September 25, 2006
DCist Does V Fest
Compared to past festival experiences, this was the Ritz. Open spaces for relaxing in between sets. Tons of vendors placed all around the venue. More porta potties than I've ever seen in one place (which added up to no wait time for the bathroom). Sure, the beers were $8 -- but they were really big beers. Tables, air conditioned tents, side shows, inflated chairs and cell phone floats for people at large to rest on, and the ability to bring in your own bottled water. The Brits did it right. The stages were far enough apart not to encroach on each other's sound, but not so far that we were ever at risk of missing a set because of a long hike. Richard Branson himself was there, as was Grey's Anatomy's Dr. McDreamy -- though the only DCist lucky enough to see him was Kyle, and he didn't appreciate the encounter quite the same way I would have.
But enough about the set up! What we all really went there for were the bands. It was an impressive lineup that spanned of-the-minute buzz bands, veteran DJs, seasoned touring acts and classic rock icons. Several DCists were in tow on Saturday, so we scattered to the wind to bring you our thoughts on the best and the worst the day had to offer. Because of the nature of festivals -- people catching portions of sets, seeing and hearing different things depending on where they're planeted in the crowd -- we decided to take advantage of our numbers and give individual responses to bands. That's why you'll see more than one DCist's review of a couple of bands -- we wanted to make it as inclusive as we could. If you caught any acts we missed, or have any other thoughts to share, let us know in the comments.
All photos by Kyle Gustafson. More photos and coverage here.
The Raconteurs
I don't think I know enough positive adjectives to throw in this band's direction. In the most simple terms, this is what every rock band should strive to be like. Everything was letter perfect about these guys, even the visuals -- long hair, relaxed t-shirt and jeans apparel accented by vests and hats to give them that natty rocker vissage, and a stable of instruments that probably made The Who jealous. Benson's liquid smooth vocals, Keeler's deft drumming, Lawrence's hard rocking bass and White's overwhelming guitars and front man charisma took control of the stage and the crowd. Not relying on effects or costumes or banter, the band rushed on stage and took their instruments, pounding through their repertoire with the bounce of the Beatles and the grit of Led Zeppelin. A grab-you-by-the guts cover of Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang" and a rousing finish with "Blue Veins" (sung to a redhead hand-picked from the crowd by White) put the cap on this incredible performance. Opinions varried on most performances throughout the day, but all the chatter agreed -- The Raconteurs earned an A+. (Amanda Mattos)
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
The frontman for these indie-rock Brooklynites, Alec Ounsworth, usually walks a fine line between heartfelt and just plain whiny. He gets away with it on the band's best songs, which, driven by a twangy guitar, are irresistably catchy. But Ounsworth crossed that line on Saturday, with eardrum-piercing yelps in lieu of actual singing, and incoherent mumbling in lieu of between-song banter. One witness to this disappointing spectacle declared C.Y.H.S.Y. "everything that's wrong with indie rock." I could only stand still for about three songs before I had to excuse myself to the bar for another $8 beer. (Abby Lavin)
Without a doubt the worst band of the day. They took the stage with pouty looks on their faces that said they didn't want to be there and proceeded to play an underwhelming set of tepid indie rock to a crowd that became more disintersted by the song. (Kyle Gustafson)
The Flaming Lips
Always crowd-pleasers, Wayne Coyne and his crew of Oklahoma rockers put on the most inventive show of the evening, complete with a troupe of dancing Santa Clauses, lingerie-clad models, and a nun hand-puppet used by Coyne to "sing" a few of the numbers. As the last act of the day to take the smaller stage, the Flaming Lips were a more intimate, quirky alternative to the Chili Pepper's super-sized stadium rock taking place on the Grandstand stage. The Lips' setlist spanned 23 years of the group's sparkly, celestial jams, including "She Don't Use Jelly" and "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots." The show felt like a madcap circus, with Coyne as ringleader in his trademark white suit. The band seemed truly happy to be there, and their enthusiasm made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. A perfect way to end the evening. (Abby Lavin)
Never having seen the Flaming Lips before, I was so overcome by the balloons, streamers, scenes projected behind the band and the cast of characters that joined them on stage (from santas and aliens to milkmaids and superheros and just about everything else in between), I barely minded that it looked like Coyne wasn't actually playing his guitar. Did anybody else notice that? Regardless, the band played a smooth, frenzied and unifying set that plastered smiles on every willing face. Singing along with each song, there wasn't a person in that crowd that would have rather been anywhere else (at least, no one standing near me anyway). Hell, they even played a clip of Jon Stewart introducing a performance from the band on what I'm guessing was the shortlived "The Jon Stewart Show." Not to mention a nod to the band's now infamous performance at the Peach Pit Afterdark. Everybody should go see the Lips at least once, because that was a rip roaring good time if ever I've had one. (Amanda Mattos)
Scissor Sisters
It's always a crap shoot when you go to see a band whose sound is largely electronic. How will that translate to the stage? I only caught the last half of the Scissor Sisters' set, but I was wholly impressed. They were ferociously sexy and flashy, but they had the chops to back it up. The instrumentals and vocals were powerful and on target. Clad in leotards and glitter, when they were preparing to announce why they love Baltimore so much, I had no doubt it would be John Waters. And it was. It doesn't take a big stretch of the imagination to picture the immitated fornication Ana Matronic and Jake Shears treated the crowd to alongside something Divine might offer up. (Amanda Mattos)
Along with The Who (wow, going out a limb there, aren't I) the Scissor Sisters put on the best set of the day. They took the stage to "Take Your Mama" and never looked back. They had the benefit of being the first act to go onstage after dark and they used their light show and video back drop to stunning effect. The band are an accomplished group of performers and their set was completely infectious. You couldn't help but have fun.
