The 3-day festival is finally over; I don't know if anyone else had the opportunity (or the $200) to go, but I am open to any questions for anyone interested in the bands I saw. I got a lot of this music from metacritic, so you've definitely probably heard of them, here they are:

Day 1:
Electrix Six
M.I.A.
LCD Soundsystem
Daft Punk

Day 2:
The Roots
The Hold Steady
Yeah Yeah Yeahs (some of it)
Spoon
Interpol (some of it)

Day 3:
Lupe Fiasco
Iggy and the Stooges (some)
Yo La Tengo
My Morning Jacket
Pearl Jam

Overall, the best shows straight up were Daft Punk, Pearl Jam, Hold Steady, and Lupe Fiasco. And yes, I DID miss TV on the Radio due to wanting to get a close spot to PJ.

I can't even tell you how much fun I had at Lolla. I fully expect to go again next year. Here's who I saw:

Day 1:
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
The Polyphonic Spree
Sparklehorse
Blonde Redhead
The Black Keys
LCD Soundsystem
Daft Punk

Day 2:
Tokyo Police Club
Tapes 'n Tapes
Silverchair
Rhymefest
The Hold Steady
Spoon
Interpol

Day 3:
Lupe Fiasco
Annuals
Peter Bjorn and John (until the sound went out)
My Morning Jacket
Pearl Jam

I, too, regrettably missed TV on the Radio in order to keep my spot for Pearl Jam. For those of you who went, I managed to secure a spot about 20 feet in front of (stage side, not field side) and 20 feet to the left of (screen side) the sound booth/tent. I was really happy with this spot as I was able to clearly see the action on stage while not being so close that I couldn't see the screen.

I agree with some of Cyrone's highlights, but disagree with others. While Daft Punk was definitely a great and vibrant show, two spacemen spinning records doesn't quite have the same effect on me as people laying it on the line and beating the shit out of some instruments. And Lupe Fiasco, while mildly entertaining, drove me batty with his incessant queries of "Can you dig it?" After about the 32nd time, I was tempted to dig a grave in order that I might kick him into it.

For me, the highlights were Blonde Redhead, Tapes 'n Tapes, The Hold Steady, Spoon, My Morning Jacket, and Pearl Jam. I know that seems like a lot of highlights, but each and every one of these bands played an utterly fantastic show.

Blonde Redhead fever washed over me as their ethereal sound just allowed me to zone out and hippie-dance like it was the summer of love.

Tapes 'n Tapes started somewhat slow, but the tension and subsequent release just kept mounting as the show progressed. I freaked out it was so good.

Craig Finn is a remarkably engaging front man, and the Hold Steady was just so much fun to dance to.

Spoon was just so fuckin' cool. They just got up there and owned the stage with the steely-eyed professionalism of a contract killer.

Jim James' angelic voice and the soulful melodies of My Morning Jacket were nearly enough to make me sob. The Chicago Children's Orchestra was actually a nice addition which I initially had my doubts about.

I've always thought that Pearl Jam's live guitar sound is painfully mid-range heavy, and this show was no different. But because they have so many good songs in their catalog and because the audience was so into it, this was definitely a highlight.

Major disappointments included The Polyphonic Spree (my God, their PA sounded fucking terrible to the point of pain-inducing), Interpol (I'm a huge fan of their first album, but their live sound isn't that good and the show was a snoozefest), and Peter Bjorn and John having sound trouble.

Other bands that kicked ass but didn't quite make the top of the list were Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The Black Keys, and LCD Soundsystem.

The singer from Tokyo Police Club sure sounds an awful lot like Julian Casablancas. Seems like the keyboard player wants to sound like The Strokes, too.

I can't believe Daniel Johns from Silverchair actually said, "Come on Chicago, make me feel famous!"

I don't care what Pitchfork says, Annuals suck balls.

Please forgive the obnoxious length of this post. I just had so much fun and was dying to talk all about it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Briznow,

Wow that must have been a pretty sweet spot for PJ! I had to go tippy-toed to see them, so it was satisfactory for me (it was my first time seeing them!!) But hey TVOTR are rather new so I'm sure they'll have plenty more shows for us to go to, eh?

That kinda sucks about Polyphonic.. I agree that Lupe got annoying w/ the chants, but overall he was incredibly charismatic and really got me into it! I heard Peter Bjorn jumped into an ice box or some shit.. man I wish I coulda seen that.

My only "disappointment" would be the Roots (jammed too much), and maybe My Morning Jacket. I dunno, I had a different impression of MMJ; that their soundscapes would be more like Interpol or Death Cab, but instead, they looked/sounded like a "regular" rock band. The exception was "Wordless Chorus" that song was performed just the way I pictured!

quote:

Originally posted by Cyrone:
My only "disappointment" would be the Roots (jammed too much)

Hm, that's too bad, I though The Roots were one of the best of the festival. Possibly because I was extremely close to the stage, but I thought they generally put on a great performance. They did jam a lot but I didn't mind that at all.