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SUNDAY :: 10.30.05 :: LAS VEGAS, NV
Vegoose 2005 :: By Andrew Wyatt |
They say that "Vegas is for pros." What they mean is that if you don't bring your "A Game," you best not show up. That goes for bands and fans alike. After remarkable marathon late nite shows from STS9, moe., Robert Randolph, and SCI, not to mention time spent gambling and dirty hours spent in hotel suites and just roaming the strip, it was damn impressive to see folks in fine shape come Sunday at the fest. While cruising the grassy grounds, it struck me how important a hotel room is. While the press (and of course bands) usually tend to find shelter away from the camping area at Bonnaroo, Vegoose created a scenario where everyone found a bed (or floor), and the sun therefore never forced anyone from their tent before they were ready to emerge. What this meant was that if you decided to stay up all night and just play through, it was because you are a super-pro and could handle it, not because Mother Nature wouldn't budge. After a day at just about any festival, you will likely see people face down in the dirt, pushed up against a wall, or struggling to keep it together. Not so at Vegoose - Vegas is for pros.
12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Ryan Stasik - Umphrey's McGee
Vegoose 2005 by Jeffrey V. Smith |
Coming off a huge year with the support of Jack Johnson, many made sure to get to ALO's opening Sunday slot, while those looking for something a bit different strolled by London's up-and-coming pop-rock hot shots The Magic Numbers. Jam favorites Spearhead (Michael Franti) and Umphrey's McGee lined-up against each other as perhaps the biggest surprise of the weekend was setting up on the Jokers Wild Stage: Sleater-Kinney. The hype has been huge surrounding Olympia, WA's Sleater-Kinney, and while the albums convinced me to check out their set, I simply had no idea how fucking awesome these chicks are. The three-piece power-punk outfit blew the growing crowd away. Playing as loud as anyone all weekend, the band displayed an incredible ability to switch tempos, lay down heavy riffs (from both the bass and the guitar), and extend jams into heavily improvised areas. Often keeping the entire sound in overdrive, it was shocking to watch one of the piercing layers peel back to reveal a foundation of fuzzed-out, heavily-distorted bass. This band is for real. For anyone who thinks that the ladies can't rawk, get yourself to a Sleater-Kinney gig.
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Britt Daniel - Spoon :: Vegoose 2005
By Jeffrey V. Smith |
For those who didn't get enough of moe. at their stellar late nite show the previous evening, there was another dose readily available inside the stadium. Meanwhile, many a savvy music fan were bouncing on the grass between Ween, Spoon, and Lyrics Born. Ween opening with "AIDS" just about says it all... but I'll say a bit more as the grizzly bass line and circus string line are just as important as the shock value found in this selection. From "AIDS" into "Spinal Meningitis," it was funny to watch more than a few disgusted festivarians walk away - quickly. Opening a show of this nature with "AIDS" and "Spinal Meningitis" was basically like telling all the hippies who just looooove "Roses Are Free" and figured they'd check out Ween to "FUCK OFF!" In certain respects, Ween is like Zappa: at times there is a considerable amount of crap you need to wade through, but when it gets there - it's often amazing. The pay off at Vegoose was "Voodoo Lady" (featuring some damn impressive, dark-and-dirty guitar work), the ever appropriate (especially in Vegas) "Bananas and Blow," and the aforementioned "Roses Are Free."
As enjoyable as Ween was proving to be, to get the most of your festival experience you need to go see those bands you haven't seen before. Enter Spoon. Their sonically impressive 2005 release Gimme Fiction is bound to end up on a number of critics "Best Of" list, and I'm happy to report that the live show (while ending early for some unknown reason) was a hit as well. Playing emotionally-steeped, simple yet effective rock music was the call of the day, and Spoon gave up a heaping helping.
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Porter & Nocentelli - The Meters :: Vegoose :: By J. Miller |
The five o'clock slot was full of big names: Trey Anastasio, The Meters, and The Flaming Lips (followed by Digable Planets around six). Here's where the ease of Vegoose truly came to light - instead of shacking up at one, we hit them all.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it was hard to stay away from NOLA's Meters, yet after a chunk of funk from these fine men, it seemed appropriate to see what was shaking inside the big stadium where Trey Anastasio was already underway. Walking into the half-full arena, the sounds of "Push on Till the Day" were palatable and "Night Speaks to A Woman" rather enjoyable. From there, things slowed down as the more pop-centric material from Shine bubbled up. As the refrain to "Sleep Again" (you will sleep again) snoozed into "Shine," it seemed time to see what festival favorites The Flaming Lips had in store.
