Persistent rain couldn’t dampen the festivities in Columbia on Sunday, as Sweetgreen‘s Sweetlife Festival — held last year in a small Dupont Circle parking lot — graduated to considerably more impressive digs at Merriweather Post Pavilion. In most respects, the event was a definite success, as local music lovers balanced healthy salads with copious amounts of alcohol, cigarettes, and other less salutary indulgences while taking in an eclectic, entertaining string of performances highlighted by The Strokes’ long-awaited return to a local stage.
Launching their headlining set with “Is This It,” the title track from their 2001 debut album, The Strokes immediately reminded everyone of why they were such a big deal when they burst upon the scene ten years ago. The opening song’s plaintive, mid-tempo churn quickly gave way to the new-wave staccato of the NYC quintet’s incorrigibly catchy new single, “Under Cover of Darkness,” which sent much of the (mostly underage) crowd in the pit into hysterics. Much love was loudly professed to frontman Julian Casablancas, who returned the sentiment by encouraging fans to wave their glow sticks with pride, while lauding the audience as the best the band has played to since returning from hiatus last year.
The Strokes’ set list leaned heavily on cuts from their first two records, and older favorites like “Last Night” and “The Modern Age” held up favorably in comparison to the uneven material from the group’s latest LP, Angles. Though he was able to generate a potent, throaty growl during the Room on Fire standout, “Reptilia,” Casablancas’ vocal delivery was slightly languid and laconic at times (he was arguably in better, more spirited form at his solo show at the 9:30 Club last year). Fortunately, this was often offset by the dynamic guitar interplay between Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond, Jr., who traded jangly chords and nimble riffs on songs like “Automatic Stop” and “I Can’t Win.” All in all, it was a largely satisfying performance, and it’s probably safe to say most fans were left wanting more when the band left the stage seven minutes shy of the venue’s 10 p.m. curfew.
Earlier, Gregg Gillis — a.k.a. Girl Talk — delivered an hour-long set of party-ready mash-ups while literally littering the place with enough confetti and toilet paper to single-handedly undo much of Sweetgreen’s efforts at eco-friendliness. Lupe Fiasco’s boisterous hip hop got much of the crowd dancing, and electro-punk standouts Crystal Castles unleashed their usual strobe-lit theatrics — Alice Glass crowd-surfing twice despite still nursing a broken ankle. Brooklyn’s Morrissey-inspired alt-rapper Theophilus London showcased his stylish soul-and-pop-tinged hip hop, while local outfits U.S. Royalty and Modern Man helped round out a solid, crowd-pleasing bill.
