Coachella 2013 (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Multi venue UK festival The Great Escape began today (5/15). The big lineup includes Brooklyn's Parquet Courts, Phosphorescent, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, a keynote speech by Billy Bragg, a set by Mikal Cronin who is one of ten acts this year that NME says you have to see, and much more. Head to Brighthelm Center on 5/16 for a show BrooklynVegan is co-presenting with M For Montreal with AA Wallace, Husky Rescue, Blue Hawaii, How to Dress Well, Phantom and Cloud Boat. The flyer for that is below.

In other festival news, Sasquatch is right around the corner, Lollapalooza has announced set times, Bonnaroo announced theirs earlier this month, Austin City Limits recently announced their lineup, Governors Ball recently announced the schedule and is basically sold out, GoogaMooga is this weekend in Prospect Park, and FYF Fest, which recently announced its lineup, goes on sale Thursday.

Our Great Escape flyer is below...

Continue reading "Great Escape happening now, Lollapalooza set times, FYF Fest tickets & other music festival news"

Lollapalooza 2012 (more by James Richards IV)

After it was already confirmed that Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, The Postal Service, The National, The Killers, and Mumford and Sons were playing Lollapalooza 2013, a pretty promising leak came which appeared to potentially reveal the rest of the lineup, and it turns out that leak was real.

In addition to the previously mentioned artists, Lollapalooza will include Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Kendrick Lamar, Grizzly Bear, The Cure, New Order, Baroness, Beach House, Cat Power, Death Grips, Jessie Ware, Father John Misty, DIIV, Wavves, Alt-J, Hot Chip, Disclosure, Baauer, Palma Violets, Angel Haze, Band of Horses, Crystal Castles and many others.

Lollapalooza goes down in Chicago from August 2 - 4 in Grant Park. Single day passes go on sale Wednesday (4/3) at 10 AM.

Full day-by-day lineup below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2013 lineup announced (Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Phoenix, Vampire Weekend, Postal Service, Cure, New Order, Kendrick Lamar & more)"

Grizzly Bear are on the cover of the new issue of NY Magazine, which makes two weeks in a row that Brooklyn was prominently featured.

Despite making it into Billboard's Top 10 with their new album, Shields, the band still aren't making a lot of money.

Check out pictures from the show they just played in Chicago with Lower Dens.

And speaking of Brooklyn, get ready for Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas.

"The Artwork of Robert Pollard & Tobin Sprout" is opening in Brooklyn soon. Meanwhile check out our recent Guided by Voices pictures from both Austin and the Deluna Fest in Florida.

Crystal Castles and HEALTH play Roseland on Wednesday (10/3). We're giving away tickets here and on our Facebook too.

Also on Wednesday, M83 plays Hammerstein Ballroom and we're giving away tickets to that on Facebook too. Tickets are also still on sale.

Another Facebook contest: win tickets to see Raveonettes and Melody's Echo Chamber at Webster Hall on Friday (10/5).

The Compact Disc turns 30 years old today. The first CD pressed in America was Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA (though Billy Joe's 52nd Street came out in Japan before that). What was the first CD you bought?

Speaking of Bruce Springsteen, Kenny's Castaways, where he used to play is hosting their final show tonight.

Producer and TV On the Radio member Dave Sitek has launched Federal Prism, "a new record label where Sitek will personally record, mix, produce, and release a series of limited edition 12-inch vinyl picture discs with a uniquely curator-driven perspective. The vinyl will be limited to 500 numbered copies each with a jacket personally hand silkscreened by Sitek."

Federal Prism's first release is "Destroyer" by Telepathe. "The b-side of the vinyl will feature a remix by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor with Alessandro Cortini and Atticus Ross. Sitek adds, "I told Trent I was starting my own label and would love to have him remix something on the first release. I sent him the session and before he actually said 'YES', he sent back this mighty dark space that he, Alessandro and Atticus had built for me! I was shocked and am certain I will have to keep ripping them off for years!"" It's on sale now.

Speaking of Trent Reznor, he says his his band How To Destroy Angels, have "formally partnered with Columbia Records for our next series of releases. The first of these will be available in November and it's called An Omen EP."

Scary: Ryan Adams revealed via Twitter: "Recording a track with my new pal @deadmau5 today. Sounds like BladeRunner starring Don Henley."

