And at 10:30 p.m., Virgin Fest 2008 has come to a close.
Kanye West ended 30 minutes past schedule, with an epic rendition of "Stronger" off Graduation after Nine Inch Nails and Armin Van Buurin both closed down shop promptly at 10 p.m.
Now, for the mad rush to the parking lots and the congestion on the small streets leading to Park Heights Avenue.
Kanye West was, expectedly, late to the stage.
But he opened with the song "Good Morning" off Graduation, which 92Q uses in their promos for "The Big Fat Morning Show." Coincidence? Probably. I can only assume his fashionably late entrance was because of Lil' Wayne throwing everyone off on the South stage.
But even when Stone Temple Pilots took the stage late on the North side of the infield, they still got off in time for Nine Inch Nails to kick off their Festival closing set only three minutes past schedule.
So for now, Trent Reznor and Co. tear through their industrial hits, even dabbling in tracks from the instrumental Ghosts I-IV; Kanye (not Kayne) West dazzles the crowd with his performance that is more style than substance; and Armin Van Buurin mixes beats for a conspicuously small crowd in the dance tent. And thousands in Charm City dance, head bang, and rave the night (and remainder of the weekend) away.
Remember the music videos for "Closer" and "The Perfect Drug?"
Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor looks like a totally different person now. He's clean cut with short hair and a little more weight on his upper torso. Somehow this makes his live show even freakier. I think it's because you don't expect the nasty nasty chorus to "closer" to come from a dude who could be your neighbor.
(Associated Press Photo of Trent Reznor in July)
Stopped by the dance tent on my way to see Nine Inch Nails. European mega DJ Armin Van Buren was playing mostly instrumental techno but the tent was only half full. He didn't seem to mind though. He kept thrusting his hands in the air and pointing or making devil horns. Rock on.
Bob Dylan, as per usual lately, didn't talk to the crowd at the South Stage, or even look at them, really. He came out, played his songs and then left. Regardless, he was a crowd pleaser.
Favorites like "It Ain't Me Babe" and ""Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35" were played with Dylan's new, more jazzy and less acoustic (he favors the keyboard these days) sound and the crowd was still hyped. Especially when he pulled out the harmonica.
So hyped, in fact, that some were attempting to inappropriately crowd-surf. Maybe they got their stages confused.
(An earlier version had an incorrect song title. The Sun regrets the error.)
The crowd wanted the hits, and the recently reunited Stone Temple Pilots delivered their brand of dirty '90s rock in spades.
Their short set was mostly a hit parade, with singer Scott Weiland strutting and spinning around the stage. Between songs, he semi-incoherently babbled until the band cut him off with the next tune.
Weiland on the crowd: "A sea of energy, a sea of synergy."
The band: "The beautiful thing about this band is we write the songs ourselves."
When was the last time they wrote a song together? What year is Weiland living in?
An energetic Moby has the dance tent in a bigger tizzy than it's been in all day. It's packed to the brim and it looks like everyone in there is just getting warmed up for his hour and a half long DJ set, ending at 8 p.m..
As the Black Keys neared the end of their rousing set, the band let the crowd know that they weren't exactly thrilled with Lil' Wayne's late arrival delaying their stage time.
"We have two more songs for you," lead singer and guitarist Dan Auerbach said. "You can thank Lil' Wayne for that one."
And then Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney stuck it to that proverbial man and played three more songs.
As they left the stage following their final song, the crowd responded with the chant "[Expletive] Lil' Wayne!"
Best Dressed
Zooey Deschanel: When she performed as the front-woman for She & Him earlier today, she wore a light, airy blue dress with a faux- flower in her hair that perfectly suited the band's light, airy tunes. The tambourine she was holding didn't make for a bad accessory.
Worst Dressed
Hollywood Undead: the entire band was decked out in 90s gear (baggy pants and tees), not to mention the creepy masquerade theme they had going on with bandit scarves and face paint.
Not Dressed
Iggy Pop.
Iggy Pop and the Stooges heated up the North Stage up just as it was cooling down outside. Iggy, classically shirtless, rebellious and potty-mouthed, was begging security to let crowd surfing fans on stage.
