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Lady Gaga- Bad Romance (live at Lollapalooza 2010)
Lady Gaga was THE main event at Lollapalooza this year. She’s the reason I managed to convince my sister (and thus my parents) to make this trip to Chicago for pretty much just the festival. We waited at the main stage from 4:30 to 8 for her. Needless to say, my expectations were sky high. Unfortunately those expectations were not met. Her show is one of the best in pop, but there are some significant flaws that keep it from getting to the level of Madonna, or even Pink (who really does not get enough credit for how good she is).
Dance in the Dark started the set with Gaga singing behind a white see-through screen and remaining mostly motionless while her silhouette was projected. It was a cool concept that only half-worked, but I’m sure that’s mainly due to it still being somewhat light out at 8 o’clock. Once the screen was raised and she really began dancing, the crowd went nuts and the performance seemed to feed off of that energy and dramatically improve. The live-only song “Glitter and Grease” followed, and was a silly trifle that helped move the “plot” of the show (Gaga and co are trying to get to the Monster Ball, car breaks down, they take the subway, end up somewhere scary, everyone abandons her, she fights The Fame Monster, and returns triumphant) forward. “Just Dance” followed, and was the first big crowd-pleaser of the night and one of the best performances with nice choreography and good vocals.
After Just Dance, the show took a turn for the worse though. Lady Gaga gave the first of her many speeches about how you have to love yourself, not listen to people who bully you or put you down, etc. etc. etc. I know she has a young teen audience, and I’m glad there’s someone out there spreading that kind of message to people because I know there are a LOT of kids out there who need someone like her to tell them that, but it’s done in such a trite way that it’s a real turn-off. I’m also not at that place in my life anymore where that would resonate, even though I think she really does mean it sincerely, so it really interrupts the flow of the show for me. It’s also a turn-off the way she comes out and directly states the message multiple times. If there’s some lonely and depressed kid out there who needs your message and needs to feel like there’s someone out there who “gets it”, they’ll figure it out themselves. As is probably obvious from my other Tumblr posts, the person who got that message about loving yourself and accepting who you are to me was Tori Amos, and that’s at the core of a lot of her music, but it’s not like she ever came right out and said “Accept yourself! Be free!” in this sermonizing way. At times Gaga’s speeches made her sound like a cult leader, and I was just waiting for her to say “Now drink the Kool-Aid!” (If she had actually said “Now drink the Kool-Aid!” I would’ve forgiven all the speeches because it would’ve shown some self-awareness and humor, two things that were present the last time I saw her but were lacking tonight.)
Musically, the set also hit a lull here. The material on The Fame really suffers in comparison to The Fame Monster songs, so stacking Beautiful, Dirty, Rich, The Fame, and Money Honey in the same part of the set drags everything down a bit, even if none of them are awful. Lovegame was enjoyable, but more so for Gaga’s latex nun habit than for anything special in the performance. This portion of the set was saved by Boys Boys Boys, which was a lot of fun and featured some ridiculous gay dancing by guys in jockstraps/tight white pants and dudes groping each other, and Telephone, which of course brought a surge of energy in the crowd and which Gaga nailed.
A quick word on the video interludes: Very very disappointing. I was hoping for something along the lines of Britney Spear’s dirty and awesome video to Marilyn Manson’s Sweet Dreams cover or Madonna’s Sorry, Get Stupid, or What It Feels Like For A Girl remixes (which are great musically and get across political messages), but Gaga’s videos were largely failed attempts to be “artsy” that felt dull and lifeless. None struck me as particularly memorable, and the music accompanying them felt like an afterthought. I felt like the videos from The Fame Ball were far superior, and those weren’t amazing either.