More scary: As if it wasn't bad enough that Bruno Mars has been announced as the host of the 10/20 episode of SNL, they're letting him be the musical performer for that episode too!

But here's some good news: Now That's What I Call Music 83 will reportedly be the last in the series.

more stuff below...

Continue reading "ALSO: Grizzly Bear on cover of New York; CDs turned 30; Dave Sitek's new label, Trent Reznor, Ryan Adams, Deadmau5, more"

photos by Dana (distortion) Yavin

Janes Addiction at Williamsburg Park, 8/17/2012

Jane's Addiction trotted out the classics from albums like Ritual De Lo Habitual and Nothing Shocking as part of their appearance at Williamsburg Park on August 17th. The band, supported by the uber-ridiculous Die Antwoord, headlined the space and dipped mostly into their pre-split material. Setlist is at the bottom of this post.

In related news, Perry Farrell is bringing Lollapalooza to Israel!

Just hours after Lollapalooza was forced to evacuate Grant Park from the storms that blew into the windy city, Perry Farrell, the founder of the three day music festival and the front man of Jane's Addiction announced that Lollapalooza was expanding in a very big way. Lollapalooza Israel, occurring in Tel Aviv, is set to take place next summer on August 20 through the 22nd. The announcement comes with not much surprise as Farrell has been expanding the festival over the last three years with Lollapalooza Brazil beginning two years ago and Lollapalooza Chile celebrating its first year this past spring. Lollapalooza Israel is the country's first major music festival. [XRT]

More pictures from the Jane's Addiction / Die Antwoord show at Williamsburg Park are below, along with Jane's setlist and a list of updated tour dates.

Continue reading "Jane's Addiction played Williamsburg Park w/ Die Antwoord (pics, setlist); Lollapalooza adds festival in Israel"

photos by James Richards IV

At the Drive-In/Sigur Ros at Lollapalooza - 8/5/12

Lollapalooza wrapped up in Chicago's Grant Park on Sunday (8/5) after two previous days of music in the park. Luckily the weather was much better than Saturday.

Jack White was one of the headliners on Saturday., We weren't able to get pictures this time (see Firefly instead), but you can check out his Lolla setlist HERE and pictures and video of a surprise in-store that took place at Chicago's Reckless Records earlier in the day HERE. Other bands on Sunday included the reunited At the Drive-In, Sigur Ros, The Walkmen, Justice, Polica, Toro y Moi, The Gaslight Anthem (setlist and a video of their entire set HERE) and many more.

More pictures of day 1 are HERE. More pictures of day 2 are HERE. More from day 3 are below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2012 day 3 in pics (At the Drive-In, Sigur Ros, Justice, Toro y Moi, Polica, Gary Clark Jr & more)"

photos by James Richards IV

Frank Ocean/Bloc Party at Lollapalooza - 8/4/12

Lollapalooza continued in Chicago's Grant Park yesterday (8/4) after beginning one day earlier (8/3). Day 2 gave us sets from Frank Ocean, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, tUnE-yArDs, The Tallest Man on Earth, Neon Indian, Chief Keef, Bear in Heaven, Washed Out, The Weeknd, and more. Unfortunately, during Neon Indian's set (which was cut short), the festival was shut down due to "dangerous weather," causing the tens of thousands of fans to flood the streets of Chicago in evacuation. But the fest reopened at 6 PM CST with an updated schedule. A number of performances were cancelled, including Alabama Shakes, B.O.B., Chairlift, and the Temper Trap, but others, like tUnE-yArDs, were rescheduled and took place at later times after the gates reopened.

If you aren't at the fest, have you been streaming it online? Today's stream begins at 1:30 CST.

Pics of day 1 are HERE. More pics of day 2 are below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2012 day 2 in pics (Frank Ocean, RHCP, Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party, tUnE-yArDs, Neon Indian & more)"

UPDATE: Lollapalooza reopens gates at 6pm (Chicago time)

1000s evacuating Lollapalooza (via BVChicago Instagram)

evacuation from above (photo by knnyfrsh)

Due to an approaching storm and warnings from the National Weather Service (NWS), Lollapalooza organizers have suspended the festival until further notice. Festival-goers are being evacuated from Grant Park and are being directed by staff and the Chicago Police Department to pre-established underground evacuation and shelter sites along Michigan Avenue.

The three emergency evacuation shelters are the Grant Park North, Grant Park South and East Monroe Street Garages. All can be entered through vehicle entrances on Michigan Avenue.

