Outside Lands 2009: Day 3 - Pictures, Review

Day 3 at Outside Lands brought about the return of what many would consider to be "typical" concert weather in San Francisco. Which is to say, blustery, foggy, and significantly colder than the rest of the weekend. That being said, it was a bit of a refreshing change, and it certainly didn't stop us from taking in a set of shows that was loaded with heavy hitters over the course of the day.


We started out by catching Modest Mouse, and were surprised to discover that Johnny Marr had taken a leave from being the band's guitarist. Clearly we need to do a better job at keeping up on our news. With this new knowledge, we got a little anxious, as Isaac Brock's live show can be a little screamy for us, and having Johnny to balance it was pretty crucial. Our worries, however, were ill founded, as the band has managed to recruit former Grandaddy guitarist Jim Fairchild to take over guitar duties. Fairchild didn't just meet the needs of the band; he added an immense amount to the show, to the point where we almost didn't notice Marr's absence. Long story short: MM delivered.

After Modest Mouse we made our way to catch M.I.A., and were rewarded with a set that was just as flamboyant as her sound would lead you to expect. Big video screens, crazy dancers, and bright clothes all combined to make for a show that had the entire crowd bouncing like there was no tomorrow. Given M.I.A.'s legendary showmanship (even when 9 months pregnant!), this wasn't exactly a shock, but it was great to see her deliver in a live environment.

Soon after, we (along with a massive swarm of the crowd) dug our way into catch Band Of Horses. We've been digging on these guys for quite a while, but had never caught their live show: you need to make sure you do so next time you have the opportunity. The band (who are surprisingly gritty looking given their melodic sounds) really delivered a set that was musically tight and completely enjoyable. There's a reason that these guys have garnered so much acclaim, and it's not limited to their recorded output.

We wrapped up the night with the third day headliners, Tenacious D. We have to admit: we had been extremely skeptical of the inclusion of the duo as a headliner, but it did sorta work. There's no question that Jack Black is a showman, and the band actually do have rock and roll chops. While they might not quite have the artistic integrity of some acts, their combination of rock and roll, comedy, and ridiculousness (including a Black's body double doing cartwheels) managed to be a fun way to wrap up an amazing weekend.

Photos By Rick Audet
Many more photos at the HAD Archive

Modest Mouse - "Satellite Skin"

Modest Mouse at Treasure Island 2007, from the HAD Archive

We have to admit, we were a little skeptical about Modest Mouse's new single "Satellite Skin" - Mainly because we saw the Letterman performance, and were sort of underwhelmed. Issac Brock tends to be a little too "yelly" for us in a live setting, and as such it makes it tough to digest a new track. We kinda let it fall by the wayside.

Fast forward a couple of months, and we just heard the studio version in passing on the radio. And well: it's really, really good. Generally we're not the types to support bands that can't back up their studio versions in a live setting. But in this case it's not really that Modest Mouse falter in the live environ, it's more just that Brock just has a slightly more aggressive tone in both his guitar playing and vocals that takes a way a certain something from the song.

By contrast, the studio version has just the right amount of edginess while still maintaining a comfortably melodic arrangement, and we dig it very much. The guitar is classic chunky Modest Mouse goodness, and the chorus is dripping with what has become the band's signature singalong chorus vibe. Sure, we're a little late to the party, but we missed The Beatles by a good decade or two as well, so, you know....go with the flow.

mp3: Modest Mouse - Satellite Skin

Modest Mouse Spring Tour: Coming To Fox Theater In February, Presale Thursday Morning @ 10

Photo from the HAD Archive

We last heard from the boys of Modest Mouse, they were opening for REM at the Greek Theater last spring. Well, here we are almost a year later and it looks as though the band is reinstating their role as headliner. Modest Mouse will be playing a headlining tour in February and March which will span from California to Florida, and will be making an opening-night Bay Area stop at the newly renovated Fox Theater in Oakland. There's a presale tomorrow morning at 10, for which the password is "fox". Good luck with that!

While you wait around for the presale, why not check out this video of Isaac Brock performing with Broken Social Scene? Yes, indeed.