When they refrained, he came off the stage himself to greet them. He addressed the mob as Baltimore, D.C., and the "surrounding puddles of weirdness" before he launched into a set list comprised of classic tunes like "I Got a Right" and "Little Electric Chair."
It was definitely one of the most energetic and classically rock and roll shows of the festival on the North Stage (yesterday's headliners on that stage were much more mellow Wilco and Jack Johnson) and it left the crowd is more than warmed up for Stone Temple Pilots and Nine Inch Nails.
(Sun Photo by Algernia Perna)
I go to a concert to listen to music, not create my own. It's probably why I'm so against the idea of clapping along to songs. The artist is there to perform "their" songs; why go and mess with that?
With the weekend-long Festival, attendees are given the opportunity to create their own music, from clapping along to Andrew Bird to playing Guitar Hero in various vendor tents. But one of the more unique opportunities is Lemur: League of Electronic Musical Urban Robots, a Brooklyn-based group that blends music and art.
They have on display this weekend the intriguing Slime-O-Trons, which are MIDI controllers that employ black goo (for a lack of a better term) applied to copper nails. These generate a MIDI signal which is then sent to a computer and turned into a sound. The result can be quite refreshing and strikingly haunting at the same time.
According to artist Leif Krinkle, who helped fabricate the musical sculpture after it was conceived by Lemur founder and director Eric Singer, Festival-goers have been slightly reluctant to approach the newfound musical experience.
"People are hesitant to tough things," he said. "We're in a culture where we're taught it's not OK to touch things." And yet, fans have no problem reaching from the barricades to slap Iggy Pop in the chest.
There is a nice breeze and a great view of the South Stage atop the skate ramp at Virgin Fest according to Stephanie Murdoch.
The ramp is there as a part of the SkatePark of Baltimore fundraiser, which is raising money to build a legitimate skateboarding park within the city limits.
This is the second year they've been at the festival but they are making a lot more money this year due to a much better location.
"[Last year] we were in a ditch... it was really hard to build a ramp," says Murdoch, the organization's president. This year, with the new and improved spot, people have been throwing (sometimes literally) much more cash toward the cause.
"It's great to reach so many Baltimoreans," she says.
There are a mix of ages representing the crowd on the Pimlico tracks this year at Virgin Festival. Acts like Bob Dylan and Iggy and the Stooges are bringing in the older folks, while acts like Lil' Wayne and Paramore draw the teen crowds.
I didn't see the Teletubbies or The Wiggles on the schedule, but I've noticed that there are a lot of small children tagging along with their parents this year. Matt and Shannon Smith have their 9-month-old Dylan in tow, making sure to cover her ears with an overpoweringly large pair of headphones.
Shannon's advice for parents who didn't think to bring ear gear? "Stay far enough away from the stage... it's just not good for their hearing," she says.
Another dad didn't just bring the kids along because he couldn't find a sitter.
"It's good for them to see all these people... all these different types of music," Frantz Walker explains. He especially noted that he was eager for his children to see Chuck Berry perform yesterday.
He even had his kids Nicky, 5, and Malaika, 3, out of their stroller and dancing outside of the dance tent last night. With paper towels rolled up in their ears, of course.
It's about 4:05 p.m. and Lil' Wayne has yet to take the stage. He was set to go on at 3:50 p.m., with an hour alloted for his performance (the first in the increasingly longer sets throughout the day).
And people were concerned that Kanye West would be the late one, especially after his Bonnaroo performance.
After a few requests to speak more slowly, Allan Diu Ruggiero manages to say in broken English that he came all the way from France "just for see Kanye West."
He is one of a handful of concert goers that I have seen in Kanye-style sunglasses (I have no idea how they see out of those things) who are undoubtedly hoping that Kanye will let the fact that his name is spelled wrong on the program ("Kayne" West comes on right after Bob Dylan) slide.
If you are reading this, Kanye, Diu Ruggiero just wants to say, "I love Kanye West."