The piano portion of the set followed, with Gaga performing both Speechless and the new song You And I. Her piano playing style has changed somewhat since I last saw her, and is a lot more Elton John-esque (which is a negative for me, but your mileage may vary). Speechless was an improvement on the album version, although her dedications to her father were distracting, since I refuse to believe the song is about her father and not her ex-boyfriend. (Seriously, her father does not have long hair and wear tight jeans! How many bars do you go to with your father? He doesn’t strike me as the type to be hanging out at Death and Company either!) You And I seems to be about her reuniting with that ex-boyfriend, and is a good song with a very classic rock tone. It’s not going to be a huge single, but it was a nice change of pace in the set, although I would’ve preferred to hear Future Love or Fooled Me Again if she wants to do a mostly unknown piano song. Gaga playing the piano with one foot while hopping around on the other at the end of You And I was an impressive feat though. Before the piano set, Gaga also brought out her old friend Lady Starlight to perform a bit from their 2007 Lolla routine where they danced to Metallica. This made the show unique, and it was nice to see that Gaga hasn’t forgotten some of the people who helped her get to the main stage.
After the piano set, the show jumped back to Gaga’s best material: The Fame Monster and the big singles from The Fame. Monster is my favorite from the album (along with So Happy I Could Die, which unfortunately was cut from the set), and that got a very interesting performance with Gaga having her heart ripped out and fake blood all over her along with some great choreography, although the vocals were messier than I would’ve liked. Teeth followed, and was a nice stomp-along song that Gaga got very into. Poker Face followed and was another highlight, partially due to it getting the 2nd biggest crowd response of the evening. The song has been played out for me for a while, but the excitement in the audience made me appreciate it again and it really is a well-crafted pop song that Gaga does an excellent job with live.
Paparazzi concluded the main set, with Gaga confronting a giant animatronic fish representing “The Fame Monster”. At this point, she yelled “You have to help me kill the monster by taking its picture!” and I thought, wasn’t this the gimmick in the Power Rangers stage show I saw when I was 6? Although I’m pretty sure they didn’t have the monster try to rape the Power Rangers, so it’s a little different. Still, that prop was completely ridiculous in a good way and led to the show concluding on a dramatic high note. The performance of Paparazzi was very good, far superior to the Gwen Stefani-esque studio version but not as good as the VMA performance. The encore was (of course) Bad Romance, and was probably the best moment of the night. It was epic and triumphant, everything I would’ve hoped it’d be, and it sent everyone home happy. On the way out, all I heard was people talking about how great she was, and I think it’s at least in part due to how excellent the closing moments were.
Although I was somewhat disappointed in the show at points, it was still worth the wait and I’m excited to see it again in September to see how different elements change in the regular production. All the flaws in the show could easily be fixed by the next tour (no filler Fame tracks, less speeches), and I think Gaga is far from peaking. That closing run of hits made me confident she’ll get to the level I want her to be at someday, but she’s not quite there yet.
Jeff Tweedy making a surprise guest appearance during Mavis Staples’ set
Lollapalooza day 1 has come and gone, so here’s a collection of my semi-random thoughts and musings about the day (minus Lady Gaga and Cut Copy’s aftershow, which will get their own posts soon-ish):
-We missed most of B.O.B., who my sister wanted to see, due to the line to get in being super-long. We got to his stage just in time to hear Airplanes (which was meh) and a cover of MGMT’s Kids, which was surprisingly good. I think everyone who was at Lolla that early was at B.O.B.’s set since it was packed, and the sheer size of the crowd at that point freaked us out a little about how difficult it would be to get close for Lady Gaga later.
-We walked to the complete other side of the festival, which takes about 15 minutes, to go see Wavves. Luckily, Nathan Williams didn’t freak out and have an onstage breakdown (although that would’ve been entertaining) and their show was decent if not spectacular. There were a few moments where the band took shots at each other, and it was hard to tell if it was just joking around or if they were actually pissed, especially with their reputation.
- After Wavves, we got some food and water which were priced surprisingly reasonably. Lollapalooza also offers free refills on water at a few water stations throughout the park which is a VERY nice perk and definitely kept me from dehydrating. We took our food, sat on the grass, and listened to Los Amigos Invisibles who played a good mix of their own stuff and some well-chosen classic pop songs. I had never heard of them before today, so they were a pleasant surprise.
-Mavis Staples was up next, bringing some gospel music to an oddly receptive crowd. Mavis is 70 years old and put on a great show. Her new album is produced by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and he made a surprise guest appearance on two songs, garnering a very enthusiastic crowd reaction. Mavis’ voice is still in fine shape, and her band is excellent, but some of the best moments of her set were when she would just repeat lyrics of her songs spoken-word style and make comments like, “Our record comes out September 14th…and that’s not too far from…December 25th, so buy 6 copies and give them as gifts”. The new material all sounded good, although not too different from her other songs, so the album will most likely be enjoyable, if she’s your cup of tea. They closed the set with a crowd sing-along to “I’ll Take You There” that was a lot of fun.
