This Will Destroy You w/ John LaMonica
Lee's Palace
Toronto, ON
Monday, May 30, 2011
With regards to the band, this isn't a positive review, but I had to share my thoughts (if only to take some heat or to maybe even help someone improve; there's a good part towards the end). The day began with myself on the fence about checking out Friendly Fires over at the Phoenix; a band for whom I was told was a lot of fun to experience live. This mixed with the lovely weather we received yesterday throughout the GTA really pushed me to go check out a fun show in the city. Unfortunately, due to illness the band was unable to perform in Toronto and as a result we were left scrambling to find something to do.
The majority of my concert-going experiences have been of the larger nature, generally. I've seen a handful of shows at the Air Canada Centre, the Molson Amphitheatre, and then some of relatively smaller, yet large venues like the Kool Haus where alot of the times gigs are booked well in advance and I know who's in town ahead of time. I have been to a bunch of smaller shows for bands that I already knew of at smaller venues in the city, like Lee's Palace or the Horseshoe Tavern, but rarely have I entered blindly into a show just to check out a new band. Upon searching Twitter and Google after dinner yesterday and browsing various Toronto websites I wasn't able to locate a definitive listing that would help narrow down our search so we decided to check out Lee's Palace for a band called This Will Destroy You.
Upon previewing their material on YouTube I found myself enjoying what I was listening to and it certainly seemed good for relaxation, studying, or just background music for sitting on the grass on a summer afternoon. I typically don't make it to shows of this nature and picture them being the type of band I would check out for a bit at a festival, but not going out of my way to see. Whatever, $15... let's take the plunge, never know... maybe I'll meet my future wife there.
Hands-down... the worst show I have ever been to. We left after maybe 20 minutes when they played (I think) two songs. One just sounded like noise, the other 15-minutes was some dude pressing the keys and the seated guitarist rocking out (but not actually producing much sound). Awful show. Despite this extreme dislike for how the show turned out, I have talked to a couple people who are actually fans of the band and apparently they have attended shows similar to last night and others that were in the complete opposite direction. For now, I'll maybe check out one of their albums and throw them in the low-priority pile. Too bad. I could be less harsh on it and suggest they ARE that band I would maybe see for a song or two at a festival and not think of again, but they are under the microscope for today since I went out of my way to see them and was actually disappointed by what I saw. Oh well.
Despite this, there was some good that came from things as I was able to help locate a definitive listing of shows in the city (previously used Eye Weekly, but am having issues locating the same information on their new site, The Grid TO). The fine folks at NOW Magazine have a sweet listing of shows (I'm sure they're missing some) which for now will serve me well. Infact, it led me to the band Sons of York for whom sound like they could be fun. May go check them out tomorrow night at The Smiling Buddha in Toronto.
Win some, lose some, but hey... at least now I was able to find a pretty good source of concert listings for last minute shows in the city.
Setlist (courtesy of setlist.fm for reasons listed above):
Little Smoke
Glass Realms
Communal Blood
Burial on the Presidio Banks
Black Dunes
There Are Some Remedies Worse Than the Disease
Killed The Lord, Left For The New World
Quiet
Album Breakdown:
Tunnel Blanket: 5
This Will Destroy You: 1
Young Mountain: 2
Tuesday 31 May 2011
Tuesday 24 May 2011
How Many Canadians Are On Each NHL Team - 2012 Playoff Edition
Author's Note (April 7, 2012):
2012 update is here, enjoy!
Ready for the NHL playoffs? Me too!
Did your team miss the playoffs? Me too!
Curious about how many of this years NHL playoff teams contain Canadians? Me too!
Here's the split for the 2012 playoffs of how many Canadians are on each of the teams who qualified to play deep into April:
18/29 - Boston (10 Ontario, 1 Toronto, 1 Brampton)
17/26 - Phoenix (5 Ontario)
16/26 - Florida (9 Ontario, 2 Toronto, 1 Hamilton, 1 Mississauga)
16/26 - St. Louis (9 Ontario, 3 Toronto)
16/26 - San Jose (7 Ontario, 1 Toronto, 1 Guelph)
16/28 - Vancouver (5 Ontario, 2 Mississauga, 1 Toronto)
15/25 - Los Angeles (8 Ontario)
15/27 - Chicago (8 Ontario, 1 Toronto, 1 Hamilton)
15/28 - Washington (4 Ontario, 1 Toronto)
14/26 - Pittsburgh (6 Ontario)
13/28 - Philadelphia (5 Ontario, 1 Mississauga)
12/26 - Ottawa (5 Ontario, 1 Toronto)
12/28 - Nashville (7 Ontario, 2 Hamilton, 1 Toronto)
10/25 - NY Rangers (6 Ontario, 1 Oakville)
09/25 - Detroit (3 Ontario)
07/25 - New Jersey (2 Ontario, 1 Toronto)
There you have it; can debate the top of the list as Phoenix has 65.4% Canadians on their active roster compared to Boston's 62.1%, but if you go on headcount obviously the Bruins win.
Of the two Canadian teams who are in the playoffs this season, it's obvious that the Canucks are the team to root for (especially since one of those teams are Ottawa).
And finally, if you needed any additional reasons to dislike the Wings or Devils, their Canadian count is extremely low.
Happy playoffs!
================
2011 Edition:
The Stanley Cup has not been won by a team that plays in Canada since the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Los Angeles Kings in 1993. Alot has changed since then though: Maple Leaf Gardens and the Forum are no longer being used for hockey and I have aged 18 years. Now, the Vancouver Canucks appear to be on the brink of winning the Stanley Cup and bringing hockey's richest prize back to Canada (a task the Senators, Oilers, and even their own franchise has failed to achieve in this stretch). However, one problem for me arises... I'm not a Vancouver Canucks fan and I have been called anti-Canadian by choosing not to cheer for them. I cheered my heart out and nearly cried when Zach Parise scored for the States against Canada in the Gold Medal game, but I don't have any emotional attachment to the Canucks (especially when I no longer have the Sedin's in fantasy).
This debate has come up quite a bit recently, especially when I hopped on the up-and-coming Blackhawks bandwagon a few seasons ago before they just so happened to beat the Canucks (twice; once while en route to a Cup victory). I was raised a Leafs fan and I really enjoy watching the Blackhawks, so those are my teams that I care about. The others... I just like to be entertained, but please, don't force me to cheer for the Canucks just because they're "Canadian" (the Sens and Habs are ALSO "Canadian").
Curious as to how many Canadians play for each NHL team? So was I, and now I will tell you (thanks to NHL.com for the rosters, detailed list at the bottom of this entry):
Curious how many NHL players were born in Ontario?
So, when it comes to the NHL playoffs this season, of the two Canadian teams (Vancouver and Montreal) I would argue that the team to cheer for would be the Canucks, if you need to cheer for a team that plays its home games in Canada (especially since I grew up as a Leaf fan and we don't cheer for the stinky Habs).
Out of all of the NHL teams that represent Canadian cities, Edmonton has the most players at 18 (67% of their roster) with Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto close behind. From the perspective of how many Ontario-born players are in the league, Edmonton takes the cake at 7, with honourable mention going to the Canucks and Sens for having 6 apiece. An ironic note is that the Toronto Maple Leafs (Capital of Ontario) have the fewest Ontario-born players (Nazem Kadri, who barely made the team this past season). As far as Mississauga-born players in the NHL, the Calgary Flames and New York Islanders have 2 each. Neither the Atlanta Thrashers or Phoenix Coyotes have a player that was born in Manitoba.
Fun Fact: The 1976 Summer Olympics were held in Montreal and in 1977 the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup. The 1988 Winter Olympics were held in Calgary and in 1989 the Calgary Flames won the Stanley Cup. The 2010 Winter Olympics were held in Vancouver and in 2011...
While roster sizes differ across the league, if one breaks down the percentages and looks at the remaining teams in the playoffs they will find that as far as Canadian content is concerned the following is true:
65% of the Boston Bruins were born in Canada
63% of the Tampa Bay Lightning were born in Canada
62% of the San Jose Sharks were born in Canada
53% of the Vancouver Canucks were born in Canada
So while I still don't cheer for Vancouver (various reasons), their Canadian headcount came in surprisingly high (Manny Malhotra is from Mississauga too) and... I guess it's okay to cheer for them because of that. However, rooting for the Bruins would sure upset some Habs fans too.