While Paramore was rockin' out on the North Stage, She & Him, an indie alt-pop band made up of singer-actress Zooey Deschanel and multi-instrumentalist M. Ward, offered a languid set. In fact, the music was so laidback it bordered on somnolent.
But the performance wasn't necessarily bad, just more suited to an intimate club setting as oppose to a big festival stage. The same was true about Cat Power's set yesterday. She & Him is interesting, melding folk, rock and pop touches into a mostly pleasing sound. But the nuances of the duo's approach was swallowed up on the South Stage.
Paramore, the hit power-pop band from Tennessee, drew a huge crowd to the North Stage this afternoon. But I wasn't surprised by that. Paramore's second album Riot!, released in June, has just been certified platinum.
Fronted by the charismatic, flame-haired Hayley Williams, the band gave a likable, hard-driving performance. It's the first show I saw today where the crowd was responsive. When Williams asked folks to put both hands up and snap their fingers, arms and hands were instantly in the air. And as the beats kicked in, the crowd was jumping.
I understand the reason Paramore has been such a hit lately, especially with the teen scene: The band crafts hooky pop-rock tunes you can dance to. Most important, that same fun, amiable energy translates to the stage.
(Right: Sun Photo of Paramore's Hayley Williams by Algerina Perna)
I've seen a bunch of guys wearing simple, white T-shirts with "Lil' Wayne for President" emblazoned across the front in a a mock-patriotic manner, and I'm sure I'll be seeing more as Lil' Wayne's 3:50 p.m. set approaches.
Across the infield is the non-profit Headcount, which has undertaken a register to vote initiative throughout the weekend.
Now that's ironic. Especially considering the fact that one of the adorners of the shirt couldn't have been older than 14.
Jimmy Butterfield, 18, from Parkville, who bought his shirt in Ocean City, made his way past the dance tent as a girl cheered "Lil' Weezy! Yeah!"
Butterfield is registered to vote (no worries there, Headcount). But would he cast a vote for Lil' Wayne if the rapper was actually on the ticket this fall?
"I would," Butterfield said matter-of-factly.
I guess it's true: you can lead a horse to water. But, well, you know the rest.
On a sectioned-off side of the painting wall near the South Stage, Chad Brady is still plugging away at his tedious task, making a guitar mural entirely out of picks.
When asked if he will finish the project today, he can only answer, "I hope." Yesterday was spent painting the guitar and gluing up some of the guitar picks that will eventually cover the whole thing.
Today's task is to finish up the tedious project which is much harder than usual, he says, because he is working vertically. Usually his murals are laying on the ground as he paints them, and he doesn't have to worry about items falling off.
The most difficult part will be completing the word portion of the mural, "This machine picks peace," a throwback to Woody Guthrie's famous guitar that stated, "This machine kills fascists."
The mural will be auctioned off after the festival and proceeds will go to the Woody Guthrie foundation.
Let's just hope some of the ominously looming clouds don't let loose, at least not before the glue dries.
A friend turned me on to Shudder to Think fairly recently, almost two months ago. I didn't have much of an opinion about the Washington hard rock band, whose technically precise music bristles with punk influences.
And after catching the group's show on the North Stage, I still don't know what to make of them. What really sets the group apart is lead singer Craig Wedren, a bald guy with thick, pork chop-shaped sideburns. He sings in circular, operatic runs over the pummeling beats and raging guitars. Strange, I know. But the sonic concotion is more melodic than you'd think.
Electro-funk duo Chromeo lit up the dance tent with some nasty beats. As the first performers in the dance tent, it was their job to set the pace, and they came through. Dave 1 and P-Thugg were on point and having a blast. They even teased "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits before launching into their set's final song.
I nominate Black Rebel Motorcycle Club for Loudest Band on the North Stage this year.
At least so far. Stone Temple Pilots will probably be louder. But none of yesterday's North Stage performers (Jack Johnson, Wilco, etc.) had much oomph.
Maybe it was too early in the day, or maybe the crowd just wasn't feeling it, but most people just stood still and watched the BRMC do their thing. Sigh.
The idea of walking around the infield of Pimlico sans shoes is a daunting proposition. Sandals are also risky, as the ratio of bare-foot to coverage is minimal. The horses that race wear special shoes. I even have a pair of sneakers that I've designated my "infield shoes" for the annual Preakness.
