It was only 3:30 in the morning when the entire camp was awakened by a massive tornado of rain that was blowing through tent city. There were shouts called out between various occupants, alligators were sworn at, and generally we all feared for our lives as rain was blown sideways through every conceivable gap in our tents, sleeping bags, and lives. Eventually the torrential rain abated but not before thoroughly waking us all up and leaving us a bit soggy for the remainder of our sleep.
Luckily we had another massive day of music to dry our soggy souls. Even though there are always rotten apples at any festival, at Langerado there were more than enough stages to find what your heart was looking for.
First on the list for day three was a band from Portland who goes by the name Blitzen Trapper. Before this show I had never heard any of their music and I came away from their set feeling like they had grown on me throughout the hour. They play a slightly odd concoction of rock fused with southern sensibilities. It’s as if they took the current trend of channeling mid 70’s southern rock and filtered it through distortion pedals. They sound best though when they leave these trappings behind and use three part harmonies and acoustic instruments to create a more subtle sound.
mp3 : Blitzen Trapper - Wild Mountain Nation
for more : site myspace amazonmp3 itunes
Next up I caught a slice of the set by dance/techno/electronica musicians Pnuma Trio. Most of their music was too long, boring, and largely forgettable so I quickly moved down the line to hear a few songs by Dr. Dog. Although I didn’t have time to catch their entire set it was a nice change of pace for the festival to hear some quirky yet mellow indie rock.
Ben Folds was next on my list and I had been looking forward to this performance ever since I saw Ben play a solo show in Indy a few years ago. At first I was a bit anxious that I wouldn’t appreciate Ben with a band backing him, but with the bass guitar filtered through a weird Radiohead style distortion and the drums keeping Ben’s songs {both familiar and new} clipping along Ben once again one my heart as the consummate performer. He’s happy, affable, and filled with charm as he hammers on the keys and sings songs we all love to sing along to. Even if that song is allegedly written alongside Dr. Dre.
mp3 : Ben Folds - Narcolepsy
He played a lot of songs from his upcoming new album which he announced is fully recorded and just waiting for a final mastering. Hopefully we’ll see that album soon. One of his new songs was very popular live as he announced a new style of music saying, “This song is panchromatic… a pan lid goes in the piano, and then I hit a distortion pedal.” Upon saying this he held up a tin pan lid, placed it directly on the strings in his Baldwin and banged away creating a uniquely Ben Folds style of music.
for more : site myspace amazonmp3 itunes
After a quick break for a delicious peanut butter {always crunchy} and jelly it was back into the festival to catch the set by rapper/MC Matisyahu. Although I spent most of his set desperately trying to figure out if his accent was Jewish or Reggae in origin there is no doubt in my mind that he has impressive talent. His band deserves a lot of credit as well as they play a variety of genres of music to back him {and their lead guitarist is simply sick}. Matisyahu danced around the stage a lot, throwing peace signs, and holding self deprecating stereotypical rapper poses as the masses snapped photos and cheered.
mp3 : Matisyahu - Dispatch The Troops
for more : site myspace amazonmp3 itunes
And finally, after a full day of cold sunshine and excellent music it was time for the second larger than life act of Langerado. R.E.M. packed out the main field and Stipe and company emerged to a massive cheer. Michael came out for the first two songs wearing a fluorescent green Obama shirt which he eventually shed and threw to the crowd. Only it didn’t make it beyond the photo pit {due partially to the wind and partially to the fact that he’s really old}, but upon realizing his error Stipe quickly asked the press to kindly throw the shirt out to the fans {for which we all loved him immensely. The press is privileged enough without free schwag from R.E.M.} They played an equal mix of old favorites alongside much of their upcoming album while Stipe kept our eyes riveted on him as he interacted with the crowd. The man embodies what it means to be a front man. He makes personal connections with individuals in the audience, appears to always be making eye contact, he points, poses, and dances around all the while wearing the most demure grin that I have ever seen.
mp3 : R.E.M. - Losing My Religion
mp3 : R.E.M. - Walk Unafraid
I’m not sure if their new album will be able to stand up to the rest of the R.E.M. music canon. For their encore they played through three new songs, followed by Man On The Moon, and it was hard to feel as involved in their new record as we all are with their more timeless work. I suppose only time will tell. Michael Stipe left us with his standard farewell at the end of an excellent show and we were all sad to hear, “We are R.E.M., this is what we do… thank you,” as they walked into the night.
for more : site myspace amazonmp3 itunes
And so ends day three of Langerado. The crowds trudged home in hopes that the storms had finally passed by and we could all find one full night of rest before the last day of shows.
+ twf hype elbows amazonmp3 itunes
add this post to del.icio.us / digg / facebook
