Identity Festival

8/13/11 First Niagra Pavilion
Burgettstown, PA

Quick Facts

Attendance: Estimated 7000 (capacity is 23,000, ouch)

Median age: 25

Setup: First Niagra’s amphitheater is used as the main stage (Skullcandy Stage). Another stage (Rockstar Stage) is erected in a parking lot area opposite the main stage. There is another smaller stage (Advent Stage) in the venue’s plaza area.

Garb: Some Grateful Dead t-shirts, lots of hats and sunglasses, lots of bright colors.

Crowd: Young crowd, most people look pretty in-shape, seems mid to upper-class with your occasional wook. These kids are definitely down to party and listen to music.

Review

I had some pretty high hopes for this show. Over the last couple years, it seems that EDM is finally getting the mainstream attention that it has enjoyed in Europe for the past decade. Unfortunately, none of these artists can consistently draw at venues with a capacity over 5k. Solution: Identity Festival.

Taking a page out of the jam band and alternative scenes of the early 90s, Identity is EDM’s version of H.O.R.D.E. or Lollapalooza (the touring festival, not to be confused with the annual juggernaut in Chicago). The basic idea of this type of festival is to gather enough similar artists that have no chance of playing large outdoor amphitheaters and hopefully bring in enough different fan bases to justify booking such a large venue. While this worked well for those two aforementioned festivals, Identity has, so far, not fared so well. First Niagra was only the third show on the tour but rumored ticket sales have been very low. In fact, through a sponsorship subsidized ticket deal, me and my friend got our tickets for only $20 (regular ticket price was around $63). But just because a show is incredibly undersold doesn’t mean we can’t have fun, right?

Music is advertised to run from 1 to 11 pm. We arrived around 2 but hung out around the parking lot for a few hours. The EDM crowd is unique in that it seems the majority are young as hell. This is the only show that I’ve seen police arrest and pile concert goers into a paddy wagon. At first we thought that it was for people (specifically girls) drinking that were under 21. With the help of a police officer, we figured out that it was for girls drinking that were under 18. It’s in my opinion that if you need a permission slip to go on a school field trip, you shouldn’t be coming to things like this.

With that behind us, we enter the venue and head to Rockstar’s Dim Mak stage for the Crystal Method.

The Crystal Method have been playing since the 90s and were one of the acts on the bill that I recognized. Playing to a relatively large, shallow crowd, it was easy to get close and dance for a bit. A cool thing about seeing bands that aren’t popular is the passion of the crowd. At no time did I notice people standing around talking or just watching the band. These people were here to dance. After about 40 minutes of dancing in the hot sun, me and my buddy headed over to the covered Skullcandy stage to see the Disco Biscuits.

Bisco was one of the main reasons I came to Identity. While their brand of jamtronica disgusts EDM purists and might make them seem out of place on the lineup, they draw crowds. In fact, they drew an estimated 17,000 to their annual summer music festival, Camp Bisco, in New York a month before. If I were to guess, I would say that the promoters brought them on as a safety net to make sure some people would show up to this experiment of a festival. That’s fine with me because I’m a sucker for any jam band that was in the scene when I started seeing shows a few years ago. I was also happy to be sitting in the shade.

I’ve seen the Disco Biscuits once every summer since 2008 and have noticed a transition in the direction of the band. In 2006-07, they were heralded as one of the next big jam bands because of their young, passionate fans and lengthy shows. They were going on tours with non-electric artists like Umphrey’s Mcgee and making stops at all the major multi-genre jam band festivals like Wakarusa and All Good. Over the past few years, though, it seems that the jamtronica scene has gotten large enough that Bisco no longer needs to play the jam band festivals and would much rather play festivals with a heavier electronic influence. This is probably a good thing as their fans mesh way better with STS9 and Bassnectar’s crowd than they did with fans of moe. or Gov’t Mule.

The boys played just one hour-long set, as opposed to the usual two. We stuck around to see a bit of Rusko’s dubstep but headed back to the Rockstar Stage for DJ Shadow.

Above is a picture of DJ Shadow performing inside of a half white, half clear sphere. Needless to say the show was pretty interesting. We danced for awhile but had pretty much had our fill of beats and bright lights. We passed House superstar Kaskade spinning part of Dire Strait’s “Money for Nothing” on the way out. Definitely a good note to leave on.