Here's the whole list of Canadian players per NHL team:
20 players on the Washington Capitals were born in Canada.
20 players on the Philadelphia Flyers were born in Canada.
18 players on the Edmonton Oilers were born in Canada.
18 players on the San Jose Sharks were born in Canada.
17 players on the Colorado Avalanche were born in Canada.
17 players on the Boston Bruins were born in Canada.
17 players on the Tampa Bay Lightning were born in Canada.
17 players on the Pittsburgh Penguins were born in Canada.
17 players on the Vancouver Canucks were born in Canada.
16 players on the New York Islanders were born in Canada.
15 players on the Minnesota Wild were born in Canada.
15 players on the Columbus Bluejackets were born in Canada.
15 players on the Chicago Blackhawks were born in Canada.
15 players on the Calgary Flames were born in Canada.
15 players on the Toronto Maple Leafs were born in Canada.
14 players on the Dallas Stars were born in Canada.
14 players on the Phoenix Coyotes were born in Canada.
13 players on the Nashville Predators were born in Canada.
13 players on the Montreal Canadiens were born in Canada.
11 players on the Los Angeles Kings were born in Canada.
11 players on the Buffalo Sabres were born in Canada.
11 players on the Anaheim Ducks were born in Canada.
10 players on the Carolina Hurricanes were born in Canada.
10 players on the St. Louis Blues were born in Canada.
10 players on the Ottawa Senators were born in Canada.
10 players on the Florida Panthers were born in Canada.
9 players on the New York Rangers were born in Canada.
9 players on the Atlanta Thrashers were born in Canada.
9 players on the New Jersey Devils were born in Canada.
8 players on the Detroit Red Wings were born in Canada.
2012 update is here, enjoy!
Ready for the NHL playoffs? Me too!
Did your team miss the playoffs? Me too!
Curious about how many of this years NHL playoff teams contain Canadians? Me too!
Here's the split for the 2012 playoffs of how many Canadians are on each of the teams who qualified to play deep into April:
18/29 - Boston (10 Ontario, 1 Toronto, 1 Brampton)
17/26 - Phoenix (5 Ontario)
16/26 - Florida (9 Ontario, 2 Toronto, 1 Hamilton, 1 Mississauga)
16/26 - St. Louis (9 Ontario, 3 Toronto)
16/26 - San Jose (7 Ontario, 1 Toronto, 1 Guelph)
16/28 - Vancouver (5 Ontario, 2 Mississauga, 1 Toronto)
15/25 - Los Angeles (8 Ontario)
15/27 - Chicago (8 Ontario, 1 Toronto, 1 Hamilton)
15/28 - Washington (4 Ontario, 1 Toronto)
14/26 - Pittsburgh (6 Ontario)
13/28 - Philadelphia (5 Ontario, 1 Mississauga)
12/26 - Ottawa (5 Ontario, 1 Toronto)
12/28 - Nashville (7 Ontario, 2 Hamilton, 1 Toronto)
10/25 - NY Rangers (6 Ontario, 1 Oakville)
09/25 - Detroit (3 Ontario)
07/25 - New Jersey (2 Ontario, 1 Toronto)
There you have it; can debate the top of the list as Phoenix has 65.4% Canadians on their active roster compared to Boston's 62.1%, but if you go on headcount obviously the Bruins win.
Of the two Canadian teams who are in the playoffs this season, it's obvious that the Canucks are the team to root for (especially since one of those teams are Ottawa).
And finally, if you needed any additional reasons to dislike the Wings or Devils, their Canadian count is extremely low.
Happy playoffs!
================
2011 Edition:
The Stanley Cup has not been won by a team that plays in Canada since the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Los Angeles Kings in 1993. Alot has changed since then though: Maple Leaf Gardens and the Forum are no longer being used for hockey and I have aged 18 years. Now, the Vancouver Canucks appear to be on the brink of winning the Stanley Cup and bringing hockey's richest prize back to Canada (a task the Senators, Oilers, and even their own franchise has failed to achieve in this stretch). However, one problem for me arises... I'm not a Vancouver Canucks fan and I have been called anti-Canadian by choosing not to cheer for them. I cheered my heart out and nearly cried when Zach Parise scored for the States against Canada in the Gold Medal game, but I don't have any emotional attachment to the Canucks (especially when I no longer have the Sedin's in fantasy).
This debate has come up quite a bit recently, especially when I hopped on the up-and-coming Blackhawks bandwagon a few seasons ago before they just so happened to beat the Canucks (twice; once while en route to a Cup victory). I was raised a Leafs fan and I really enjoy watching the Blackhawks, so those are my teams that I care about. The others... I just like to be entertained, but please, don't force me to cheer for the Canucks just because they're "Canadian" (the Sens and Habs are ALSO "Canadian").
Curious as to how many Canadians play for each NHL team? So was I, and now I will tell you (thanks to NHL.com for the rosters, detailed list at the bottom of this entry):
Curious how many NHL players were born in Ontario?
So, when it comes to the NHL playoffs this season, of the two Canadian teams (Vancouver and Montreal) I would argue that the team to cheer for would be the Canucks, if you need to cheer for a team that plays its home games in Canada (especially since I grew up as a Leaf fan and we don't cheer for the stinky Habs).
Out of all of the NHL teams that represent Canadian cities, Edmonton has the most players at 18 (67% of their roster) with Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto close behind. From the perspective of how many Ontario-born players are in the league, Edmonton takes the cake at 7, with honourable mention going to the Canucks and Sens for having 6 apiece. An ironic note is that the Toronto Maple Leafs (Capital of Ontario) have the fewest Ontario-born players (Nazem Kadri, who barely made the team this past season). As far as Mississauga-born players in the NHL, the Calgary Flames and New York Islanders have 2 each. Neither the Atlanta Thrashers or Phoenix Coyotes have a player that was born in Manitoba.
Fun Fact: The 1976 Summer Olympics were held in Montreal and in 1977 the Montreal Canadiens won the Stanley Cup. The 1988 Winter Olympics were held in Calgary and in 1989 the Calgary Flames won the Stanley Cup. The 2010 Winter Olympics were held in Vancouver and in 2011...
While roster sizes differ across the league, if one breaks down the percentages and looks at the remaining teams in the playoffs they will find that as far as Canadian content is concerned the following is true:
65% of the Boston Bruins were born in Canada
63% of the Tampa Bay Lightning were born in Canada
62% of the San Jose Sharks were born in Canada
53% of the Vancouver Canucks were born in Canada
So while I still don't cheer for Vancouver (various reasons), their Canadian headcount came in surprisingly high (Manny Malhotra is from Mississauga too) and... I guess it's okay to cheer for them because of that. However, rooting for the Bruins would sure upset some Habs fans too.
Here's the whole list of Canadian players per NHL team:
20 players on the Washington Capitals were born in Canada.
20 players on the Philadelphia Flyers were born in Canada.
18 players on the Edmonton Oilers were born in Canada.
18 players on the San Jose Sharks were born in Canada.
17 players on the Colorado Avalanche were born in Canada.
17 players on the Boston Bruins were born in Canada.
17 players on the Tampa Bay Lightning were born in Canada.
17 players on the Pittsburgh Penguins were born in Canada.
17 players on the Vancouver Canucks were born in Canada.
16 players on the New York Islanders were born in Canada.
15 players on the Minnesota Wild were born in Canada.
15 players on the Columbus Bluejackets were born in Canada.
15 players on the Chicago Blackhawks were born in Canada.
15 players on the Calgary Flames were born in Canada.
15 players on the Toronto Maple Leafs were born in Canada.
14 players on the Dallas Stars were born in Canada.
14 players on the Phoenix Coyotes were born in Canada.
13 players on the Nashville Predators were born in Canada.
13 players on the Montreal Canadiens were born in Canada.
11 players on the Los Angeles Kings were born in Canada.
11 players on the Buffalo Sabres were born in Canada.
11 players on the Anaheim Ducks were born in Canada.
10 players on the Carolina Hurricanes were born in Canada.
10 players on the St. Louis Blues were born in Canada.
10 players on the Ottawa Senators were born in Canada.
10 players on the Florida Panthers were born in Canada.
9 players on the New York Rangers were born in Canada.
9 players on the Atlanta Thrashers were born in Canada.
