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Lollapalooza Day Two: Skylar Grey, Patrick Stump, Ellie Goulding Mix It Up

Posted 8/7/11 1:23 pm EST by in Live Music, Lollapalooza

Chicago — The plan for a weekend of Lollapalooza shuffle firmly established, Saturday's musical Pu-Pu platter was a bit more focused on rock and its various offshoots, plus, frankly, bands I either love already or was just curious about.

First on the list was hip-hop's current go-to hook queen, Skylar Grey. In her first major appearance since blowing up thanks to her vocals on Dr Dre's "I Need a Doctor," singer/songwriter Grey is clearly read to go out on her own. (She would join pal Eminem later in the night during his headlining set.)

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With a haunting, gothy vibe, Grey came out wearing a ragged white hoodie that hung in shreds like a ghost shawl down to her ankles, accented by combat boots, army pants and a white sports bra that showed off her impossibly thin belly. She was all aggression and angst, at one point neck-tackling her guitarist.

Her moody rock tunes, which balanced programmed beats with live playing, combined anxiety and empowerment ("Monster," "Beautiful Nightmare"), showing off her crisp, high vocals and the plainspoken songwriting slated for her upcoming major-label debut. Part Alanis Morissette and part Dido, the songs struck a balance between vulnerability and no B.S. strength. The self-professed "f---ing weirdo" also played a snippet of Radiohead's "Creep" before busting into her own tune about being a super freak, "Weirdo."

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Just as they did two years ago, British dance popsters Friendly Fires drew an early, sweaty slot on the North main stage, but made the most of it with a high-energy set that ended with the falsetto boogie anthem "Kiss of Life." It was a very different vibe just moments later on an adjacent stage when pale, puffy-eyed and sleepless-looking flower punkers the Black Lips stumbled out for one of their typically chaotic sets.
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Tinie Tempah, Skrillex And Grace Potter Cover The Bases At Lollapalooza

Posted 8/6/11 1:29 pm EST by in Live Music, Lollapalooza


CHICAGO — Who doesn't like to hit "shuffle" every once in a while? Sure, playlists are cool, but sometimes when your friends come over, it's also fun to spin the dial and see what comes up, maybe impress them with anything from Miles Davis to My Morning Jacket, Britney Spears to Bon Jovi.

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So I decided that my first day of Lollapalooza would be random, a musical buffet that went from hippie pop to British rap, indie rock to electro, with a few stops at everything in between. It began with England's Vaccines, who kicked off the first day of the three-day music orgy on one of the main stages with their ear candy coital anthem "Post Break-Up Sex." Fittingly, I took in their set while chatting with "120 Minutes" host Matt Pinfield, who agreed that the 'Cines sound was a perfect throwback to the good old days of Brit pop and 1980s indie rock.

Wayyyy at the other end of the spectrum (and field) was the hip-shaking boogie of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, who were serving up a mellowed-down easy vibe with "Goodbye Kiss," a smooth slice of hippie rock that fit the mood of the hazy early afternoon. Potter, as usual, in high heels and a spangly, barely there microdress that ended around where it should have begun, wailed like a new-age Janis Joplin on "2:22" and strapped on a flying V guitar for the band's breakthrough hit "Paris (Ooh La La)," a boogie pop-blues tune that got the audience doing the scarecrow dance.

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Things came down a notch when hometown indie rockers the Smith Westerns took an adjacent stage, playing a set of feathery, soothing tunes like "Fallen in Love," a far cry from the hyped-up, DJ-inspired beats served up a short while later by another Chicago act, former Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz's new band, Black Cards.
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Death From Above 1979 Bring Lollapalooza To Life

Posted 8/5/11 12:22 pm EST by in Live Music, Lollapalooza

Credit: Gil Kaufman/ MTV News

Chicago – Some bands never live up to their legend and others have a legend but don't stay together long enough to live up to it. And then, somewhere in between there are bands like Death From Above 1979. The Canadian dance punk drum and bass/keyboard duo reunited this year after a five-year hiatus, which equaled the amount of time they were together the first go round (2001-2006).

Judging from the hour-long show they played at Chicago's Metro on Thursday night as part of a tune-up for this weekend's Lollapalooza festival, there isn't much rust on this hard-driving machine. Playing to a sold-out crow at the legendary northside nightclub in the shadow of historic Wrigley Field, bassist Jesse Keeler and drummer/singer Sebastien Grainger fell right into the pocket as if no time had passed at all.

