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Thursday, August 9, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ARTS
Given the constant turbulence in
Detroit, I’ve always considered Chi-
cago as the closest city to Ann Arbor,
and the capital of the Midwest.
Rather than venture east down I-94,
my family always opted to go west a
few extra hundred miles.
I familiarized myself with the
Loop over Woodward Avenue and
Chicago-style hot dogs over Coney
Island depots in secret parts of
D-Town. I could even trace a map
of Grant Park on my palm to help
locals navigate the 319 acres of
urban greenery.
But add in multiple stages, food
vendors, medical tents and an influx
of very dehydrated people and Grant
Park transforms from the familiar
to barely ordered chaos.
At Lollapalooza, you can stop in
the middle of a road with working
traffic lights and take in old-school
rock through one ear colliding with
EDM from the opposite side. The
diverse, but strictly structured line-
up makes for a hit-or-miss schedule
spread over four exhausting and
memorable days.
DAY ONE
Nick Mulvey opened Lollapaloo-
za at Tito’s stage to a low-energy
crowd, many of whom were stalling
for a nearby act: A position in the
schedule no musician would envy.
The English singer-songwriter’s
elaborate rhythm guitar patterns
and lyrics did not make the task any
easier.
However,
Mulvey’s
English
roots were not the source of his
set’s appeal. The abundance of
British-influenced rock makes a
soloist unlikely to provide original-
ity. Instead, Mulvey pulled from his
musical education in Havana, Cuba,
for rich vocal runs that engaged the
listless, intimate gathering in a call-
and-response.
In comparison to Mulvey’s listen-
ing-room style atmosphere, Cuco,
at the neighboring Bud Light stage,
was a lesson on psychedelics and
swagger.
The young hip-hop artist added
an interactive screen to an electric
instrument ensemble that shim-
mied with each bump of the drum-
set. A plume of cannabis smoke
saluted him when he, needlessly,
asked, “Where my smokers at?” As
Cuco fluctuated between dazed
swaying and crazed jumping, the
crowd matched his every move.
Afternoon
festival-goers
not
inclined to hip hop or EDM hop-
scotched across a dusty field for
the slew of alternative bands at
the adjacent Lake Shore and Grant
Park stages. People worried about
permanent damage to their hear-
ing lounged on a hill like football
fans impartial to the final score, just
hoping to watch both endzones for a
spectacular catch.
Although admirable each in
their own right, a general lack of
stage presence made the badass
and expressive sign language inter-
preters a better show than the fea-
tured performers. The cameramen
agreed, often focusing on an inter-
preter with a ginger Khal Drogo-
esque ponytail fohawk who did a
more impressive air guitar than the
actual musicians.
Seasoned vets Stars, who last
played the festival a decade ago,
strained to keep non-superfans
interested.
The
vocal
pairing
between the reserved Amy Millan
(of Broken Social Scene) and aged
maniac Torquil Campbell clashed
poorly live.
While Millan’s angelic voice
created a contemplative mood,
Campbell
went
haywire
with
incomprehensible shouting too far
away from his microphone to pick
up a signal. Since Campbell largely
contributed melodica and tam-
bourine, while sharing vocals with
his bandmates who had legitimate
instruments, his antics were likely a
sign of overcompensation.
The Wombats and Franz Ferdi-
nand followed, drawing crowds of
supporters, but fading into the cli-
ches of their respective genres with
little impact.
The next two bands to share the
expansive field were the standouts
of the whole first day. I would nomi-
nate them as headliners if the first,
LANY, had a longer discography
and the second, CHVRCHES, had
more intentional set design and cho-
reography.
Paul Klein, frontman of LANY,
burst onto the stage with a freshly
shaven head and an unintentional
mission to bring back sagging pants.
At various points, Klein flashed the
audience his boxer-briefs, coupling
this carefree nature with an extro-
verted intensity that added depth to
the bubbly and relatable set.
Even with a number of techni-
cal setbacks, LANY kept the energy
level high. While the audio-tech-
nicians tried to solve the mystery
problem, Klein launched into an
impromptu solo performance of
“Made in Hollywood” that proved
his charisma alone could carry a
concert.