9 players on the New Jersey Devils were born in Canada.
8 players on the Detroit Red Wings were born in Canada.
Monday 23 May 2011
Review - Mickey's Pizza (Mississauga, ON)
One of my previously undocumented resolutions for 2011 was to try as many new restaurants as possible (within reason). Often I find that I will ask around, walk around, or go to the internet to try and locate a restaurant that is a good fit for me. Thanks to the kind folks at Urban Spoon (who listed off the top ten restaurants in Mississauga) I was able to locate and get friends excited about Mickey's Pizza. While returning to town on Saturday afternoon it felt like the perfect opportunity to check it out.
Mickey's Pizza
1900 Lakeshore Road West
Mississauga, ON
Open 4pm - 10pm (closed Monday)
Upon entering it kind of reminded me of Burrito Boyz (for the somewhat small restaurant, the food preparation process, and strong reputation). As far as types of pizza (excluding toppings here), the menu offers skinny, original, and Killer King; so with a name like that and countless good reviews, we were going all in. The Killer King is essentially their Chicago-style deep dish pizza and after exploring the menu, we decided to get that and have their Pappy's BBQ Chicken:
Upon ordering and waiting for the pizza to be completed, the staff chatted with us and introduced some of the background and methodologies of the restaurant (including their unique oven), as well as the menu. Extremely pleasant and welcoming experience, hopefully the pizza is too.
After the quick 15-minute wait, the pizza was ready to be devoured and I am pleased to say that it was absolutely delicious. I have been to Chicago numerous times, been to Hamilton, and I am so happy to know that there is a solid pizza place so close to home (especially one that has solid deep-dish AND traditional offerings). The only drawback of this arrangement I have discovered is that I don't plan on eating deep-dish that frequently, so it's like being in a long-distance relationship with the perfect girl that you only get to see once in awhile. There's always the extremely satisfying traditional ones. We were fortunate to try one of the thinner pizzas upon exiting (thank you very much) and just like the deep-dish, it was amazing. I am clearly blown away.
One of my favourite parts of the experience, in addition to the incredibly friendly staff, was being able to see the preparation of my meal. Much like Burrito Boyz, the toppings are all on display and added to the dough for one to see and placed into the oven. Depending on which type you get, the traditional pizzas are placed on the Hickory VPO Barbecue Oven so that one can see their raw meal enter and reach the finish line all before their eyes, pretty neat.
All in all, excellent experience and I will certainly return. I have mentioned it to friends already and have heard some surprises at the "no slices" offering, but it will make perfect sense upon visiting. This isn't Pizza Pizza; your meal is made from scratch in front of you and obviously they're not going to make one slice or have their pizza sitting around all day. I'm in serious like.
As I pulled into the driveway at home...
Me: (to neighbour) "Hey! Just went to Mickey's Pizza; it's out near Lakeshore and Erin Mills, amazing pizza!"
Him: (eating Pizza Pizza) "Well, I have Pizza Pizza, it's all the same. Pizza's pizza."
Me: "..."
No... all pizza is not alike.
The Food Junkie was actually the first review I saw on the place and if my brief overview didn't sell you, perhaps she will.
Seriously, game changer. Turns out we're returning this weekend with a group of friends. I also didn't mean to pick on Pizza Pizza, it was the first big chain that came to mind.
EDIT: Forgot but I also had a Coke out of a glass bottle during the meal, nice touch!
Mickey's Pizza
1900 Lakeshore Road West
Mississauga, ON
Open 4pm - 10pm (closed Monday)
Upon entering it kind of reminded me of Burrito Boyz (for the somewhat small restaurant, the food preparation process, and strong reputation). As far as types of pizza (excluding toppings here), the menu offers skinny, original, and Killer King; so with a name like that and countless good reviews, we were going all in. The Killer King is essentially their Chicago-style deep dish pizza and after exploring the menu, we decided to get that and have their Pappy's BBQ Chicken:
Upon ordering and waiting for the pizza to be completed, the staff chatted with us and introduced some of the background and methodologies of the restaurant (including their unique oven), as well as the menu. Extremely pleasant and welcoming experience, hopefully the pizza is too.
After the quick 15-minute wait, the pizza was ready to be devoured and I am pleased to say that it was absolutely delicious. I have been to Chicago numerous times, been to Hamilton, and I am so happy to know that there is a solid pizza place so close to home (especially one that has solid deep-dish AND traditional offerings). The only drawback of this arrangement I have discovered is that I don't plan on eating deep-dish that frequently, so it's like being in a long-distance relationship with the perfect girl that you only get to see once in awhile. There's always the extremely satisfying traditional ones. We were fortunate to try one of the thinner pizzas upon exiting (thank you very much) and just like the deep-dish, it was amazing. I am clearly blown away.
One of my favourite parts of the experience, in addition to the incredibly friendly staff, was being able to see the preparation of my meal. Much like Burrito Boyz, the toppings are all on display and added to the dough for one to see and placed into the oven. Depending on which type you get, the traditional pizzas are placed on the Hickory VPO Barbecue Oven so that one can see their raw meal enter and reach the finish line all before their eyes, pretty neat.
All in all, excellent experience and I will certainly return. I have mentioned it to friends already and have heard some surprises at the "no slices" offering, but it will make perfect sense upon visiting. This isn't Pizza Pizza; your meal is made from scratch in front of you and obviously they're not going to make one slice or have their pizza sitting around all day. I'm in serious like.
As I pulled into the driveway at home...
Me: (to neighbour) "Hey! Just went to Mickey's Pizza; it's out near Lakeshore and Erin Mills, amazing pizza!"
Him: (eating Pizza Pizza) "Well, I have Pizza Pizza, it's all the same. Pizza's pizza."
Me: "..."
No... all pizza is not alike.
The Food Junkie was actually the first review I saw on the place and if my brief overview didn't sell you, perhaps she will.
Seriously, game changer. Turns out we're returning this weekend with a group of friends. I also didn't mean to pick on Pizza Pizza, it was the first big chain that came to mind.
EDIT: Forgot but I also had a Coke out of a glass bottle during the meal, nice touch!
Review - Arctic Monkeys (Toronto, ON)
Arctic Monkeys w/ The Vaccines
Kool Haus
Toronto, ON
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Set to release their next album on June 6th entitled Suck It and See, the Arctic Monkeys came to town on Saturday and for the third time in my life I was fortunate to check them out.
The band was far more cheerful compared to their last Toronto date in 2009 while on the tour for Humbug (that being a Tuesday night and not Saturday). Alex Turner (lead singer) interacted alot more with the crowd on this evening and felt looser overall. The new songs they played all seemed to go over quite well, though the old old stuff was definitely the most popular and energetic. When The Sun Goes Down was a huge hit during the encore with the crowd, and Brick by Brick improved quite a bit in the live setting.
As what tends to happen every so often, I was disappointed with the amount of annoying people I encountered during the last two songs. Meathead #1 moved directly in front of me for the encore and during When the Sun Goes Down was checking his phone while sorta fist-pumping (except with the fingers stretched out, y'know), clearly not knowing the song. I moved about 3 people to my right when I saw a gap, only to be standing next to a girl who yelled all of the words to Fluorescent Adolescent into my right ear.
Having said that, the show was certainly a good time and the crowd ate it all up. I noticed that some songs didn't seem as grim as they did last time (This House is a Circus, for one), perhaps it had something to do with the bands sound from the previous album going in a darker direction.
Opening the show were The Vaccines whose set was okay. I had higher expectations for them and was kind of hoping that they would be more fun. A few songs hit the mark but on the whole their set felt pretty repetitive. I've been told better things by others so perhaps I'll check them out at Lolla if the schedule allows me to.
Setlist:
Library Pictures
Brianstorm
This House Is A Circus
Still Take You Home
Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
Pretty Visitors
Teddy Picker
Crying Lightning
She's Thunderstorms
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Potion Approaching
Brick by Brick
If You Were There, Beware
Do Me A Favour
Cornerstone
The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
The View From The Afternoon
When The Sun Goes Down
Fluorescent Adolescent
Album Breakdown:
Favourite Worst Nightmare: 6
Suck it and See: 5
Humbug: 4
Whatever People Say I Am,...: 4
Kool Haus
Toronto, ON
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Set to release their next album on June 6th entitled Suck It and See, the Arctic Monkeys came to town on Saturday and for the third time in my life I was fortunate to check them out.
