Virgin Freefest: Quick Hits
I don’t really feel like devoting a full blog to yesterday’s show, so I’ll just hit the highlights.
Too Big for Merriweather: This was the first year the festival was held at Merriweather, and the venue is too small for something so big. The event was oversold, and security had a hard time keeping people out of the pavillion when it reached capacity for Blink
No Handicapped Viewing Area at the West Stage: I saw the Hold Steady on a monitor. It felt wrong.
The Bands:
St. Vincent: Great, but nobody knew who she was. Felt out of place on such a big stage. She would probably be unbelievable in a more intimate venue, but the crowd didn’t know what to think of her. She finally got a reaction towards the end of her set, when she covered The Beatles’ “Dig a Pony.”
The Hold Steady: See above. Wale played before THS, and after his set there was a mass exodus to the pavilion stage. Craig and the boys were fantastic, but the crowd just stood there. I chanted along with every chorus and gave every “Whoaaaa!” I could, but it didn’t have much of an effect.
Public Enemy: Awesome. The S1Ws didn’t have their weapons, but it didn’t matter. Chuck D managed to wake up the terminally dead crowd.
The Bravery: Suprisingly good, but the lead singer really wants to be Morrissey.
Weezer: I’m really conflicted. On one hand, the setlist was almost flawless: “Hash Pipe,” “The Sweater Song,” “My Name is Jonas,” “Perfect Situation,” “Say it Ain’t So.” The setlist was great, but Rivers’ ironic rock star posing really got on my nerves. It made him seem even more awkward than he already is. Pat Wilson played guitar for most of the set, and only played drums on “Say it Ain’t So.” The band opened with a cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” and nobody in the crowd knew the song. I don’t want to live in a world where the opening riff of “War Pigs” gets no reaction.
Blink-182: I’ve never bought a Blink-182 record in my life, but I knew the words to every single song they played. It was one big blanket of nostalgia. They played “Dammit,” “Josie,” and “What’s My Age Again” and I went home quite happy. Green Day is the better band, but Blink has some amazing singles.
The Verdict: If I had paid a c-note for this show, it would have been disappointing. For a free show, it was pretty good. Hopefully it’ll be back at Pimlico next year.