Overall Thoughts

For $20, I was happy with my experience at Identity. It was a good chance to see a different set of artists than the usual and experience a different kind of crowd. Unfortunately, I highly doubt that it will return next year as a touring festival. I have no idea what their business model is but I can’t imagine they will turn a profit with such low attendance even after a sponsor discounted ticket prices. They might not do too bad if more people turn out when they travel to major markets. If it does return, it will be much more scaled back and probably only hit major markets or maybe just be a one date event. Either way, it will definitely be on my radar.

Until next time,

Lotrat

My Morning Jacket

8/8/11 Lifestyle Communities Pavilion
Columbus, OH

Quick Facts

Median Age: 32

Opening Act: Neko Case

Estimated Size: 3500

Tickets: Over $40

Crowd Energy: About a 7. Fans are dedicated but maybe holding back a bit after the weekend. Pretty chill time.

Crowd: Hipsters, hippies (young and old), parents without kids, frat boys

Review

I look at My Morning Jacket as the definitive mainstream festival band. Their shows feel like a gathering of the tribes, much like the mainstream festivals have become in the last few years. At a show, you’ll find American Spirit-smoking hipster, wildly dancing hippies, and shitfaced fraternity brothers. While they will never be an arena-level band, their huge variety of fans will keep them in the headline of the major festival lineups for years.

The Louisville natives brought their Circuital tour to the LC on Monday to a comfortably packed crowd. The band played a set that lasted over two hours, mixing in most of the tunes from their latest album, Circuital, and cuts from Evil Urges, Z, It Still Moves, and At Dawn. While the show was very similar to the one I saw a couple months earlier at Bonnaroo, it was worth seeing again.

While I missed the first few songs, I caught the majority of it. The band played the songs the way they usually do: on key with studio quality vocals from Jim James with a small amount of impromptu jamming mixed in. Since they are a mostly same setlist every night kind of band, they have the opportunity to really practice these tunes every show. The product is a well-rehearsed live show with lots of energy and just a bit of a variety.

Jim James has a certain endearing quality that’s hard to pinpoint. My Morning Jacket is, without a question, his band. He’s the one with the creative input, the voice, and the raw energy that pumps the crowd into a frenzy. But the thing is, while I’ve never met the man, he doesn’t seem to have the ego of others in his position. He doesn’t introduce other members of the band like session musicians (Dave Mustaine), make himself the center of attention the whole show (Wayne Coyne), or stop the show to talk about what cause or policy he supports at the time (Les Claypool…to be fair, just about everyone is guilty of this at some point). On the contrary, James effortlessly makes it feel like you came to watch a band, not just one person. This really adds to the value of the show.

Overall, I think My Morning Jacket is one of the better live acts on tour right now. While their last album didn’t produce any big singles, it seems that the band is continuing to grow in popularity by presenting more of the same psychedelic rock that has helped them climb up festival lineups over the last decade. I can almost say with certainty that I will see the guys again after they release another album.

Until next time,

LotRat

Robert Randolph and the Family Band

10/20/10 Newport Music Hall
Columbus, OH

Quick Facts

Median Age: 32

Covers: “Thriller” Michael Jackson, “Wild Horses” Rolling Stones (Hill Country Revue)

Review

Here’s a show that’s always alluded me. Although I’ve spent a good part of the last 4 years trying to see every jam band in the country, I’ve yet to see the mighty Robert Randolph and the Family Band. I was excited to check this one off my list and see one the best guitarists currently touring. The short drive to Columbus was well worth it.

The crowd at the show was noticeably older than most crowds at the Newport. It seemed most of the younger college aged kids were in line to see comedian Aziz Ansari across the street. Their loss. This show absolutely killed it. I’d much rather see an awesome pedal steel guitarist than a sitcom star any day.

The venue was very slow to fill up. In fact, the entire upstairs was closed and they left tables and chairs surrounding the dance floor because of the lack of demand. By the time Hill Country Revue took the stage, the venue was less than a quarter full.

The last time I had seen this Southern rock band was at All Good in 2009 and I recall that they played a pretty dominant midday set. The band, which is two thirds of the North Mississippi Allstars, has a very similar feel to Gov’t Mule. Both utilize killer guitar laid over old bluesy jams and have a lead singer that belts out the ballads. The band played a short opening set starting with a couple instrumental tracks. Lead singer Daniel Coburn entered after the band had a chance to warm up. He sang passionately and added some excellent harmonica to the music. The band also made use of a washboard to assist them on some tracks at the middle of the set. I loved it. It’s very cool to see a band use rarely seen instruments. The band covered the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses” (a track that Gov’t Mule plays from time to time) near the end of the set. The crowd was not hugely into the band at the start but warmed up to them slightly by the end. It was a good way to start a night that showcased how awesome the guitar can really be.