The band was far more cheerful compared to their last Toronto date in 2009 while on the tour for Humbug (that being a Tuesday night and not Saturday). Alex Turner (lead singer) interacted alot more with the crowd on this evening and felt looser overall. The new songs they played all seemed to go over quite well, though the old old stuff was definitely the most popular and energetic. When The Sun Goes Down was a huge hit during the encore with the crowd, and Brick by Brick improved quite a bit in the live setting.
As what tends to happen every so often, I was disappointed with the amount of annoying people I encountered during the last two songs. Meathead #1 moved directly in front of me for the encore and during When the Sun Goes Down was checking his phone while sorta fist-pumping (except with the fingers stretched out, y'know), clearly not knowing the song. I moved about 3 people to my right when I saw a gap, only to be standing next to a girl who yelled all of the words to Fluorescent Adolescent into my right ear.
Having said that, the show was certainly a good time and the crowd ate it all up. I noticed that some songs didn't seem as grim as they did last time (This House is a Circus, for one), perhaps it had something to do with the bands sound from the previous album going in a darker direction.
Opening the show were The Vaccines whose set was okay. I had higher expectations for them and was kind of hoping that they would be more fun. A few songs hit the mark but on the whole their set felt pretty repetitive. I've been told better things by others so perhaps I'll check them out at Lolla if the schedule allows me to.
Setlist:
Library Pictures
Brianstorm
This House Is A Circus
Still Take You Home
Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
Pretty Visitors
Teddy Picker
Crying Lightning
She's Thunderstorms
I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor
Potion Approaching
Brick by Brick
If You Were There, Beware
Do Me A Favour
Cornerstone
The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala
The View From The Afternoon
When The Sun Goes Down
Fluorescent Adolescent
Album Breakdown:
Favourite Worst Nightmare: 6
Suck it and See: 5
Humbug: 4
Whatever People Say I Am,...: 4
Resolutions for 2011
Permission to pinch or slap me (not in the face) if you see me in violation of any of the following:
- Robocop and The Godfather 1 & 2: Three movies I have never seen and probably should.
Goal: watch each of these movies in 2011.
1/3 COMPLETE: watched Robocop on January 1, 2012.
- California/BC/Alberta: California keeps getting put off, I have technically stepped foot in BC but it was to take a picture with the sign and turn around. Alberta seems like the easiest, specific location is not important.
Goal: visit at least 2 of these 3 states/provinces in 2011.
1/2 COMPLETE: visited San Francisco in July 2011.
- Montreal/Ottawa: Return to Montreal and finally step foot in Ottawa.
Goal: visit both Montreal and Ottawa in 2011.
1/2 COMPLETE: visited Montreal in May 2011.
- Sports in Detroit: Upon briefly touching down for a concert in September I realized it's truly not THAT far from home or as unwelcoming as people make it seem.
Goal: attend at least one sporting event in Detroit in 2011.
- NHL game: I have now seen NHL hockey at 3 active North American arenas, continue to expand.
Goal: attend at least one NHL game outside of Toronto, Buffalo, or Chicago in 2011.
- College Football: Make it back to a college football game in the States.
Goal: attend at least one college football game in the States in 2011.
- Pack-a-lunch: Didn't achieve this one past January 2010 so it's back on the list. Bring a sandwich or something homemade to work at least 2 days a week, cafeteria adds up.
Goal: bring a lunch to work at least 2 business days per week.
- Enjoy breakfast: In 2010 it was for health reasons, this year it's primarily financial. Why pay for eggs and others at work when I can easily make it at home?
Goal: eat breakfast at home 2-3 business days a week.
==================
- Mattress: I really need a new mattress and have been putting off this purchase for about 1-2 years.
COMPLETE: mattress purchased on January 3, 2011.
- Ontario/Quebec Signs: From various road trips I have pictures with the signs for BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Bit of a hole in between.
COMPLETE: drove to Montreal on May 4, 2011.
- MLB game in the States: I have now seen MLB games at 4 active North American fields, continue to expand.
COMPLETE: visited California in July 2011 and saw games in Oakland and San Francisco.
- Music Festivals: Return to the States for a music festival.
COMPLETE: attended Lollapalooza in Chicago in August 2011.
I have set a list of objectives for which I feel are both realistic and contain things that I would like to do. My list of 2010 goals wasn't fully-accomplished (and those that I feel are high-priority have returned this year) but there were a ton of other unexpected events that popped up this year that I feel may cancel some of those items out, who knows what 2011 has in store.
- Robocop and The Godfather 1 & 2: Three movies I have never seen and probably should.
Goal: watch each of these movies in 2011.
1/3 COMPLETE: watched Robocop on January 1, 2012.
- California/BC/Alberta: California keeps getting put off, I have technically stepped foot in BC but it was to take a picture with the sign and turn around. Alberta seems like the easiest, specific location is not important.
Goal: visit at least 2 of these 3 states/provinces in 2011.
1/2 COMPLETE: visited San Francisco in July 2011.
- Montreal/Ottawa: Return to Montreal and finally step foot in Ottawa.
Goal: visit both Montreal and Ottawa in 2011.
1/2 COMPLETE: visited Montreal in May 2011.
- Sports in Detroit: Upon briefly touching down for a concert in September I realized it's truly not THAT far from home or as unwelcoming as people make it seem.
Goal: attend at least one sporting event in Detroit in 2011.
- NHL game: I have now seen NHL hockey at 3 active North American arenas, continue to expand.
Goal: attend at least one NHL game outside of Toronto, Buffalo, or Chicago in 2011.
- College Football: Make it back to a college football game in the States.
Goal: attend at least one college football game in the States in 2011.
- Pack-a-lunch: Didn't achieve this one past January 2010 so it's back on the list. Bring a sandwich or something homemade to work at least 2 days a week, cafeteria adds up.
Goal: bring a lunch to work at least 2 business days per week.
- Enjoy breakfast: In 2010 it was for health reasons, this year it's primarily financial. Why pay for eggs and others at work when I can easily make it at home?
Goal: eat breakfast at home 2-3 business days a week.
==================
- Mattress: I really need a new mattress and have been putting off this purchase for about 1-2 years.
COMPLETE: mattress purchased on January 3, 2011.
- Ontario/Quebec Signs: From various road trips I have pictures with the signs for BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Bit of a hole in between.
COMPLETE: drove to Montreal on May 4, 2011.
- MLB game in the States: I have now seen MLB games at 4 active North American fields, continue to expand.
COMPLETE: visited California in July 2011 and saw games in Oakland and San Francisco.
- Music Festivals: Return to the States for a music festival.
COMPLETE: attended Lollapalooza in Chicago in August 2011.
I have set a list of objectives for which I feel are both realistic and contain things that I would like to do. My list of 2010 goals wasn't fully-accomplished (and those that I feel are high-priority have returned this year) but there were a ton of other unexpected events that popped up this year that I feel may cancel some of those items out, who knows what 2011 has in store.
Lollapalooza 2010 - Recap
Please note that this entry was originally written in August 2010.
Yet another weekend in Chicago has wrapped and after three years I finally made it to Grant Park for Lollapalooza; it was an absolute blast from start to finish. As the weekend went on I knew I would have to write down some findings because there were alot of new acts I had come across who would soon find a home on my playlist. Some pleasant surprises, few disappointments, but in general I'm going to recap my experience from the weekend of Lollapalooza 2010.
===============================================
First off, a quick primer as to the layout just incase a few common references cause confusion:
Red (top left): Budweiser stage -- Home to headliners and other sets throughout the weekend. Big open field, provides pretty nice sightlines of the Chicago skyline.
White: Playstation stage -- Hosts sets throughout the day including upper-tier acts. Concrete surface, no sets occur at the same time as the Budweiser stage in order to not create conflict (unless you're the Antlers and feel the need to keep playing through the Dodos scheduled time).
Green (towards the bottom, left): Sony Bloggie -- Hosts a variety of low-to-mid tier sets throughout the weekend. New stage this year, covered in trees.
Orange: Main entrance
Gold (back towards the top, centre): BMI Stage -- About the same as the Sony Bloggie. Smaller stage, covered in trees.
