Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Lollapalooza 2009 Lineup (So Far)

Yesterday, they finally released the lineup for Lollapalooza 2009, and I'm very happy with what I see. For the moment.

By my count, there are around 28 or so bands that I will be making an effort to see that weekend, and that only really includes one of the 6 main headliners. The problem that this brings up is that means everyone I went to see is in the "middle tier" of bands, which means that they will basically all be scheduled at the same time against one another, and I'll be forced to pick between 2 or 3 bands I want to see at a time, which will drop down the number of bands I'll actually get to see to something like 18. Oh well, I can live with that.

The ones I'm looking forward to the most so far:
Kings of Leon - The only headliner I care about, I've loved their last three albums, and they put on a good set at Lolla in 2007. I'm assuming they'll be on against Tool or the Beastie Boys, so they'll have a decent sized crowd, but not the biggest.
Rise Against - I will now be able to say that one of my classmates from high school will be playing a main stage at Lollapalooza. I'm assuming they'll be on before Tool, so the crowd may get a bit ugly, but it shouldn't be missed.
TV on the Radio - Winners of the extremely prestigious 2008 Scott Pacyna Album of the Year award, this is the first chance I'll get to see them since that release. The reviews of their set at Coachella have been glowing, so that's another can't miss.
Vampire Weekend - They were great at Pitchfork Festival last year, I'm hoping they'll have a few new songs to play this year.
Neko Case - I've seen her live before, she has an astounding voice, one of the best in rock, but the song quality wasn't there to match. Her new album from this year finally gives her some better material to work with.
Animal Collective - Touring on one of the more adventurous releases of the year, should be an interesting psychedelic shift from most of the bands that weekend.
Band of Horses - A great live band who I haven't gotten to see somehow since 2006, their Neil Young influenced guitar rock always sounds tailor made for a beautiful outdoor summer night.
Ben Folds - I enjoyed his last album more than most, he's always an entertaining live act, and that should be a great time for a sing-along or two.
Fleet Foxes - I didn't hear their album before their set at Pitchfork last year, so I'm looking forward to seeing them after spending alot of time with that one. Should be an excellent mid-day break to rest in the sun and bask in their harmonies.
Silversun Pickups - I believe they were at Lolla in 2007, and I had to pass on seeing them due to one of the difficult schedule decisions at the time. I'm 99% sure I'll be going with them whoever they are scheduled against this time around.
Crystal Castles - A Canadian electronic act whose live shows usually end up being a mess one way or another, should be worth checking out.
Bon Iver - I tried seeing them at Pitchfork last year on the side stage while Spiritualized were drowning out their sound, but there was no chance of hearing their delicate music at that time. I've just caught on to their fantastic cd from last year, will be another great set to relax in the shade and unwind with.
Deerhunter - We just saw them open for Girl Talk in Florida, and they nearly blew our eardrums out with their swirling, massive My Bloody Valentine inspired sound. Should be interesting to see them try it again on the Lolla stage.
Dan Deacon - His set will be what Girl Talk's set was last year, highly audience interactive and massively hipster infested. Loved his album Spiderman of the Rings, haven't heard his new one yet, should be very amusing.
The Raveonettes - I love this no-frills group, but much like the Twilight Singers last year, it's going to be a crime seeing them out in the sun.
The Gaslight Anthem - As I said in my list of my favorite albums from 2008, this Jersey band came out of nowhere and impressed me with their Springsteen influenced heart-on-their-sleeve rock. This is one of the most anticipated sets of the entire weekend.
Ra Ra Riot - Orchestra rock, heard great reviews of their set opening for Death Cab For Cutie last week.
Bat For Lashes - One of the young female rockers picking up the torches of PJ Harvey and Tori Amos, her new album has gotten great reviews. She'll also be competing for the highly coveted prize of Hottest Chick at Lollapalooza, along with Sharon Foo from the Raveonettes, Neko Case, and the ladies from the next two bands.
Los Campesinos! - Saw them back in February, lively pop-punk, should make for an early energizing set to start one of the days.
Chairlift - Going to see this band open for Peter, Bjorn and John tomorrow, their song "Handstands" was stuck in your head thanks to an iPod commercial, their lead singer is going to have all of the sunburnt guys swooning early in the day.
Ida Maria - She is new, still need to listen to her cd, but her infectious performance on the Tonight Show last night, dedicating "I Like You Better When You're Naked" to other guest Hugh Jackman, showed she had a pretty good sense of humor and seems to have a lot of fun playing her music.
Living Things - Saw these guys back at Lolla 2006 I believe, their T-Rex influenced blues stomp rock was fueled by their anti-Bush hatred at the time. We'll see how they do now without him to rage against.

Won't know the schedule for the weekend until mid-June most likely, so I have to really cross my fingers now that they scheduling gods are very kind to me.

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