Virgin Mobile FreeFest
Went by myself last night because the person I was going to go with wasn’t feeling well, but I had a lot of fun anyways. I didn’t get there until after church, but it didn’t really matter because all of the bands I really wanted to see weren’t coming on until the evening. I got there during Jet’s set, they were good, definitely a lot of fun, but I was more excited about the bands to follow. The Bravery came on next and they were very good. I’m a big fan of their music and it’s always more fun when you know the songs they’re playing. Their set had all of the songs I wanted to hear and they played a couple from their upcoming album. It was great to finally see them live.
The next band that I saw was Weezer. They were really the main reason for me going to this event because I’ve liked their music for years, but never got to see them live. There was no way I was gonna pass up an opportunity to see them for free. I don’t know what it is about Weezer’s music that I like so much, but I really like all of their albums. The lead singer, Rivers Cuomo, is just crazy enough…actually he’s quite loony, but in any case he’s hilarious because he doesn’t curse, so he uses phrases that make him look like he fell out of the 1950’s. I know a lot of people who like Weezer, but only like their Blue Album or Island in the Sun, etc, but I think there are great songs on each of their albums and the more I learned about the band and the conception of each album the more I grew to like them. A great concert for singing along and so many songs from over the years and so many memories tied to those songs. It was one of those concerts where each song transported me back to a time and a place and individual people, and it was rather nostalgic. They covered the whole span of their discography from Buddy Holly to Pork and Beans. I would have paid a lot of money to see them and probably will next time they come to town.
GirlTalk was next and he is insane. Basically one giant dance party. If you know who he is or have seen him in concert, you know what I mean. Definitely a lot of fun, but not for the faint of heart. There is no way to really describe what he does, his large screens stated, “I’m not a DJ” and it’s very true, he’s basically a musician with his computer and samples of other songs as his instruments. He creates new music with other people’s. Some describe him as a mashup artist, but what they do is not generally done live, whereas his is. If you like high-energy fast paced shows, this is for you.
Franz Ferdinand was last. I wanted to see them ever since I saw them open up some awards show a couple years ago. Another band for which I know most of the words to their songs. I listened to them a lot circa 2006, but haven’t as much as of late. Very fun show, excellent musicianship, solid set, a ton of fun. It was very smoky, on stage due to the fog machines and in the crowd…due to, well you get the idea, rather, uh, aromatic? All in all it was a great show and a wonderful end to a jam packed evening.
The lineup for this year’s Virgin Music Festival was rather fortuitous as all of the bands I just reviewed I had never seen live until last night but had wanted to for quite some time. I would have gone for any one of these bands, but having all of them in one place in one evening was well worth the cost of admission, that was free but i would have paid, and it was an epic concert experience. I’ve got a few more shows I’m planning on going to later this year so hopefully they are as much fun. I’m gonna hunt down a couple bands too to see if there are any shows within driving distance…if anyone is interested in going or needs someone to go to a show with, I’m always up for an adventure.
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