It has come to my attention that I totally forgot to post my best of 2009, even after I promised I would. So, without further ado, everything you hopefully didn’t miss in ‘09 (I have even embedded the albums and songs so you can at least click the button and listen. I am SPOON-FEEDING YOU GREATNESS):
I promise that festivals aren’t the only thing I talk, but here’s a couple more things I want to say.
After my first festival experience last year, and my enjoyment of such, I started thinking about what it would take to get me to go to another one and how to make that call. So, here are my items for consideration.
The Bands: This, of course, is the most critical part. I am devising a points system for the Lollapalooza lineup. The lineup needs to amass 20 points for me to make the trip. Rumored headliner Green Day, who I think will do amazing things with the big space as well as putting on a truly remarkable show? 8 points. Chicago locals Company of Thieves, who are phenomenal live? 1. When the big lineup comes out, I tally up the points and figure out if it’s worth the trouble.
The Location: I like beds and the indoors. After a long day of standing outside, I want a shower and maybe a coffee in the AM. This rules out Bonnaroo, Coachella, and most English festivals, as these all require camping. (I would love to do the Bonnaroo VIP package where you get to stay in a tour bus.) In the points system, being near a hotel is +3. Requiring camping is -10. Minimum.
The Douche Factor: And now we get to the crux. I dislike when people are mean to other people, and I get enraged at things that are exclusive to be exclusive. This is why I will never, ever go to SXSW. The way the festival is organized, two hundred shows in teensy venues, the people who paid up to $800 for a badge or a wristband are not guaranteed entry. Hole is playing in a sports bar that seats 500. This plays into the festival’s “exclusivity for exclusivity’s sake.” People with badges get in first. Then locals with wristbands. Then anyone else who wants to pay. But supposing 700 people with badges show up? 200 people who paid for badges still won’t get to see Hole. And the wristbands can go eff themselves. What’s the point of that system other than being a dick? Let people who paid go to shows. Let people who won’t get in make other plans. Lots of bands are going to play to ten people while everyone tries to get into the Hole show. On the point system, let’s call this a -20. Me spending all of that money and then not getting to see the bands I want to see drops the whole concept way down.
Summary: I’m resigned to not going to any festivals other than Lollapalooza and maybe All Points West (which is a hassle to get to, but technically possible from my apartment) in my lifetime. Maybe someday, when I’m a rich and famous blogger, I’ll rent a house near Coachella or a tour bus at Bonnaroo. But it seems unlikely.
Remember my post about how Coachella is about people paying for nostalgia? Tofutti Break agrees with me and posted what will clearly be next year’s poster.
Yesterday, bored at home, I started googling for Lollapalooza lineup rumors. It turned out that there were all sorts of whispers that Green Day would be making an appearance, GD being one of the two bands that will make the decision for me. (The other being Muse.) (That decision being yes.) Anyway, I was elated to discover this morning that, according to The Daily Swarm, this year’s big stage headliners will be Green Day, Lady Gaga, and the first US reunion show of Soundgarden. Excellent! I will get to see Lady Gaga without specifically paying for that, which is ideal, plus Green Day, who are always unbelievable and will be touring in support of Green Day Rock Band.
Rumored to be headlining the other stage? The Flaming Lips, Beastie Boys (to make up for last year, when they pulled out following Ad-Rock’s cancer diagnosis) and Arcade Fire. But again, these are just rumors.
This might have been my last time seeing The Used, but I doubt it. I always end up back there, don’t I? The half of the band that cares is so compelling that it’s easy to forget that the other half doesn’t. Also, the Starland Ballroom is a fucking fire trap, but I fully appreciate the work of the horde of security guards that were seriously on top of the action.
Okay, look kids, I’m gonna level with you. February is kicking my ass. I got a sinus infection, for starters, and the medication is making me hella loopy. I’ve been sick for about two weeks. I have all of these notes to share with you about Empires’ trip through the east coast, and that is forthcoming, but in the meantime, go buy their new awesome single, “Strangers” (or at least click over to listen to it). Their album, Bang, is going to be pretty epic. Then, as if that wasn’t hanging over me, I dragged myself out for the Motion City Soundtrack show only to promptly spill Robitussin on my trusty liveblogging phone and utterly destroy it. So that is lost to time. (Summary: like all MCS shows, Katie ended up Mom-ing a mosh pit. And they brought an a capella group from Williams College to sing one of their songs in the encore.)
So, Katie suggested that I do a sort of Motion City roundup with my thoughts on the show and their new album, My Dinosaur Life, and other stuff. But you guys, I am just barely managing to make myself meals at this point (lunch yesterday? half a bowl of Lucky Charms aka all the Lucky Charms we had left). So instead, I give you the things I was going to talk about.
Oh my God. I am overwhelmed. I turned on the live stream in the middle of the pre-tape awards. They go fast as hell, probably an award every three minutes. Every one minute if the person is still on the carpet. This is true of both of the awards Kings of Leon wins, both the Best Rock Song and Best Rock Group Performance for “Use Somebody.” I kind of can’t believe that they beat Pearl Jam, U2, Green Day and Bruce Springsteen. I would have loved to see their acceptance speech. But alas. Also, Imogen Heap won Best Engineered Album Non-Classical, and she engineered it herself!
Once a year, I get into something totally weird and outside of my comfort zone. Sometimes it’s shoegaze, sometimes electronica, but most of them have ended up in this list.
My very favorite thing about Coachella is that it requires camping in the desert in California. I do not like deserts or camping. And in SoCal in April, bound to be on the warm side. That means the lineup can never be good enough to tempt me to blow a grand on going! However, it is still my duty to share the lineup with you. (Via our friends at Current Music.)Now, it’s not bad, per se. It’s just … odd. Instead of breaking it down by day, let’s look at it by category.
The Studio at Webster Hall should more accurately be called “The basement of Webster Hall.” But vodka is $5 and the bathrooms are convenient. So it’s ok by me.
This is This Is Ivy League’s first all ages show and as such, I should have expected to fill up fast with Cobra Starship fans. It did fill up fast. Doors were at 7 (though the tickets said 8 ) and when I arrived at 8:15, the place was nearly full. Continue reading
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