Teal (slightly right from BMI): Kidzapalooza -- Features family-friendly affair for those who brought their kids or... for those who just want to take in a set or two featuring material aimed at children.
Yellow (bottom right): Perry's -- I didn't actually make it here but from what I understand it's one big dance party.
Pink (top right): Adidas -- Similar to Playstation, it hosts sets throughout the weekend including upper-tier acts. Headliners perform on the same field but on a different (and bigger) stage. No sets are scheduled at the same time as the Parkways stage to prevent conflict. Smells like shit on stage-right.
Blue (far right): Parkways -- Hosts the headliners and other sets throughout the weekend. Stage-left includes a giant rig with a camera, I suggest stage-right.
===============================================
Thursday:
Arrive in Chicago, take my routine walk to the lake and accidentally explore the perimeter of the festival, soon discovering how much walking the next three days will have in store.
===============================================
Friday:
Buy sunglasses, apply sunscreen, pack a 1L bottle of water, put on something comfortable (LIGHT blue t-shirt, shorts) and head over to Grant Park around 10:30am in anticipation of the 11:00am opening of the gates. Slight delay at the gates due to an issue with the scanner, plus everybody needed wristbands for the weekend. Get inside the park around 11:25am and head immediately for the South Field and...
B.o.B: (11:30 - 12:15, South -- Adidas)
What an unexpected surprise! Call me the uncool guy in the room, but apparently since the schedule came out in March he has become a bit of a star, so despite the very low billing, he had quite a following. I had only heard a couple of the singles and didn't know what to expect but he wound up getting the festival off to a flying start! One of my favourite sets of the day/weekend for sure, good start! Played guitar, bounced around, got the audience involved, and even lost his shoes. Tons of energy as a performer and the crowd was completely eating it up. Closed with a cover of Kids (MGMT) which went over pretty well.
The Ettes: (12:30 - 1:15, North -- BMI)
Heard some buzz about them most recently opening for The Dead Weather and wasn't quite sure how their sound would come across in a festival setting on a bright Friday afternoon. Playing the smaller BMI stage was a good choice for them; I enjoyed this set and have set out to find some of their material. Their drummer (Poni) is great to watch, think this is what they mean by stage presence.
The Walkmen: (1:00 - 2:00, South -- Adidas)
Had listened to a few tracks by them last week in preparation but unfortunately I just wasn't feeling this set. Back on the same stage that B.o.B had just lit up came this fairly bland set. Further research indicates there were some sound issues as well, but still, made my way over to the Southern-most point of the festival for...
Raphael Saadiq: (2:00 - 3:00, South -- Parkways)
I was deciding between this set and Jukebox The Ghost. I cannot express how thankful I am for a few people pretty much forcing me NOT to miss this set as he was quite energetic and delivered a solid showing. Playing at the same time was Mavis Staples on the opposite end of the park who supposedly did quite well, bizarre scheduling since they share a similar type of sound (at least compared to the rest of the weekend). I only recently became aware of Raphael Saadiq and knew this set would have a different feel from the rest of the festival; this is definitely in my top 10 (or 5) of the weekend. With an array of performers on stage, breaking out the guitar on occasion, and just a great showman I cannot recommend him enough. Fun stuff.
Lunchtime!
Had heard of one food item in particular and coincidently it was one of the first stands I walked by... Graham Elliot's Lobster Corndog! $9 for what looked like a fairly small meal was delicious and Lobstery. Grabbed beer number one for the weekend (Bud) and made my way to my first appearance on the north field for...
Drive-By Truckers: (3:00 - 4:00, North -- Playstation)
Hmm, perhaps I was too far away from the stage but I just couldn't get into this set. I tried, I drank, didn't work. I talked to people who had alot of fun at this set but I was not one of them. Used this as an eventual washroom break and as an opportunity to find a good spot for...
The New Pornographers: (4:00 - 5:00, North -- Budweiser)
As a Canadian I was expected to be a fan beforehand but to be honest I didn't know them too well. Couple of people next to me broke the word to me that the organizers of the festival had a recycling program going on for where one could carry around garbage bags, fill it with recycling/beer cans, and get a free t-shirt. Good idea to keep the park clean but... I'd rather just be the one populating the bag than the one carrying it around. The start of the set didn't win me over at all and I went to grab a beer in what was feeling like a disappointment. Made my way from stage-left to stage-right, with better sightlines and began to really enjoy this one! Eventually was able to maneuver towards the middle of the crowd to meet up with friends (unsuccessful) but was able to enjoy the set from closeby. Need to look into finding some albums by them, and random songs were immediately recognizable from all of my years in Canada. Turns out the initial stereotype WAS true! They had some good banter about Gaga as well and how she is just "a girl trying to make it in the big city;" had to be there. Gaga was definitely the bantering punching bag of many acts this weekend. At the end of this set I found myself about 20-30 rows back in the middle for one of my most anticipated sets of the day...
The Black Keys: (6:00 - 7:15, North -- Budweiser)
Had just recently gotten into these guys, saw them play last Tuesday night at the Kool Haus in Toronto and just like they did there they knocked this set out of the park. Minimal banter, just straight-up rock. Highly recommend checking these guys out if you have the opportunity to do so. I don't even know how to elaborate on this set, they were great, they were expected to be great, and I had a good spot. Some criticized the change in the band as they added a bassist and keyboardist for some of the set, finished somewhat early, but I certainly enjoyed myself. I suppose you can't please an entire crowd, especially one that large. Funny side note, Green Man was crowd surfing during this set. He'll be back later this weekend. Now time to play the waiting game and plant for the Friday Northern main event...
The Strokes: (8:30 - 10:00, North -- Budweiser)
Hmm. Already scheduled for a relatively short headlining set, they arrive approximately 15-20 minutes late and finish with about that same amount of time on the schedule after playing for a grand total of 60 minutes. Odd for their first show back in North America in over 4 years. Having said that, quality over quantity. Highly energetic crowd feasting off of the music and despite some moments of songs blending together, this was damn fun. Julian Casablancas is an interesting frontman. Dry, yet funny banter. Definitely worth checking out over Gaga on this evening, in my opinion at least.
And day one is a wrap. On the way out of the festival I overhear one of the food vendors slashing prices on desserts so I decide on a cupcake from More. As it turns out, this was one of the most deceivingly rich desserts I've had in quite a while. Good, but not what my body needed after a long day in the heat. I've been to other one-day festivals and reached a similar level of exhaustion, but never have I had to continue it for the next two days. Oh dear.
===============================================
Saturday:
MyNameIsJohnMichael: (11:15 - 12:00, North -- BMI)
Here's a band that I had heard about leading up to the festival but wasn't sure they were worth waking up early for, because honestly, I could have slept and recharged a bit longer in order to prepare for the next two days. But I'm on vacation, let's soak this up. These guys kicked ass; three drummers, including one trash can (with metal chain). I can't find a torrent of them and I had the album in my hand at the FYE stand but opted to return on Sunday for it (did not), so now I must hunt down a copy of the album in Toronto. Outlook... not very optimistic. These guys are from New Orleans and just like B.o.B on Friday they played a very high energy set to begin day two. This was their first show in Chicago, so assuming the album itself isn't a dud (compared to the live show) I would expect to see their name pop up in a town near you. Hopefully Toronto, but I assume it willl probably be awhile.
The Morning Benders: (12:00 - 12:30, North -- Sony Bloggie)
Saw these guys open up for The Black Keys and couldn't remember if they were any good; they seemed better suited for a festival but I did not spend much time at this set. They seem to have a decent following too as there was quite a turnout at the Bloggie for this one. Since I saw them already in the week, I figured I would move elsewhere...
The Kissaway Trail: (11:45 - 12:30, North -- Playstation)
Saturday was going to be a day of exploration as there weren't many bands I wanted to see until about 2pm, so consider this the first experiment. They were okay, standard affair for 11:45 on the second day of a festival with hundreds of artists available. They covered Where Is My Mind? by The Pixies which caused two guys in front of me to absolutely lose their shit (picture the McPoyle family dancing at the Eagles training camp). Otherwise... nothing noteworthy.
The Soft Pack: (12:30 - 1:15, North -- Budweiser)
The program described these guys as "no-frills, back-to-basics rock" which seemed more appealing than the MGMT comparison that Skybox had gotten, so I checked them out on the North field. Incredibly bland set, the stage felt extremely big for this tiny band. I just couldn't get into this set at all, but as a result, perhaps it made the next one stronger by comparison...
