Concert Review: All Points West (Saturday concert)

Originally published in Soundcheck Magazine (8/13/08)

First, some food for though for next year’s All Points West:
1. Dickheads should be added to the long list of items not allowed inside the festival. That includes anyone who decides to plow through a giant crowd of people like it was an ant farm. Three times.
2. Camera men DO NOT need to so desperately scour the crowd for sweaty, teen girls in bikinis when Emily-freaking-Haines is performing on stage right next to them.
3. Scrap the cheesy, Windows 95-style video graphics. If you’re gonna give us eye candy, don’t settle for the stale, Walmart brand; we want Swedish Fish.

Okay, onto the review.

The first-ever All Points West festival was already a day old when the gates opened on Saturday, August 9. As the Simpsons-esque clouds drifted over the New York City skyline and dozens of dragonflies danced around the abstract sculptures that scattered Liberty State Park, it became apparent just how underrated the weather is when it comes to an outdoor music festival. This is something that few people really consider when they commit to a multi-day event like this one, but it can make or break the enjoyment level. Luckily, the Rock Gods were on our side that day, as the sun was mercifully doused out by some strategic clouds, and the breeze from the Upper New York Bay swam through the masses in cool waves. Technically speaking, things were impressively organized for a first-timer, apart from the poor decision to overload one of the three stages with nearly all of the big name bands.

Chromeo: There’s just something about listening to a pre-recorded saxophone solo at a live concert that makes me feel dirty inside. Especially when, on the same stage just hours later, Thom Yorke has a huge grand piano rolled out just for a few closing bars on “All I Need”. Chromeo opened things up with a sometimes-fun, generally Daft Punk-lite performance sprinkled with constant reminders that “We go by the name of Chromeo.” Thanks, I had already forgotten.

Metric: Those lucky enough to get to the Blue Comet Stage early were treated to a sound check by Emily Haines and co. that only hinted at the performance to come. I was only a semi-fan of Metric going into the show, but my expectations were more than surpassed by the volatile pixie in royal gold and her tractor-beam stage presence. Backed by a muscular, rocking band that churned out a thumping version of “Poster of a Girl” that far surpasses the studio cut, Haines was a dancing fiend for her band’s 45-minute set, eventually breaking the confines of the stage and mingling with the crowd at the performance’s end.

Animal Collective: This performance was the wildcard of the festival. Drawing from the band‘s well of interstellar insanity, the zoomorphic trio probably would have fared better under the night-light extravagance of Radiohead’s set pieces, but they nevertheless fought the fair weather to bring the crowd to a world where excess and minimalism coexist, all with the bass firmly turned up to 11. A definite highlight was the swaying rendition of Panda Bear‘s “Comfy in Nautica”.

Kings of Leon: The Nashville musicians stirred things up with the first-ever live performance of their new single, “Sex On Fire”, which most fans already knew the words to. They also opened the show with a passionate version of “Crawl”, another song off the soon-to-be-released follow-up to Because of the Times. Unfortunately, they didn’t sound as inspired when it came to their older material, judging by tepid performances of built-for-the-stage rockers “Black Thumbnail” and “California Waiting”. On the bright side, front man Caleb Followill is sporting a new, shorter haircut, which leads me to the assumption that his barber finally decided to spare him of the skanky cowgirl look.

Radiohead: “Give it up for Kings of Leon,” Thom Yorke wryly exclaimed between songs. “If we were that good looking, we’d be famous!” Yorke was clearly having fun, and so was everyone else. Under a veil of giant, multi-colored fluorescent lights, Radiohead ended the show on a staggeringly high note. Giving an In Rainbows-heavy set, the five-some came out for two encores and engaged the audience with their spellbinding electro-rock. You could hear a pin drop when Yorke and Jonny Greenwood acoustified the audience with “Exit Music (For a Film)”, and you couldn’t hear your own screaming voice during the fantastic performance of “The Bends”. When they were finally done, there were no screams for more, no demands for a third encore. The show was complete. It just felt right.