The Newport slowly swelled up to about half capacity before Randolph went on. It was an odd mix of people. The majority of folk were older, likely learning about the band through their appearances with Eric Clapton and the Dave Matthew Band. I find it difficult to really get into shows when the crowd is older. It seems that as you get older, the desire to dance and to drink irresponsibly goes down which affects how much the crowd is involved. Maybe that’s not a bad thing. I guess we’ll see when I get old.

Robert Randolph and the Family Band boasts some high quality musicians. Surprisingly, it wasn’t Robert that impressed me most. It was his cousin, bassist Danyel Morgan that really seemed to tie everything together. I was amazed at how cohesive the band played all night. Despite playing to a venue that was half full, the band played hard. It didn’t matter if Robert was sitting down playing the slide guitar or standing up with it, he showed off why Rolling Stone included him as one of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time.

At one point in the show, Robert invited all the girls in the crowd to get on stage to dance for a couple songs. While this may have seemed like a good idea to him, it left the crowd full of testosterone-fueled dudes that were forced to just dance with each other for a bit. Oh well, it seemed like the ladies were having fun.

Another fun moment happened when anyone that could play guitar from the crowd was invited to jam with the band. After about four scrubs that couldn’t keep up with the Family, the band found an excellent musician that could hold his own for about five minutes. Definitely must have been a memorable show for that guy.

After the encore (boo), the show was over and we were out the door. This band really plays well and I would enjoy seeing them again. To me, the perfect atmosphere for this band would be during the day at a summer music festival with a lot of dirty young kids in the crowd. Although they aren’t strangers to festival lineups, I have yet to see them in that environment. Hopefully I will soon.

Until next time,

LotRat

Slayer/Megadeth

10/10/10 Lifestyle Communities Pavilion
Columbus, OH

Quick Facts

Median Age: 37

Attendance: 3500 (estimated)

Breakdown: Anthrax took the stage first for a short set (45 minutes) pretty soon after doors opened. Megadeth played around a 70 minute set featuring all of Rust in Peace. Slayer then played a set of similar length featuring all of Seasons in the Abyss. Comedian Jim Florentine provided stand-up briefly in between sets.

Drug/Alcohol use: Crowd was strictly into alcohol, and lots of it. Much more rowdy of a crowd than one would expect on a Sunday night.

Sponsors: Another Jaegarmeister metal tour.

Clothing: Dark clothing. These kinds of crowds love wearing jeans and dark band t-shirts. Lots of Slayer, Megadeth, Metallica, etc.

Review

An opportunity to see the three of the Big Four of Thrash Metal is something that cannot be missed out on. No matter how much I try to diversify what I’m listening to, metal will always be a love of mine. There’s something very good about this kind of music. All gimmickiness aside, these are world class musicians with a lot of passion for their art.

Anthrax started the show with Joey Belladonna back on the lead vocals. The band played a short set almost immediately after the doors opened. The small crowd showed some signs of interest but Belladonna’s overpowering vocals did not mesh well. If former singer John Bush was on the mic, the crowd might have responded much better. Overall, pretty meh. I’m amazed that Scott Ian still looks like he’s in his 20s.

Jim Florentine hit the stage with some Jaegarmeister girls to remind everyone who sponsored the tour. Not that it would have been possible considering Jaegarmeister banners were draped all over the venue. Florentine plugged his current TV project, That Metal Show, and tried his hand at some stand-up. Thankfully, it didn’t last long. Florentine couldn’t connect with anyone in the crowd, and quietly exited the stage leaving us to wait for Megadeth.

The main attraction for me was Dave Mustaine and company. I’ve been listening to Megadeth since high school but their tour stops have always alluded me for one reason or another. I, along with the rest of the crowd, was pretty excited to see them perform Rust in Peace in it’s entirety along with some of the other classics. Dave, looking a little older but still with the massive blond hair, shredded on every song. Seeing him live was just another reminder of what could have been if he would’ve stayed with Metallica.  Oh well, I prefer Mustaine’s nasally vocals over Hetfield’s barks any day.

