Liebestraum No.3 “Dream of Love” (Franz Liszt, Romantic Era) – this Hungarian pianist virtuoso is considered by most music historians as the first “rock star.” He rocked the piano and had the ladies throwing their handkerchiefs at him in adoration.

Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”: 4th Movement (Antonín Dvořák, Romantic Era) – Representing the Czech Republic, Dvořák (pronounced duh-vor-jacque) composed this symphony’s epic forth movement after making a visit to the United States.

Clair de Lune (Claude Debussy, Impressionist Era) – Shhhh. Just listen. The term “Clair de Lune” describes the grayish-blue glaze applied to porcelain. If sound could take physical forms available for translation by the eye, wouldn’t the beautiful melodies of this piece make you think of porcelain clouds clearing to reveal a charming blue sky?

“Fantasie” Impromptu Op. 66 (Frédéric Chopin, Romantic Era) – Can you believe that Chopin (pronounced show-pan) actually hated this piece so much that it didn’t get published until after his death? (Op. 66 is one of Chopin’s posthumous opuses) A demanding piece technically, Fantasie Impromptu features 4/3 polyrhythm, numerous time signature and key changes.

Habenera from Carmen (Georges Bizet, Romantic Era) – Sung by none other than Nana Mouskouri, this solo from the opera Carmen is so beautiful you’d think angels composed it.

Nocturne in E Flat Major Op. 9 No. 2 (Frédéric Chopin, Romantic Era) – Chopin’s the man. That is all.

Sonata Op. 27 No. 2 “Moonlight”: 3rd Movement (Ludwig van Beethoven, Classical Era) – Most of us have probably heard the calm and enigmatic first movement of Beethoven’s beloved “Moonlight” Sonata. But how many of us have heard of the intense and raw third movement?

Gymnopedie No. 1 (Eric Satie, Expressionist Era) – Although most people have never heard of the Expressionist Era, and even fewer of Eric Satie, that doesn’t stop this piece from being a great song to relax to. Listen to it, and imagine a scene in your head. What one’s head illustrates will vary from person to person, but the mood of it will almost always stay the same: peaceful.

The Four Seasons “Winter” Largo (Antonio Vivaldi, Baroque Era) – perhaps the most beloved of all Vivaldi works, the Four Seasons is a violin concerti that captures the spirit of Baroque music.

West Side Story Theme (Leonard Bernstein, 20th Century) – Bernstein was not only an American composer, but he was also a longtime music director for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

Montagues and Capulets (Sergei Prokofiev, 20th Century) – In the ballet Romeo and Juliet, this piece is titled “Dance of the Knights”. But it doesn’t matter what people call it because this piece demonstrates the awesomeness of Russian composition regardless.

The following is aimed at capturing the revolutionary zeitgeist which we all feel at some point. Many songs have been made on the subject (18 albums have been made named solely “Revolution”), but the following list is a select compilation working to capture key elements of the teenage angst filled wish for revolt.

Smells Like Teen Spirit (Nirvana): Though you might not be able to hear all the lyrics, and even if you do you might not understand them, but deep in your core you can just hear the song speaking to you, no matter how many times it has been played.

Bullet With Butterfly Wings (Smashing Pumpkins): You may not be literally a rat in a cage, but you sure feel like it. Of course, if this song doesn’t get you pumped up, just look at the music video and watch nude diamond miners crawl up a hill (not a joke).

Take A Bow (Muse): Aside from being one of the better album openers ever, Take A Bow is masterpiece because it funnels that revolutionary spirit out without ever saying who is the enemy. Yay for vagueness!

Basket Case (Green Day): Before the travesty of their latest album, Green Day produced some of the better punk rock of the 90’s. The song reveals the cold truth, either the yare wrong, or we might just be crazy. But when have teens ever been irrational?

Red Flag (Billy Talent): The song is pure revolutionary zeal. You play this song at your revolution; city hall will know you mean business.