-Next up was Cymbals Eat Guitars, whose audience was comprised almost entirely of stoners. I had 3 groups in front of me all smoking multiple times before/during the set, so the whole place reeked of weed to the point of ridiculousness. Their set wasn’t quite as good as the night before, and they cut what I thought was the best new track from the set. It turns out one new track might actually be named “Gary Condit”, I thought they were just fucking around when they said that yesterday but apparently not since they said it again today. The audience connection was a little better today, with some more banter and Joe opening his eyes a tiny bit more.
-Once Cymbals Eat Guitars finished, we rushed over to the main stage for the last half of Devo’s set, getting there just in time to hear Whip It!, which was awesome of course. The rest of their set was excellent as well, with multiple costume changes and all the hits you want to hear. The guys in Devo are OLD though, and it shows in how ridiculous they look in the costumes nowadays. Their set made me wish I could jump back in time 25 years or so and see them at their peak, when everything about their look/gimmick worked and them being in short shorts was fun, not kinda sad.
- After Devo’s set, we moved forward in the crowd to where we stood for the next 4 and a half hours. The main stage has a T-shaped barricade that you have to go around to get really close to the front. We managed to get around the barricade and into the area of people who had been waiting for Gaga most of the day. This was great but also meant being packed like sardines for the hour between Devo and Hot Chip, Hot Chip’s set, and the hour between them and Lady Gaga. Extremely uncomfortable, but worth it.
-Hot Chip did the best they could, but their set was completely forgettable. The crowd was largely indifferent, and I know I was wishing they would just finish so we could get to the main event faster even though I think they’re alright. The band order should’ve been switched with Devo going in their spot, since they at least have hits to get people excited and could better deal with a semi-hostile crowd.
- I wish I could’ve seen Dirty Projectors and Chromeo but it just wasn’t meant to be. Both went on too late in the day for it to be worth losing our spot at the main stage to see, and I’ve seen Dirty Projectors before so it was an easy call to skip them. I could hear a little bit of Chromeo’s set over at the main stage and it sounded good though.
Joe D’Agostino from Cymbals Eat Guitars at Schuba’s in Chicago.
I saw Cymbals Eat Guitars play a Lollapalooza pre-show tonight, and it was a good show with one flaw that kept it from greatness. In terms of the music and vocals, it was excellent, with the band being both intense and fluid but still precise when they needed to be. There was a lot of new material, almost all of which represented a significant leap forward including one track that had a far better hook than anything on their debut album. The sound mix and quick pace of the songs made it difficult to catch any lyrics, but I don’t doubt that they’ll be at least the same quality lyrically as the older songs. They also did a delightfully messy and high-energy cover of Superchunk’s “Detroit Has A Skyline”, which was also recorded for The AV Club and should be available soon. The show’s problem lay in a lack of real connection to the audience. Joe D’Agostino spends 90% of the show staring off to his right with his eyes closed or bent over his guitar, and the rest of the band (besides the bass player who made a few comments) was silent. Joe’s behavior can probably be attributed to needing to concentrate due to the difficulty of a lot of the band’s guitar parts and vocals but it made it significantly harder to connect with the performance, especially since between song banter was minimal. I will give him one thing though: he does the best microphone fellatio since early 90’s Tori Amos, with a wide open mouth millimeters from the mic much of the night. I also met Joe briefly after the show and he was very friendly and nice. We talked about when the next album was going to come out (not until next year), what other bands were playing (including Lady Gaga, who one of the band members sorta-knows) and the last time I saw them, at Generation Records a few months ago. All in all, it was a show I was glad I went to, despite being pretty exhausted from getting less than 3 hours of sleep last night, and I’m looking forward to seeing them again tomorrow at Lolla.