Skybox: (12:30: - 1:15, North -- BMI)
I wrote down random notes on my Blackberry incase I would forget: "Either the lead singer is high or retarded, but hilarious". I can see the comparison to MGMT but they really could have just left it at "incorporate electronic elements" and been fine. Very high energy, fun set, so far two for two at the BMI stage on Saturday. The lead singer (male) stormed off before the last song, returned in a bra and soon removed his pants to finish the set. Bizarre finish, but a very fun set, and one I remember five days later.
Harlem: (1:00 - 1:45, North -- Sony Bloggie)
Back to the Bloggie for Harlem. I had heard bad things about these guys and how they recently phoned in performances opening for The Dead Weather, but they were definitely better than I expected. Good banter, good stage presence (they switched the guitarist and drummer halfway in order to "be a new band" incase we got bored, touche), overall good set. I stayed for most of it and had no urge to take off.
Lunch time!
I had heard recently that Giordano's is one of the last places locals to go for deep dish. However, that was one of the two places I had tried in Chicago. As a result, noticed there was a stand for Lou Malnatti's, for which I had heard good things, and I grabbed a cheese slice from here. I really liked the sauce.
Stars: (2:15 - 3:15, North -- Budweiser)
Yikes. Playing the Budweiser stage on the North field, these guys made me want Metric to play even more. After the New Pornographers had torn up this stage and represented Canadian music quite well, I just found this one to be a stinker. The lead singer (whoever she is) came off as if she was trying too hard ("It's up to YOUUUUUU Lollapalooza... it's up to YOUUUUUUU!!!"). As such, I went for my first beer of the day after about three or four songs and wound up at...
Dragonette: (1:45 - 2:30, North -- BMI)
Uh... wow! I had heard the name and all that I knew was that there was a female lead, but the disappointment of Stars led me here and for that I'm thankful. Fun set, stayed for about half. Three for three at BMI on Saturday!
The Verve Pipe: (2:30 - 2:55, South -- Kidzapalooza)
The Verve Pipe played songs for kids, including one about cereal and how it can be eaten any time of day (yes!). I don't think the smile came off my face during this set and one of the lasting moments that I wish I had a picture of was when the lead singer was finishing that song about cereal, he held the acoustic guitar above his head for a solo WHILE pouring Fruit Loops (from the guitar) into his mouth. They were all over the stage. Very, very satisfying set. Guy standing next to me had a Vince Carter Toronto Raptors jersey on. I had to ask if he was from Toronto and if he was a Carter fan (Boston and no), nice guy, but I think he wore it for Gogol Bordello (purple).
Against Me!: (2:45 - 3:45, South -- Adidas)
Was wandering, grabbing a beer and recognized a few songs of theirs from a distance, so I went to check them out. Accidental third time I've seen them now (opening for Foo Fighters in 2008 and V-Fest) and they were pretty fun to watch. Nice sightlines of the famous Chicago skyline during this set on the South Field. The lead singer tried to return the audiences beach ball that landed in his way and accidentally popped it with his guitar, whoops. Fun set, left early in order to catch...
Gogol Bordello: (3:45 - 4:45, South -- Parkways)
Wow. What a fun band to see, I will certainly be at their next Toronto date. Very energetic, amazing stage presence, and just a ton of fun to watch. So much going on and the crowd ate up every second of it. There is a torrent of the webcast of this set going around so surely some good YouTube videos are bound to pop up as a result. Not sure what else to say, I began my trek to the North field after Start Wearing Purple concluded, which meant I had my back to them for one song, but I had gotten my fix.
Metric: (5:15 - 6:15, North -- Playstation)
Back to the North field where I got a fairly decent spot for one of my highest anticipated sets of the weekend. However, I also had a fairly decent spot in Toronto last week and wound up not fully enjoying myself. So if there was one set I would be greedy with and move to the front for, it was Metric. Thankfully, I could do so without being a huge dick since people were sitting on the ground and allowing people to overtake them (within reason, of course). Started off a bit shaky with Emily messing up the opening line of Black Sheep, eventually the set gained momentum and the biggest crowd I had ever seen for a Metric show seemed to enjoy themselves. I certainly did, as did those around me, especially the ones with the Canadian flags. I have heard a couple of underwhelmed people with regards to this set, but I have also heard a great deal of praise and how they are "headliner worthy". Let's see about that!
Spoon: (6:15 - 7:30, North -- Budweiser)
Poor, poor Spoon. After Metric I needed a set to come down on and unfortunately Spoon was the winner of that spot. They were good, I wandered the crowd and never really planted for this set, but they were enjoyable to listen to. I checked out FYE and the beer tent a bit during this set and honestly cannot recall very much of it. Near the end of it though I decided I was done with the North field for one day, would skip Phoenix and migrate South for...
Gree... wait, dinner time!
Slice of cheese and sausage pizza from Connie's. I'm in Chicago, why not grab some deep dish... oh wait, for a second time today! Poor planning on my part, don't eat two slices of deep dish in one day especially when the food variety at the festival is surprisingly diverse. Think I preferred the earlier slice but neither were bad.
Green Day: (7:45 - 10:00, South -- Parkways)
Holy smokes. I saw these guys last summer, knew the setlist generally would begin with new stuff, conclude with old, they would get the crowd involved, have lots of pyro, and generally kill time with various antics. What I didn't anticipate was having an absolute blast at this set. Repeat, I had a blast at this set. They had the longest headliner slot and vowed to play all night, as they did and shattered the curfew by about twenty minutes (playing close to 10:20pm). I've read alot of shocked reactions from this set and how even Gaga could have taken a tip from them as apparently her set was a little shaky. I suppose Green Day have been doing the festival gigs for decades and as a result have it down strongly. Anyways, incredibly fun set, despite that it may have cost them an appearance by me at their show next week in Toronto because in my opinion, they may not be able to top the energy of this one. We shall see. They must be aware of when I'm in the crowd, because for the second show in just over a year they failed to play Welcome to Paradise, despite adding songs from last year.
EDIT: They did not play Welcome to Paradise in Toronto.
Would like to negatively plug Blackberry. Had two long-distance pocket dials at the conclusion of this set (despite my phone being OFF initially), two text messages of "PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP" and a Facebook mobile-photo upload (error message with my cell number being displayed to my wall instead). If I change my Blackberry settings to put a password on I risk the phone dialing 911 instead of random contacts on my list. Consider this a small victory for iPhone's. Even my portable CD player in the late 90's had a physical switch to prevent accidental pocket-usage. Get on it, Jim.
*Ahem*
===============================================
Sunday:
Heyy we've gone from sunny, sunny, to... rainy. Time to buy a poncho!
Frank Turner: (12:00 - 12:30, North -- Sony Bloggie)
Had heard quite a bit of buzz from festival goers about him and how he kind of got snubbed on the set here. Whether or not I agree is irrelevant but he delivered a solid opening set for Sunday. Playing the small Sony Bloggie in the rain didn't prevent him from providing a fun set; upbeat, acoustic songs in which the audience was able to get involved in, no complaints here! He has opened for Green Day and Flogging Molly recently and created positive word of mouth for himself. Hopefully he peaks his head in Toronto sooner than later. Reminds me of a Sam Roberts-type act.
The Antlers: (12:15 - 1:00, North -- Budweiser)
There were not many bands left that I was really eager to see and as such, experimentation continues! Yikes, quick stumble out of the gate on this one. Pretty bland set, in the rain... much like the Soft Pack they felt very small on the Budweiser stage and I just could not get into this one.
The Dodos: (1:00 - 2:00, North -- Playstation)
Remember the part where I was on my feet for two straight 12-hour days? It hit me full-force during one of my anticipated, early sets of the day. Back and foot pain sinks in despite a pretty good set going on in front of me. I haven't heard their newest album, I like Visiter (and the songs Jodi and Fools). Neko Case popped up to sing a few songs with the band (I'm not overly familiar with her but she plays with the New Pornographers). On the plus side, the sun is now peaking out and the poncho is gone-zo.
Needed... a break. Lunch time!
Pulled pork sandwich. It was a pretty good pulled pork sandwich, definitely got bang for my $4 USD. So far the food at Lolla has been great.
