Feel Good Hit of the Summer 04.20.06: 2006 Summer Guide
Posted by Frank Estrada on 04.20.2006
I'm back with part 2 of my look at the 2006 Summer festivals. Here you will get the low down on all the major festivals: Bonnaroo, Coachella, Lollapalooza and Sasquatch. Can't go to these, don't worry I have info on more festivals across America too.
I'm back, after an engagement, a funeral, a trip to Hawaii, with no U2 concert to report on, and midterms. I am back with part 2 of my summer concert guide. While I was pretty harsh on Lollapalooza last column, I want to let you know I am pulling for them. I am not going this year, but hopefully they are successful so they can put an even better show next year that will get me to Chicago.
Right now I see a trend for your concert dollars: The music festival. The history of U.S. music festivals are legend if you think of the Monterey Pop Festival, Woodstock, or the US Festival. All history making in one way or another, they disappeared. While Woodstock did manage to come back, it was a disaster in many ways, never catching the vibe of the original (or did it? Go watch the documentary again.).
Lollapalooza injected the US with a successful traveling festival, which turned to the equivalent of the summer blockbuster movie. This is what the music industry needed. What happened is many other traveling tours appeared: Warped Tour, Ozzfest, Smoking Grooves, and the Lilith Fair, among others. Sure popular radio stations threw summer concerts as well, but the package tour was something to look forward to after finals. I mean these are all day shows. For one price you get a number of bands plus a headliner. If you were lucky you saw tomorrow's stars today. I remember seeing Green Day open the main stage of Lollapalooza, Outkast were on the Smoking Grooves tour way before anyone heard of them and on the Warped Tour, a number of bands passed through here before being played on MTV.
Something happened. The traveling festival was good and fun, but it was never as good as the shows the people across the pond were throwing. The legendary European Shows were always a dream here in the US. For those in the know, you got every band, every genre, they weren't afraid of making their own headliners. Oasis, Radiohead, Prodigy, Paul McCartney? These were the names headlining the big shows there. Remember MTV news showing us Nirvana and Guns and Roses playing in front of, it seems an endless sea of people. They did it and they did it large over there. Were we destined to sell out amphitheatres or arenas? Then somebody got an idea, somebody wanted to do a European-style festival in the U.S. I don't know who did it first here, but I know this is what the summer is now made of.
Let run to the present: 2006. The two biggest European-style festivals here in the U.S. are Bonnaroo and Coachella, with Lollapalooza throwing its hat in the ring last year. Let's talk about these shows and where you will and should spend your money. As a true music freak/head/fan, you will be probably going to/or have gone to one of these. I am also going to add a dark horse called the Sasquatch Music Festival, which can't be denied because it boasts the Wookie Stage! Q: How can you compete with that? A: You can't.
Coachella 4/29-30, Indio, Ca
Coachella is the festival for music snobs. Trying to book headliners is one thing, but what makes this the music snob's festival, is who is booked under the headliners. You get critical faves, indie darlings; it's a music lover's dream. Coachella is guilty of pushing the envelope, and you know what, everyone has a great time. It's all about who are you going to see, it's so L.A. That said Coachella is the nicest venue you will ever see because it takes place in a polo field. You over look the desert and have a great back drop for the weekend. The grass is always green and you really don't have to worry about a lot of dirt in the venue, that's saved for the parking. I have only missed 2 years, so this holds a special place in my heart. The set up is thus: you have two stages, two stages in a tent and a massive rave tent. Coachella has been heralded for reuniting bands like The Pixies, Kraftwerk, Iggy and the Stooges, Siouxsie & the Banshees among others. Past Headliners included Jane's Addiction, Beastie Boys, Bjork, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, The Cure and Morrissey. The 2006 line up boasts another great line up, and if you believe the message boards, may even rival Coachella 2004 as the best line up ever. This year's Coachella is interesting because it the first to have a returning headliner: Tool. As one of the first headlining bands, Tool headlined the first ever Coachella, while not having a new album to tour behind. That weekend also introduced A Perfect Circle, for those keeping score. Also headlining this year is Depeche Mode, in their Coachella introduction. But what the real coup here is the other headliners Massive Attack, Daft Punk, Sigur Ros and Madonna. Yes that Madonna. As I said it before I will say it again, she is a legend. Along with Prince and Michael Jackson, she was the 80's, stayed relevant in the 90's and now is reaching out to a new generation. For other acts this weekend you will get to see Atmosphere, Audio Bullys, Bloc Party, Cat Power, Common, Coheed and Cambria, Carl Cox, Damian Jr. Gong Marley, The Editors, Eagles of Death Metal, Franz Ferdinand, the debut of Gnarls Barkley, indie faves Giant Drag, James Blunt, Lady Sovereign, Lyrics Born, Matisyahu, My Morning Jacket, Paul Oakenfold, Seu George, Sleater-Kinney, Wolfmother and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Sasquatch Music Festival 5/26-28, The Gorge, Wa
Sasquatch is taking place over Memorial Day Weekend with the beautiful backdrop of the Washington state Gorge. If I am correct this is the 2nd year of this festival, and I am so impressed with the lineup. You'd be a damn fool if you are in the Northwest and not attending this event, a damn fool.
First let's talk about what stole my heart, the stage names. While this is a minute detail, to me it's all about the details. While Coachella names its stages after deserts, I think Sasquatch takes the cake. While the main stage is just called the main stage, the other two stages are called the Wookie and the Yeti. How awesome is that. How nerdy am I? I don't care on both counts.