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Robyn- Dancing On My Own (live in Philadelphia)
The wait between Kelis and Robyn was a little over 45 minutes, but it felt like an eternity, half because of excitement and half because of exhaustion from dancing for the hour before. One entertaining aspect of the wait was a spectacularly hammered (seriously, she was wasted from 8-12 without another drink and barely seemed to sober up at all) girl molesting these two gay guys in front of her to the point that if the genders were reversed, she probably would’ve been arrested. They weren’t too happy about it but tolerated it with only a few “Help! Please!” comments or eye-rolls in the direction of me, my sister, and other people. So let’s all remember the golden rule people: only touch others the way you want to be touched and know when you’ve been politely turned down.
Robyn hit the stage running with a blistering performance of Fembot, and the crowd was insane with joy. If the crowd response to Kelis was great, this was overwhelming, and the energy didn’t let up for the entire set. As someone who likes Robyn, but didn’t see what made her so special to people, this performance made me see why she’s different from other pop stars. She owned the stage, dancing by herself with some moves that looked straight out of work-out videos but were oddly amazing. Her on-stage charisma and personality was something to behold. There was a tremendous performance of Cry When you Get Older (the best track on Body Talk part 1, although few people agree with me on that), which was followed by an amazing new version of Cobrastyle that handily trumped the studio version. Who’s That Girl was another highlight that Robyn put a ton of energy and emotion into.
The show had only a few minor flaws: the non-performance of Don’t Fucking Tell Me What To Do, where Robyn ate a banana and danced around instead of singing, which really should’ve been a video interlude while Robyn had a mid-set costume change (additionally the Konichiwa intro also should’ve been a video interlude), although that may have not been possible due to budget reasons. The light show was largely excellent, but when Robyn went downstage by the band, the lights tended to overwhelm and make her difficult to see. These flaws are minor though, and the main set was excellent, concluding with a new version of Be Mine that upped the anger and aggression in the song in place of the sadness of the original. I don’t think that this new version was better than the album’s, but it fit better into the set and was a perfect closer. The encore was unfortunately shorter than at other shows, with no Show Me Love or Hang With Me, both of which I had hoped to hear, but it did contain an epic rendition of With Every Heartbeat that ended the night perfectly. Robyn’s show was far better than I was expecting, and I will definitely be seeing her again when she tours for Body Talk parts 2/3.
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St. Vincent- The Party (live from Central Park Summerstage 2010)
I saw St Vincent this Sunday, and while the show was great overall (even if it was plagued by sound issues like having WAY too much bass and barely being able to hear the string section for a few songs), I’m not sure how I feel about the new arrangement of The Party they played at the show. I’m all for artists experimenting with their sound and making their songs different live, but having the first half of this song be minimalist bass and keyboard bleeps and bloops keeps the music from matching up with the tone of the lyrics. When the strings come in, the song gains back its original cinematic feel in time for a strong but melancholy conclusion, but it just made me wish the entire song had been just the strings and Annie singing. The interplay between the two musical styles doesn’t lead to transcendence, just messiness. It’s still interesting to hear though, and it’s the performance from the show I’ve thought about the most in the last two days, so that should count for something.
Other highlights:
The live debut of The Neighbors (which sounded great)
Jesus Saves I Spend
Marrow, which is a song that I was never all that into on Actor but the crunchy dissonance was much more effective live and it showcased just how intense Annie Clark can get with some extremely physical guitar playing.
I also bought Actor on vinyl, since I didn’t have a physical copy of the record and with the show being free, I wanted to buy something and support the band. The cover looks very cool but also a little creepy when blown up to vinyl sleeve size.
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PLUG ME IN AND FLIP SOME SWITCHES.
I love me some spectacle and dramatic excess, but sometimes it’s even better to see a pop performance that just relies on the beat, some strobe lights, and the charisma of the lead singer. And look how much fun she’s having because everything isn’t intensely choreographed and regimented! Take a note, other pop bitches.
Source: tylercoates
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Hole- Play With Fire/Courtney talking to crowd and me specifically/Boys On The Radio
Skip the Play With Fire cover, it’s been the low point of the 3 shows I’ve seen them play it at, at 2:05 she starts talking to the crowd and the guy who guesses the next song right and gets her lipstick is ME! (!!!) You can’t even imagine how excited I was in that moment. AND I got a thumbs up too! In case you’re curious or want to look like Courtney, she wears Make Up Forever Professional lipstick, it’s red and shade 207.