Opening with "Turn it Out," Grainger – in all white – and Keeler – all in black – set of the first of a relentless barrage of rocket-fueled beats, with Grainger yelping urgently over his double kick-drum beats and Keeler's killer bee of doom bass. "Black History Month" slowed their roll just a hair before the whole thing collapsed into a squall of noise and feedback.

Though Lolla has expanded over the years to include much more hip-hop, techno, jam band, mainstream rock and every genre in between, DFA's screeching feedback and seasick mix of squelchy keyboards and machine gun beats was like a time machine back to the 1991 edition's version of a noise machines, Nine Inch Nails and the Butthole Surfers.

Like those bands, DFA's face-punching attack never let up, making it feel like the duo were running as fast as they could in every direction, always just a bit off balance. Around 40 minutes in Grainger addressed the audience, thanking them for coming out, admitting he can't tell the Cars from Ok Go and Weezer and launching into an extended riff on lesbians and their buzzing bedroom assistants.

Keeler promised they weren't just killing time because they only had one album's-worth of material to play, proving it with the fuzzed-out "Do It!," which, like a number of their songs, sounded a bit like the White Stripes if they were less concerned with melody and more focused on ear-blasting distortion.

The show ended with a tease of the dancey "Sexy Results," which went from club-friendly to yet another 12-car pile-up of thundering drums. The crowd, sweaty and satisfied, spilled out into the humid night charged up and seemingly fueled for three more days of musical mayhem.

Check out all of the highlights from Lollapalooza 2011, and tweet your pics from Lollapalooza to @mtvnews and they could be featured on MTV.com!

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Pete Wentz Picks His Lollapalooza Playlist

Posted 8/4/11 4:45 pm EST by in Fall-Out-Boy, Live Music, Lollapalooza

Pete Wentz

They say you can never go back home again. Not unless you're former Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz. Not only is he coming back to his childhood home of Chicago this weekend, but he's gearing up to play the biggest gig so far with his new band, Black Cards, at the city's signature summer blowout, Lollapalooza. The dinnertime slot on Friday's opening day of the three-day fest is a coming-out party of sorts for Wentz, whose former band never made it onto the bill once Lolla set down roots on the Chicago waterfront and was reborn as a destination event in 2005.

We caught up with Wentz as he was making this way through Los Angeles International Airport for his Thursday afternoon flight and chatted about coming home, playing in front of his family and friends and how he feels about the inevitable whispers about a potential on-stage FOB reunion (former singer Patrick Stump is also on the bill, playing the same stage at around the same time on Saturday).

"I'm pretty excited about it because Lollapalooza is kind of a big summer event in Chicago and I've been going the past couple of years and it's hot and fun and [co-founder] Perry [Farrell] has done a really good job of having a wide range of bands," said Wentz. "For me it's really exciting. I've never played it before and to be able to play and hang out with my friends and family and have them see me play is really cool."

While Wentz is psyched for the Lolla audience to hear the electro pop sounds of his new band – who will also play an after party set at his downtown bar, Angels & Kings – he ran down his list of must-see sets. Read More...

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Dada Life Remix Lady Gaga, Kid Cudi During Roof-Rattling Set

Posted 7/8/11 2:44 pm EST by in Live Music

By Akshay Bhansali

Was Lavo New York ready to do the Dada this morning? As regularly is the case for New York's most exclusive nightclub, by midnight, beauties and ballers alike had amassed in front of gatekeeper Cristian Achirili's door in pursuit of bottles and big-tune bangers. Whether they had planned on it or not, dance-music DJ/producers Dada Life ended up driving models and city tycoons to tear the roof off of the Strategic Group's New York dance-music mecca — almost literally.

As you can see from the photo, Dada's Olle Corneer and Stefan Engblom were welcomed with open arms even before they took to the decks with silver glittered "DADA LIFE" letters firmly affixed to the ceiling. That changed very quickly ...

