Day One:
Been obsessing over Hop Along for months and anticipation had built to unrealistic expectation level to see my number one most anticipated band of the day. Except I didn’t. I suppose it was inevitable that in my ever-rotating cycle of festivals this summer, there would be a time when circumstances beyond my control would prevent me from seeing a band at the top of my list. It was always going to suck, but if there’s one thing festivals teach you, it’s that you have to roll with the punches, and not get married to your perfect schedule. Result: I’ll catch ‘em next time, but my expectations are now so outsized that you should not be standing next to me when the moment finally arrives. You have been warned.
Things were looking up when I finally got in, in time to see Jagwar Ma at the Lawn Stage and then head over to the VIP area for what normally would be sorely needed free drinks. No dice. Hmmmm; side note: First fest I’ve ever attended where VIP had to pay for their own drinks, which had me wondering: what exactly makes it VIP, then?
But Jagwar Ma at Lawn Stage made even the most overpriced beverage go down easy. This Australian psych band started with “Man I Need” off 2013’s debut full length Howlin before gracing us with their new track “Loose Ends” from their forthcoming sophomore release Every Now and Then. The rest of the setlist was a surprising mix of known and unreleased songs, with the band playing through “Uncertainty,” “Come Save Me,” “Four” and “The Throw” off of Howlin and giving us a solid preview of Every Now and Then with tracks “O B 1,” “Give Me A Reason” and “Say What You Feel.”
Moving on: Anyone who knows me know that I was front row with my eyes glued forward for Grimes at the Main Stage, and I definitely got my daily dose of cardio jumping up and down throughout her full show. She didn’t disappoint. But as she was thanking her audience at the end of her slayer track “Kill V. Maim,” I burned the last of my Randy’s Donuts carbs (yes, they had a Randy’s truck on site) sprinting over to the Lawn Stage for Air’s set. Didn’t hurt that the Coliseum was smack in the middle of the festival, making your trek from stage to stage a literal roundabout journey. Increased walking time definitely made me feel less guilty about the churros and beer I consumed all weekend.
Air owned it at Lawn Stage, and even watching this French duo with a giant arugula pizza hanging out of my mouth didn’t keep my jaw from dropping. They started with “Venus” off of 2004’s Talkie Walkie, later playing “Cherry Blossom Girl” and “Alpha Beta Gaga” from the same. The middle of the set was heavily taken from 2004’s 10 000 Hz Legend, while the band closed with back-to-back-to-back songs from 1998’s Moon Safari with “Kelly Watch The Stars,” “Sexy Boy” and “La femme d’argent.” Take my advice: Get some Air.
Next up, Explosions in the Sky on the Trees Stage at midnight. You want the band who’s going to close out the night to leave you somehow satisfied but also wanting more. Mission accomplished. These guys wound down Day One perfectly by lulling me into a dream state. Whenever I see this band, I always feel like I’m just floating.
They started off with “Wilderness,” a fresh release from The Wilderness and closed with everyone’s favorites, The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place’s “Your Hand In Mine” and “The Only Moment We Were Alone,” book-ending The Wilderness single “Disintigration Anxiety.”
Day Two:
Hauled ass to The Club stage so that Julien Baker could own my tear ducts with her darkly honest lyrics and voice that bores straight into your core. This girl will wreck you, every time. How does she do that? I feel like the second she opens her mouth or strikes her first chord, I immediately need to run for the Kleenex.
Next up, Saves the Day at the Trees Stage for a full rendition of their third album Stay What You Are, celebrating its 15 year anniversary this year. This album hugely influenced me (still one of my favorites to this day), and began to shape my music taste in my formative years, so I was lined up front row for this set. I honestly couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve seen frontman Chris Conley lead different STD lineups through his emotive heartache catalog, but this show was especially significant for me, given the album in question. I wailed (sorry, everyone around me) through “At Your Funeral,” and by the time it came around to “Freakish,” I was fully 15 again and, like, totally sure Conley was speaking directly to me.
I ran from the last chord of “Firefly” straight to Charles Bradley’s set at the Lawn Stage. (Okay, I was briefly stopped in my tracks as Conley launched into In Reverie’s “Anywhere With You”—had to remind myself sternly that I’ve seen this band live countless times to get my feet moving again). I brought a Charles Bradley newbie with me, and we concluded—along with an enthusiastic neighbor in the crowd—that Charles was the most powerful performer on site. The Screaming Eagles of Soul preached his much-needed unifying hope to the crowd, encouraging us to stop the hate and spread the love.
Unlike Night One, my Sunday night did not end with a winding down show. The finale of my evening was LCD Soundsystem, whom I was finally seeing live for the first time ever. My love of this band is eternal, and I was sure that I would never be able to get to see them live. I can practically quote every line from their documentary Shut Up And Play The Hits which followed them at their supposedly final show at Madison Square Garden in 2011. I frequent James Murphy’s wine bar in Brooklyn, and I owe my love of Hot Chip to following LCD member Al Doyle’s career from LCD to them (and, yes, I did catch a bit of Hot Chip’s set on Saturday of this fest). So my anticipation was definitely at an all-time peak. And obviously let’s be real…they blew me away. Murphy’s presence was intoxicating from the second he walked out on stage, and I danced myself clean through their set of early hits from their debut self-titled and Sound of Silver, with the occasional offering from 2010’s This Is Happening. As I got in the car and heard the conclusion of closer “All My Friends” fading in the distance, I think the lackluster start to this festival was fully redeemed.