With constant cloud cover and a 15-degree drop in temperature, this was the most picture-perfect weather an all-day concert fan could possibly ask for after being burned to death the day before. And with better weather came a much better day of performances. Oh, and BE writer James Eldred assures us that Daft Punk was “fucking incredible” on Friday. Sigh,.
2:30: Silverchair, AT&T stage
David: The quote of the day came with the first band I saw: “I had a dream that I vomited dolphins.” And laugh all you want about Australia ‘s teenage answer to Pearl Jam playing Lolla, but these guys freaking brought it live. I just got a copy of their new album. I can’t wait to hear it.
3:00: Lady Gaga, BMI
Jason: Ho-ly shit. What the hell did I just witness? Lady Gaga came out and rocked on keyboards and vocals while Lady Starlight DJd and go-go danced on the stage! They were both scantily clad and oh so luscious. Lady Gaga’s only 20 years old and is making amazing music. Check her out!
3:30: Motion City Soundtrack, MySpace stage
David: At the risk of dating myself – which is illegal where I come from, bad um bump – I had never heard of this band in my life. But they were the kind of band that I’d be okay with my kids listening to. Sounded good, seemed to be decent human beings, and their drummer was damn good.
4:30: The Roots, Bud Light stage
David: So, these guys write songs of their own, right? Half of their set consisted of covers, including, God help us, Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend.” I know that lots of people love the Roots, but this was not their finest hour
5:00: Roky Erickson & The Explosives, PlayStation
Jason: Oh. My. God. Roky fucking Erikson came out and blew the place away with his psychedelic blues. Just incredible. This is a legend we’re talking about people, and the man did not disappoint. It was everything great, real rock and roll should be and then some. I witnessed history, folks, and even Jeff Tweedy showed up in the crowd. Beautiful.
5:30: Regina Spektor, Adidas stage
David: So, so cute. Like eat-you-all-up cute. During one song, she whacked a drum stick on a chair while singing and playing piano with one hand. Adorable.
6:30: Snow Patrol, Bud Light stage
David: Sounded fab, but not terribly engaging. The bit where they spoke of Spider-Man (I was out of view of the stage) was funny. Someone must have come up onstage for a snog.
7:30: Patti Smith, Adidas
Jason: What was gonna top Roky? Nothing, but Patti equaled him. Patti’s 61 this year and is still as powerful as ever. It was if she was exorcising herself and the crowd as the rain came down and she and her band thundered through “Gloria” and a ton of other rockers. I am so glad I opted to see Patti instead of Spoon, as I had originally scheduled. This was powerful, earth-moving stuff.
7:30: Spoon, Myspace stage
David: I like Spoon, I really do. But they bore me to tears live. Three songs in, we left to get as close as we can to see Muse.
8:30 – Interpol, Bud Light
Jason: Yeesh. What’s this wannabe Bauhaus stuff? I’m not sure what the big draw to this band is, having now heard them live. Needless to say they were not anywhere close to matching the entertainment and excitement I witnessed from the three prior acts. Ah well, it was a wonderful day overall filled with amazing music and performances.
8:30: Muse, AT&T stage
David: As BE’s resident Muse nut, I have to say that I was slightly disappointed with the set list. “Butterflies and Hurricanes,” YES. A whole bunch of mellow piano songs in the middle of the set, NO. But “Knights of Cydonia” freaking killed. “No one’s gonna taaaaaake meeeee aliiiiiiiiiive…”
