ACL Fest Day 2 w/Photos
photo : michael maly
Saturday had arrived and although many attending are still cursing the fact that The White Stripes had cancelled their performance, set to close out this day, I gather that by the end of the day they won’t be much of a thought anymore. Plenty of music to keep you entertained, and although I didn’t catch anything that had me completely blown away, there was some great entertainment regardless, and the late addition Dr. Dog proved a solid way to begin this second day of ACL Fest 2007. The soulful semi-psychedelic rock sounds of these guys from Philly held my attention and has me curious about the recorded material. I hadn’t listened to them much previous, but supporting Wilco and on many a friends recommendations prompted the early start of today with the band.
You’ll find additional thoughts from other contributors throughout the coverage, for some different perspectives on the ACL experience.
Dr. Dog
photo : michael maly
ACL rocker
photo : michael maly
Filling the gap between Dr Dog and Cold War Kids I chose to see what Paulo Nutini was about, and it seemed to be about not much interesting at all. Paulo seemed a little sloppy, maybe the heat was too much, or maybe he had too much of something else? Maybe if watched more VH1 I might get it, but I don’t, and probably won’t…get it. Cold War Kids are always a crowd favorite, and I enjoy them, but the my curiosity bent me over to see the lovely St. Vincent for a few songs, as the recording Marry Me is finding it’s way into high rotation for me recently. Cute as a button, and performing solo, the set would have been more suited for a more intimate environment. She is definitely on the to-do list.
Cold War Kids
photo : michael maly
photo : michael maly
photo : michael maly
COLD WAR KIDS
My first intro to Cold War Kids was on SNL. “Hang me up to dry” to be exact. I was fairly impressed. That’s around the time I was getting into Wolf Parade. CWK had that same raw dissonance and unabashed energy…Ok. Ten minutes and ten dollars on iTunes later I had me some tunes. I listened enthusiastically and took it all in. I liked it. It has the same social commentary political message that so many bands out there are doing (think Muse but toned down and much more subtle). Their use of multiple rhythms and clean simple riffs keeps me going. The music is full and at points reminds me of the din you find in a casino… non-stop though. Lots of cool vocal trickery singing in 3rds fifths and octaves make for beautiful timbre. I will mention they have fallen into this damn falsetto thing that I heard no less than half the male artists use this festival. Frigin Coldplay. It’s their fault. Hopefully it’ll fizzle out. Overall It was an awesome show. I left before the end of the set (a mistake for sure) to find my brother at Blue October and see what all the hype is about.
-Fabian Hernandez
St. Vincent
photo : michael maly
Mp3>>St. Vincent ‘Landmines’
Andrew Bird was definitely one of the highlights of the day, and I think that his performance left quite the mark on a the minds of the fortunate souls that caught this classically trained multi-instrumentalist whose whistling skills are…amazing. Arctic Monkeys were up next, and although the crowd attending was immense and enthusiastic, I couldn’t find any reason to stick around for more than a couple of songs. Maybe the Tito’s Vodka flowing in the media tent clouded my judgement a bit. Doubt it. The Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah performance was more rockin than what I recalled of their Lolla set, and had me scratching my head as to why I don’t listen to these guys more often.
Andrew Bird
photo : michael maly
Mp3>>Andrew Bird ‘Heretics’
Arctic Monkeys Fans
photo : michael maly
Arctic Monkeys
photo : michael maly
photo : michael maly
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
photo : michael maly
I was so looking forward to the Arcade Fire set, and due to circumstances beyond my control, I ended up catching the first few songs of Muse (photo opportunity) hoping that I would discover what everyone else seems to find appealing about this band. I gave them a second chance as the first experience did nothing for me. Well, second chance given, and I’ll tell you what….the light show was amazing. I did catch the last few songs of the Arcade Fire set, and it appeared that their performance may have been one of the standout sets of the day for those who caught it in it’s entirety. Next time.
Muse
photo : michael maly
photo : michael maly
photo : michael maly
photo : michael maly
MUSE
Gees it was a workout getting here. After last years show I was stoked at having them headline Saturday. Granted that was due to White Stripes bowing out but welcome in my world none the less… I go back and forth with Mike about Muse. I’m rather impressed, he’s not. I can’t explain it. I’ve stayed up at night trying to understand. I don’t. My second time seeing them confirmed my previous opinion. These guys are incredible! Their music is unwavering and there stage presence great. Their vocals are spot on and have my favorite politically charged album of the last decade. Not to mention “Starlight”. I’ll hold you in my arms. Wow! A great show finishing an amazing day! See you Sunday! Hope you change your mind friend!
-Fabian Hernandez
Arcade Fire
photo : michael maly
Hula girl
photo : valerie@fremin.net