The band utilized a pretty sophisticated light show for the small stage. Bright colors surrounded the band throughout and really added to the show. After Rust in Peace and a few new songs (yay!), the band wrapped it up with a couple gems: Symphony of Destruction and Peace Sells. Even though they’ve settled into the role of the band who’s best days are behind them, I think it’s refreshing to see them play some new songs. I can imagine that Greatest Hits-esque shows get pretty boring after awhile.

Next up was Florentine again, peddling Jaegarmeister shirts. He once again tried to hype the crowd up with some jokes and fared slightly better than last time. Luckily, he made a quick exit after getting the crowd pumped up for the next band.

I, admittedly, had no idea what I was getting myself into when I decided to get close to the stage for Slayer. I was wearing flip flops, a Bonnaroo t-shirt, and completely unaware of how the atmosphere would change when the lights went down. Right when the band took the stage and started “World Painted Blood”, the whole pit became the most aggressive concert environment I had ever been in. I was hurled back and forth through all kinds of people. After a song and a half, I sheepishly made my exit.

I watched a good chunk of the rest of the set on the lawn. Much calmer, much more my style. In the right mindset, I could see the moshing to be a lot of fun. At this point, it’s just not for me.

Overall, the concert was fun. Slayer was definitely the big winner of the night but Megadeth and Anthrax had their moments. The heavy metal crowd’s are an odd mix. The stereotypical meathead is well represented but the majority of people that I saw were families. Fathers taking their kids, some pretty young, out to their first concert. Mixed in with that were young couples and high schoolers. It was fun but out of the three, I would only consider seeing Slayer again and only if it was dirt cheap. Unless, of course, the Big Four tour eventually came stateside. I’d also probably wear boots so that I could last in the pit longer.

Thanks for reading,

Kid Cudi

10/06/10 Lifestyle Communities Pavilion
Columbus, OH

Quick Facts

Median Age: 19

Attendance: 4500 (Sellout!)

Ticket Face Value: $38

Scalper Value: $100

Crowd: Drunkest crowd I’ve ever been in before the show even started. Considering that the majority was underage, it’s no surprise that it was not done in the most responsible way.

Set: 1 set, Chip Tha Ripper came out for a “Hyyerr” at the end.

Setup: Dark lighting with Cudi in front. DJ with laptop in the back. Standard outdoor LC show; general admission with a floor and a small lawn.

Covers: “Already Home” Jay-Z, “That Tree” Snoop Dogg, “Memories” David Guetta

Opener: Chip Tha Ripper

Review

Kid Cudi is at a very important point in his career. He’s only one album in and he’s already established himself as one of hip-hop’s brightest young stars. He has the potential to turn himself into one of the biggest names in modern music. He just has to keep performing. And perform is what he did at his sold out show in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday. Even though it wasn’t his hometown of Cleveland, Cudi proclaimed it to be a homecoming and the crowd welcomed him as a favorite son.

His set featured a handful of new songs off the soon to be released Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. They proved popular with the audience but it was the songs off his debut album that got the most attention. “Pursuit of Happiness” generated the largest response and got the crowd drunkenly swaying to the beat.

The dark, basic lighting really adds to the feel of the show. Kid Cudi isn’t trying to wow the audience with an over-the-top extravagant concert. It is just him and his DJ on stage; DJ remaining still at his computer, Cudi weaving back and forth across the stage. It wasn’t until the very end that he really embraced the crowd by jumping down off the stage and slap hands with the lucky few crammed to the front.

While Cudi brought the right energy, it was nearly ruined by the strange atmosphere in the crowd. A combination of young college students, high schoolers, and excessive alcohol dampened what would have been a pretty fun concert. The floor was more dense than any show I have previously seen at the LC. Kids were crammed from the front to the back. While that is not necessarily terrible, it becomes a problem when people start drunkenly falling down and take a pack of six down with them. Drunken fights seemed to plague the event too although they were mostly just reduced to some lofty insults tossed back and forth. The vibe was what it was but had to be expected with the age of the crowd. Concert etiquette is something that develops over a few shows I suppose.

Overall, the concert was definitely worth seeing….once. Seeing a new, very young, very popular hip-hop star is an exciting experience. However, the crowd is something that really causes some concern on whether it’s even worth seeing. I’m glad that I had the chance to see him at this point in his career but it is unlikely that I will take the time or spend the money to see him again.