Lollapalooza officials are continuing to coordinate with the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) to monitor weather conditions and determine when the park is safe for festival-goers to return.

"Our first priority is always the safety of our fans, staff and artists," said Shelby Meade, communications director for C3 Presents, the promoter behind Lollapalooza. "We regret having to suspend any show, but safety always comes first."

UPDATE: At 5:43 (Chicago time), Chicago journalist Greg Kot says "Possible reopen at 6 ish is latest word but still raining. A remote entrance gate open, apparently was never closed #lolla"

UPDATE: Lollapalooza reopens gates at 6pm (Chicago time)

Check out our pictures from yesterday, the first day of Lolla, HERE.

Check out video people took from above, below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza shut down due to "dangerous weather""

Black Sabbath at Lollapalooza 2012 (more by James Richards IV)

3/4 of the original Black Sabbath lineup (drummer BIll Ward not included) played their first US show on their 2012 reunion tour at Lollapalooza last night (8/3). Their killer setlist relied most heavily on their first three colossal LPs, Black Sabbath, Paranoid, and Master of Reality, treating the crowd to a ton of favorites like "NIB," "War Pigs," "Sweet Leaf," and many more. Bill Ward's replacement, Rob Zombie/Alice Cooper/Ted Nugent drummer Tommy Clufetos, took an arguably unwelcome drum solo before "Iron Man," but the band were otherwise in top form.

More pics from Black Sabbath's set at Lollapalooza are HERE. The setlist and videos from their set are below...

Continue reading "Black Sabbath reunited at Lollapalooza (setlist, videos)"

photos by James Richards IV

Black Sabbath / M83 / the crowd, Lollapalooza 8/03/2012

A bell tolls, a bass guitar moans, and Ozzy Osbourne sings. "What is this that stands before me?" the former archnemesis of John Cardinal O'Connor intones with chilling deliberation. Black Sabbath - three-quarters of them, anyway - are back to reprise the doom-ridden, Beelzebub-baiting classics from the '70s. Osbourne sounds in good voice initially, slicing through Tony Iommi's granite-hard guitar riffs and Geezer Butler's nuclear-strength bass. He even lays down some credible blues harp on "Wizard." But, as if to prove he isn't lip-synching, Osbourne struggles to nail some of the high notes in "War Pigs." No matter, Sabbath was never about sex appeal or perfection. They were dead-end working-class kids who had no use for the romanticism of the flower-power era, and instead peered into the abyss that awaits us all. The songs, which just happened to invent an entire genre of music, still sound magnificent, from "N.I.B." to "Iron Man." [Chicago Tribune]

More Lollapalooza Friday pics are below.

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2012: Day 1 in pics (Black Sabbath, Passion Pit, M83, Afghan Whigs, Metric, SBTRKT, Tame Impala and more)"

Lollapalooza 2012 (by Skizzelda)

The Lollapalooza 2012 stream is happening at YouTube.

photos by Sara Pieper

Passion Pit at House of Blues in Chicago - 8/2/12

While in Chicago for Lollapalooza, which they play today (8/3), Passion Pit played what is their only North American club date since the tour cancellation at House of Blues last night (8/2) for an official Lolla aftershow with Givers and Kishi Bashi. Pictures from that show are in this post.

Passion Pit resurfaced this year with Gossamer, a hugely successful followup to their debut, but as you may know the sweet doesn't come without the bitter. Frontman Michael Angelakos opened up in an interview with PItchfork about his bipolar disorder, manic depression, and suicidal encounters, all of which are addressed in the heavy lyrical content of Gossamer. In need of improving his mental health, Michael was forced to cancel a number of dates on the band's tour, including the NYC show at Apollo Theater that they would have played last month.

Fortunately, the band chose to remain on the lineups for Lollapalooza, Osheaga, Outside Lands, all of which happen this month. They are also still set for Made in America in Philly this September.

More pics from last night's show are below...

Continue reading "Passion Pit played a rare show in Chicago before Lolla (pics)"

Jack White at Firefly Music Fest 2012 (more by Dana [distortion] Yavin)

Jack White just announced he's playing Radio City Music Hall on September 29. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 3 at 10 AM with a presale starting Wednesday (8/1) at 10 AM. (Password is "JACK") Additionally, if you're a Third Man Records Vault member, a limited number of presale tickets will be available there (also at 10 AM on 8/1).

