P4K Day 2
Day two. This day was better than the first day. Just as hot but this time around I planned the day much better and wasn't dying by 5:00.
The first notable set we saw was The National, a show I've been excited about since seeing them in Grand Rapids a couple months ago. Here's a band that knows full well the power of the Pitchfork gospel. The fork gave 2005's Alligator a measly 7.9. 7.9!!?!?! It was the best album that came out last year and was treated as average by the site that put this festival on, so I felt as though the band was there with something to prove to a crowd that may not have been prepared to take them seriously. But then they played "Abel" and suddenly thousands of onlookers became believers. Oh yeah. The set rocked, they played a couple new songs which sounded great. Good stuff.
This is where the day took a turn for the fucking awesome. We left Aesop Rock/Mr Lif's set a bit early (which was great by the way, check those guys out if you like hip-hop) to get a good spot for punk legends Mission of Burma. Pretty much the best decision ever.
Mission of Burma was formed in 1980. That's 26 years ago. They made a name for themselves by being really fucking loud and once and awhile pumping out a catchy chorus. But mostly they just rocked really hard. They broke up in 1983 but reunited in 2002, which for most bands of semi-legendary status is a scary thing, because let's face it, these reunion things usually suck. Burma though rocks too heavily to put together a shitty reunion, this years album The Obliterati is pretty great. Despite all this I still had my reservations about just how hard a band that started 26 years ago could rock. I've gotta stop being reserved all the time, I'm always fucking wrong. MOB embarrassed pretty much everyone at the festival except maybe Yo La Tengo. Maybe I was on drugs or something, but they played outrageously well and outrageously hard. I was seriously impressed that these old bastards weren't passing out. They played a great mix of songs ranging from the fist pumping catchy awesome sing-along "That's When I Reach For My Revolver", to the darker heavier stuff. One of the best shows I've ever seen.
So after my ears sort of recovered a little bit from Burma's set it was Yo La Tengo's turn to show me what was up. Yo La Tengo is one of my favorite bands, another veteran group that has been playing together for over 20 years and has still remained not only relevant, but better than pretty much everyone else. I'd heard stories of their concerts changing peoples lives, so needless to say I was really fucking excited. They didn't disappoint with their performance, they performed the songs with flawlessly and passionately. The thing that was a let down in a way to me, and even more so I think for the rest of the crowd, was the setlist which drew almost exclusively from the forthcoming album I Am Not Afraid of You, and I Will Beat Your Ass, an incomplete version of which leaked a couple weeks back. Luckily I've listened to it a lot, and the album is going to be absolutely phenomenal, but I still really wanted to hear some of their old material. You know, maybe a little "Deeper Into Movies" action. But beyond silly little setlist gripes, the set was mindblowingly good. YLT is maybe the most versatile band in the business, and it really shows live. The 15 minute wall of sound fuzzed out guitar jams resided right along side delicate and beautiful pop songs. But the guitar was really what the show was about. I can't even explain how insane "The Story Of" was, so I included a short video here so you can see for yourself. Unfortunately the audio is pretty much unlistenable because, you know, they were rocking out so loud that it distorts, but just watch him go nuts and envy the fact that you weren't there. Lucky for you we can go see them in Ann Arbor October 4th. Put it on the calendar kids, it's going to be a religious experience. Or something hyperbolic like that.
Side note, Ace from Aesop Rock looks just like Jimmy Fallon.
And the downloads.
The National - Abel
Mission of Burma - That's When I Reach For My Revolver
Yo La Tengo - Deeper Into Movies
The National:
Me rocking out during The National:
Mission of Burma:
Yo La Tengo:
The first notable set we saw was The National, a show I've been excited about since seeing them in Grand Rapids a couple months ago. Here's a band that knows full well the power of the Pitchfork gospel. The fork gave 2005's Alligator a measly 7.9. 7.9!!?!?! It was the best album that came out last year and was treated as average by the site that put this festival on, so I felt as though the band was there with something to prove to a crowd that may not have been prepared to take them seriously. But then they played "Abel" and suddenly thousands of onlookers became believers. Oh yeah. The set rocked, they played a couple new songs which sounded great. Good stuff.
This is where the day took a turn for the fucking awesome. We left Aesop Rock/Mr Lif's set a bit early (which was great by the way, check those guys out if you like hip-hop) to get a good spot for punk legends Mission of Burma. Pretty much the best decision ever.
Mission of Burma was formed in 1980. That's 26 years ago. They made a name for themselves by being really fucking loud and once and awhile pumping out a catchy chorus. But mostly they just rocked really hard. They broke up in 1983 but reunited in 2002, which for most bands of semi-legendary status is a scary thing, because let's face it, these reunion things usually suck. Burma though rocks too heavily to put together a shitty reunion, this years album The Obliterati is pretty great. Despite all this I still had my reservations about just how hard a band that started 26 years ago could rock. I've gotta stop being reserved all the time, I'm always fucking wrong. MOB embarrassed pretty much everyone at the festival except maybe Yo La Tengo. Maybe I was on drugs or something, but they played outrageously well and outrageously hard. I was seriously impressed that these old bastards weren't passing out. They played a great mix of songs ranging from the fist pumping catchy awesome sing-along "That's When I Reach For My Revolver", to the darker heavier stuff. One of the best shows I've ever seen.
So after my ears sort of recovered a little bit from Burma's set it was Yo La Tengo's turn to show me what was up. Yo La Tengo is one of my favorite bands, another veteran group that has been playing together for over 20 years and has still remained not only relevant, but better than pretty much everyone else. I'd heard stories of their concerts changing peoples lives, so needless to say I was really fucking excited. They didn't disappoint with their performance, they performed the songs with flawlessly and passionately. The thing that was a let down in a way to me, and even more so I think for the rest of the crowd, was the setlist which drew almost exclusively from the forthcoming album I Am Not Afraid of You, and I Will Beat Your Ass, an incomplete version of which leaked a couple weeks back. Luckily I've listened to it a lot, and the album is going to be absolutely phenomenal, but I still really wanted to hear some of their old material. You know, maybe a little "Deeper Into Movies" action. But beyond silly little setlist gripes, the set was mindblowingly good. YLT is maybe the most versatile band in the business, and it really shows live. The 15 minute wall of sound fuzzed out guitar jams resided right along side delicate and beautiful pop songs. But the guitar was really what the show was about. I can't even explain how insane "The Story Of" was, so I included a short video here so you can see for yourself. Unfortunately the audio is pretty much unlistenable because, you know, they were rocking out so loud that it distorts, but just watch him go nuts and envy the fact that you weren't there. Lucky for you we can go see them in Ann Arbor October 4th. Put it on the calendar kids, it's going to be a religious experience. Or something hyperbolic like that.
Side note, Ace from Aesop Rock looks just like Jimmy Fallon.
And the downloads.
The National - Abel
Mission of Burma - That's When I Reach For My Revolver
Yo La Tengo - Deeper Into Movies
The National:
Me rocking out during The National:
Mission of Burma:
Yo La Tengo:
posted by Kyle Funk at 11:08 AM
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