Day 3: Uno as a Spectator Sport, and No Rain.
I hate to say it, but finally, Lolla is done. I was okay with last year's two-day format, but three days is grueling. Luckily there were a lot of really great shows that I had been looking forward to and since they were all on the same stage we got to sit a lot between sets. It feels weird not to have the wristband on, but at the same time freeing, like I can go back to everyday life and recharge a little. My feet are sore, and the printers are out at work so I can't really, you know, work, but one last recap and then I can put a lid on Lolla 2006.
On Sunday, I saw:
* Office, which was a replacement band for Boy Kill Boy, who pulled out last Wednesday. I had heard a little of Office's stuff from iTunes, and I knew their bassist, Alissa, back in high school. They have a great poppy sound but with real depth. I started to drizzle during their act--some scary-ass rain was heading out way and we were prepared--byut that little srizzle was all we would see all day long. After, we walked over to get lunch--I had a delish thai chicken and rice dish--and we sat and saw...
* Burden Brothers as we ate. They're a little more hard rock than I like, but Rob wanted to see them. The lead singer of the band used to be in the Toadies--they sound just like them. After we finished eating, we walked over to the Bud Light stage and camped out for the afternoon shows. We got to listen to the fine musical stylings of...
* The Frames as we waited for...
* Nickle Creek. Now I know most of you are wondering why in the hell I wanted to see a bluegrass-countryesque band, but they're GOOD. They've got chops. I met up with a friend of mine from work, Edith, before the show and then stayed in our spot until 7:30 (of course with bathroom breaks). They covered Britney Spears' "Toxic" which was awesome. After they were done it got a little more crowded as...
* Andrew Bird unwittingly cranked up the bass and made me lose my hearing. After he was done with his crap live performance,
* The Shins came on. They were great and fun, but the sound was piss poor. They really got a bad deal. As soon as they thanked everyone and left the stage a sea of people swarmed where we were standing and luckily Mike had the forethought to leave our mat down on the ground to mark our territory. So as everyone stood waiting for the next act on the stage, we got to sit and listen to...
* Poi Dog Pondering. As they played, we whipped out Uno for the bajillionth time this weekend to pass the time. Well, because everyone around us had nothing to do but stand and stare at an empty stage, they watched us play. It was kinda cool that people would cheer and groan when something bad would happen, like at a sporting event (albeit a small one). We let other people help shuffle, and when Katie's friend Pier had finally had enough, we let someone be our fourth and play with us (he was grateful to sit for a few minutes). We packed up, folded up the mat, and...
* Wilco came on, and brought the mother fucking house down. THEY WERE AWESOME! Wilco is one of Mike's most favorite bands, and he got to hear the song he most wanted to hear (I did not, but oh well). The crowd was great, and right before the show ended I realized that I could stand on our folded plastic mat and get two inches of height advantage--quite useful. I would definitely see Wilco again next time they're around. After the show, when...
* Blues Traveler started to play (I heard two songs as everyone trudged off to the south field), we went with the herd past...
* Broken Social Scene, to stake out a place for...
* Red Hot Chili Peppers. Rob had left us after The Shins to get a place, and we didn't think we could get up front to where he was at that late time (turns out we were wrong, and I fell kinda bad about not making more of an effort to get my way up there). Mike and I went to the southeast-most softball field (the fields are elevated so I could see the stage) and got a few beers and enjoyed the set. It stated out really strong but then got weak, stuff I didn't care about. Before the first encore I decided to try to get up to Rob--lots of people were heading out by that point, and he was by an easy-to-see landmark on the field near the sound stage. I was up there with him by 9:45, thinking that although "Give It Away" had just ended, there would be 15 more minutes of music. Wrong! They ended at 9:50 to my dismay, and we headed back to the car and were home by eleven.
So now I'm realizing that the summer's nearly over--only a few more weeks. Lolla was good this year, great at times, but didn't blow my mind like last year's. It was probably because it was over three days, so it wasn't act after act of life-changing experiences. The best show was The Editors, followed by Wilco, followed by Kanye West.
Now I need to work, and keep aloe vera-ing my pinked face and shoulders.
On Sunday, I saw:
* Office, which was a replacement band for Boy Kill Boy, who pulled out last Wednesday. I had heard a little of Office's stuff from iTunes, and I knew their bassist, Alissa, back in high school. They have a great poppy sound but with real depth. I started to drizzle during their act--some scary-ass rain was heading out way and we were prepared--byut that little srizzle was all we would see all day long. After, we walked over to get lunch--I had a delish thai chicken and rice dish--and we sat and saw...
* Burden Brothers as we ate. They're a little more hard rock than I like, but Rob wanted to see them. The lead singer of the band used to be in the Toadies--they sound just like them. After we finished eating, we walked over to the Bud Light stage and camped out for the afternoon shows. We got to listen to the fine musical stylings of...
* The Frames as we waited for...
* Nickle Creek. Now I know most of you are wondering why in the hell I wanted to see a bluegrass-countryesque band, but they're GOOD. They've got chops. I met up with a friend of mine from work, Edith, before the show and then stayed in our spot until 7:30 (of course with bathroom breaks). They covered Britney Spears' "Toxic" which was awesome. After they were done it got a little more crowded as...
* Andrew Bird unwittingly cranked up the bass and made me lose my hearing. After he was done with his crap live performance,
* The Shins came on. They were great and fun, but the sound was piss poor. They really got a bad deal. As soon as they thanked everyone and left the stage a sea of people swarmed where we were standing and luckily Mike had the forethought to leave our mat down on the ground to mark our territory. So as everyone stood waiting for the next act on the stage, we got to sit and listen to...
* Poi Dog Pondering. As they played, we whipped out Uno for the bajillionth time this weekend to pass the time. Well, because everyone around us had nothing to do but stand and stare at an empty stage, they watched us play. It was kinda cool that people would cheer and groan when something bad would happen, like at a sporting event (albeit a small one). We let other people help shuffle, and when Katie's friend Pier had finally had enough, we let someone be our fourth and play with us (he was grateful to sit for a few minutes). We packed up, folded up the mat, and...
* Wilco came on, and brought the mother fucking house down. THEY WERE AWESOME! Wilco is one of Mike's most favorite bands, and he got to hear the song he most wanted to hear (I did not, but oh well). The crowd was great, and right before the show ended I realized that I could stand on our folded plastic mat and get two inches of height advantage--quite useful. I would definitely see Wilco again next time they're around. After the show, when...
* Blues Traveler started to play (I heard two songs as everyone trudged off to the south field), we went with the herd past...
* Broken Social Scene, to stake out a place for...
* Red Hot Chili Peppers. Rob had left us after The Shins to get a place, and we didn't think we could get up front to where he was at that late time (turns out we were wrong, and I fell kinda bad about not making more of an effort to get my way up there). Mike and I went to the southeast-most softball field (the fields are elevated so I could see the stage) and got a few beers and enjoyed the set. It stated out really strong but then got weak, stuff I didn't care about. Before the first encore I decided to try to get up to Rob--lots of people were heading out by that point, and he was by an easy-to-see landmark on the field near the sound stage. I was up there with him by 9:45, thinking that although "Give It Away" had just ended, there would be 15 more minutes of music. Wrong! They ended at 9:50 to my dismay, and we headed back to the car and were home by eleven.
So now I'm realizing that the summer's nearly over--only a few more weeks. Lolla was good this year, great at times, but didn't blow my mind like last year's. It was probably because it was over three days, so it wasn't act after act of life-changing experiences. The best show was The Editors, followed by Wilco, followed by Kanye West.
Now I need to work, and keep aloe vera-ing my pinked face and shoulders.