Tag Archives: Lollapalooza

Lollapalooza 2012 Lineup is here!

11 Apr

It should be one hot, fun weekend in Chicago for Lollapalooza.  Late last night the much-anticipated lineup for Lollapalooza 2012 was released and C3 Presents and Perry Farrell definitely did not disappoint.  The headliners were pretty much shoe-ins with the exception of Black Sabbath and At The Drive-In (talk about reunion acts) two bands I can’t say anyone really expected.  RHCP, The Black Keys, Jack White, Florence + The Machine are all doing their fair share of festival headlining this summer. Add Justice and Avicii to that list and it is going to be a heck of a good time.

I was really excited to see Sigur Ros, Miike Snow, Die Antwoord, Alabama Shakes, The Weeknd, Passion Pit, Franz Ferdinand, Of Monsters And Men, The Temper Trap, Aloe Blacc, Trampled by Turtles, Toro y Moi, The Head & The Heart, The Big Pink, JJ Grey & Mofro, Gary Clark Jr. , The Gaslight Anthem, Dawes, Bloc Party, Passion Pit, Madeon all getting great billing for the festival.

But even more thrilling was seeing some really awesome smaller acts tabbed to play; like First Aid Kit, Bombay Bicycle Club, GIVERS, Michael Kiwanuka, The Growlers, Hey Rossetta!, JEFF The Brotherhood, The Jezabels, Moon Taxi, Chancellor Warhol, The War On Drugs.

Also I have to say I love the logo used on the lineup poster, YEAR OF THE DRAGON.

See you August 3-5 at Grant Park in Chicago.

The Official 2012 Lollapalooza Line-up Video from Lollapalooza on Vimeo.

Tonight: @GROUPLOVE Plays Vegas For FREE

1 Nov

Ok Vegas, here is your reminder so you can’t say “I didn’t know” and miss an incredible show.  Tonight make your way to Book & Stage at The Cosmopolitan where GROUPLOVE will be performing at 10 p.m. and midnight.  Fresh off the release of their debut album, Never Trust A Happy Song, this quintuplet is a band you’re going to want to say you saw way back when.  These guys were my highlight of Lollapalooza, blowing me away more than their EP I had been listening to on repeat all summer.  Not only do they have a great sound but their story is damn cool too.  Check out what I wrote back in June for the skinny on the band.

So let’s recap, GROUPLOVE performing for FREE tonight (and tomorrow) at Book & Stage inside The Cosmopolitan at 10 p.m. and midnight. Got it? Good.  See you there!

 

Video: Young The Giant – “My Body” at Austin City Limits

19 Sep

All I could think while watching the online stream of Young The Giant performing at ACL was, damn I wish I was there.  Wow, what a performance and crowd for the now it rockers.  Big congrats to them for making it big and drawing an insanely huge crowd that now knows how much fun their live shows are.  I’ve been lucky to see them in an intimate setting (Book & Stage at Cosmopolitan in Vegas) and a massive setting (main stage at Lollapalooza) and both have been solid, energetic shows.  Now I just  can’t wait until the next time I get to see them live.

If you missed the online stream, check out this video of YTG performing “My Body.”

 

Austin City Limits This Weekend (Live Stream)

16 Sep

If you’re like me and not in Austin for ACL, you’re probably not a happy camper right now.  However ACL is streaming live via YouTube and you can click HERE to check in on the festival.

Also here are some of my picks for shows if I was down in Tejas.

Stevie Wonder – really, no chance I’d miss seeing him perform

Arcade Fire – I don’t care what anyone says, these guys effen rock the festival crowds

My Morning Jacket – they won me back over this summer at Lollapalooza

Nas & Damian – nuff said

Empire of the Sun – can never get enough EofS

Cut Copy – been a fan since randomly seeing these Aussies perform six years ago

Ryan Bingham – one of my favorite performances of the summer and if you know him from “The Weary Kind” oh you have so much more to discover

Randy Newman – seriously just to hear THIS

Fitz & The Tantrums – should be one of the more fun shows of the festival

Delta Spirit – huge fan and only seen them live once

Foster The People& Young The Giant – their rises to stardom this summer, wowsa and both put on hell of performances

Smith Westerns – trust me; go see these kids from Chicago

The Belle Brigade – brother and sister duo that will blow your mind

Aloe Blacc – one of the best voices I have ever heard and quite a showman as well

Mariachi El Bronx – go have some fun with Mexican Independence Day this weekend

James Blake – see what this UK wonder is all about, legit!

Gary Clark Jr. – dude’s got mad talent, up and comer for sure

The Head and The Heart – if you are part of the folk rock movement, check em

North Mississippi Allstars – need no explanation

City and Colour – definitely worth your time

Cults – yeah, they could very well be the next big thing

Alexander – take a seat in the park and enjoy this performance

little hurricane – gritty blues that you’ll dig and Tone & CC are two of the nicest people in the world

Graffiti6 – chances are you’ve never heard of them but after seeing their set, you’ll be craving more and more

Electric Touch – I’ve been dying to see them perform, please someone go for me

Bobby Long – amazingly talented musician

Seth Walker – great singer, songwriter

Chancellor Warhol – one of my favorite performances at Bonnaroo, go check out this Tennessee kid

MilkDrive – just getting into these guys

The Lee Boys – if you want to get down with your bad self, check this show

Now Playing: The Joy Formidable and Catch Them Tonight, Vegas!