Seeing as how I was still tired I decided to take it easy for an hour and explore the park. Grabbed a Lollapalooza t-shirt, a beer, sat down on one of many free benches in front of Buckingham Fountain and took in the skyline for about twenty minutes. Nice and refreshing, second-wind here we go!
Mumford & Sons: (3:00 - 4:00, North -- Playstation)
Had heard quite a bit of buzz about this band as well so I went to check them out and was able to secure a good spot while on my lunch/recovery break. Unfortunately, Mr. Sun wasn't being lazy and the Playstation stage didn't have much shade, nor did I have a water in my hand, so at about three or four songs into this set I felt restless and completely owned by the sun, and decided to bail in favour of some water and shadier grounds. I hear it was a very good set but I just couldn't get comfortable.
Hockey: (3:30 - 4:30, North -- Sony Bloggie)
They had sound issues a year prior and have returned. Upbeat set and was surprisingly enjoyable. The popular spots at this point in the day were anything shady and so the sightlines weren't ideal (trees and tree branches produce shade), but still managed to enjoy myself.
XRT Lounge about two minutes away is giving away sweatbands? ON IT!
X Japan: (4:00 - 5:00, South -- Parkways)
First time playing in America. They are essentially an over-the-top Japanese hair metal band (click the link or the photo album) and they delivered a surprisingly very fun set. I was skeptical of whether or not to check them out but I had a smile on my face the entire time. Some crowd interactions tanked (language barrier, too) but most people were won over by the end. I don't anticipate they'll have too many shows on this end of the world so it was cool to check them out while they were here.
Frightened Rabbit: (5:00 - 6:00, North -- Sony Bloggie)
Back to the Bloggie and the sightlines have gotten even worse now that the sun is out in full-force (at 5pm?! Whatever.) This was also a good set, albeit a bit uncomfortable though due to the sun.
Erykah Badu: (5:00 - 6:00, South -- Adidas)
I saw one song of this en route to the South field for Wolfmother. From what I hear she was disappointing, came on twenty minutes late and was upset when Wolfmother essentially kicked her off the stage by starting their set on-time on the same field.
Better secure a good spot for the next set... oh wait, there's Green Man and Darth Vader!
Wolfmother: (6:00 - 7:00, South -- Parkways)
Kicked ass! Sure they sound like every popular rock band from the 70's, sure they turned over half of their band recently, but they sure know how to deliver a fun set. Saw them in November at the Kool Haus and knew what to expect but had a great time here. Started thinking in my mind how I could snag a burrito on the North end of the park, catch some of the National, and make it back in time for Soundgarden. But first, I must lie on the grass and charge up. Found an open area of grass, laid down, looked at the blue sky and listened to Vagabond. Blissssss! Closed their otherwise high energy set with Joker and the Thief to a very satisfied crowd. The audience is growing larger and larger for the main event.
Dinner time!
Spicy Baja Chicken Burrito from a vendor on the North end. Good, but I rushed it in order to not be the guy eating a burrito as the crowd formed for the North field's three-hit combo.
MGMT: (6:00 - 7:15, North -- Budweiser)
Caught the tail-end of this set unexpectedly (which included seeing Kids, so, saw the essential) and there is already a ton of people up North awaiting Arcade Fire later on. Can't really comment on this set because I saw so little of it, but there were definitely more people up North than there were down South.
The National: (7:15 - 8:30, North -- Playstation)
Saw the first three songs and booked it for South in order to secure a good spot for Soundgarden. However, got to see Fake Empire and a couple of others. Seemed good, I heard this was a very good set, but awkwardly scheduled considering most people at the other stages were camping for the respective Sunday headliners.
EDIT: As it turns out, I thought I had, but they did not actually play Fake Empire while I was there. That one was closer to the end of the set and probably conflicted directly with Soundgarden.
Powerwalk more than I had this weekend in 3... 2... 1...
Cypress Hill: (7:00 - 8:00, South -- Adidas)
En route to my eventual landing spot for Soundgarden I caught a song here. I heard they had a six foot bong on stage at one point, and I was able to hear Rap Superstar (or was it Rock?). Otherwise, I knew where I was going and it was not in the crowd for Cypress Hill.
Soundgarden: (8:00 - 10:00, South -- Parkways)
How the hell did I get so close?! Saw Wolfmother at the South field, trekked North for some of MGMT & The National, grabbed a burrito, a beer and completed a round trip of the park in under an hour in order to see Soundgarden? Go Mikey go! According to MapMyRun.com it was a 1.62 mile trek from Wolfmother and back to Soundgarden. Chris Cornell has grown his hair back to return to a look more in line with the 1990's. The band sounded pretty good. Very different set from Green Day, closer in feel to The Strokes. Minimal banter, lots of music (for which I also wasn't overly familiar with beforehand, aside from the singles). Apparently some of those at The National could hear the noise all the way across the festival, that's fun. Cornell at one point got in the crowd and after playing Black Hole Sun they absolutely destroy the final songs on their set, wicked finale. Just when I thought the set was ending with Like Suicide, they follow it up with one more. Great finish to a memorable weekend.
===============================================
Summary:
Total Acts Seen on Friday: 8
Total Acts Seen on Saturday: 14
Total Acts Seen on Sunday: 12 (including Cypress Hill & Badu as a 0.5 each)
Total Acts Seen at Lollapalooza 2010: 34 (!!!)
Total Minutes Played by The Strokes: 60
Total Minutes Played by Soundgarden: 120
Total Minutes Played by Green Day: 150
Total Nights Slept on Couch: 4
Total Showers Over Three Day Period: 6
Total Water Consumed: 3L
Total Beer Consumed: 8.5L
Total Vince Carter Toronto Raptors Jerseys Spotted: 2
===============================================
Food:
Lobster Corndog (Graham Elliot's, South): Tasty, was as good as I expected. Looked small but it made up for it in quality.
Black & White Cupcake (More Cupcakes, North): Fucking rich and not what I wanted following The Strokes; wanted something lighter but if you need a very rich cupcake with multiple layers of richness, check it out. In any other setting I'm sure it would have been delicious.
Cheese Pizza (Lou Malnati's, North): Pretty good, I expected this to be my lone slice of the weekend and I enjoyed it.
Sausage Pizza (Connies, South): Poor planning before Green Day meant I had to grab a quick slice; I should have diversified my portfolio but... too bad.
Pulled Pork Sandwich (Goose Island Brew Pub, North): Pretty good lunch, had alot of excess pork.
Grilled Cheese Pretzel (Goose Island Brew Pub, North): Saw a baked guy loving one before The Strokes and had to try it before the weekend was up.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream (Temptation Frozen Desserts, South): Disgusting, visually. It was alright but the presentation and ice cream all over the side of the cone kind of grossed me out before I even ate it.
Spicy Baja Chicken Burrito (Burrito Beach, North): Not bad, ate this during The National but felt kind of rushed.
Missed out on (or would have rather substituted)...
The Dipper (Windsor Ice Cream Shoppe, North): "Frozen Cheesecake on a Stick Dipped in Chocolate"
Windsor Roll (Windsor Ice Cream Shoppe, North): "Vanilla Ice Cream Rolled in Chocolate Cake w/ Whipped Cream & Hot Fudge"
Drinks:
Budweiser: Had about 3-4 tallboys per day, but it's Bud... not much to say.
Water: Refreshing! Very, very refreshing.
===============================================
In closing, in 2008 I took note of Lollapalooza when the ridiculously stacked headliners were announced (Rage Against The Machine, Radiohead, Kanye West, Wilco, The Raconteurs, and Nine Inch Nails). I mentally committed on going, and did not. I heard it was a ton of fun and in the end was disappointed with my decision. In 2009, I was not impressed with the headliners and sadly wrote off the festival. I heard it was a ton of fun and even missed the very first show by Them Crooked Vultures as a late addition to the aftershow lineup. In 2010, I bought my ticket in advance of any official confirmations and when the line-up was announced I was somewhat skeptical. Gaga, Green Day, and a bunch of bands for whom I had no idea existed. From August 6 to 8, 2010, I met a bunch of great people, enjoyed the beautiful city, and discovered a ton of new music.
If your gut tells you to do something and this action is legal, attainable, not harmful to others, and affordable, I highly suggest going with your initial instincts and taking the plunge. You may wind up having an amazing time.
