THE XX
Well Joonbuggers, it's that time again, Festie time! This time we are preparing for Austin City Limits. This is one of my favorite festivals of the year, not only because Austin is home, but also because it might be one of the most musically diverse. We are seeing some of our electronic, oldies, Texas country and pop favies this year. Here is what we were looking most forward to.
If you missed our ultimate preparation guide for a festival, please click here to get the scoop on how to get you and your group ready for a weekend of music.
The Sunday Snapshot:
The festival set-up, sound and acoustics, as well as operations were extremely professional. It's obvious they have done this before. I loved how they had two stages by each other with back-to-back shows. I parked it at the Budweiser/Playstation stages for most of the weekend due to the line up, but it was incredible to see 10,000 people stacked to see the headliners on the BMI stage. Kudos Lolla.
Sunday Musical Delights & Awards:
Chiddy Bang: Award for Band Best Listened on a CD. I was personally pumped to see Chiddy play. My friends produce their music videos and I have been rocking to their cool remixes/raps for a bit now. Think, Girl Talk meets Drake for their vibe. I was sadly disappointed in the live bit, but I still like them a lot. But the electronic Perry’s stage was a sick addition to the festival. We would be visiting again.
Here is what we loved most about Saturday at Lollapalooza 2010. I wish I was still there!
In addition to the green scene at Grant Park, there were some really cool sponsorship and brand presence situations in the mix. Toyota was giving away cold bandanas and headbands (much needed with the hot temperatures). They always had a line to their tent, which I’m sure got them some good exposure. Another great sponsor was the water filling stations; I know I spent a lot of time here. AOL provided free WiFi, for those of us working during the festival, this was clutch. A fun one was the Q101 Hammock Station, where you could actually take a break and lay in the hammocks for a bit. It’s always enjoyable to see brands and companies giving out products and services that are super beneficial to the festival goer. Giving a consumer something they can really use during the weekend is really going to stand out for marketing purposes.
Completely pumped for this festival, Lollapalooza managed to blow me away. Not only with the talent they had this year, but as an event planner, I was even more impressed with the set-up and operations they had in place. If you missed our live Tweets from the festival here are some tasty tidbits from the weekend. Catch us tomorrow for Saturday's recap:
Friday:
We arrived in Chicago around 7am from New York, took a nap, and proceeded to the event around 4pm. Other than grabbing my media pass (which was like a mile away from the entrance) I was immediately impressed.
So, there you are in the back seat of friend's car. Looking out a half rolled down window at the giant off white Wintec Energy windmills that seem to pepper the entire valley. It's dusk and the temperature is dropping drastically. When you first started this voyage it was around 90 degrees and now the crisp cool 73 degree wind is caressing your face. You're excited yet still nervous, excited about having called your boss with some lame-duck excuse about your family being in town or that you have a doctor's appointment and somehow you actually got the day off. Yet, nervous about the hourly you're missing and the $270.00 plus buck hit your bank account just took. With all that behind you, you look forward to the 3 day, 90 plus acts and countless memories you're about to experience. Wait, there are over 90 acts performing? Sure you have your favorites, but what about the other 80 or so bands that will be performing on rotating stages in various spots across a five and half mile radius field, for three days and three nights? Where and how to begin?
I'm a latecomer to being a fan of The xx. The first time I saw them play in October during CMJ, they seemed nervous and overwhelmed, and their minimalist brand of quiet R&B pop didn't translate well in a live setting.
Since then, The xx have totally grown up. Wednesday night's show at Webster Hall turned them into fully-fledged rock stars. In my humble opinion, this show was really important for the young band; this is their first ever headlining tour of the U.S. Not only was almost everyone I know (in Twitter and In Real Life) there, but NYC is a tough audience and I guarantee that about a third of the people in attendance have music blogs. While their first US performances may have garnered unenthusiastic reviews from listeners who preferred the record to their live show, this week they solidified themselves as a band that demands your attention, right now and for years to come. Oliver Sim and Romy Madley Croft finally know how to handle a crowd, and their stage show finally emulates the simple brilliance that is captured on their debut album xx.
Searching for upcoming tour dates can often be a hit-or-miss endeavor. With the upcoming winter season rushing up like a creepy, perma-grinned relative visiting for the holidays who wants to show you their new “wrestling moves” in private, many of us are looking for a much-needed escape. Fortunately, numerous bands have announced numerous upcoming tours where one can escape from the winter-lows and repressed memories that have forever damaged your mental psyche.
The first, and perhaps most anticipated upcoming tour, is by the British art-pop quartet Wild Beasts. After scheduled tour dates in Europe and Australia in November and December, respectively, the group will be coming to the U.S. in their first ever North American tour to support their new album Two Dancers. (Dates below)
Air Love 2
The Ams The Release Of An American Soul
Backstreet Boys This is Us
Lou Barlow Goodnight Unknown
blessthefall Witness
Built To Spill There Is No Enemy
Brandi Carlile Give Up The Ghost
Roseanne Cash The List
Cheap Girls My Roaring 20's
Vic Chesnutt Skitter On Take Off
The Cinematics Love And Terror
The Clientele Bonfires On The Heath
If you thought your brain was overloaded from this past summer’s festivals, tours, and concerts, then prepare to clean pieces of skull and gray matter from your computer screen. The 2009 CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival will be invading New York City from October 20-24.
Is your forehead still intact? Just wait.
With its nucleus in NYU’s Greenwich Village campus, the Marathon will spread to over 75 of the Big Apple’s most prominent venues and theaters. Over 1,200 artists and filmmakers will perform or showcase their respective works to an estimated fan turnout of over 120,000. This event is being rightly billed as New York’s largest music festival.
The summer has begun to die, and it's sweaty and smokey outside Piano's on Ludlow and Stanton. We have collected a small mass of dazed twenty-somethings - recent college grads, friends from home, friends from work - looking for a cheap Stella and a chance to see some Londoners who call themselves The XX. Neither of these desires are to be fulfilled. The pints are a good eight dollars with tip, and the show is so over capacity that entry doesn't even seem worth the flirting and persistence it would take to sway the doorman. We resign to a table in the front of the venue, with a view of Ludlow ahead.
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