Until next time,

Matt & Kim

9/17/10 Newport Music Hall
Columbus, OH

Quick Facts

Median Age: 22 (90% between 19-24)

Band T-shirts: None! Tons of button-down shirts.

Set: 1 Set, 80 minutes

Setup: Diamond screens with bright colors on the stage, Matt and Kim’s instruments at the front, average music hall size.

Attendance: 1800 (Sellout!)

Crowd: Mostly just beer drinking but not as heavy as I would suspect from a venue on campus.

Covers: “Let Me Clear My Throat” DJ Kool, “Just a Friend” Biz Markie, “Apache” Sugarhill Gang

Opening Bands: The So-So’s, Vacation Bass

Review

Matt & Kim is one of the most entertaining bands in the scene today. The personality of both band members is something rarely seen. It’s two people that seem to love what they do for every second of the show. Kim Schifino has the most intoxicating smile I’ve ever had the pleasure to encounter. Shouting lyrics at the crowd, standing on her drum, trying to walk on the crowd; this girl brings the fun.

I’m not quite sure how I would generalize this kind of music. A mix of indie that feels good with a bit of punk is my best try. It’s kind of like the Flaming Lips but much more simple. It’s easy to dance to and it really makes you smile.

Interestingly enough, the band decided to have modern and classic hip-hop as their warm up music right after the last opener played. I didn’t really see the connection between their albums and Jay Z and Snoop until I noticed just how much fun the crowd was having listening to all of the old tunes. This band is about having fun. They are not about crafting some kind of image or staying under the radar or being the coolest kids on the scene. If they were, they wouldn’t have covered as many classic hip hop jams during the show. Likewise, fans weren’t standing around trying to look cool during the covers. They turned into huge singalongs led my Kim.

While I was expecting mostly hipsters, the crowd turned out to be almost entirely college students from nearby OSU. Although they were a bit sedated for the opening bands, nearly the entire crowd was completely behind these two. Heavy publicity by CD101 really helped this thing sell out. The band has been heavily featured the past couple weeks and did an in-studio interview during the day. The band also had a special listening party for all attendees of their new album, Sidewalks, before the show.

Overall, the show was a blast. A solid 1 set show with all of the recognizable material played. The crowd loved every minute and by the end, it seemed like about half of the crowd had crowd-surfed at some point. It ended in probably the coolest way I’ve ever seen a show end: no encore! I hate encores. It’s so refreshing to finally see a band that doesn’t make their fans beg them to come up for ten minutes. If they didn’t win me over with an awesome set and a really hot crowd, they definitely won me over by ending the show the first time they left the stage.

This is a hot new band that will continue to impress fans until they get bigger and bigger. I’m looking forward to it. I will definitely see these guys next time they come around.

Summerdance III

8/27-29/10 Nelson Ledges Quarry Park
Garrettsville, OH

Quick Facts

Setup: Stage on the beach by the large quarry full of spring water. Connects to the campgrounds with no dividers. Awesome for swimming during the day and listening to music at night. Campgrounds are set up in huge woods that rage all night. A venue that allows bonfires at the campgrounds!

Median age: 27

Music in the Campgrounds: Lots of Phish, some Umphrey’s Mcgee, Primus, Grateful Dead

Best Show: Lotus (first night)

Review

The Ledges is my favorite venue. I absolutely love coming to this place. The people, the venue, the music; it all really comes together. Bizarrely, it’s snuggled in Northeast Ohio, about 45 minutes from Akron. You’ll drive for miles through farmland until you find this sweet spot. Easily the best place in the state for live music.

When we got to our campgrounds, there were frogs. Everywhere. These are legit campgrounds, my friends.

The campgrounds are a magical place. Candles, glowsticks, and tapestries everywhere. Music playing at all times of the day, it is what makes this place wonderful.

The only bands I really got to catch were Lotus and EOTO. EOTO, String Cheese Incident’s Michael Travis and Jason Hann’s side project, provided a good warm up but it was Lotus that killed the weekend. Lotus proves once again that they are at the caliber to host an entire weekend at this venue. Lots of jamtronic fun with a pretty intense crowd. Here’s Lotus (sorry for the grainy picture):

The fun thing about Nelson Ledges? Even after the music stops, it’s still a blast. Me and my friends watched fire breathing for about an hour after the music was over. In the minority, we turned in early but the campgrounds were a hopping both nights.

Would I come back? Absolutely. I’m ashamed this is the only time I could come here this summer. Next summer, I want to live here.

Fraternally,