But that hasn't stopped Festival goers from abandoning their foot wear in the name of comfort.
"The grass feels good," said Gabrielle O'Daniell, 17, from Baltimore. Along with her friend, Malcolm Rio, 18, they didn't seem to concerned about the safety risks that may present themselves.
"All the alcohol is in plastic cups," Rio said, guessing that glass probably wouldn't be an issue.
A different couple of guys across the infield worshiped at the same altar: "There's no glass, it's pretty clean," said Colin Marshall, 17, of Baldwin who was with his friend Desmond Davis, 17, from Phoenix.
But they didn't abandon all hope for complete foot freedom, admitting that they had left their shoes by their blanket, the location of which was indicated with a casual arm wave in the distance by Davis.
If anything, the lack of shoes (and shirts) contributes to the festival atmosphere, according to Marshall.
"I just feel like being free," he said.
And brave, apparently.
Nope, its just "Book the Band" winners Hollywood Undead. Their angry, shouting rap/ rock confection was reverberating through the stands, a reminder of last summer's similar Beastie set.
But hey guys, what's up with the masks? Each of them had a very distinct and frightening disguise, ranging from a bandit bandana to clown makeup.
While the crowd was pretty much nonexistent (the band was the first band to grace the stage) those who were there weren't hopping around nearly as excitedly as the six members; "Charlie Scene," "Deuce," "J-Dog," "Johnny 3 Tears," "Funny Man" and "Da Kurizz."
They were certainly very energetic, but that wasn't translating to the crowd. Maybe because the bass was unbearable, and drowning out a lot of what I can only assume were the ironic lyrics they are known for.
Festival promoter/producer Seth Hurwitz had a good day yesterday.
The highlight? He got to play drums with Chuck Berry during "Johnny B. Goode."
How did he land that gig? "I asked him," he said. I'm sure it helps if you're signing the check, too.
Hurwitz's take on the festival as a whole: "It didn't have the star power of the Police, but that brought it down to a much more musical level all day," he said. "It was really about all the different bands."
(Sun File Photo by Monice Lopossay)
Pop music critic Rashod Ollison weighs in on the Saturday lineup: The first day of the third annual Virgin Mobile Festival at Pimlico Race Course offered an appealing potpourri of sounds on the two main stages - but with a slight retro slant. Musically, most of yesterday's acts self-consciously looked back at, well, yesterday.
Two stages makes for tough choices at Virgin Fest: Sitting still was not an option. Thousands of live music lovers were torn between two stages yesterday at the third annual Virgin Mobile Festival at Pimlico Race Course. It was a popularity contest, with some of today's hottest musicians vying for the crowd's attention on two opposing main stages. The audience made the shape of a dumbbell: Two clusters of people at either end of the infield around the main stages and a stream of foot traffic steadily flowing in between. Some festivalgoers were flustered at having to pick between headliners Jack Johnson and the Foo Fighters.
(Sun photo of the Foo Fighter's Dave Grohl by Patrick Smith)
The first few songs in Wilco's set were ambling and melodic. Frontman Jeff Tweedy squinted in the evening sun and didn't speak much between songs. Then Tweedy brought out a horn section and launched into hard rocking numbers like "Outtamind (Outtasite)." He got the crowd clapping and closed the show on a high note.
I was never much of a fan of Citizen Cope's heavy-handed, clumsily metaphorical pop-soul-reggae-hip hop mash-ups. And his charisma-free set on the North Stage did nothing to change my assessment of him.
If anything, his lazy, slightly droning vocals on stage and flavorless arrangements only cemented my disdain for his music. I wanted to like his music. I remember interviewing Citizen Cope a few years back, and he was a cool guy.
But his music, as evident on the North Stage, hasn't evolved past the muddled, self-conscious urban rootsiness heard on his three choppy albums.
When I can't concentrate in the office, I listen to Rodrigo y Gabriela, amazing Spanish acoustic guitarists on headphones.
