By K. Tighe
The Lolla crowd gives it up for Kanye West. Photo by Cambria Harkey.
Notorious for delivering live sets that sound nothing like their album cuts, New York/Philadelphia indie rockers, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah translate surprisingly well to the festival environment. Sure, most songs were unrecognizable, but still enjoyable. Frequently compared to David Byrne, Alec Ounsworth laced his nasally vocals over deconstructed disco-folk instrumentals and the people, well, they rejoiced.
The other side of the park was packed to the brim, with concert-goers eager for a much-needed dose of hip-hop. The Roots delivered. Horn players usually lack street cred, but not under the tutelage of these legendary wailers, who delivered one of the day’s best sets by somehow managing to keep their massive crowd grooving with their trademark big-band spastic sound, all while suggestively flexing their rock muscle. Earlier in the day, Chicago native Rhymefest had gracefully overcome sound difficulties to merge his blue-collar sensibilities with big band grandeur in a powerhouse hip-hop set. Although Lupe Fiasco is scheduled for tomorrow, it’s apparent that Lollapalooza could do with more hip-hop.
With a distinctive, fluid voice and some hard-earned chops as a pianist, Regina Spektor’s performance was sweet, but underwhelming. Chalk it up to timing, as she had the misfortune of performing after the Roots, or perhaps the awkwardness of hearing such intimate tunes at a corporate festival, but the much-anticipated appearance of this lovely chanteuse missed the mark.
For a hefty serving of old-school geekiness, no one need look any further than a set by the Hold Steady. These boozy intellectuals have come a long way in a short time, vocalist Craig Finn took a moment in the set to explain: “We started this band four years ago to have enough money for beer and an apartment, and now we’re going to Dublin (next month) to open for the Stones. There is so much joy in what we do here, God bless you. ” Judging by the sea of hands punching at the air through the duration of the set, there was a whole lotta joy in what they crowd was doing there, too.
Despite the fact that Karen O was gussied into a get-up that would make some Folsom Street Fairers blush, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs put on a strong, primal performance.
Try as she might, Ms. O just can’t hold a candle to Ms. Patti Smith. The rock and roll poetess has enamored me in the past, and never disappointed. Even on her Rock ‘n’ Roll hall of fame induction, when every other word was bleeped, she was enthralling. Still, no amount of Patti-worship could have prepared a person for the lady’s performance tonight, Aug. 4, when the heavens aligned to split open.