Jack will play Lollapalooza in Chicago this weekend (Aug 3 - 5) and he's bringing the Third Man Rolling Record Store with him.

Updated Jack White tour dates are below.

Continue reading "Jack White playing Radio City Music Hall (updated dates)"

As we mentioned previously, Australia's Tame Impala are visiting this side of the globe for a few festival dates, including Lollapalooza, Osheaga and Outside Lands. While in North America, the band will play a just-added NYC show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on August 7. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 3 at noon.

If you haven't checked out Tame Impala's new single, "Elephant," you can stream it below. Their new album, Lonerism, is out October 5.

Also below: a new video from Tame Impala side project Pond.

Continue reading "Tame Impala playing Music Hall of Williamsburg next week!"

Lollapalooza 2011 (more by Grant MacAllister)

As mentioned many times, Lollapalooza goes down in Chicago's Grant Park from August 3 - 5. The festival is totally sold out, but if you weren't able to get tickets you can stream it live from the Lolla YouTube page.

Check out our feature on Polica for Lollapalooza.com's Artist Discovery Series.

Tame Impala's new album, Lonerism, is due out in October. The Australian psych-rockers will release the album's first official single in August, a glammy stomper called "Elephant" which you can stream below. The cover art is above. Remixes will soon be available by Canyons and Todd Rundgren (!).

Tame Impala will be in North America soon for a few U.S. festivals, including Lollapalooza in Chicago, Osheaga in Montreal and Outside Lands in San Francisco. (Sorry NYC!) All upcoming tour dates are listed below, along with the "Elephant" stream and Lonerism cover art and tracklist.

Continue reading "listen to new Tame Impala single, "Elephant""

After multiple quickly-sold-out pre-sales, tickets for Sigur Ros's Prospect Park Bandshell show will go on sale to the general public at noon today (4/20).

Since we last posted Sigur Ros dates, there have been two festival developments. Sigur Ros were announced on the lineup of Outside Lands which is on sale now, and Lollapalooza announced who was playing each day and put single day tickets on sale (Sigur Ros play on the Sunday).

In related news, Sigur Ros will be releasing two exclusive and limited vinyl pressings for Record Store Day Saturday.

Updated Sigur Ros tour dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Sigur Ros Celebrate Brooklyn tickets; Lollapalooza & Outside Lands on sale too"

The Weeknd, who makes his live debut next week at Coachella, and is also part of the just-announced Lollapalooza lineup, has announced a tour which he'll kick off after Coachella (like soon). That tour includes a pre-Lolla Chicago show and hits NYC on April 25 at Music Hall of Williamsburg and April 28 at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets for those go on sale Thursday (tomorrow, 4/12) at noon 10 am.

You can still download all three of The Weeknd's mixtapes at his website.

All dates and the video for "The Knowing" below...

Continue reading "The Weeknd announces post-Coachella tour, playing Bowery Ballroom & Music Hall of Williamsburg (dates)"

Lollapalooza (more by Grant MacAllister)

Chicago Sun Times reports:

Lollapalooza has revealed its official 2012 list of performers -- a typically wide-ranging smorgasbord of genres and styles topped by nearly a dozen mainstage headliners: the Red Hot Chili Peppers, freshly reunited bands Black Sabbath and At the Drive-In, the Black Keys, Jack White, Florence + The Machine, the Shins and Passion Pit, plus spotlighted electronic music including Swedish house titan Avicii, French dance duo Justice and DJ-producer Bassnectar.

The annual music festival is scheduled for Aug. 3-5 in Chicago's Grant Park.

Rumored lineups have circulated widely, as they usually do, and Lollapalooza itself stoked the speculation in recent weeks via a series of CTA and online advertisements that seemed to hint at who would be playing.

The ads featured lyrics from such acts as Sigur Ros, Santigold, Jack White, Kimbra, Twin Shadow, the Weeknd, Bloc Party and more -- all bands that wound up on the bill.

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2012 lineup (Jack White, At The Drive-In, Sigur Ros, Black Keys, RHCP, Afghan Whigs, M83, Weeknd, SBTRKT, Black Sabbath & more)"

a Sasquatch 2011 patron (more by Josh Darr)

The new year is approaching, and while you're making last minute plans and thinking up your resolutions, you can also start thinking about what festivals to attend in 2012. Here are some updates on next year's US festivals (not in any particular order).