My whole beef is if you are going to get us to buy a 3-day pass, you need the acts to get us and keep us there. While Sasquatch is the smallest of the festivals I'm spotlighting here, they have made sure they have a killer line up. You are getting Nine Inch Nails, Bauhaus, HIM, Wolfmother, Ben Harper, The Flaming Lips, Beck, Death Cab For Cutie, Queens Of the Stone Age, Matisyahu, Artic Monkeys, We Are Scientists, Iron & Wine, Sufjan Stevens (which would be the only festival that has this critically acclaimed artist), plus more artists still to be announced.
Bonnaroo 6/16-18, Manchester, Tennessee
There is no denying this is the biggest festival, in size, in the U.S. Many ideas really separate this from other festivals. They have had a Mardi Gras-style parade, yoga sessions every morning, a comedy tent, and on stage they have a Super Jam. At its biggest, they have had over 90,000 attend. There is a website available for downloads of some sets as well. While being the Mecca of Jam Band culture, Bonnaroo does not shy away from any other forms of music, it embraces it. They have had acts as diverse as James Brown to the X-ecutioners to the Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.
This year's lineup is no different. You get staples like Phil Lesh & Friends, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, acts who don't surprise you like Buddy Guy, Bonnie Raitt or Dr. John. They have managed to get Radiohead and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. To me that's heaven, two bands that are totally different, yet have produced albums and albums of great music and videos. For you money this is the most diverse lineup in America. I can't wait to go, I wish I could be there this year, but I'm going to have to play now to go next year. You also get the Dresden Dolls, Sasha, Cypress Hill, Son Volt, Lyrics Born, Beck, The Refugee All Stars (Fugee's anyone), World Party, Death Cab For Cutie, Elvis Costello & The Imposters, Damian Marley, Ben Folds, .moe, Bright Eyes, G. Love & Special Sauce, Steve Earle, Ricky Skaggs, plus much much more. Also returning is the Comedy Tent with Lewis Black, Patton Oswalt, Uptight Citizens Brigade, and more. This is the Mecca for the summer festival, because it is more than music.
Lollapalooza 2006 8/4-6, Grant Park, Chicago, IL
The legendary traveling festival tries for the 2nd year in a row to test the weekend festival circuit. The last major festival of the year, the promoters promise more bands, more stages and a third day in Chicago. What differs, IMO, from Bonnaroo and Coachella, is Lollapalooza focus on alternative bands, with a sprinkle of hip hop to fill in the gaps. Why is this a problem? I don't know with 8 stages to run between, you have a better chance of missing a band? Well I think I wrote enough about them last column, lets get to this years line up.
Lollapalooza 2006 is bring us the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who headlined the best Lollapalooza in history; Lollapalooza 1992. They are joined by Kanye West, Blues Traveler, Common, Calexico, Death Cab For Cutie (who seems to be playing a lot this summer), The Editors, Eels, Gnarls Barkley, Matisyahu (who is the only act playing all the major festivals), Manu Chao, Mates of States, Panic! At the Disco, Particle, Queens of the Stone Age, Reverend Horton Heat, Ryan Adams, Sonic Youth, Sleater-Kinney, Sparta, The Flaming Lips, The Shins, Ween, Wilco, and who I would actually travel to see The Raconteurs.
Choose what you will, if you haven't chosen already. What a summer. If you can afford them all, what a luck bastard you are. With travel agencies making packages for these festivals, and links to hotels, this is the current trend you wouldn't want to miss. While shows come and go, while these festivals bring up to 90,000 people for one weekend, I think these will last for a while.
Other Festivals (if you cannot make the ones talked about):
If you are in other parts of the U.S., don't fret, there are other weekend festivals that will put you in beautiful parts of the country while you get the sounds of the summer.
If you are lucky and in Hawaii this weekend, chill out at the Kokua Festival. You get Ben Harper, Jack Johnson and Willie Nelson. Plus you get a few local band from paradise, can't beat that can you?
On June 2-4 you can see Smilefest 2006 in Lake Toxaway, NC. You will see Michael Franti and Spearhead, The Everyone Orchestra, and The Sam Bush Band.
On June 3-4 you can go to the 2nd annual Mountain Jam in Hunter, NY. You get 2 stages and 20 bands headlined by Gov't Mule (who are playing both nights), Robert Randolph and Spearhead.
Are you visiting Chicago, but you aren't going to be there in time for Lollapalooza? Don't fret, if you are there June 24-25, you will be able to see the Intonation Music Festival. You will not be board; night 1 boasts The Streets, Lady Sovereign, Boredoms, The Stills and more. Night 2 you get Bloc Party, Dead Prez, Robert Pollard, Blue Cheer, and more.
Are you parents the kind who take you to any state just to say they went there? Well if you are passing through West Virginia July 14-16; well count your lucky stars for the 10th Annual All Good Music Festival. And All Good is all good I say. You get The Black Crowes, Ween and Les Claypool. Thank your parents for me.
Are you looking for a more Jam Band only festival? Look no further than the 10,000 Lakes Festival in the scenic Soo Pass Ranch in Detroit Lakes, Mn. On July 19-23, you get Trey Anastasio, The String Cheese Incident, The Keller Williams Incident, O.A.R., Umphrey's McGee, and Big Head Todd & the Monsters.
Like hip hop? Feel under represented? Well I have the pill for you. Aug 5 & 6 you get Guerilla Union's Rock the Bells Festival IV. Wu-Tang Clan, Redman, Mos Def & Talib Kweli (Black Star), Del La Soul, plus more. What more do you want, you get the best in the industry here. Hip hop festivals are really underrepresented because of fear of what could happen. Well I have been to Ozzfest and Warped Tour and violence happens there too, yet there is no stigma. I've been to Rock the Bells and they deliver, bottom line.