I know what you're thinking -- acoustic guitarists? A friend once dragged me to an acoustic guitar concert at a Unitarian church and I literally fell asleep. But R y G are different.
Unfortunately, I've listened to their music so often on deadline, that as soon as I heard them I was seized by a little burst of panic.
Suddenly, I could feel the pressure. Holy crap! I need to write a beginning in 15 minutes. I have to think of a clever metaphor in the next 10 seconds! What's that at my back? Is it my editor with a butcher knife?
Then I remembered that I was at a concert and everything was good. Whew.
Everyone loves to people-watch at a concert.
It's even better in the summer, because you can wear sunglasses and no one knows you're staring at them. OK, maybe they do.
Here are some of the interesting things I've seen today: A woman hula-hooping in a loincloth. (By the way, hula hooping is hot. The Baltimore Sun wrote a story about that a few months ago.)
A man dancing in a cowboy hat, shaking his potbelly. The glimpse of his plumber's butt was optional.
Baltimore's beloved burlesque performers Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey riding bikes dressed in natty pink-and-black ensembles.
A couple dressed as an angel and devil. She shook her pointy red tail as she walked and he held his wings with one hand. Gotta love a man who's not afraid to wear glitter.
But there was an actual freakshow going on too -- the Bindlestiff Family Circus. Mary and I settled onto the grass just in time to watch a woman pirouette on a ribbon strung above the audience. (A little girl sitting below her was wigging out and freaked even more when the announcer said the s-word. Ooopsie.)
Another performer cranked a screwdriver in his nose and was preparing to swallow some swords as we wandered off.
(Sun Photo by Mary Hartney)
Mary and I, tree-hugging little environuts that we are, stopped by the green tent to see just how green this festival is.
There's recycling out the wazoo. Not only can you recycle your bottles and cans, but you can stick your food scraps in a compost bin. Word is the performers are even going to recycle songs by playing them twice. Just kidding.
So Mary did her part to save the world by pedaling a bike that turns on light bulbs. It took a lot of pedals to make that incandescant bulb brighten, but she could light up the curly CFL bulb while pedaling with her eyes closed AND singing her favorite Foo Fighters song.
And I took a moment to recharge my solar panels. Not many people know this, but I am entirely solar-powered. It's one of the many little things I do to save this planet of ours.
(Sun photo by Julie Scharper)
Alexis Vasilos uses a hula hoop as she preforms her own act while bands play on the big stage during Virgin Festival.
Performer Evil Hate Monkey rides his cable suspended motorbike with Una Mimnagh seated on a hanging swing as a sideshow during Virgin Festival.
(Sun Photos by Monica Lopossay)
It's official: at least for today, the south stage is where to be. The crowd is exponentially larger, and way more into the performances. Bloc party is barreling through "like eating glass", following Lupe Fiasco's crowd-drawing set and Gogol bordello's wake up call. Duffy and Cat Power did their thing, as is Sharon Jones, who is dancing and sweating through a nice performance, but for me a concert is about energy, and the south stage is pumping.
If Sunday's main headliner Kanye West is going to have one of his crazy diva breakdowns, it will be over this.
West's first name is spelled "Kayne" in the festival programs. Whoops!
"I'm sure he'll understand," said publicist Audrey Fix Schaefer. "I'm sure he's just excited to be here in Baltimore."
(Left: Sun Photo by Monica Lopossay)
Festival organizers are being cagey about attendance. They won't have exact ticket sales figures until next week, and are leery of speculating, said publicist Audrey Fix Schaefer. But they sold more tickets yesterday than any single day in the past three years, she said.
"It was huge," she said. And she thinks this year will be on par with last year.
Lupe Fiasco's show has improved somewhat since the last time I caught his act about a year or so ago. The major change has been the addition of a full band. For his set on the South Stage, he dipped in and out of his two albums, the acclaimed Food and Liquor and the ambitious but muddled The Cool.
The music was punched up with more rock guitar, as Lupe bounded around the stage, shadowed by a hypeman. Still, there's something very businesslike about the Chicago rapper's show. Beyond all the hopping around and the rock-suffused music, there was something very studied about his performance, as if he rehearsed it in the mirror at home. That same calculated feel sometimes permeates his albums.
