 Al Green by Weiand |
While Saturday's eclectic lineup proved somewhat jarring in its musical scope (Pretty Lights > Levon Helm > Furthur> The Strokes?), Sunday's focus on soul/R&B/dance music proved more cohesive in the day's flow. Likewise, the festival crowd's lack of an identity on Saturday gave way to a looser, more vibey scene on Sunday, which saw the sun come out in GG Park for the first time in weeks. While Saturday felt like a series of concerts, Sunday felt like a real festival experience, with everyone grooving under the eucalyptus trees all day long.
My only real qualm with the very efficiently run urban festival would be the consistently short set times, which forced many bands to squeeze their acts into digestible introductions rather than a legitimate representations. This, when combined with the half-mile walk between stages and overlapping sets, meant you were lucky to catch 35 minutes of a band before having to walk another half-mile back to catch most of the next band you wanted to see. Regardless, there was nary a lull to be had all day, with nine straight hours of fantastic music.
With the huge number of overlapping sets, there were some tough decisions to be made. The toughest had to be the choice of catching Al Green in lieu of both Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros and Garage A Trois. This ended up being a somewhat regrettable choice, as the good Reverend seems to have reached the point in his career where he's coasting on his own legacy. Al was all smiles and enthusiasm, but when it came to performing, he actually only sang about half of the time. The other half was stage banter, as he preached the merit of his own songbook and threw roses to the crowd. This complacency was easily forgiven though, as this was Al-fucking-Green, and Al Green can do whatever the hell he wants. He knew that most were there just to have said that they saw Al Green, and everyone forgave him when he skipped a verse in the middle of "Let's Stay Together" to drink some Gatorade. Fantastic version of "Pretty Woman," though. (Eric Podolsky)
Sunday Highlights
1. Mayer Hawthorne & The County :: 1:30-2:10 PM :: Sutro Stage
 Mayer Hawthorne by Weiand |
The most fun I had all day was dancing to the one band I had never heard of. Hawthore stole the day for me with his early afternoon set of tight-as-a-drum neo-soul. With a groove equally rooted in 60s Motown, 70s Philly Soul and modern hip-hop, Hawthorne and his band serenaded the crowd with their on-point, Temptations-style falsetto harmonies. In matching suits, the multicultural band delivered earnest, danceable love songs while avoiding both irony and sap, most notably in the slinky "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out." Hailing from Detroit, it is clear that Hawthorne has Motown in his blood. His voice is like a cross between classic Smokey Robinson and 70s Michael McDonald, in the best way imaginable. It is not often that a band's performance finds me actively seeking out their catalog, but this music is so supremely likeable and original that it's impossible to not be enthralled. (EP)
2. The Devil Makes Three :: 2:10-2:55 PM :: Twin Peaks Stage
By the time this trio from Santa Cruz, CA started their peppy afternoon set, the sun had fully emerged from its cloud shroud, which made for a happy country hoedown in the park. Comprised of banjo, guitar and upright bass, The Devil Makes Three can sure throw a party, thanks to their fantastic songwriting and bouncing, bluegrass basslines. Their sound carries a tinge of jug band inanity, which makes anthemic tunes such as "All Hail" sound like they potentially could have a kazoo in there somewhere, though they don't. This set really felt like a festival, with the crowd dancing harder than I had seen all weekend. Lead singer/guitarist Pete Bernhard's vocals were rollicking and enthusiastic, and the group's three-part harmonies really captured that "high and lonesome sound." Cooper McBean's loping banjo playing had a cool compression to it, which made it sound like it was being broadcast on an old-time radio show. These guys surely won over a ton of new fans with their set, including this writer. (EP)
3. Janelle Monae :: 3:05-3:55 PM :: Sutro Stage
Who is Janelle Monae? The way this girl is performing people won't be saying that for much longer. Her set was probably the most anticipated of the weekend, and for good reason. Unfortunately, her flight from Toronto was delayed and she took the stage late, cutting her already short time slot down to around 25 minutes. This was a minor tragedy, as she was simply electric. As soon as she stepped onstage, it was clear that this 24-year old girl is a star in the making. Boasting a perfect pompa-fro, Monae and her band let loose an abridged show of frantic, freaky-deeky hip-hop soul, a la Outkast/ Gnarls Barkley. Prancing around the stage like Andre 3000's little sister, the pint-sized Monae showed off serious pipes and dance moves to match. Her three-piece band was somewhat of an accessory to the pre-recorded tracks that they played along with, but no matter, it was a performance and she worked it. The set peaked and ended with a funky take on "Tightrope," in which Monae wailed and thrashed about on the drum riser in a cape. Monae's music has that frantic, weird, Danger Mouse feel to it, and she can sing like Beyonce. In other words, expect to see this girl on MTV sooner than later. (EP)
 Phoenix by Weiand |
4. Phoenix :: 5:55-6:55 PM :: Lands End Stage
These guys probably attracted the most fervent young fans of the weekend, which crunched the pit with bodies and energy. Frontman Thomas Mars was acutely aware and supremely grateful of his audience, and responded with a balls-out rock star performance of festival-size proportion. Phoenix has so many catchy, infectious, utterly danceable rock songs that their live show is bound to be a great time. The band played (and nailed) them all with drummer Thomas Hedlund kicking some serious ass, though it was Mars who owned every minute of this show. His earnest, clear-eyed vocal delivery truly defines this band. It was eye-opening how good his voice sounded live, and his patented repetition of phrases was right in groove with the tunes. Mars seemed so genuinely happy and grateful for his audience that his rock star stage antics came across as endearing, where his amp climbing and stage diving worked and fed the show's energy well. This was the most fun rock show I've seen in a long time. (EP)
5. Budos Band :: 7:40-8:25 PM :: Panhandle Stage
Playing at the tiny stage, the Budos Band were the sleepers of the weekend, and the intimate crowd that chose to forgo Kings of Leon for some real music were rewarded for it. Though their 45-minute twilight set was far too short to really get into the zone, the ten-piece band (four being percussionists) of Daptone fame laid it down for us in the park with strutting, hard-hitting instrumental Afrobeat funk. This was a heavy groove with a huge sound, with Jared Tankel's baritone sax was at the forefront of the polyrhythms rumbling our sternums with its low squawks. The music inspired a stomping, elephant-march dance party of a few hundred people as the sky darkened, and we got our ya-yas out, knowing the end of the weekend was upon us. (EP)
6. Chromeo :: 5:15-6:05 PM :: Twin Peaks Stage
 Chromeo Fans by Weiand |
Usually, DJ sets don't really do it for me in a festival setting, as they're better suited for a late-night club dance party, but Chromeo's music is just so silly and fun that it translated very well to a sunny afternoon in the park. Their music is a straight tongue-in-cheek tribute to early-80s electro-soul, a celebration of robot rock, and a straight vocoder party. The duo, perched behind their keyboards with woman leg stands (think the lamp in A Christmas Story), played live guitar, keyboards and vocoder along with their backing tracks, and inspired the weekend's biggest dance party in the process. Alternating Dave 1's sung vocals with P-Thugg's vocoder-enhanced vocals, Chromeo delivered clever lyrics about gettin' it on atop layered funk. At one point, after a tease of "Money For Nothing" and somewhere in the middle of "Bonafied Lovin'," some rowdies knocked the barrier fence down and gate crashed, inspiring cheers throughout the audience. There's nothing like gettin' down in the park with a few thousand other peeps to really make your day. (EP)
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