SXSW, which is taking place from March 9-18 in Austin, with the music portion form March 13-18, has already announced a bunch of bands. If you register before January 13, you'll be able to save a bit.

New Orleans Jazz Fest is taking place from April 27 - May 6. The lineup includes The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Reunion, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Foo Fighters, Bon IverMy Morning Jacket, Feist, Janelle Monae, and others. The full lineup is below. Tickets are on sale now.

Sasquatch is taking place this year from May 25-28 in Gorge, Washington. 4-Day passes will be on presale through New Year's Eve, and general sale starts February 11. New for 2012, "Patrons who purchase a 4-day festival ticket will be allowed re-entry from the Festival grounds! This will not apply to any other ticket, only the 4-day pass."

Bonnaroo will be taking place from June 7-10 this year in Manchester, TN. Presale tickets have sold out but tickets will go on sale to the general public in the coming months. Also check out a Spotify playlist of the Bonnaroo staff's favorite songs of 2011.

Coachella, will take place over the course of two weekends this year (April 13-15 and 20-22). Other than a fake lineup poster that has been floating around, no artists have been officially announced yet.

Noise Pop will be celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2012 from February 21-26 in San Francisco. So far the lineup includes Archers of Loaf, Built to Spill, Big Freedia, Surfer Blood, Grimes, Bleached, John Vanderslice, Ume, and others. Check out the full list below.

Austin City Limits is taking place from October 12-14 in Zilker Park in Austin. Souvenir 3-day passes and early bird 3-day passes have sold out but regular 3-day passes are on sale now.

Lollapalooza will take place in 2012 from August 3-5 in Grant Park in Chicago. Tickets will go on sale this spring. As BVChicago mentioned, Lollapalooza is also taking place in Chile and Brazil this year.

Bamboozle, now in a new location, is taking place from May 18-20 in Asbury Park in New Jersey this year. So far the scary lineup includes Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, Skrillex, Blink 182, Incubus, and Mac Miller. 3-Day wristbands are on sale now.

Bumbershoot is taking place from September 1-3 at Seattle Center in Seattle, WA. Tickets are available and Bumbershoot are currently having a holiday sale where single day tickets are half off (originally $150, now $75).

NYC's own Governors Ball, which took place at Governors Island in 2011, has been moved to the bigger Randall's Island and will take place over the course of two days, June 23 and 24. Like last year, there will be no overlapping sets. Compared to the others listed here, this is not quite a big "festival", but unlike anything else listed above, it does happen in NYC. Artist announcements and tickets are coming soon.

Current NoisePop and Jazz Fest lineups below...

Continue reading "2012 Music Festival Roundup (Jazz Fest, Sasquatch, Bonnaroo, Noise Pop, ACL, Coachella, Bamboozle, SXSW, Bumbershoot & more)"

words by Zach Pollack, photos by Grant MacAllister

Sorry for the delay of our third and final installmet of Lollapalooza 2011 coverage, but here it is! Due to the major downpour on the Sunday of the fest, Grant's pictures were almost lost forever in a wet camera, but are now recovered. If you're just joining us, check out parts one and two first. Here is part three...

My third and final day of Lollapalooza (8/7) kicked off at Music Unlimited Stage with an opening set from Titus Andronicus. The Garden State punks began things by playing the opening track "A More Perfect Union" from their incredible 2010 LP The Monitor. Titus generally would make for a fantastic start to the day, but their sound was a bit off, and by the look on frontman Patrick Stickles's face, I think he agreed.

After Titus, I decided to calm things down and went to catch Lia Ices. This was my second time seeing the Brooklyn, NY-based songstress this year, but that did not make her less interesting. Lia's well trained voice fluttered effortlessly over the avant pop she produces. I must admit I was skeptical that she and her band would translate well to an outdoor setting. The four-piece shattered any and all of my doubts.

The next set I caught was Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.'s at the quite favored Google+ stage. The kitschy group are infectious and totally unavoidable. I stuck around for most of their set which included their handmade "Jr. Jr." light boxes on stage and, more importantly, bubble machines.

I then made my way over to watch The Cars, who again consist of their original lineup, except for Benjamin Orr who passed away in 2000. The Cars ran though many of their hits like "Just What I Needed," "My Best Friend's Girl," "Good Times Roll," and a few new ones too. I didn't initially plan on catching their set, am glad that I did.