Modest Mouse Spring 2009 Tour:
02/22/2009 Oakland CA Fox Theater
02/23/2009 Visalia CA The Fox Theatre
02/24/2009 Hollywood CA HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM
02/25/2009 Tempe AZ The Marquee
02/26/2009 Albuquerque NM Albuquerque Convention Center, Hall
02/28/2009 Boulder CO Balch Fieldhouse/C.U. Boulder
03/02/2009 Kansas City MO
03/03/2009 Oklahoma City OK Diamond Ballroom
03/04/2009 AUSTIN TX STUBB'S BBQ
03/06/2009 OXFORD MS THE LYRIC OXFORD
03/07/2009 Atlanta GA THE TABERNACLE
03/08/2009 Miami FL Langerado Music Festival

2nd REM, Modest Mouse, The National Show Added, On-Sale Now

Due to the previous show's sell-out, it looks like there will be another REM/Modest Mouse/The National show at The Greek. Tickets are on sale now. Good luck!

Alternate REM/Modest Mouse/The National Pre-Sale

If yesterday's presale info doesn't work out for you, have no fear: Another Planet Entertainment is also running a pre-sale for the REM/Modest Mouse/The National show at the Greek Theater in Berkeley. It also starts tomorrow, and can be accessed here. The password is "murmur".

REM/Modest Mouse/The National @ The Greek Theater: Pre-Sale Info

In what is set to be the angstiest revue of the summer, REM will be joined by Modest Mouse and The National on a nationwide tour. In the Bay Area, this going to mean a stop a Berkeley's Greek Theater on May 31st, in the prime of the outdoor concert season.

Given how much we enjoyed The National last fall, and the back to basics feel of the new REM disc, we're pretty psyched for this show. Tickets go on sale Sunday, but there's a pre-sale tomorrow at 10 AM. All you need to do is sign up for the REM fan community here, and you'll be given a password and login.

Not So Silent Night: It's Like The Treasure Island Festival, But Indoors!

Okay, okay, yes it's a snarky headline, but come on: the same two headliners as a local festival that occured less than 4 months ago? Someone needs to ramp up the creativity in the booking department over at Live 105. That being said, we here at H.A.D. love us some Spoonage to the max, and them Modest Mouse kids ain't half bad either. Despite feeling like corporate shills, we'll see you there.

Tickets still on sale over at ticketmaster...

Here's To Next Year: Treasure Island Festival A Huge Success

The event planners over at Another Planet Entertainment and Noise Pop must be congratulating themselves, and if they're not, they should be. Today's Treasure Island Festival went off without a hitch: the weather was beautiful, the bands were great, the sets were on time, the port a potties were ample, and the transportation was no fuss. It must have been a real hassle to get all of these potentially nightmarish variables in line with each other, but boy were we glad they did! Here at H.A.D., we set up by the front of the Bridge Stage (ie. "big bands" stage) to bring you the best we could offer in concert reporting!

Au Revoir Simone:
The first band of the day was a pleasant surprise. A trio of women from Brooklyn rockin' it out on a bunch of analog synths. This has the potential to be irritating and typical, but they managed to pull it off with originality and flair. There were some hiccups (tuning the synths and general nervousness, mainly), but in the end it wound up being a great opener to a day that would otherwise be filled with guitar driven rock.


Two Gallants:
The last time I saw Two Gallants, they were opening for Bloc Party at the Greek Theater. I don't know if it's the passage of time, a different crowd, or just my perspective, but I enjoyed today a lot more. Obviously, the formula hasn't changed: they're still a two piece guitar and drum band, but today their music seemed more dynamic and spacious. They seem to be exploring new sonic and songwriting avenues, and they result is a much stronger performance.


M. Ward:
I happen to love M. Ward, so it's difficult to evaluate his set without doting on him quite a bit. It was great seeing him with a full band (two drum kits!) after the solo show at Bimbo's this spring. Basically, the man just comes out and owns the stage. He tore it up on electric guitar, he rocked out on the piano, he got sweet and quiet on "Post War".