Setlist w/ video links:
Pretty On The Inside/Sympathy For The Devil
Skinny Little Bitch
Miss World
Violet
Letter To God
Pacific Coast Highway
Take This Longing
Plump
Malibu
Reasons To Be Beautiful
Closer/Man Who Got Away
Celebrity Skin
Samantha
Play With Fire
Boys On The Radio
Doll Parts/Pretty Your Whole Life
Northern Star
Thirteen
So obviously the highlight of the show was the moment above, but the rest of the show was pretty amazing as well. It was just as good overall as the NYC shows I saw earlier this year, and much better at some points. The opening 4 songs were less energetic than in NYC, but once they hit Letter To God the show took off into the stratosphere. Courtney’s voice was excellent and she gave it her all, to the point that she was losing her voice by the encore but she toughed through that to deliver great versions of all the encore songs as well.
Show highlights in brief because I’m too tired to write up a full review:
-PLUMP! This was the song I most wanted to hear her play at all of the shows I went to this year, and I had asked her for it in NYC, so it was great to finally hear it, especially since it was the first performance of the song in 6 years and the first with this band. The new band had it down and both Courtney and the crowd were very into it, with Courtney injecting this performance with just as much vigor and venom as the studio version
-Boys On The Radio- This was surprisingly intense, with Courtney visibly crying as she sang the ending.
-Doll Parts- The Doll Parts performance was great but standard, until she added a new half-improvised verse from Pretty Your Whole Life (a new unreleased song that’s only been performed a few times) to the end that was really good.
-Closer/The Man That Got Away- Courtney’s voice is surprisingly suited to Man That Got Away, she goes very low for it and it works so well I think she should probably sing a few more songs low and menacing like that. It gives the song a more sinister and hopeless vibe than Judy Garland’s original or the excellent Jeff Buckley cover. The slowed-down version of Closer she’s been playing worked a million times better than I thought it would from previous videos, letting the lyrics of the song beyond just the infamous chorus come into focus.
-Pacific Coast Highway- Courtney had the crowd sing the “your whole world is in my hands” part and seemed genuinely delighted when people knew the words and joined in.
-Take This Longing was a big improvement from the versions in NYC, it’s obvious she’s practiced this one a fair amount since then. Her performance of the song handily tops Leonard Cohen’s original and Courtney’s vocal proves her strength at delivering ballads, something people tend to overlook in favor of talking about how well she screams or delivers bon mots.
-Courtney was chatty with the audience tonight in a way she wasn’t at the earlier shows, and she seemed overall much looser and like she was enjoying herself. She talked about her Behind The Music for a few seconds, saying she liked the first hour but the second hour was ehh, that her half-sister looked fat, her entire family was fat and thus shouldn’t be on TV, and dedicated a song to Francis’ first nanny who apparently has cancer. She also said she was late to the show because she was obsessively texting some guy she has a crush on, and then asked the crowd who was an overtexter because sometimes she feels like she’s the only one.
- She had on a ridiculous pair of black boots, and played most of the show with nothing covering her panties, which were either jeweled or just VERY glittery and cost $800.
- Courtney actually played guitar on a few songs and you could tell it was her playing, not the “hidden” guitarist.
The only disappointments with the show were that they continue to use their underwhelming “Play With Fire” cover as the start of the encore, and that Honey and Dirty Girls weren’t played, which means I’ll probably never get to hear them live since it’s the last show I’m doing this tour and if they’re rarities now, I doubt they’ll be played on another tour (assuming there even is one!)
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Tori Amos- Streets of Philadelphia (Bruce Springsteen cover, live 2005)
I was bruised and battered and I couldn’t tell what i felt
I was unrecognizable to myself
I saw my reflection in a window, I didn’t know my own face
oh brother, are you gonna leave me wasting away
on the streets of Philadelphia
Oh right, Tori Amos covers classic rock week isn’t finished yet! Remember how I said there was a Springsteen cover coming? Here it is, in all its glory, rescued from the drum machine and synthesizer hell that defined the original instrumental. Tori’s vocal here is also more emotive than Springsteen’s original (notice how she tends to do that to anything with a gruff male vocal?) although his understated delivery has its merits as well. In the original the vocalizations read to me as “ay-ay-ay, ay-ay-ay” and are just providing background sound, whereas Tori’s versions turns it into an “I-I-I”, a stutter of emotion delivered different ways as the song progresses.
