On top of all the things I couldn't conceive before, now I don't get why I can't get Animal Collective out of my head.
Out of the entire APW set, I chose to remember two songs (I blocked out the rest from my memory). These two were "House" and "Brother Sport." At first listen, "Brother Sport" may not sound so pleasant. A friend of mine described the music pretty eloquently. Since I don't remember exactly what he said, I'm going to put words into his mouth and say that it's pretty much pop gone wrong. Music that could have been good, but took a sudden turn into a dark, dark place where bad music lives and breeds.
Then, it came to me. I'm entertained by "Brother Sport," because I think it's funny. Listen to the song. If the singing doesn't make you laugh, doesn't the yelping do it for you? Every time I listen to this song, I end up chuckling or, at the very least, smiling like a fool. No smiles yet? Scroll up during the yelping part and actually look at the face of the guy who is yelping. Hilarious. Also, I like how the yelping loses its intensity as time goes on. I guess yelping over and over (no loops) is tiring.
So, is it okay to like Animal Collective if it makes me laugh? I say yes, even though I may not be appreciating the music for its purpose (I think AC and their fans think this is pretty serious stuff). Maybe if I have this attitude towards all of their music, I'll like it all...okay, no. I just tried listening to "Fireworks" and couldn't get through it.
Brother Sport (Live on NPR) - Animal Collective
August 11, 2008
Radiohead - All Points West 08.09.08
Photos courtesy of Riaz. If you find a picture of someone reading a newspaper magazine during the Kings of Leon set, that would be him. Please send the link my way!
I risked nearly failing a very important certification exam today, because I devoted all of Saturday to seeing Radiohead and Sunday to recovering from Radiohead. Since I passed (barely), I am going to think that Radiohead helped me pass.
Seeing Radiohead was absolutely amazing, even life-changing. Remember when Anton Ego took a bite of the ratatouille in that Pixar movie? For me, seeing Radiohead for the first time was similar to that. I"m going to attempt to explain why that was the case.
Going to a Radiohead concert is not just about seeing them perform onstage. It's about waiting in line to see Radiohead, sitting around for Radiohead, meeting hardcore Radiohead fans (Note: Tell them that you're about to see your first Radiohead show and their eyes will light up. You can actually see them remember their first experience), suffering through terrible acts for Radiohead, standing for an entire hour before Radiohead hit the stage just because you were too excited to sit. The almost surreal part is that you're not alone. You're surrounded by people who are going through exactly the same thing and they're all asking themselves the same exact thing: How many more minutes until Radiohead? What is so awesome about seeing the band is this entire experience. That includes all the hours I spent thinking about seeing Radiohead, actually seeing Radiohead, and then reflecting on seeing Radiohead.
Although the line-up at All Points West was pretty weak and the festival itself was way overpriced, I shelled out the money just for Radiohead. I had the privilege of attending the show with some very devoted Radiohead fans, which completely made my experience. I arrived at Liberty State Park shortly before the gates opened. Luckily, the guys that I was with made a run for it, so we ended up being maybe 5-6 people away from the rail (You can spot me in the second to last picture here). I got to the spot around 12:25 pm. I didn't leave that spot until Radiohead left the stage (I'm guessing around 11 pm).
The entire day was just a waiting game. The guys sitting behind us had been chasing Radiohead around on the tour, had seen them six times or something. Stories of rare song performances were exchanged, always including the venue/city/festival, year, and song title. As my friend asked, when was the last time you were this excited about anything? I don't think I've ever shared being this excited about anything with thousands of other people.
My friend had this little black notebook where he kept track of the previous night's incredible setlist (I should have been there. Screw FINRA). Slowly, a wishlist of songs was created and shared with the people around us. Would the list be fulfilled? Time would tell. I'll just add that a guy standing near me most wanted to hear "Kid A." When Radiohead started playing the intro to the song, he looked like he was going to die of happiness. He raised his arms into the air (as if he were rejoicing) before he hugged his friend. Powerful stuff, this Radiohead.
So I suffered through Animal Collective. Shudder. But, it was all worth it when Radiohead took the stage. Oh yea, this was one very serious, respectful crowd. During songs like "Exit Music (For a Film)," the crowd was completely silent. If anyone tried to say anything during such songs, shushing would come from all directions.
The show itself, I wish I could explain in words what it was like. I guess you will just have to experience it for yourself. I definitely see the appeal in going to multiple Radiohead shows. These guys have over a hundred songs, so no two shows are exactly the same. And, it's not like they can play every single song in one set, as much as I wish it were possible. I definitely respect these guys for being able to perform so many of the songs (good memory).
Speaking of good memories...one of the guys I was with could identify most of the songs by the instrument setup, a note, or a beat. I have to tell you, that's an amazing talent.
Now, when I listen to certain songs, I get the same chills that I had when I heard them performed live.
Also, I never realized how much of a badass Jonny Greenwood is. Well, he is a badass. He is an amazing guitarist, and he's always doing so many things at once. My friend said that on Friday night, Jonny was playing the guitar and using the head of the guitar to play the keyboard.
I don't know where this picture is from but Jonny is awesome.
Do yourself a serious favor. Pay the money and see this band. I'm counting down to my next Radiohead concert.
Crowd anxiously awaits.
Jonny Greenwood is my hero.
Setlist (courtesy of brooklynvegan)
01. Reckoner
02. 15 Step
03. The National Anthem
04. Kid A
05. All I Need
06. Nude
07. Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
08. Where I End And You Begin
09. The Gloaming
10. Faust Arp
11. No Surprises
12. Jigsaw Falling Into Place
13. The Bends
14. Bangers and Mash
15. Everything In Its Right Place
16. Exit Music (For A Film)
17. Bodysnatchers
Encore 1
18. Pyramid Song
19. Videotape
20. Airbag
21. Fake Plastic Trees
22. There There
Encore 2
23. House of Cards
24. Planet Telex
25. Idioteque
Idioteque (from I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings) - Radiohead
Chromeo - All Points West 08.09.08
Photos courtesy of Riaz. If you find a picture of someone reading a newspaper magazine during the Kings of Leon set, that would be him. Please send the link my way!
One thing I learned from Chromeo's set was that the duo's name is Chromeo. They repeated their name so many times that it started to become a joke. Just to be annoying, I would ask, "Who is onstage again?" Yes, I may have a crush on Dave 1 and regret not taking any French classes with him, but I was not impressed with Chromeo's set at All Points West. I'm gonna have to agree with Sarah and say that they were a disappointment, even though Dave 1 reps CU. Chromeo was just not meant to play a huge outdoors venue at 2:30 pm, when the hot August sun is beating down on impatient Radiohead fans. I have to admit that it must have been rough for everyone that had been performing on the main stage, because the entire day was pretty much just a slow, (sometimes painful) waiting process for Radiohead fans. The music is pretty catchy, and I probably would have had a better time if I had seen them at night, in a smaller venue, with a few beverages.
Bonified Lovin' (Tough Guys) - Chromeo