CHVRCHES had the task of play-
ing against platinum-selling artist
Khalid. They delivered a set that left
no regrets for those who passed over
the young R&B singer. Despite lead
vocalist Lauren Mayberry sport-
ing the stature and speaking voice
of a twelve-year old girl, her vocal
strength made the open space take
on the dimensions of an enclosed
stadium.
After these two knockout perfor-
mances, the headliners for Thurs-
day night were a disappointment
from the inaccessible Arctic Mon-
keys to the unnecessary Galantis
— I’m sorry, but what’s the point of
watching a DJ “live” — and the may-
hem of Travis Scott, which included
a naked man, an awkward proposal
and an even more cringe-worthy
attempt from a fan to snag a photo
with Scott.
Although there will never be
a consensus on “objectively good
music,” fun sets with a broader
appeal make a reliable headliner
fallback option, which Thursday
lacked. LANY’s catchy lyrics, where
one listen turns the chorus into a
sing-along, could have filled that
role.
Similarly, the upbeat electro-pop
of CHVRCHES welcomes newcom-
ers rather than only entertaining
longtime fans. Plus moving May-
berry’s band into the last time slot
would add a more than worthy
female-driven act to the all-male
headliner schedule.
DAY TWO
Matt Maeson kicked off Friday
with a hard-to-beat standard for
the otherwise weak early afternoon
schedule, which included a pitchy
cover of Avril Lavigne from Alex
Lahey.
Maeson showed his nerves dur-
ing soundcheck, running through
his songs up to the last minute and
incessantly chain smoking. How-
ever, every musician knows a little
anxiety gives urgency and authen-
ticity to the performance. Dressed
in all white, Maeson provided
soulful, raw vocals with his father
slaughtering the occasional guitar
solo.
Among the series of smaller
artists, the BMI stage, known for
introducing artists like Chance the
Rapper and Lady Gaga, presented
pop-punk band Mainland. Located
beneath a tunnel of trees, the area
lured people to the shade for some
new music.
In an interview with The Daily,
Mainland lead vocalist Jordan Topf
described the origins of the band’s
name, “The first time I heard the
word ‘mainland,’ my mom told me
a secret she kept from me my whole
life about a time when she was 18
and fell in love with this profes-
sional surfer and moved to Hawaii
with him to have a secret marriage.
She ended the marriage because she
missed the mainland of California.
It’s this hidden piece of her story
that resonated with me when we
were trying to find a name. We’re all
from California and that became the
genesis of our name.”
Although based in New York City,
the California-roots of the band
members shine through their East
Coast veneer as they explore dark-
er subject matter through bright
hooks.
Anticipation for Post Malone
overshadowed James Bay whose
evening set unfortunately turned
into an opening act for the rapper.
Eager Post fans occupied the front
area and many did not hide their
disinterest in Bay’s highly contrast-
ing musical style.
Regardless, Bay put on a master-
class on guitar and vocals. Unlike
other attractive rockstars, Bay left
no question that his talents lie in his
music and not just his looks.
Traditionally, sets end on the
musician’s biggest hit. After a late
rendition of “Let It Go,” the crowd
braced for the possibility of “Hold
Back the River,” Bay’s other chart-
topper. Sensing the anticipation,
Bay led the audience in an extended
karaoke of the song’s bridge, “lonely
water,” before letting the dam break.
A few years ago, during the wave
of popular alternative music that
benefited The 1975 and Mumford
& Sons, The Neighborhood play-
ing the relatively small Tito’s venue
would have been a surprise. How-
ever, since their breakout single
“Sweater Weather,” the band has
struggled to create songs distinct
from one another with each verse
reminiscent of the last and not in
a way necessary to make an album
cohesive. Played one after the other
live, the similarities become more
apparent and turn memorable tunes
into uninteresting repetitions.
Even with the promise of Bruno
Mars and The National to close the
night, the craze around Post Malone
made the popular rapper feel like
another headliner. An hour before
his start time, the crowd began
chanting his name.
Lollapalooza 2018 curates a
varied, impressive lineup
FESTIVAL REVIEW
ALICE LIU / THE MICHIGAN DAILY
MEGHAN CHOU
Summer Senior Arts Editor
Read more at MichiganDaily.com