Continuing on our mini wrap-up from Lollapalooza 2010, Jimmy Coulas gives us his thoughts from day two.
After a full day at Lollapalooza yesterday, I headed over to the House of Blues to catch the sold-out National show. The band was in fine form playing songs encompassing their entire catalog. Here are some quick note from the festival on Saturday.
I found myself parked at the Sony Bloggie Stage for three fantastic sets. First up was Dawes. Dawes is an LA based quartet that blends a little Gram Parsons, Wilco, Neil Young & The Band into their brand of alt-country. “Hello everyone, this is Dawes” proclaimed before launching into the infectious “When You Call My Name.” The band whipped through songs off their critically acclaimed debut album North Hills with passion and zest that made you feel good. The band was truly appreciative of the modest crowd that came out for their mid-afternoon set.
Next was a band that I was looking forward to seeing and boy they did not disappoint. Deer Tick hails from Providence, Rhode Island and they blew me away with their brand of rock. John McCauley’s raspy voice added tons of character the the great hooks that their songs posses. His voice at times sounds eerily like Bob Dylan with a dash of The Boss. McCauley was thoroughly enjoying himself and invited the whole crowd the 8th floor of the Hilton for a pool party! I will be definitely be checking these guys out next time they are in town.
The third and final band that I caught was the Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. The crowd was gigantic and clearly the space was much too small for the overflowing crowd. Some fans took to trees to catch a glimpse of the madness that ensued on stage.This was the most entertaining and musically compelling sets I saw yesterday. The twelve piece band took the stage and turned the Bloggie stage into one big party of peace and love. Playing against a backdrop of the yellow brick road, the band took us on a trip to Oz and back with music that made people sing in dance. These guys would have fit right in at Woodstock.
I have a long day ahead of me and I am very very excited for Soundgarden tonight.
