Something was telling me that the no-bullshit rock level in my blood was getting low, so it was time for Social Distortion. Coming from punk roots, singer/guitarist Mike Ness has led a cavalcade of musicians under the SD moniker, but throughout 30 years of playing he didn’t hold his band to punk restraints. Social Distortion is what happens when bands take the energy and urgency of punk, but allow melodies and guitar solos in. The result is gritty, furious rock with heart and punch, but with the depth and wisdom of a long winding career. Spanning the SD catalog from the title track off 1983’s Mommy’s Little Monster, to a recent up-tempo version of Johnny Cash’s Ring of Fire, Ness and Co. kept a steady pace throughout the set. Billie Joe might take a cue from Ness on how to make a statement during a show…quickly. Hopefully he heard Ness talk briefly before playing Cash’s song about how it wasn’t popular in the Man in Black’s time for people to embrace black culture.
“We wouldn’t have any good white music if it weren’t for black music,” Ness said.
The latest Lollapalooza representative of massive commune-style bands evoking warmth and hugs is Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros. While only catching a few minutes of their set, the large ensemble clearly got the sizeable crowd fist-pumping away to their anthemic tunes. Sharpe and crew also seemed to influence a slew of tree climbers who may have gotten stuck up on high branches during the set.
The north end of Day Two was clearly for a pop dance party, with Cut Copy followed by Phoenix. Cut Copy is becoming the gold standard for dance rock, by balancing synth and real sounds so craftily, making seamless productions even while live. Dan Whitford commanded the stage with his frenzied thwacks at his keyboard, but also while howling in a well-honed falsetto. The band has a great ability to raise their intensity over and over while maintaining the clean shimmer to their layered sound. The Australian quartet also knew the right moments to drop different instruments out, only to build back up to fiery crescendos.
The members of Phoenix looked practically bewildered as they looked out among the throngs of attendees who chose them over Green Day. While Green Day’s pyros could be seen from the northern end, Phoenix got most of the attendees jumping and dancing right from the beginning when starting with the shimmer of Lisztomania. Few fans of their latest Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix may not realize they have been around for a while, with stand out tracks on the Lost in Translation soundtrack and others. While their past recordings were more rock focused, they seem to have embraced the pop that his garnered their recent acclaim. Singer Thomas Mars admitted to the crowd that this was “the biggest audience they ever played,” and at times they seemed a bit overwhelmed by the prospect. But they pushed forward raising and lowering the energy at whim, and even keeping the crowd’s attention during the longer near-epic two-part Love Like a Sunset. Closing out their proving set with their dance anthem 1901, Phoenix showed they can handle a headlining set, especially one that’s focused strictly on the music.
Closing out their proving set with their dance anthem 1901, Phoenix showed they can handle a headlining set, especially one that’s focused strictly on the music.
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It was hard leaving the Phoenix set, but Green Day was a blast. Hopefully Phoenix will come around again soon though.