NYC CONCERTS
Electro fans from around the world gathered on Randall's Island Park this past weekend to get their dance on at New York City's own Electric Zoo. Despite the "dustboogers", the lineup was unbelievable, the weather was perfect, and the crowd came ready to move their feet.
THUMBS DOWN
The Chemical Brothers
Dubbleyou.Tee.Eff! What happened to you guys? Although this set was highly anticipated by Electric Zoo goers, it was quite the disappointment. The performance lacked emotion and “umph”. It was kind of, well, boring. But hey, at least the visuals were cool!
Dustboogers
Dancing leads to dust on Randall’s Park Island – a lot of it. Dust leads to dustboogers. Gross.
Less Is Not More
The crowd was bigger, the lineup was better, but the venue needs to step it up. There needs to be more signage regarding parking and where to walk, more water stands, more porta-pottys, more everything! It’s also time to start “enhancing” the grounds a bit, please refer to Ultrafest or Rothbury for ideas.
One Place At A Time
Because choosing between artists is so difficult sometimes, we wanted to see them all!
THUMBS UP
Diplo
When Diplo got on the 1's and 2's at E.Zoo, he didn't forget his A-game. The Red Bull Tent was bursting with energy both from the DJ and the crowd, who fed off of one another for the entire set. Diplo's unconventional integration of hip-hop favorites like "Beamer, Benz, & Bentley" with hard-hitting beats kept the crowd on their toes, literally - consistently amped and begging for more.
Kaskade
Kaskade’s sound is unfailingly emotional and heartfelt. His set this year at E.Zoo was no different. The music clearly connected the mass as they sang “Move for Me” and “Angel on My Shoulder” in perfect unison. Kaskade is a DJ who performs music that you not only hear, but feel, time and time again.
Above & Beyond
A&B’s set was packed with high-energy tunes like “On a Good Day”, "Road to Nowhere", and "Love Comes Again". They kept up crowd interaction by writing messages out on their laptop and holding it up for all to read – a gesture that was both unique and appreciated. At one point they wrote “Can you sing?” which was happily, and loudly, obliged. Towards the end of their set, they even hugged one another, and who doesn’t love that?
Fedde Le Grande
It was Fedde's first time at Electric Zoo, but it certainly will not be his last. Bringing energy from start to finish with intense visuals and lively mixes of "We Are Your Friends", “Walking On a Dream” and "Zombie Nation" amongst others, Fedde proved to be one of the best performances of the weekend.
Steve Aoki
If you came to party, you know to go to Aoki’s stage. Steve knows how to get you absolutely out of your skull, with both his music and his antics. His set included his own anthems “Turbulence”, “Pursuit of Happiness”, and his newest “BRRRAT!” (with Armin Van Helden). Amazing music, mind-blowing visuals, his signature champagne showers, and a dive into the crowd made Steve Aoki the perfect finale to a perfect weekend.
You!
This year’s festival was considerably more sizeable than last year’s, a testament to electronica music and to festival culture. We like this at Joonbug. With the music pumping and the crowd jumping, we can’t wait till next year! Wahoo!
Slideshow photos by Electric Zoo
For more than 16 years, Backstreet Boys have delivered the very finest pop music has to offer! They return to New York City's Hammerstein Ballroom on August 26. Go to Joonbug's Facebook wall and post your favorite Backstreet Boys memory for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the concert!
Joonbug spent some quality time with Brooklyn based rap duo (or dudet) Grieves and Budo to rap about being a part of the Rhymesayers label, their new tour with Atmosphere, the upcoming album due to release in the Spring and traveling to the rings of Saturn. The usual.
Q: Are there going to be a lot of new songs coming out for the new tour with Atmosphere?
G: I think we are probably going to play a couple new songs on this [Atmosphere] tour. On the tour that we are going to be doing in the winter, we are going to be supporting the new record a lot more. On this one we are trying to get one last push on the 88 Keys [and Counting] record that we just released.
Thursday 8/19
- Devendra Banhart @ Terminal 5
- Ray Lamontagne and David Gray@ Jones Beach Band Shell
- Brahms @ Mercury Lounge
- Crosby Stills & Nash @ PNC Bank Arts Center
- Jonah Smith @ Highline Ballroom
- Tears for Fears @ Hammerstein Ballroom
- Crystal Stilts @ Bowery Ballroom
- Ke$ha @ Roseland Ballroom
Friday 8/20
- Kiss with The Academy Is… @ PNC Bank Arts Center
- Incendiary @ The Gramercy Theater
- Das Racist @ Glasslands
- Crosby Stills & Nash @ Jones Beach Band Shell
- Juliana Theory @ Highline Ballroom
- Theophilus London @ Webster Hall
In support of their upcoming album, Raditude, due to hit stores on November 3, the nerd-rock band Weezer will be touring in select cities this fall. With sold out shows in Los Angeles, New York, and a two night gig playing “The Late Show with David Letterman” on October 29 and 30, this tour will be expected to be a special treat for diehard fans of the group.
The new album explores realms that, until now, were previously undreamt of when considering contributions to a Weezer album. Teen hyper-pop producers Dr. Luke and Butch Walker (who worked with Kelly Clarkson and Avril Lavigne, respectively) contributed to some of the sounds on the record as well as hip-hop and R&B super-producer Jermaine Dupri. Rapper Lil’ Wayne also performs a cameo appearance on the track “Can’t Stop Partying.” No word is in yet if Wayne, who is currently facing gun-related criminal charges in New York, will be joining the tour.
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