I then headed to the Sony stage where Portugal. The Man were setting up. I had caught their aftershow with Wye Oak at the Double Door on the first night of Lolla, and they blew me away. I was psyched to hear so many cuts off of their 2009 LP The Satanic Satanist. I was NOT psyched to hear that their van and trailer (gear and all) had been stolen later on that night. The van and trailer have since been recovered... and so has most of the gear!

I left Portugal's set a bit early in order to make it to Best Coast at Google+. Frontwoman Bethany Cosentino entered the stage and jokingly stated, "Fuck you, we're Best Coast." Unfortunately halfway through their set storm clouds that were hanging over Chicago all day finally burst. It poured for a good hour, letting up just before Explosions In The Sky's set.

The Austin, TX-based post rock band entered the stage stating, "I think you just saw 'us,' but now we're going to play some music." I was glad to hear some of my favorite songs like "The Birth and Death of the Day," "Six Days At the Bottom of the Ocean," and "Your Hand In Mine." Their awesome set was more than enough to keep the muddy, sopping festival-goers around.

Everyone legitimately thought the rain had let up, so I headed across to Music Unlimited for Foo Fighters' headlining set. Their set included a handful of songs from the recently released Wasting Light LP and a bunch of older cuts too. A few songs in it started pouring again and I decided to leave the festival along with Grant whose camera had officially stopped working. Unfortunately that meant that I missed Perry Farrell (of Jane's Addiction and founder of Lollapalooza) joining the band on stage for a second during "Everlong," which included the Foos playing a piece of Jane's Addiction's "Mountain Song."

Day 1 pics are HERE and Day 2 pics are HERE. More pictures from Day 3, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Arctic Monkeys included, below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2011 -- Day 3 pics & review (EITS, TPOBPAH, Best Coast, The Cars, Portugal the Man, Arctic Monkeys & more)"

words by Zach Pollack, photos by Grant MacAllister

a member of Cee-Lo's band

Day two of Lollapalooza 2011 began with a slight drizzle over Grant Park, but it didn't deter the determined early festival-goers from moving about the grounds. After a long Friday, I began Saturday over at the Sony Stage with an extremely tight set from Phantogram. What I assumed was a simple setup from listening to their albums, was actually a complex live rig which kept the trio extremely busy. How many times have you seen an electronic-tinged band who just cue samples all set? Phantogram are not that.

Up next on my schedule were Chicago hometown act Maps & Atlases (which unfortunately meant I missed Friendly Fires). Maps & Atlases drew a very large crowd to the Google+ Stage, which has my favorite area of the whole fest. There's no other stage opposing it, it's a bit smaller than most, and massive trees block out much of the blistering sun. What's not to like?

I then attempted to head back towards Music Unlimited for Fitz and The Tantrums, but that didn't seem to be in the cards due to some unexpected foot traffic. Instead I ate and then headed to the oposite side of the grounds to catch the Black Lips at Playstation. The crowd was enormous for the garage-rockers who usually play to a quarter as many people. A few songs in they pulled out "Family Tree," the opening track to their great Mark Ronson-produced album Arabia Mountain. In typical Black Lips fashion, singer/guitarist Cole Alexander threw up on stage without missing as much as a note, and almost all over the Lollapalooza film crew!

From there things just got more and more massive. I caught Death From Above 1979 for the second time this week, and it was just as thrilling and brutal. Kicking things off with the Y.A.W.I.A.M. staple "Turn It Out," the massive beyond massive crowd went completely insane. Not needing to see the full set, I rushed across the complex to catch a bit of Big Audio Dynamite. The reunited group opened with "Medicine Show," and continued to awe the crowd with "A Party." From there I ran to Google+ to catch the tail end of The Drums.

I walked in just as they were speaking about the release of their forthcoming record Portamento (coming out in the US on Frenchkiss). They then played its single, "Money." The band has definitely matured since I last saw them and they sounded super full live. Just to make my legs die a little bit more, I rushed back over towards Sony and Music Unlimited to catch Local Natives. As mentioned, it was the largest crowd the band had ever played to. Opening with "Camera Talk," as per usual, their live sound even surpassed their great recordings. Towards the end of their set, across the way at Unlimited, things started to fall into place for Cee Lo's set.