15 Sep

While it still kills me to not be heading to ACL this weekend, back here in Vegas I’ll still be doing my fair share of celebrating and it all kicks off tonight with The Joy Formidable.   Stoked about this show and now that the temps are cooling, should be an awesome night for an outdoor show at The Cosmopolitan.

Check out this video from Lollapalooza and I’ll see you at the show!

 

Stream Now: GROUPLOVE – Never Trust A Happy Song

7 Sep

Hands down my favorite show at Lollapalooza, GROUPLOVE gets set to drop Never Trust A Happy Song next week and thanks to SPIN Magazine, you can stream the album live right now.  Click HERE to start streaming.

Video: Deadmau5 Live at Lollapalooza, First Show With New Stage Setup

1 Sep

One day closer to pandemonium in Las Vegas and two nights of Deadmau5 concerts at The Cosmopolitan.  Check out this video I shot at Lollapalooza last month to see what you can expect from his new stage setup (apologies it has taken me so long to upload and share this).  Fair warning the audio is terrible but the visuals are worth it.  Also about two minutes in Sofi comes out.

Enjoy!

Tonight: The Naked and Famous Live at The Cosmopolitan

30 Aug

If you are in Vegas you probably should make your way to The Cosmopolitan tonight as The Naked and Famous are playing out at The Boulevard Pool at 9 p.m.  I saw them perform out at Lollapalooza and damn, did they put on one heck of a show.  If you’ve never heard of The Naked & Famous, now’s your chance to get up close and personal with the group from Down Under.  I honestly don’t think people realize how lucky those of us who live in Las Vegas are to get bands like this to perform right in our backyard. Hope to see you tonight!

Now Playing: Maps & Atlases – Israeli Caves

11 Aug

At Lollapalooza I made a slight detour to catch some of Maps & Atlases set at the Google+ Stage and what a great decision this was. The Chicago based troupe had me from the very beginning and I can’t wait to listen to more of these guys. Hear “Israeli Caves” below and I think you’ll be hooked too.

 

Revisited: My Lollapalooza 2011

10 Aug

Sweet home Chicago!  What can I say except the 20th Anniversary of Lollapalooza far exceeded any experience I could have ever imagined. More photos will be coming soon but wow what a good time and so many great bands/artists performing.  If you wanted to discover new music, hear some great bands of the past 20+ years or just come and hang out, Grant Park was the place to be.

My First Show: Ryan Leslie

My Final Show: Deadmau5

My Favorite Show: GROUPLOVE

Who I Saw:

Day One of Lolla: Ryan Leslie, Tab The Band, Young The Giant, Naked & Famous, Delta Spirit, Foster The People, White Lies, Two Door Cinema Club, Skrillex, Afrojack, Muse, Coldplay and late night CULTS show at the Hard Rock.

Day Two of Lolla: GROUPLOVE, Walk The Moon, Maps & Atlases, Friendly Fires, Black Lips, Big Audio Dynamite, Joachim Garraud, Local Natives, My Morning Jacket, Eminem, My Morning Jacket. Night show: Skylar Grey, Mia Moretti & Caitlin Moe, Black Lips.

Day Three of Lolla: Rival Schools, little hurricane, The Cool Kids, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, The Cars, Flogging Molly, Boy & Bear, Nas & Damian Marley, Deadmau5

Best Bud Light Stage Show: Young The Giant or Friendly Fires

Best Music Unlimited Stage Show:
Muse

Best Sony Stage Show: GROUPLOVE

Best Google+ Stage Show: little hurricane

Best BMI Stage Show: Boy & Bear

Biggest Surprise: Maps & Atlases and Tab The Band

Overall Stage With The Best Performances: Sony Stage

Most Entertaining Show: Deadmau5 – debut of his new rig extravaganza

Most Disappointing Moment: the police during Eminem not caring about kids who were comatose from whatever got them into that state

Next Big Thing:  Young The Giant, these guys drew over 20,000 people at 1 p.m. and Foster The People, man in six months these guys are doing it!

Band Redemption In My Book: My Morning Jacket – I’ve seen them a handful of times and never really dug their shows, I did this time

Bands I Was Sad To Miss: Fitz & The Tantrums, City & Colour, Ween and Foo Fighters plus Portugal. The Man, again – just too hard to be two places at once

Late Night Show: CULTS at the Hard Rock

Angriest Performer: again, Eminem.  The crowd was pretty angry too

What Would Have Been Great: a fourth day of the festival

Top Lolla’er: The dude dressed in a watermelon costume crowd surfing

Random Moment Of Awesomeness: mud wrestling taking center stage after the first downpour on Sunday

Best Festival Eats: the guy who brought in Garrett Popcorn in with him.  Thanks for sharing!

Best Place To Cool Off: didn’t find one

Biggest Waste of Time: Food lines or anyone who waited for a cooling bandana from Toyota

Best Marketing at Festival: Outside a street team was handing out Foster The People “Pumped Up Kicks” shoelaces and of course I got some

Worst Part: not having a poncho or jacket when the rain came pouring down on Sunday

Clutch Move: running straight for the port o johns and finding a new garbage bag to make a poncho

Tips For Next Year: carry a poncho – when it rains it pours, drink as much water as possible, don’t try to go swimming in Buckingham Fountain – I witnessed a few beat downs, ice cream is your friend in August, make a list of bands you want to see but don’t stick to it, comfortable shoes, you will walk a lot