The BF and I, along with a couple friends of ours, headed down to Baltimore last weekend for the Virgin Music Festival. I won't even try to describe the whole thing in this post since it would be information overload. And I was generally overwhelmed so my photographic record is about nil and so I really have nothing to show you either. I went on to Flikr, but nothing really jumped out at me so you'll just have to let you imagination run wild. The general gist: Saturday was waaaaay too hot so the only thing to really occupy ourselves with were the frozen drinks being offered up at the SoCo tent. That's right, I said it: SoCo. So I'm sure that you can guess where that day went. Sunday was much better, both musically speaking and weather-wise (and, I might add, we stayed sober). All together, I had a wonderful time. But, as the BF agreed, I doubt I'd ever do it again: that tradition ended there.
Below are some brief thoughts on the music I saw in consecutive order:
Day One: the progressively blurry day
Amy Winehouse: she is a hot tamale, that's for sure. She put on a solid live performance and she looked great, but I'm lukewarm about her music in general. Although, I was impressed to see in the paper on my way to work this morning that she played the festival in Chicago on Sunday: Balto one day and Chicago the next...she must be a powerhouse of stamina that girl. [update: or maybe not so much]
Peter Bjorn and John: they were the dark horse of the festival for me. I had no idea who they were before I checked them out and I thought they were great. I'm going to hunt down some music and see if I like them well enough to see them at the Roseland in September.
LCD Soundsystem: Mr. F, I should have listened to you sooner: these guys were rockin. Hope you got my text.
Beastie Boys: These guys were pretty rad. The BF liked their set a lot. So much so that he picked a fight with a random dude and then, when said dude wacked me while swinging for him, things would have gotten totally out of hand had the crowd not stepped in and kept them apart. I'll say it again: So.Co.
The Police: Okay. At this point I'll admit it: I was too drunk to appreciate the Police. I'm a shithead, I know. But they were the last band after an entire day of drinking. SoCo. In the sun. What can I say? I remember enough to bring to mind Sting's tight shirt and even tighter smile and I also remember thinking that they sounded exactly like their records.
Day Two: the progressively better day
Regina Spektor: man this girl has pipes. She reminded the BF a little bit of an idiot savant with her stuffed snake, socks over shoes and random giggling, but the music could not be faulted.
Matisyahu: glad I saw him just to see him and grooved with some hippies.
Spoon: ohmygodi'mtotallycrushingonbrittdaniel. I have to say that I think Spoon doesn't translate well to an outdoor setting. I'm curious to see them in the fall in an enclosed and more intimate fashion.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: yeah yeah yeah! (as if that joke hasn't been made before!!) Every person in this band knows how to put on a show. Sex and rock n' roll. Awesome. They were definitely a highlight of the festival.
Interpol: hrm. Yet another band that doesn't translate well to an open-air setting. They really put in the effort though and I did enjoy their set immensely. I guess I was spoiled when I saw them for the first time in a tiny room in I-Town. I'm seeing them at the Garden in a couple of weeks, but I have a feeling I'm going to feel the same way about that show too.
Smashing Pumpkins: So, Billy Corgan is arrogant. I'll admit that. But then you'll have to admit that he's crazy talented and the Smashing Pumpkins will rock your face off. Ha! In all seriousness: I was a ridiculous SP fan in high-school and never had the opportunity to see them live so, perhaps, my opinion is a bit biased when it comes to the following claim: SP were the best act at the entire Virgin festival. In fact, they were the best act I've seen in a long time. They were tight, they had a great mix of new and old, and Billy Corgan and Jimmy Chamberlin are undeniably masters of their respective crafts. So what if Billy purposely hired a female bassist and an Asian looking guitarist to replace his other band mates (low-blow in my book, for the record)? So what if he made a somewhat presumptuous allusion to Jimi Hendrix in his first guitar solo of the evening? I'm willing to forgive arrogance in the face of sheer talent, it would seem. If they come out on a solo tour, I am definitely there.
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