His band of attractive studio musicians took the stage sans Green around 6:30PM, and jumped into a short intro track. Complete with matching Gwar-like kinky warrior outfits (strange choice), Cee Lo and his band played to a massive audience, many of whom were camped out to see Eminem on the same stage. I left early, before the booing...

"The soul singer scored a huge crowd, but holding its attention seemed to be another matter. Dressed in shoulder pads topped with huge spikes and a chunky neck chain, Cee-Lo channeled his inner-dungeon master/Billy Idol; he even played an R&B-flavored cover of the 80s star's "Flesh for Fantasy." But the set was anything but smooth: Between tunes, which included Cee-Lo's own "Satisfied," "Bright Lights Bigger City," and Gnarls Barkley's smash "Crazy," he turned the spotlight to his DJ, who inexplicably spun Lenny Kravitz, Nirvana and Depeche Mode - a move that inspired boos from the crowd. "Don't you dare let this wonderful outfit go to waste," he said, palpably annoyed. But the irritation may have worked in his favor (and sent a subliminal message to his fans): On his closer, the Motown-inflected kiss-off "Fuck You," his voice sounded richer than it had all night. " [Rolling Stone]

Li and her amazingly talented band were a perfect fit for the stage, and drew as many people as would fit in the area. They started things off with the haunting Wounded Rhymes track "Jerome," and continued in that fashion with "I Follow Rivers", "Sadness Is A Blessing" and other songs as My Morning Jacket started to set up for their headlining set over at Bud Light.

Jim James and Co. kicked off a two hour long set at 8PM. It spanned their entire catalog with crowd favorites like "Off the Record," "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream," "One Big Holiday," and much more. Songs were extended with jam sections, brass solos, etc. Their stage setup was absolutely massive, as was the lighting. That said, I snuck away back to the smaller Google+ to check out some of Beirut who was closing out that stage.

Zach Condon and band played mostly older songs in the more intimate setting, and though tight, I was craving some more My Morning Jacket and so headed back to finish off the night with Jim James.

Friday pictures HERE. Sunday on the way. B.A.D. pics HERE. More pictures from Saturday, Dom included, below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2011 -- Day 2 pics & review (My Morning Jacket, Beirut, Cee-Lo, DFA1979, Lykke Li, Maps & Atlases & more)"

photos by Grant MacAllister

B.A.D. @ Lolla

Big Audio Dynamite brought their reunion back to North America this month. It included another visit to NYC in the form of a show at Brooklyn Bowl (on 8/3) and an appearance on Jimmy Fallon where they played two songs (one was a web exclusive). They since hit Lollapalooza (on Saturday). More pictures from Chicago, both Fallon videos and the entire Brooklyn Bowl setlist, below...

Continue reading "Big Audio Dynamite played Brooklyn Bowl (setlist), Fallon (video), and Lollapalooza (pics)"

words by Zach Pollack, photos by Grant MacAllister

Bright Eyes / Mountain Goats

Despite being out late in the name of DFA1979 on Thursday, I arrived at Lollapalooza on Friday in time for Wye Oak at noon on the Sony Stage. The duo had the uncomfortable job of playing one of the first sets of the weekend, and unfortunately their Civilian-heavy set was also plagued by technical problems. They thought at first it was singer/guitarist Jenn Wasner's amp (which they replaced), but then realized it was pedals. Regardless, the band and audience stayled calm. And the crowd especially appreciated the finer moments like pounding single "Holy, Holy".

From there I headed to the near-by (and quite massive) Music Unlimited Stage for The Vaccines. Frontman Justin Young thanked the crowd for "rolling out of bed this afternoon," and the band proceeded to dive into their raucous set. Hanging behind them was a large banner of their album cover What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? from which they played choice singles such as "Wreckin' Bar," and "Post Break-Up Sex." I was liking it, but decided to run and catch a bit of Tennis on the Google+ stage.

Google+ (yes every stage has a corporate sponsor) is located in a heavily tree-covered area of the park, which gives you a nice break from the scorching sun you're subjected to on the larger stages. Drawing from their 2011 debut LP Cape Dory, Tennis locked into a tight groove felt throughout the crowd. Alaina Moore's vocal stylings and the band's instrumentation were spot on, though a bit boring compared to The Vaccines who I wish I stayed for more of.