73 days, 1,766 hours, and 106,002 minutes until the gates open for Lollapalooza 2011 on August 5th.
Edgefest 2009 - Recap
Please note that this entry was written in June 2009. I just needed a good entry to kick things off on here in order to test the process. :)
Festival started at 12, entered at 12:15, but from the line in was able to see...
The Johnstones (12:00) - Fun, 15-minute set. Friend of mine knows the band personally as they went to school with us but this was a good way to start the day; surprised they didn't have a longer set since it was pretty upbeat. Was able to get in and enjoy my two sandwiches during their last few songs.
Still Life Still (12:35) - Not bad, pretty much what you'd expect from a 12:35 side stage band.
Arkells (1:30) - I have a feeling they're in that "good, not great" category, but I really really hope these guys do well. Love the lead singers voice and their potential. "Oh, The Boss Is Comin'" blew the crowd away, great tune!
The Stills (2:20) - I was restless during this set since everyone I was with had visited the beer tent already, but just when I kept trying to pull away for a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) I was intrigued to stay. They put on a good set that I literally couldn't pull myself away from. I'm surprised they didn't do "Still In Love Song" as well since it's what I associate with them.
K-OS (3:10) - I missed it. I was walking around (got that Coke), met up with some friends who were sitting on the hill at the time and kinda used this set for downtime and listened to it. Seemed okay, I've always been on the fence with him.
Metric (4:10) - Wow. I'm sold. I knew the singles, like the singles, but some reason didn't GET the hype around them. Emily is great and a very charming front woman; I like her and their set was solid. Surprised at how muddy this one got (big mudslide, stage right where I was) but I think the crowd was really just wanting to let loose.
Alexisonfire (5:40) - Watched this from the beer tent (where there was female mud wrestling occurring feet away from me) and since I've never been too big on them it doesn't seem like I missed much. One guy on the TTC home was saying how their set was disappointing since they didn't play much off the new album. I prefer Alexisonfire to K-OS, but since I had beer tickets I wanted to get those before planting for Billy Talent.
Moneen (6:40) - Saw about 20 minutes of their set while en route to the porto potty (4 beers in less than an hour, plus the Coke earlier did the trick). All I remember of their set was them telling the crowd right near the end that they've been bummed out since 2007 for not getting many gigs. Buzzkill!
AFI (7:10) - Remains a mystery. I managed to get about 10th row for this (and Billy Talent) and no one really knew their material, just the couple hits. I'll summarize my thoughts on this choice after...
Billy Talent (8:50) - Knocked it out of the freakin' park! Awesome set! Was expecting the dramatic opening as with the arena tour and they just kind of came on (not even opening with "This Is How It Goes", which was the usual for the shows I'd seen) and got to business. Interesting, but great choice of playing "The Ex" second, their forgotten single I think. I could plow through song by song and review but I had a blast, enough said. :) Had heard the new album in the last week or so and as a result was one of the few in my area familiar with "Devil On My Shoulder" and "Saint Veronika", still hits with the crowd. I truly believe they didn't intend to do that encore of "Nothing To Lose". They had done all the songs they usually do live and always wrap up with "Try Honesty" then finish the encore with "Red Flag", but I'm so glad they didn't leave the crowd disappointed with the lack of encore. Loved their set; had a stressful week and this was great to let loose, also meet some cool people in the process.
===============================================
Festival thoughts:
I feel as if the order of the bands was set up to bring people into the park earlier. The Arkells are more topical than freakin' AFI, but having them open was a good choice instead of The Stills which, as successful as they have been, don't have as much draw-value to the common "Edge listener" (at least in my mind). So Arkells, Stills, Metric/K-OS could've gone either way. Alexisonfire could have easily been before Billy Talent but I feel as if AFI was put there to provide some balance for the crowd to come down from. Of course, Billy Talent closing made the most sense.
Really like how easily we were allowed to bring food/beverages in; I brought two sandwiches with me but friends of mine had a ton of snacks. I'm not sure which beer arrangement I prefer: a) buying tickets for beer THEN buying the beer using the tickets or b) just going through one person. This weekend was a bit of a clusterfuck, but in hindsight it probably was better how they did it. V-Fest '08 was a mess.
I feel I got my money's worth with Metric/Billy Talent, Arkells, Stills, and even the minor set by the Johnstones.
Festival started at 12, entered at 12:15, but from the line in was able to see...
The Johnstones (12:00) - Fun, 15-minute set. Friend of mine knows the band personally as they went to school with us but this was a good way to start the day; surprised they didn't have a longer set since it was pretty upbeat. Was able to get in and enjoy my two sandwiches during their last few songs.
Still Life Still (12:35) - Not bad, pretty much what you'd expect from a 12:35 side stage band.
Arkells (1:30) - I have a feeling they're in that "good, not great" category, but I really really hope these guys do well. Love the lead singers voice and their potential. "Oh, The Boss Is Comin'" blew the crowd away, great tune!
The Stills (2:20) - I was restless during this set since everyone I was with had visited the beer tent already, but just when I kept trying to pull away for a drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) I was intrigued to stay. They put on a good set that I literally couldn't pull myself away from. I'm surprised they didn't do "Still In Love Song" as well since it's what I associate with them.
K-OS (3:10) - I missed it. I was walking around (got that Coke), met up with some friends who were sitting on the hill at the time and kinda used this set for downtime and listened to it. Seemed okay, I've always been on the fence with him.
Metric (4:10) - Wow. I'm sold. I knew the singles, like the singles, but some reason didn't GET the hype around them. Emily is great and a very charming front woman; I like her and their set was solid. Surprised at how muddy this one got (big mudslide, stage right where I was) but I think the crowd was really just wanting to let loose.
Alexisonfire (5:40) - Watched this from the beer tent (where there was female mud wrestling occurring feet away from me) and since I've never been too big on them it doesn't seem like I missed much. One guy on the TTC home was saying how their set was disappointing since they didn't play much off the new album. I prefer Alexisonfire to K-OS, but since I had beer tickets I wanted to get those before planting for Billy Talent.
Moneen (6:40) - Saw about 20 minutes of their set while en route to the porto potty (4 beers in less than an hour, plus the Coke earlier did the trick). All I remember of their set was them telling the crowd right near the end that they've been bummed out since 2007 for not getting many gigs. Buzzkill!
AFI (7:10) - Remains a mystery. I managed to get about 10th row for this (and Billy Talent) and no one really knew their material, just the couple hits. I'll summarize my thoughts on this choice after...
Billy Talent (8:50) - Knocked it out of the freakin' park! Awesome set! Was expecting the dramatic opening as with the arena tour and they just kind of came on (not even opening with "This Is How It Goes", which was the usual for the shows I'd seen) and got to business. Interesting, but great choice of playing "The Ex" second, their forgotten single I think. I could plow through song by song and review but I had a blast, enough said. :) Had heard the new album in the last week or so and as a result was one of the few in my area familiar with "Devil On My Shoulder" and "Saint Veronika", still hits with the crowd. I truly believe they didn't intend to do that encore of "Nothing To Lose". They had done all the songs they usually do live and always wrap up with "Try Honesty" then finish the encore with "Red Flag", but I'm so glad they didn't leave the crowd disappointed with the lack of encore. Loved their set; had a stressful week and this was great to let loose, also meet some cool people in the process.
===============================================
Festival thoughts:
I feel as if the order of the bands was set up to bring people into the park earlier. The Arkells are more topical than freakin' AFI, but having them open was a good choice instead of The Stills which, as successful as they have been, don't have as much draw-value to the common "Edge listener" (at least in my mind). So Arkells, Stills, Metric/K-OS could've gone either way. Alexisonfire could have easily been before Billy Talent but I feel as if AFI was put there to provide some balance for the crowd to come down from. Of course, Billy Talent closing made the most sense.
Really like how easily we were allowed to bring food/beverages in; I brought two sandwiches with me but friends of mine had a ton of snacks. I'm not sure which beer arrangement I prefer: a) buying tickets for beer THEN buying the beer using the tickets or b) just going through one person. This weekend was a bit of a clusterfuck, but in hindsight it probably was better how they did it. V-Fest '08 was a mess.
I feel I got my money's worth with Metric/Billy Talent, Arkells, Stills, and even the minor set by the Johnstones.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)