Wayne Coyne - The Flaming Lips :: Vegoose :: By J. Miller |
Coming from the huge stadium, mellow-rock of Trey, the sound of the Lips was like a shot of adrenalin. Breaking down the barrier between band and fan, Wayne Coyne proves to be the ever-intriguing front man. Coyne seems to have found the ability to lead while releasing the ever-annoying ego that plagues many a band leader. The Flaming Lips never seems to be about perfection or the incredible production, but rather the whole thing revolves around an experience - a life-affirming, love-inducing engagement that makes you think. After great renditions of "Yoshimi," "She Don't Use Jelly," and "Do You Realize," they pulled off the greatest encore of the weekend. After addressing the crowd as "The Chosen, The Future" and filling the few thousand in front of the stage with a sense of purpose - that perhaps we can make a change, that just maybe we are the ones who can save this dying planet - Wayne grabs the mic and says: This is "War Pigs" by Black Sabbath. Sing along!" From there, the band went into an absolutely raging version of one of the best songs ever written. Not only was the intro too good for words and the musical rendition just as heavy and demented as needed, the projections behind the band were overwhelming. As "Generals gathered in their masses / Just like witches at black masses" came across the speaker, images of George Dubbya Bush and Dick Cheney mixed with shots from Iraq: burning babies, dying women, blown-up buildings, crying brown-skinned brothers and sisters. It was incredibly heavy in both musical content and visual accompaniment, but these are heavy, difficult times. WE are the Chosen; if not us, who?
7:00 PM - 10:30 PM
McConnell, Anastasio, Bell :: Vegoose :: By Jeffrey V. Smith |
The most questionable scheduling decision of the weekend was putting the sun-loving Jack Johnson in the dark. Also at this point was the painful decision to forego Canada's hottest export, the amazing Arcade Fire (see JamBase's Vegoose Supplement featuring The Arcade Fire) to get rowdy with Widespread Panic as they closed down yet another Superfly festival (the promoters know a good thing when they find it).
Arguably spilling a bit too much of their juice on the over three hour, monster single set, Panic put down one hell of an impressive festival appearance. The instrumental party track "Disco" into band-staple "Space Wrangler" to start was an immediate indication that things were warmed-up and ready to roll; while the appearance of a rare selection like "Last Dance" forced those "in the know" to recognize the depth of the gig. Coming out of the shadows during "Slipping Into Darkness," Trey Anastasio would up the ante once again as he played very tasteful, almost understated accompaniment. The highlight of this exchange, and maybe of the weekend, occurred as Trey lined up square in front of bassist Dave Schools as they went head-to-head for several minutes. Trey would lay out a deft-fingered guitar lick, and Schools would match it spot on and raise him one with a bass progression. Watching these two masters swing dicks in a "who's the shit" competition was worth the price of admission alone. Leaving many in attendance wondering what the band planned to do tomorrow, the Panic busted one of the better "Hatfields" in recent days (with a nice JB rap), brought Col. Bruce out for "Fixin' To Die," and surprised everyone with a punchy "Chilly Water" to end the set. A hot double-encore featuring Tom Waits's "Goin Out West" and the Afro-laced political uprising "None Of Us Are Free" made it official: Vegoose was over, and it was a massive success.
Bell, Anastasio, Schools :: Vegoose
By Jeffrey V. Smith |
Leaving Sam Boyd stadium with the warm Vegas air spilling down our back, the words to Solomon Burke's "None Of Us Are Free" continued to splash against the mountains that lay miles across the dessert. None of us are free, none of us are free, none of us are free IF ONE'S CHAINED TO ADVERSITY... Finding our way to whatever late nite gigs were on the horizon, thoughts dipped back to the words of Wayne Coyne. WE are the gifted, WE are the bright young leaders of tomorrow, WE are The Chosen. When Hendrix played the "Star Spangled Banner" as the sun rose over Woodstock, it wasn't just another solo. It was a statement. Perhaps it's time we found ourselves in the music we love so much. None of us are free.
Kayceman
JamBase | Vegoose
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