It was then over to the Music Unlimited stage to catch Delta Spirit. Matthew Vasquez and Co. offered the crowd 100% of their energy in the now-blistering sun. The band of five makes the sound of ten and upbeat songs about past lovers like "Bushwick Blues" remind the audience why they love this band.

With barely any time to catch my breath, I ran across the festival to catch Grace Potter & the Nocturnals who happened to be playing at the Bud Light stage on the complete opposite side of Grant Park. Her powerful vocals and talented band could be heard echoing loudly for a long distance as I approached.

After a break to re-hydrate and eat I returned to Bud Light to watch The Kills. The duo consisting of Alison Mosshart, and (recently married) Jamie Hince took the stage and started playing the loundest band I saw that day. Their flawless performance included songs from their four-album catalog, drawing heavily on the recently released and fantastic Blood Pressures. I stuck around to watch their entire set. I might catch them again at one of their two Terminal 5 shows in NYC this week.

From ther it was to the Playstation Stage to catch The Mountain Goats. John Darnielle, Peter Hughes, and John Wurster walked on stage accompanied by some loud metal entrance music (Darnielle is famously a metal fan). The Mountain Goats mostly drew from their early catalog, not bypassing 2011's All Eternals Deck completely, but instead just slightly grazing it. Their Merge Records labelmate Jenn Wasner (from Wye Oak), joined the trio to sing "Last Year", a major highlight of the day. I left a bit early, and headed back to Bud Light to get a good position for Bright Eyes who went on around 6:30pm.

Connor Oberst and Co. brought their full band sound found on their recently released LP The People's Key. The crowd-pleasing set focused heavily on the album but also featurd older cuts like "Lover I Don't Have To Love" (another major highlight). I didn't really want to, but again took off early in favor of catching some of Crystal Castles across the grounds at the Sony Stage.

The crowd was not as insane as when I saw them this past year at the Riv, and that's partly what made this set so enjoyable. They played a mix of Crystal Castles I & II, including tracks like "Untrust Us" and "Baptism." Frontwoman Alice Glass' ankle is now fully healed (she was in a cast at the Riv), so she was actively surfing the crowd and thumping around the stage.

Keeping it electronic, I then headed to Perry's to catch Girl Talk which would be my final set of the day (I didn't catch any of Muse'sor Coldplay's headlining sets).

Perry's, named after fest co-founder Perry Farrell, is more so a Coachella-like tent than a stage. Girl Talk was as energetic as ever in the tent, and Greg Gillis probably lost about five pounds running around the stage to amp up the crowd. He played all of the usual mixes featuring hits like Black Sabbath's "War Pigs" and Phoenix's "1901", along with new subtle additions.

Lollapalooza continues Saturday and Sunday in Grant Park and is streaming online.

Other bands who played Friday, that that we got pictures of, include Cults, Foster the People, The Smith Westerns, and Two Door Cinema Club. The pictures continue below...

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2011 -- Day 1 pics & review (Bright Eyes, Cults, Mountain Goats, Wye Oak, Kills, Tennis, Vaccines & more)"

Lollapalooza 2011 begins today, Friday, 8/5 in Chicago, and is streaming select sets on YouTube on two channels, now through Sunday. The full schedule is listed below.

Speaking of Lolla, congrats to the six winners of our Lollapalooza ticket contest. Winners were chosen, confirmed and contacted yesterday.

Speaking of our contest, contest & Lolla stream sponsor DELL is also giving away a trip to Austin City Limits via their Facebook and Twitter. Click the links for more info.

Stream schedule below....

Continue reading "Lollapalooza begins --- stream it online"

Just in time for an announcement of a new set of tour dates, Rival Schools have a new video in "Eyes Wide Open" from their latest LP Pedals. Check out that video, making its debut here, below.

Those new Rival Schools dates will kick off in October with fellow punks Hostage Calm, hitting Brooklyn at The Bell House on October 27th with Balance & Composure. Tickets for the NYC show are on sale. The tour ends one day later at Mexicali Live in NJ. Full schedule is below.

Those of you in Chicago for Lollapalooza (maybe you even won your tickets!) can catch the band sooner though. They play a sold-out official afterparty with the not so punk White Lies at the Double Door in Chicago on August 6th, and at the fest at 1:45 on the Playstation Stage the next day (8/7).

All tour dates and "Eyes Wide Open" are below.

Continue reading "Rival Schools --- 2011 tour dates & new video (premiere)"