(Sun Photo of Lupe Fiasco by Patrick Smith)
Cameron Babcock and Tanya White drove down from Ontario, Canada, for this weekend's festival.
They went to the Virgin Festival at Toronto Island Park last year, and said Pimlico wins hands down.
"It's set up way better," said White, 25. "It sounds good, the stages are a lot closer. ... In Toronto, it's on an island. At least here, you can park your car and walk in."
But it gets better -- they drove all the way down here for ... The Offspring!
Yeah, you read that right. When pressed about the issue, they muttered something about how the Offspring are worth the drive -- especially since they have a new album out.
I'd beg to differ, but they seemed to be having fun.
Ever go to your high school in the summer time when all the halls were empty?
That's how it feels to be in the Pimlico Grandstands today.
I've been here a few times for stories and there are usually lots of people wearing gold jewelry and doing gambling things I don't really understand.
Today the place is empty except for media peeps and the VIP ticket holders. I'd love to roller skate through this place or run down the track.
"And it's Julie Scharper leading by a nose, and down the stretch they go!"
An announcer is commenting on some race that obviously isn't happening here. It's a little spooky.
In the VIP section, you can get sushi and a massage. Not sure if I'd want to get both at the same time, but hey, I'm not a VIP. There are candles and bamboo shoots scattered around red love seats. I was hoping to run into Jenna Bush or Gov. O'Malley, but it didn't seem to be that kind of VIP.
Mary and I spotted a window that said, mysteriously, "IRS Window. Wagers Accepted."
What does that mean? Can I bet on my taxes?
(Sun Photo by Mary Hartney)
I just got back from Duffy's set. The much-buzzed about Welsh pop-soul singer was the second act on the North Stage today, following a rather ho-hum downtempo performance by Cat Power. I was pleasantly surprised by Duffy, whose gold-selling debut, Rockferry, didn't win me over as it did many other critics.
Without the claustrophobic, wall-of-sound production, the songs were refreshingly relaxed onstage. Although Duffy's thin, quivery timbre is an acquired taste, she's quite the charmer onstage. The soul affectations that mar Rockferry didn't surface in her assured vocals onstage. Let's hope that on her next album, she'll take more of that charming stage energy into the studio with her.
(Above: Sun Photo of Duffy by Patrick Smith)
At the Dell tent, you can get a new do for free.
Would you prefer a Beehive, Mohawk, Clean Cut, Girly Girl or Manly Man?
"I want to look like I'm from the 80s," said Jeff Buttaccio (below), as Jade Gorman, normally a Morgan State English professor, teased his brown curls and doused them with hair spray.
Beehives have been especially popular, but many girls say, "Just make me look pretty," said Siobhan Lettow, who has a hot pink hair herself.
What do you think? Should I get a hive? I hear my inner Amy Winehouse roaring.
(Above: Sun Photo by Mary Hartney)
I ran into my darling cousin Kate and her sweet husband Eric soon after they arrived.
They just got married a couple months ago.
Congratulations, you guys!
(That's me on the right, not Eric.)
(Sun Photo by Mary Hartney)
We spotted these lovelies strolling around the infield.
What would cause two otherwise normal people to don papier mache masks on a summer day?
Love for their daughter.
Tom and Rebecca Slentz are sporting masks made by their daugher, Gretchen, who is selling her art at a nearby booth.
(Above: Sun Photo by Mary Hartney)
So you can text message 73976 and your messages will appear above the stage.
We saw these pithy statements flash above the stunning Ms. Chan Marshall of Cat Power as she crooned her signature sexy/ angry tunes:
"Fort Meade in da house"
"I got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell." "I <3 Mike Riley and Shane." (awww)
"I swam 2 oceans to get to VFest." (really.)
"Representin Htown."
"Matthew, I think you're cute" (Ask her out, Matt!)
"Lawgo in da house." (Largo, for those of you who don't speak Marylandese.)
"Erik, I'm glad you're here with me and I love you too." (aww, the schmoopy schmoopy)
"Pasadena MD, let me hear u scream" (Aaaaahhhh!)