(Kyle Gustafson)
The Who
What's there to say that hasn't already been said? They're the band that made things like the jaw dropping Raconteurs performance possible. They invented smashing guitars for goodness sakes! The years haven't held Pete Townsend or Roger Daltrey down. They roared through their classics like "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Who Are You" to the biggest crowd any band drew all day. (Amanda Mattos)
Gnarls Barkley
Taking the stage in what they deemed "Chariots of Fire" apparel (which was interpreted as a strange mash up of Egyptian and Greek wear), the summer hit makers put on an energetic set where Cee Lo gave it his all, the strings section played crazy looking instruments and danced in unison, and there was no shortage of party vibes. But... meh. It was a fun set to dance to, and there wasn't anything bad, but coming on after The Raconteurs I could have taken or left it. Much like their album, the high points were catchy, and the rest was just kind of there. (Amanda Mattos)
RJD2
After arriving and seeing the first bit of Kasabian's set, I wandered around the grounds to get familair with the layout of the infield and eventually made my way to the dance tent. RJD2 was already well into his set (even though he wasn't due on stage for another 10 minutes) and was in total "I don't care if it's noon, we're gona throw down" mode. He had a small but devoted crowd going crazy and dancing up a storm when they weren't busy showering him with applause. (Kyle Gustafson)
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As noted elsewhere, the alleged absence of National Bohemian officially puts to rest whether this had anything to do with Baltimore. Now, dance, puppet, dance!
Nice review. Anyone know who ended up being the "special guests" at the Rock N Roll hotel afterwards?
The question is not whether this had anything to do with the city in which it was hosted. The question is what does this have to do with DC? I think the fact the location of Pimlico was danced around (or intentionally neglected) answers the question in and of itself. The dancing, obviously, has already been done without my input, you chunky goateed monkey.
i also caught the new pornographers - one of my favorites, catchy and talented as ever, though sadly lacking in neko case. and for some reason, they just never look like they're having fun on stage. with neko, i think they may be one of the most talented bands out there, but i have now seen 3 live performances and have been a little disappointed each time.
i also caught the killers (in deadwood-esque get-up). helluva good show, though i have always thought all their songs kind of sound the same.
and in your write-up of the venue, you fail to mention the complete disaster that was traffic control. dear god, parking was complete chaos, public transportation was impossible, and there was no one around to manage either. isn't the point of having the concert out in the middle of nowhere so that people could get in and out easily?
crowd control inside the venue could have been a little better, too. it took me the better part of an hour to get from the Who over to the Flaming Lips because of the crush, a problem that might have been solved with large signs indicating "enter grandstage area" and "exit grandstage area" to control the flow of people.
sonny and cher did 'bang bang' originally not Nancy Sinatra
My short takes:
The review was dead on with Clap Your Hands Say Eh. Perhaps victimes of their own (or assigned) hype.
2manydjs gave us a surprisingly energetic set for the midday crowd.
This show pushed the Brazilian Girls from the periphery of my listening to much heavier rotation. Good show.
The Raconteurs - great set, though I couldn't help but laugh at the redhead that was pulled onto the stage for the song only to be dismissed 10 seconds later . . .
The Killers - everyone's secret vice. The first show to really get people to bounce.
Gnarls Barkley - they have the potential to be a really phenomenal live show, once they have some time to polish up.
The Who - made it look easy.
Thievery Corporation - how strange to see them in the middle of the day.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - I should really have skipped this set to see the Flaming Lips. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't inspiring. I've hit RHCP shows for 15 years now, and it wasn't near their best.
If I wouldn't have misjudged traffic, I would have seen RJD2 (I *really* wanted to him do a set), and Drive-By Truckers (a recent discovery for me). I really regret fucking that up.
For those who care, there's a flickr group with pics here.
several thoughts:
1. Even though i'm from Annapolis MD, i hate baltimore so the travel to and from the venue was extremely painful. The festival itself however was quite enjoyable.
2. Glad to see that DCist chose the Flaming Lips over RHCP. I would've loved to see RHCP but the Lips definitely win out in that match up. I've been to many many shows over the years and the Lips stand out as the best performers I've ever seen.
3. A slap of the wrist to you DCist for not including a review of Thievery Corporation. Their show wasn't the best of the day but you could've at least represented some of your hometown talent.