The set, sadly, did not include "Transfiguration of Vincent", one of my faves. The latest disc Post War was very well represented, along with a track or two from each of the other discs: "Flaming Heart", "Helicopter", "Regeneration #1" were all played.

The first half of the set was completely exemplary, but the second half (while enjoyable) got a little bit loose. I don't know if the band just wasn't in practice, or if there was miscommunication, but it wasn't anything you could point out directly. Nonetheless, M. Ward and band managed to keep it together and deliver a thoroughly pleasing set.


Clap Your Hands Say Yeah:
Almost all of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's set indicated that they are still touring largely on the strength of their awesome first album. All the positive crowd response (which was completely justified) was centered around the older songs, and the band seemed to know it, and frankly, to be a bit annoyed about it. Many of the songs would end semi-abruptly, and lead singer Alec Ounsworth seemed to clip lines of lyrics at the end of a number of songs.

The positive vision I found of the "new" CYHSYA was a completely killer distorted noise fest on "Satan Said Dance". It represented a complex and interesting new direction that I really think could represent the band well. All of the tunes were fun, and the band was tight, but I think they need to take a break from touring and decide where the live show is going in regard to supporting old material, and digging into the new.


Built To Spill:
I know I'll offend a lot of die-hards if I express my ambivalence to the B2S set, so I'll leave it at this: The band is extremely tight instrumentally, and has their live show down pat. It just doesn't reel me in personally, and as such I don't even really think I feel comfortable commenting on the quality of their performance, as I found it falling in my lap with a resounding "eh".


Spoon:
If I'm being completely honest, I will simply say that this is the show I came to the TI Festival for. Every time I've seen Britt Daniel and Co. since I first did so in 2003, I have been consistently impressed. Their live show is a rock and roll tour de force, that kicks the album tracks up to a new level. tonight was no exception.

After Britt Daniel's greeting of the crowd with an event appropriate "Argh", the music began. The set started out slow with "Black Like Me" and "Anything You Want", and gradually gained momentum from there. A few tracks from Gimme Fiction, along with "Don't Make Me A Target", led into a somewhat troublesome version of "The Ghost Of You Lingers". Evidently it was hindered by keyboard technical difficulties. Still, the band kept it together, and delivered a decent version.

A rocking rendition of "The Beast And Dragon Adored" followed, and opened the flood gates for the rest of the show. The band flew through the new songs "The Underdog", "Don't You Evah", and "You've Got Yr Cherry Bomb", and culminated with an absolutely electrifying version of "My Mathematical Mind".

In perhaps what was one of the fan-centric moments of the show, as Spoon's set came to a close, some girls shouted "Please, please, play 'Japanese Cigarette Case'". Britt Daniel turned to the band and said "Guys, let's do Japanese Cigarette Case". After blazing through the new tune, the band shifted gears into the old skool "Quincy Punk Episode", and made a hasty exit. The hour went by in a flash, and we were left wanting more.

Modest Mouse:
For many, the festival's main event was the Modest Mouse closer. For me, I wasn't sure what to expect: I enjoy the band on record, but had never seen them live.

Their 1:15+ set focused mainly on the two most recent albums, and much of it was the less subtle side of the Modest Mouse sound. That is to say, driven less by songwriting, and more by Isaac Brock's aggressive vocals. For some, this might seem like the point of Modest Mouse. After all, it is Brock's brainchild. To me, this is the less exciting side of Modest Mouse. I prefer the subtle emphasis of layering and instrumentation paired with Brock's lyrical gift that is a hallmark on every album.

I was impressed by a lot of the performance, and the strongest tracks seemed to be those that had been co-written by new band guitarist Johnny Marr. "We've Got Everything", "Missed The Boat" and "Fire It Up" all sounded fantastic. Marr's input has taken the band in a direction that I find much more desirable, and the live show demonstrated as much. However, I left feeling like Brock's aggressive vocals and guitar overshadowed what could have been a fantastic closer to the festival.


In Conclusion
Despite any subjective opinions of the performances, I think it's indisputable that the Treasure Island Festival was a resounding success. See you next year!

MANY more photos available over at the H.A.D. flick feed.