"Yeah, I'm with the band."
"Eat Italian ice and cheese steaks." (Sounds good to me)
"Thanks for the ticket mom." (So sweet)
"Baltimore Sun High School class of 2008" (Oh wait, maybe that was me.)
(Above: Sun Photo by Mary Hartney)
I stopped by the painted wall briefly to talk to Chad Brady, a mural artist and painter, who's working on a mural, made of guitar picks, dedicated to Woody Guthrie. It doesn't get much better than that.
Chad's going to work on it throughout the weekend, and today he was painting the outline and beginning to glue on a series of guitar picks. It should eventually include Woody's face, toward the bottom, and the proceeds will benefit the Woody Guthrie Foundation (after hard-working Chad is paid, natch).
The mural will be called "This Machine Picks Peace."
Guthrie's work links in to what's coming later: Wilco put out two albums with UK punk Billy Bragg, the "Mermaid Avenue" sessions, that I think are some of the most important American music in the past half-century. They took some of Guthrie's lyrics, wrote music to accompany them, and produced some really beautiful songs. What most people don't know is the project was originally intended for Bob Dylan. (!)
Wilco plays tonight at 7 on the North Stage, and Dylan is tomorrow at 6:45 on the South Stage. Get your Americana fix.
(Above: Sun photo of Chad Brady by Mary Hartney)
Ok, I'm not the designated "music guy" on this blog, but as a casual observer I gotta say that Gogol Bordello just won me over big time with their set.
Like most people here, I think, I had no idea who these guys were. But this high energy set has the crowd more worked up than I've seen so far, including the first crowd surfers.
These guys look like the last call crowd at a dive bar at 2 am decided to start a band. And on their checklist was accordians, violins, a bassist with a mop on his head and dancing chicks in spandex. Highly entertaining.
We ran into the Charm City Roller Girls getting ready for an exhibition bout on a patch of blacktop between the Grandstand and the track.
Mibbs Breakin' Ribs was strapping on her skates in all her purple-and-gold eyeshadow glory as she trash-talked with Reckless NDangerment of the Speed Regime Team.
OK, in all honesty, the girls were just chatting, but they're roller girls and they're supposed to be tough.
The girls will be whizzing through the crowds and hopefully startling the more intoxicated folk at the concert. They skated an exhibition bout at one and will skate again at six.
Breakin' Ribs says she's looking forward to hearing Lil' Weezie play tomorrow. "I might try to take him home in my pocket," she said, raising an eyebrow.
NDangerment said she was psyched for Jack Johnson's mellow tunes tonight. "But not while I'm skating," she said. "That just wouldn't be right."
Breakin' Ribs reminisced about hearing The Killers the first year that she skated at VFest. "I was skating and they were playing and it was like they were playing for me," she said.
(Above: Sun photo by Mary Hartney)
Festival patrons are painting messages onto a makeshift mural by the South Stage.
They're writing everything from generic messages ("So and so was here") to philosophical statements: "Everything is a part of the same picture constantly being drawn" and short, silly poems;
"i wish
i wish
i was
a fish."
KT Tunstall delivered a driving set on the South Stage, pounding through songs from both her albums.
She teased "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes in the middle of her first hit "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree."
And between almost every song she randomly tossed out some medical tidbits.
"Redheads require 20 percent more anesthetic," she said at one point.
Later, she went on a mini-diatribe about plastic surgery. "Instead of getting bigger boobs, we should get third ones," she said. "That would make it more memorable."
Then she played "Saving My Face," a song about plastic surgery from her first album.
(Above: Sun photo of KT Tunstall by Mary Hartney)
Virgin Mobile Festival is two days of in-your-face music and activities. But the crowd -- at least early on -- takes it all in stride.
The sights: People are lounging on the ground by the stages and milling around the vendor tents.
One thing you won't see near either stage later today: Grass. Come 8 p.m., it will be covered in blankets, bodies and garbage.
The smells: Cigarettes and sunscreen.
Cat Power is wrapping up her set on the North Stage. During some songs, the drums and bass almost overpowered singer Chan Marshall's breathy, beautiful voice.
