concert day! my posse and i have been psyched about going to the virgin music festival for awhile, but something about getting up at 5am to drive to baltimore kind of put a grouchy damper on the days excitement (it didn't help that i was up until 3am watching the summer finale of degrassi high ... oh yes, i go there!).
but once we got to the venue all fatigue was forgotten as our group of 8 music lovers split up to check out bands and dj's throughout the three spaces.
first up for me were the fratellis. the scottish trio played at the 2nd stage to a relatively enthusiastic, but small crowd, of about 200-300 fans (it was also 1:30pm). what surprised me were the amount of young (like 14/15 young) kids who knew the lyrics to the band. i'm so used to seeing people my age at nyc's venues that checking out kids who rock is just weird.the band zipped through their hits before playing a few new tracks that showcased a rockier sound, but with all their trademarked sweet harmonies thrown in.
the fratellis - flathead [link 2]
the fratellis - chelsea dagger [link 2]
amy winehouse was next, but things were getting increasingly hot that afternoon, so the group met up at the vip lounge (where drinks were plentiful and massive cooling fans were placed on the viewing decks). yeah, we wimped out by watching the wine-ster from afar. it wasn't the best performance cause amy sings through her album with pure nonchalance. imagine what she would sound like if she actually put some effort into it!amy winehouse - rehab [link 2]
after stocking up on liquids, i braved the 102F weather and headed out to the dance tent to check out felix da housecat.now it's been awhile since i've gone clubbing, but i completely forgot how these guys play to the masses at these large venues. repetitive beats were plentiful and vocals were left to a minimum. luckily felix started his set with some good ol classics to get the room going. i haven't heard this in awhile so it was worth the sweat!
the prodigy - smack my bitch up [link 2]
oh look, richard branson!
peter bjorn and john were already a few songs deep into their set before i made my way back to live music. since i already saw these boys at the beginning of summer, i kind of stayed back and just bopped my head to everything. looking around, i quickly gathered that most of the people watching hadn't had the spring of 'young folks' like i did. some girls started to do some freaky hippy dancing and i knew that it was my cue to go back to the vip lounge for more drinks.peter bjorn & john - young folks [link 2]
oh the wacky people of music festivals!
on the way back to the lounge, i stopped through the dance tent once again to see the 'legendary' danny tenaglia.now i'm totally dating myself, but back in my day danny was an AMAZING dj that worked the room into a tribal frenzy. house was his sound at the time, and i was hoping for something other than the techno i was hearing so far.
but what i got was worse. danny circa 2007 has become a friggin minstrel of a dj. standing in front the crowd making cheesy faces and dance moves, it was completely embarassing to see a legend boiled down to this monkey of a level. after two songs, i had to walk out.
looking at my watch, i realised that i didn't have enough time to go back to the lounge, so i rushed back to the 2nd stage to get as close to the front of the lcd soundsystem performance as possible.lucky i did that cause i bumped into a friend en route who told me he had an extra pass to watch the whole concert from the stage!
walking behind the stage to go to the vip side, i passed by the completely unassuming and adorably stocky james murphy (aka the lead singer of the band) and gave him this big smile that was half 'oh my god, there he is' and 'oh yeah, i've been around celebrities before'. i think i just looked constipated as a result.
minutes later james went on stage and rocked easily gave the best performance of the day with his band of multi-instrumentalists. i've never been able to catch lcd in new york, so this performance exceeded all my expections. energetic, raw and darn funky, i basically got my dance on throughout the 50 minute set. amazing!
lcd soundsystem - time to get away [link 2]
lcd soundsystem - yeah [link 2]
finally got my wish to go back to the lounge for a rest, but the area was completely packed with other people who had the same idea.
with no place to chill, i went back out and caught some tv on the radio before it got too hot for me to handle (visual proof i was there for one song).
tv on the radio - wolf like me [link 2]
ducked into the dance tent to see old schoolers sasha and digweed do their thing (i use that term loosely since i'm probably only 7 or 8 years younger than they are).i have to admit the grooves were addictive, but the heat was really getting me (and the fact that i hadn't found any place to rest was putting a strain on me). i just bopped slowly as the rest of the energetic (and probably chemically enhanced) kids went apeshit around me.
here's one of the tracks they played during the set:
the chemical brothers - do it again (oliver huntemann mix) [link 2]
nightfall offered no reprise as the heat and the increasing sandy dust just made it unbearable. which is a total shame because by the time the police came on, i had turned into a crabby tired evil festival go-er. i do have to say that sting sounded pretty amazing but dammit, i was ready to go.
the police - roxanne [link 2]
end of day one!
