One Last Thing About Lollapalooza

I don't get out to the rock shows as much as I used to. It's ironic. Now that I'm done with med school and residency, I have the funding and the time, but I have fewer rock-fan friends and of course, there's Megan and the baby. My music taste changed in the last couple of years. I tended to like artists with great records without knowing what they sounded like live.

Lollapalooza was a welcome opportunity. Ten years ago, I would have preferred club shows, but the festival provided ample opportunity to make new rock memories. Three performances in particular stood out.

#3 The New Pornographers
This one was easy. Half the work was done for them, since they already had an arsenal of catchy, accessible pop songs which the crowd naturally embrassed. However, the highlight was the inspired bouncing congo line that snaked through the audience during the wonderfully titled "My Slow Descent Into Alcoholism."

#2 The Go! Team
Live, this band was a party band. Simple lyrics and an energetic stage presence had the skeptical, ironic indie kids in attendence dancing and singing/shouting along. Check out this in-studio live performance of "Ladyflash." Despite being recorded at 9:30 AM, they sounded like they'd jump right out of my speakers during the outro.

#1 Broken Social Scene
This was the best concert experience, I've had since... wow! I can't even remember another show this good. They brought the full band (somewhere between 15 and 18 members, I lost count) and they played every song like it was a closing number, full of passion, horns blasting, both drum sets banging... multiple guitarists and singers all combined to form one energetic beast. By the last song, everyone in the audience abandoned any detachment and had their arms raised screaming at the top of their lungs. When it was over, I immediately wanted to re-live that experience. I guess the audience agreed with me, since they chanted for an on-demand encore for 15 min. Alas it never came, since the Red Hot Chili Peppers had to start.

If you search YouTube, you'll find several fan videos of the closing moments of the show. This one is my favorite even though the sound is crappy.

If you don't believe me, check out the comments to this video.
Here's another song: 7/4 Shoreline