If I’m completely honest, this isn’t one of Tori’s best covers or one of Springsteen’s best songs, but there’s another reason this song is important to me. The first time I saw a regular Tori Amos concert was in Philadelphia in 2005, which is when she did this cover. It was the first and last time she performed that song, something unique and special just for that night. This song to me represents the best part of the live music experience: when something unexpected, new, or unusual happens and you’re just blown away by it. It’s not necessarily what you came for, but it’s what you leave the show remembering. Surprises and unique moments are what can’t be replicated outside of a live setting, and sometimes the vibe and what made the moment special can only work if you’re there. Luckily that time I was. (Special shout-out to Steph, who went to this show with me as a last minute favor so I didn’t have to go with my dad.)
ain’t no angel gonna greet me
it’s just you and i, my friend
Kelis- Holiday/Milkshake
I just got tickets for me and my sister to see the Robyn/Kelis tour in Philly. Unlike most people on the internet, we’ll be there mainly for Kelis. (I like Robyn, but she’s hit-or-miss. Her new EP is half great, half meh) This ,along with Brave, was the highlight of her April NYC show. There’s bubbles and crowd sing-alongs and booty-shaking and I was pretty blissed out once that sample hit. My friend Andrew can attest that I was the first person in the crowd to recognize the Holiday sample, which is both awesome and totally lame (my recognizing it, not Holiday which is all awesome).
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I need to figure out a way to get to this year’s Bumbershoot Festival in Seattle September 4th-6th. The line-up is pretty insane, just on the main stage there’s:
SATURDAY Bob Dylan • Neko Case • The Decemberists
SUNDAY Weezer • Hole • Rise Against
MONDAY Mary J. Blige • Special Guest • J. Cole
Plus about 100 other acts. Anybody willing to come with me or have an idea on cheap/free places to stay? VIP passes for all 3 days are only $250 (and include free drinks and snacks in air-conditioned lounge) or regular passes are $40 a day, so the main hurdle is airfare and hotel costs.
Pink- I’m Not Dead (Live at Wembley Stadium 2007)
I’m not dead, just floating
Underneath the ink of my tattoo
I’ve tried to hide my scars from you
I’m not scared, just changing
Right beyond the cigarette and the devilish smile
You’re my crack of sunlight
Here’s the song that most needs to be added to the new setlist for this tour (along with You Make Me Sick). From 2:10 on is perfect, with excellent work from Pink’s guitarist and backing vocalists as well. As good as it is, I still don’t know how this song became a crowd sing-along moment though.
Pink- Family Portrait (live in Philadelphia 2009)
This was the most intense moment of Pink’s last tour, and this night it was extra passionate because her mother was in the audience. The vocals on that last chorus from 2:10-2:40 are amazing and filled with pain. I think it also takes a lot of guts to do a song that emotional in a stadium show with just piano and violin and trust that the audience will listen and not be douchebags and talk over it.
Pink- Bad Influence (Live from Australia 2009)
Pink starts her new Funhouse Summer Carnival tour tonight, so I thought it would be appropriate to share some of her live highlights. Pink is really the most under-appreciated pop star in the US (Europe and especially Australia are nuts for her though). Girl puts on a great show though, with aerial acrobatics, powerful live vocals, and plenty of spectacle for a third of the price of Britney/Gaga.
The best parts of this video are her entrance, which is one of the better show entrances I’ve seen (although not as good as Madonna emerging out of a giant disco ball on the Confessions tour), and her singing as she’s lifted into the air and carried down the stage around the 3 minute mark.
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Thirsty?
I was at the first show (Philadelphia) where Tori/”Santa” disappeared from the stage to go get mojitos for her and the band and the entire audience had a collective WTF moment, but then everyone lost their shit as she danced her way back around the stage. Her entire body language changed and it was the first time (aside from Pip’s performance of “Cruel”) the dolls felt like characters and not just Tori in a wig for me. It was a really cool moment that added some fun and personality to her “doll” alter-ego.
Source: earwithfeet