After DJ Jeffrey Tonnesen spun a pretty stellar opening set, which included David Guetta's bombastic unreleased gem "Bass Line" (off his electronic disc Nothing but the Beat double album), the Swedish titanic twosome brought the ruckus, launching into their 2010 single "Just Bleep Me" (sampling Benny Benassi's "Satisfaction"). The room of beautiful drink sippers flipped into a frenzy, with pumping fists banging around Dada Life's customary large inflatable bananas and champagne bottle. By Quintin's edit of Afrojack and R3hab's "Prutataa," just the third song, all that was left of the ceiling fixture spelled "IFE." The mob had its way with the rest.

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Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Britney Spears? Which Tour Are You Looking Forward To The Most This Summer?

Posted 7/7/11 10:54 am EST by in Britney Spears, fleet foxes, Foo-Fighters, kings of leon, Lil Wayne, Live Music, Newsroom Poll, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Tour Dates, U2

Katy Perry

One shoots whipped cream out of her boobs and changes outfits seven times in one song. Another writhes on a giant guitar and closes her show by donning giant angel wings. Whether you're a Katy Perry fan or a Britney booster, the fact is these divas are leading a parade of major stars hitting stages this summer, and since we told you who our experts predict will rule the road during bikini season, now we want you to tell us who you've invested your cash in.

Will you plunk down your hard-earned cash to see Taylor Swift's country cutie act (once she gets over that nasty case of bronchitis, that is), will it be U2's gargantuan 360 Tour that will drain your bank account, or is your money on Perry and Spears?

If you're more of a hip-head, Lil Wayne is a lock to be somewhere near your neck of the woods this summer and Wiz Khalifa will surely burn one down within driving distance. If high-energy pop-punk is the thing, the Blink-182/My Chemical Romance double-bill aims to please, unless you prefer your rock more uncut, in which case Foo Fighters, My Morning Jacket and Kings of Leon may be the right choice.

And, for the first time, glowstick-loving dance fans are not being left out in the cold thanks to the first-ever touring electronica festival, IDentity, which will hit amphitheaters in major markets with a host of big beat stars like Skrillex, Afrojack and Kaskade.

Then again, maybe we left someone off the list and there's some other tour your totally jacked about. We've done our homework, now it's your turn. Vote in our summer tours poll below. Read More...

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Kid Rock Sets Off Fireworks Before The Fourth Of July

Posted 7/5/11 10:40 am EST by in Kid-Rock, Live Music, rap

Photo by Gil Kaufman

Photo by Gil Kaufman

Cincinnati -- Talk about the perfect bill on the perfect night. Kid Rock and old pal Sheryl Crow kicked off their summer tour on Saturday (July 2) in the Queen City with a three-hour marathon of Americana that had it all – fireworks, giant American flags, songs about lazy (mostly drunken) summer days and pontoon boats, multiple references to funny cigarettes, purple mountains majesty and, of course, a couple of Uncle Sam-loving strippers thrown in for good measure.

What better way is there to gear up for the 4th of July, right?

For the 15,500 at Riverbend Amphitheater, clearly there was nowhere else to be in the windup to patriotic weekend, despite oppressive heat and humidity that made goopy mascara run, sky-high hair droop and sweat to flow in torrents down a sea of butterfly-themed tramp stamps.

Swaggering out from underneath a titanic set of bull horns with glowing red eyes, a red-white and blue-decked Rock banged out "American Bad Ass" and "God Bless Saturday" in front of a rustic set that looked like a woodsy saloon in his native northern Michigan, complete with a stuffed bear wearing a dookie chain and a full-service, two-story bar with beer taps and bottles of Jim Beam lined up across the front. With a 10-piece band backing him, the rapper-turned-Bob-Segeresque heartland rocker quickly reminded fans of his roots with the Run-DMC-like "You Never Met a Motherf---er Quite Like Me," which got him so riled up he needed to take a minute to brush his hair and change hats before continuing the assault with "Cowboy."

Now, I've been going to shows for a long time now and while I can't recall ever seeing a stripper pole on stage, I've now seen a total of four over the past week at two different shows. So I was not surprised when a pair of poles popped up out of the floor and two exotic dancers materialized to shimmy as Rock put on a cowboy hat (a white one, if you can believe it) and told his tale of West Coast pimpin while flanked by two giant American flags.
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Mötley Crüe Celebrate 30 Years of Debauchery with a Hearty 'F**k You'

Posted 6/27/11 1:30 pm EST by in Live Music

Credit: Gil Kaufman, MTV News

Credit: Gil Kaufman, MTV News

Cincinnati – Always about as subtle as a flaming, spiked sledgehammer to the sternum, Mötley Crüe mince no words with the title of their current summer tour: "30 Years of Crüe … F**k You."