Marshall doesn't hold back. When she sings, she leans forward, one hand holding the mike, the other outstretched, and you can see a vein in her neck as the words come out her mouth.
A haunting cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" was a highlight of her set. It started slow and dirge-like and built into a thunderous climax.
Spotted in the crowd: Former Sonar owner Lonnie Fisher.
"She sounds great," he said of Marshall. "She's not a studio act."
This is Fisher's third Virgin Fest. He said he plans to see Wilco today and Andrew Bird, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Nine Inch Nails tomorrow.
(Above: Sun photo by Patrick Smith)
If anybody finds 20 year old Jessi Ewing wandering around Virgin Festival, you know what to do.
Along with friends Juli Liebig, 23, Julie Petrichenko, 20 and Duan Wright, 18, the Eastern Shore native is sporting a tie dye t shirt with the phone numbers for her friends - to call in case she is discovered passed out or lost.
"We're just trying to be safe!" said Wright.
The crowd is pretty spread out right now, between the early hour, the two stages and tons of things to do in between. Police are confident that even when this place gets more crowded, they won't get too crazy. One officer told me there hasn't been an arrest in two years and they don't expect any today either. What would it take to get locked up? "A violation of the law," he said dryly.
This weekend's weather is a sure bet, but certain performances are still up the air.
Nine Inch Nails recently canceled a show due to singer Trent Reznor's vocal problems. No word yet on tomorrow night's show.
And Stone Temple Pilots lead singer Scott Weiland fell into a drum kit in Arizona a couple days ago. He rambled incoherently between songs, and the band had to cut him off. Should make tomorrow's show an interesting one.
Chuck Berry has never met or rehearsed with his backing band, the Silver Beats, according to The Washington Post. The Silver Beats will play 30 minutes of their own material before Berry joins them on stage. Huh? The set's only an hour.
On second thought, do you know more than 30 minutes of Berry's material anyway? Right.
Right: Associated Press photo of Scott Weiland
After an entire day of music at Pimlico, if the only thing that will keep you going is more music (you're a machine!), Sonar is hosting the official after-party tonight, from 9 til 2.
Kele Okereke of Bloc Party and Vito Roccoforte of The Rapture will be there, and the bill also includes Dave P (Making Time), Dave Nada (Taxlo, Dubside), Cullen Stalin + Simon Phoenix (Taxlo), Will Eastman (Bliss) and Emily Rabbit (Baltimore Bass Connection).
It's free (and 18 and up), and you can RSVP on Sonar's site. More info is here.
Out-of-towners: Sonar is at 407 E. Saratoga St. downtown, near City Hall.
Iggy Pop and his band, the Stooges, had their rented Penske truck and all their gear stolen on Monday morning, outside their Montreal hotel. The truck was later found, according to this Rolling Stone article, but the gear is still missing.
The Stooges have documented what's been taken, and the list includes a 1963 bass once owned by former Minutemen bassist Mike Watt. Ouch.
They're on Sunday at the Virgin Festival, and I'm guessing they'll be playing with borrowed gear.
In keeping with its democratic spirit (this from the band who live-streamed their 2003 album "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" when it was dumped by its record label), Wilco will now let you request songs for specific concert dates.
Virgin Festival is in there, and you can vote here.
I'm going to request "I Got You (At the End of the Century)." I don't think I've ever heard them play it live, and it's one of my favorites.
Checked the weather forecast for this weekend -- it's lookin' good both days.
Sunny, low 80s.
Sounds cooler than last year, which is double plus awesome. We could be in for a cool, breezy festival.
Are you amped yet?
Virgin Mobile Festival, the city's biggest music festival, starts at noon Saturday.
Sun reporters, critics and photographers will be there en masse to capture and recap all the action -- from the characters on stage to the characters in the crowd.
Looking forward to anything in particular? It's going to be really weird seeing Kanye West follow Bob Dylan Sunday evening.
Same goes for the Foo Fighters, who take the stage just after Chuck Berry and the Silverbeats.
But all in all, it should be a festival to remember.
(Sun archive photo)