4. Although their new album is kind of subpar, the Brazilian Girls put on a decent show. Sabina has a great stage presence and the band's international/eccentric sound is just so damn sexy.
All in all it was a great festival. I wasn't able to get down to Bonnaroo this summer so this was a decent substitute. I heard that the show didn't come close to selling out, but I hope Sir Branson decides to make this an annual event.
I didn't have any problems with transportation, although it was a bit of a long haul. I Amtrak'd it over to B'more. The V-Fest folks had a couple employees there at Penn Station directing people to the light rail system and telling them where to get off. At the Cold Spring station, they had about a dozen buses lined up to shuttle us to Pimlico free of charge. After the gig it was the same thing in reverse. There were about 50 people doing the train, light rail, and bus thing around the same time as me and everyone seemed to be pretty satisfied.
Ahhh. E pur si muove! So satisfying.
jason, you can jump to the punch, convince yourself that you’re calling someone out on that which you know they’ll respond to anyway and pretend you have achieved a moral victory all you want, writing in Italian on an English thread is no substitute for wit.
I thought about attending this, because I like several of the bands there, but I decided that I'm too old for the festival-type concert experience. Sure the 'HFStevials "back in the day" (pre-RFK) were fun, I'd rather see the good bands I want to see, doing their own full sets.
I can't believe the RHCP are still around. I've always hated them with a passion.
Wolfmother punched me in the face, and I loved it.
2ManyDJs was great, rocked the early time slot.
Thought Theivery was great; the sunset time slot was nice.
Scissor Sisters got me dancing.
thought the festival was great.
Gnarls Barkley wasn't intended to play live and it showed.
Any band that has stood the test of time since 1983 (Flaming Lips and RHCP) Deserves the same credit. It can't be compared, it's two totally different styles of music. RHCP was actually supposed to be titled the "John Frusciante Show", but they wouldn't put that on the bill. I'm suprised DCist didn't mention the fact that Gnarls Barkley completely left of DC when they were listing nearby cities, and that Flea gave a shoutout to all the Discord / Fugazi crew that was in the house.
oh well, it was a great show. Fuck the critics, just have a good time.
Let me get this straight:
"It's always a crap shoot when you go to see a band whose sound is largely electronic. "
"You know, for a lot of us, it's always a crap shoot when you go see a band whose sound is largely indie rock." See, wouldn't that be a grating opener for a review of The Raconteurs?
It's great that you guys enjoyed that show, and I mean no offense, but if you're writing a review involving a sound you're not overly familiar with (which is perfectly awesomely fine to do), don't open with a cliche like that. It's patronizing.
It may be a cliche, and it may be true of any type of music to a certain extent, but I think it's fair to say that it's more true in the case of genuinely "electronic" acts that in the studio are frequently made up of one or two turntablists or knob-twiddlers and a revolving cast of guest vocalists. That's the type of ensemble that can be difficult to translate to a live arena, and that can easily end up drab and dull without a considerable light and video show or a dynamic front man or woman to get the crowd engaged. Basement Jaxx, for instance, is really just the two short, charisma-challenged guys standing behind giant banks of keyboards, but since their live act includes a lot of high energy singers and rappers as well as in impressive display wall behind the band, they're a lot of fun in concert.
What I find ironic about the whole situation is that I would never describe the Scissor Sisters' sound as "primarily electronic." Just because a band includes keyboards it doesn't mean you can describe them as primarily electronic.
"It may be a cliche, and it may be true of any type of music to a certain extent, but I think it's fair to say that it's more true in the case of genuinely "electronic" acts..."
One, I disagree with you. Two, I have to point out that it's pretty much impossible to make an educated statement about that from an objective point. And three, the real issue: It's an ENTIRELY irrelevant point irrespective of its truth of falsehood.
Electronic music is an entirely different kind of aesthetic. You can't approach an electronic music event (most of which are dance oriented) from a trad rock perspective. Apples and oranges. There was a review up on Pitchfork last year of the Jake Fairley album "Touch Not the Cat". The complaint was about its lack of guitars.
Jake Fairley produces minimal techno with an electro bent. Complaining about a lack of guitars indicates that the guy reviewing it probably shouldn't have been. And his shows are just him playing with an assload of knobs. When he played at Andalu in 2005, people were tearing the place apart dancing their asses off. And by all reports--he's a fairly quiet, reserved gentleman when performing.
With the dance-oriented events, you don't really *need* a traditional frontman/woman and to a large extent, rave culture was an attempt to get the hell away from that.
Other forms of electronic music have no problem with that kind of thing--the flamboyance that you're asking for is the flamboyance of some seriously weird, wild sounds being thrown out. Witness industrial and IDM, both of which are sounds of performance art practically.
However, I 100% agree with your comment regarding the Scissor Sisters not really being an electronic act to begin with. More to the point: they come out of a tradition that's been trying to eliminate the bullshit wall between techno and rock and dancing at clubs and standing at concerts.