Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival - 4.27 - 4.29.07

My first trip to California was as enjoyable as I’d hoped it would be, and the Coachella craziness was well worth every penny spent. My only complaint – I’m still struggling to process it all! Try as I might, there’s no way I can relay all of the fabulous sights & sounds. There were so many, and I missed plenty. The sleep deprivation and scorching heat apparently wiped my brain of its ability to remember things. I saw 20+ acts, and there were very few that I didn’t enjoy. Still, I had my favorites:

Satellite Party
Rufus Wainwright
The Nightwatchman
Kings of Leon
Ghostface Killah
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Black Keys
The Roots

And of course, this goes without saying, Rage Against The Machine were as intense and phenomenal as I dreamed they would be. Unlike my cohorts, I didn’t survive the pit through Manu Chao. I thought I could hang, but I got smashed into some guy’s armpit and I didn’t want to die with BO as my last memory. I figured it was better to get out while I could still walk, so I shoved my way through the crowd. I got lucky, though (there are still kind people in this world) and ended up getting a spot in front of the crowd, on the left-side of the stage. I couldn’t see Brad, but I had a practically unobstructed view of Tom, Zack, and Tim. The crowd energy was insane, and somehow my tired, achy body was healed for that hour or so. I have never jumped up and down more at a concert. It gave me goosebumps to hear the people chanting each word along with Zack. And I have seen plenty of guitarists, but none do exactly what Tom Morello does. Say what you want about his technical abilities, he is one of the most unexampled musicians out there today (in my humble opinion).

Anyhow, I wish I could tell more compelling tales of the experience, but I’m still so overwhelmed. I will say this, though, the horror stories I read were not all true. I thought the event was well organized, there were plenty of places to cool off if you were getting overheated, bottles of water were $2 (but there were fountains where you could refill for free and a recycle program), food was consistently good, and the acoustic bleeding from stage to stage wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d heard it would be. If I ever have the time and money, I will definitely consider going again.

Widespread Panic - Live 4.3.07 - Richmond, VA

Widespread Panic
Landmark Theater in Richmond, VA
April 3, 2007, 7:30 PM
Ticket Price: $45

Going to see Widespread Panic gives me a sort of giddy excitement that only a few other bands can top. Now that they have guitarist Jimmy Herring in the mix, the energy is insane. They nearly blew the roof off the Landmark Theater in the second set. I will say, though, that I prefer the Pan-Pan in outdoor venues. There are six guys on stage, and that’s a lot of sound to be contained by four walls. Our seats were at the top of the theater, too, so the vocals were a little washed out. But no matter. The jams made up for it. And I’m used to dancing on the grass, so the plush carpet was a nice change of pace.

Part of the joy of Panic shows, for me, is the interaction between fans. There are really no strangers; we’re all united in our love of the music. And I really look forward to seeing everyone in their hippie garb.

Set 1: From The Cradle > Fishwater, Better Off, Angels on High, You Should Be Glad, Flicker > Greta, You Got Yours, Give

Set 2: This Part Of Town > All Time Low > Diner > Party At Your Mama’s House > Airplane > Drums > Impossible > One Arm Steve > Love Tractor

Encore: Pilgrims > Blackout Blues

On the way to shows, I always like to name my 3 wishlist songs for the night. This time I wanted Surprise Valley, Climb To Safety, and Fishwater. Well, I got Fishwater second song of the night. Can’t ask for more than that. Flicker is a new song that they’re working on, and we Virginians got blessed with it’s first on-stage debut. Excellent.

Set 1 was definitely a warm-up for Set 2. I think they must’ve tweaked the sound a little bit, too, cause the vocals were slightly clearer. The boys didn’t relent in bringing the hotness – This Part of Town into All Time Low into DINER ! into PAYMH into AIRPLANE !!! Then the bongo and drum time ensued. You can always pick out the moderate fans – they sit down during the drum solos, hehe. Anyway, it seemed like a lot of people were complaining about the sound, but always in the context of, “If they sounded that good with crappy sound, imagine how awesome they’ll be this summer.” I can’t wait!!!

Rose Hill Drive - Live 3.8.07 - Washington DC

When I went to see The Who last week, I had no clue about the opening band. I got to the venue at 7:30, and shortly thereafter, the lights went down. Three young-looking lads with hair almost down to their waists come out and launch right into some good ole-fashioned style, loud rock ‘n’ roll. They get instant brownie points from me – I have a thing for power trios (and longhairs). Their sound is definitely borrowed heavily from Black Sabbath, the Rolling Stones – also reminds me a little bit of Wolfmother. Their lyrics aren’t particularly memorable, but their stage presence and sound are. No frills, nothing too fancy – just straight up RAWK !

My only complaint was I did not know who they were. The frontman mumbled their name 2 or 3 times, but never clearly enough for me to make out what he said. The people in the crowd around me were all wondering as well. It’s a shame they didn’t have some sort of banner posted or something. I bet a lot of these people won’t take the time to find out who they are. Lucky for them, I am uncompromising when it comes to these matters, and I wouldn’t stop the Google searches until I uncovered that they were Rose Hill Drive from Boulder, Colorado. The band consists of two brothers, Daniel and Jake Sproul in the front, with friend Nate Barnes on drums. Here’s the kicker – not one band member exceeds the age of 23. And they’re already opening for the freaking Who! That must be quite a head trip for them. I expect good things to come from these guys. I’m really looking forward to seeing them grow, and I highly recommend them. Check out this little promo video -


For more –
Rose Hill Drive on Myspace
Rose Hill Drive Website

The Who - Live 3.8.07 - Washington DC

The Who
Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
March 8, 2007, 7:30 PM
Ticket Price $121.50
Opening Act: Rose Hill Drive (Stay tuned for another post about these guys – they rawk!)

This was my second time seeing The Who on this tour, and I was blown away again. Daltrey’s vocals sounded even more powerful than they did last time, and Townshend, well, what can I say? His playing, stage presence, songwriting – simply astonishing. Although he’s 61 years young, his guitar work hasn’t petered out at all. He strikes each note and chord with precision, and channels incredible energy into every riff.

We got all the greatest hits – I Can’t Explain, The Seeker, Who Are You, Behind Blue Eyes, Baba O’Riley, Eminence Front, You Better You Bet, My Generation, Won’t Get Fooled Again, and a nice encore Tommy medley including Pinball Wizard and See Me Feel Me. The addition of Real Good-Looking Boy was a nice surprise. Daltrey told about his boyhood fascination with the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, saying that Elvis was one the biggest influences on his career path (the other one being Pete). They launched into the song while some video footage confirmed that Mr. Presley was indeed a “real good-looking boy.” They also played excerpts from the mini-opera on Endless Wire, with an introduction from Pete. He was almost apologetic about playing the new material, saying that he didn’t want to shove it down our throats. I was annoyed by how many audience members left for beer refills after that; but whatever, I’ve come to realize my dedication to the music is atypical – except here on MOG :)

Anyway, I’m kind of spacing on the rest of the details. I need to start taking notes! It’s hard to believe these guys classify as senior citizens…thank God they didn’t die before they got old. Of course I can’t deny my longing for a time machine, back to the Isle of Wight for instance, but I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to at least see The Two. And I don’t want to downplay their supporting musicians. Zak Starkey (drums) and Pino Palladino (bass) are filling roles that many fans claim are impossible to fill. They pull it off admirably, though.

I’ll leave you with a blistering solo from Townshend. This was filmed in Reno about 2 weeks before I saw them.