And because I somehow missed out on seeing the band in their heyday, I felt it was my duty to celebrate three decades of decadence with the boys on Sunday night at the packed Riverbend Amphitheater, because, well, you never know.

Though I didn't pack a handy flask of Jim Beam in the boot of my jeans to bust out at just the right moment (that would be during "Dr. Feelgood," FYI) and I was not sporting a full back tat of the Shout at the Devil album cover (I spotted three, in addition to countless massive Theatre of Pain inkings), I dutifully took my place among the masses tossing up the horns for 90 minutes of pyro-fueled mayhem.

Only bassist Nikki Sixx came out rocking the classic Native American ghoul face paint, but when singer Vince Neil raised his bedazzled microphone and stalked the stage in his sliver American flag leather pants for the set opening "Shout at the Devil," the on-stage flame-throwers were so intense you could almost smell the layers of eye shadow being burned off the faces of the fist-pumping ladies in the front rows.

What followed was exactly what you'd expect from a Crüe show, which is to say a non-stop barrage of rock thuggery and expletive-laden exhortations from a group whose debt to punk speed and attitude and conventional hard rock has long since outstripped their early pretty-boy glam look.
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Lollapalooza Schedule Creates Headaches: Muse Vs. Coldplay?

Posted 6/7/11 1:55 pm EST by in Coldplay, Eminem, Foo-Fighters, Live Music, Lollapalooza

It's the best and worst moment of every U.S. festivalgoer's life: schedule day. On the one hand, you can't wait to see when your favorite bands are playing and then start planning your long weekend. On the other, you dread the sight of two of your absolute faves playing on opposite sides of the mile-long field at EXACTLY THE SAME TIME!

In which case Tuesday (June 7) morning was either a huge relief or a major bummer if you're planning on trekking to Chicago on August 5 for Lollapalooza. First, the good news: With the exception of a few headliner conflicts, the schedule is actually one of the most fan-friendly rundown in years.

Yes, Muse and Coldplay are playing at the same time on Friday night, which will probably cause major headaches for thousands of fans of falsetto-driven, pomp and circumstance English rock. (To say nothing of the fact that party hardy DJ Girl Talk and excellent post rockers Ratatat are also playing at the same time as the headliners, which may pull some Lollers in yet more directions.)

But the rest of the day has a pretty open schedule that allows for some decent stage hopping. If you start the day off with some solid indie rock courtesy of Wye Oak, it's just a hop, skip and jump to latest English lad rock sensations the Vaccines, with perhaps a stop-off for some psychedelic bits from the Delta Spirit, a touch of hippie-pop from Grace Potter & the Nocturnals and new-wave reminiscing with Foster the People, at which point things pile up a bit.

Awesome Smiths-inspired rock from the Smith Westerns, or English rap from Tinie Tempah? Brainy rock from the Mountain Goats or the latest from Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz's new band, Black Cards? Noise avalanche from Sleigh Bells or arty stomp from a Perfect Circle?
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Taylor Swift Cuts Loose At CMA Music Festival

Posted 6/15/09 5:33 pm EST by in Live Music


While much of the music world was focused on the bands tearing up the mud at Bonnaroo, there was an alternative get-together on the other side of the state, as Nashville hosted the CMA Music Festival. The four-day festival, which featured Trace Adkins, Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts and Taylor Swift, attracted 56,000 people per day to LP Field, Nashville's football stadium.

The highlight of the weekend was certainly Swift, who worked the giant crowd like a seasoned pro. The size of the venue must have sparked something in her, as she spent the performance cutting loose: running across the stage, striking rock poses, swinging her hair around and calling out to the audience. It was a much wilder show than she's used to presenting. Her Saturday night set closed with her smash hit "Love Story," which led to the festival's biggest sing-along. Swift didn't stop there, though, as she spent Sunday signing autographs for fans — some of whom had lined up 17 hours earlier to secure their spot in line.

(Click here for more photos of Taylor Swift at the CMA Music Festival)

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