The Pretender (Foo Fighters): You have gotten to the point where you don’t need to even have an objective, you don’t need a revolution, you just need to rage, to prove you control your life, to prove you will never surrender!

I Wanna Rock (Twisted Sister): Just remember, as good as this band is, don’t follow the example of their music video. Rocking high school teachers through the ceiling is a fast track to no diploma.

Mess of Me (Switchfoot): Slowly but surely you realize that maybe it’s not just the system that is wrong, but also yourself that is imperfect.

Believe (The Bravery): Though many dislike The Bravery, this song is brilliant, it perfectly captures the burnt out apathy which in our situation occurs after all that fury has left you empty and alone.

What’s Left of the Flag (Flogging Molly): Though it’s flawed, there is still that scrap of merit, that scrap of a decent flag left for you to praise and idolize. Though I can’t say I’ve ever found a golden tear.

You Don’t Know How It Feels (Tom Petty): There is nothing like a harmonica to refresh the soul. And there is nothing like rolling another, well, listen to the song.

Revolution 1 (Beatles): I’ll be honest, if you truly listened to the playlist this far, you should enjoy this song. As you listen to it think to yourself, juxtaposition.

F Tha Police (N.W.A.): Because no playlist would be complete about it. And because Nicole Barnes would not allow me to post this playlist without it.

I Hate Everything About You (Three Days Grace): A simple statement to distance yourself from your former love (or lust for those shorter relationships). You know it’s true, just accept it, they were never good for you. Sure they made you cakes on your birthday and taught you how to love, but you really do hate them.

In The End (Linkin Park): As much as I hate to include this song on the list, both because of the crap they have released recently (Transformers Theme? WTF?) and because the music video for this is just trippy and weird. This song truly captures an important part of any breakup: cynicism.

Over (Sugar Cult): She says that she just wants to be friends, that’s nice, but you just gotta tell her it’s over. Or play this song for them. It has the same effect.

What You Are (Audioslave): Audioslave captures the acceptance. You now know for sure that [insert name] was bad for when they [insert action]. Sing it Chris Cornell!

Heartbreaker (MSTRKRFT): It was destined to be so from the start, or so this ridiculously hard to pronounce band claims. Disregard their lack of vowels and cling to your anger that has kept you above that dark canyon of depression.

Why Don’t I Miss You (Bowling For Soup): You aren’t angry anymore, you are just musing that question, that damnable question. Don’t know it? Read the title, listen to the song, and prepare for the coming collapse.

Say It Ain’t So (Weezer): Suddenly your gut pops into view, your flabby arms seem oh so weak, and you realize that you have some acne that you need to work on. You wish you could confront them, and not beg her to come back, but maybe politely ask. At least before you crack open that bottle of Steven’s.

With Or Without You (U2): I’m not a U2 fan, but this song is a classic. From the first line that captures the stark change in their eyes, Bono manages to speak to us in our saddest of times.

Heaven Forbid (The Fray): “Heaven Forbid, you end up alone”. The fear of anyone after a break up, that this was their last chance, that they will be resigned to a lonely life. Don’t wallow too long, because there is hope on the horizon, just a few songs away.

Every Rose Has It’s Thorn (Poison): Even a brilliant and handsome writer such as myself couldn’t have put it better, even if I managed to play guitar so beautifully. No matter how lovely she was, she, like everyone, had that thorn to push you away.

Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright (Bob Dylan): Ahh Bob, bringing in the acoustic goodness to warm our spirits. If it wasn’t for his use of Victoria’s Secret as an exclusive distributor of his new albums, I might just fill all my playlists with his music.

I Will Survive (Cake): Though Gloria Gaynor’s personal least favorite cover, the monotone voice captures the apathetic nature of the mind after a bad breakup. You don’t give a frick!

Hit The Road Jack (Ray Charles): No words can describe this song. Listen. Jack.

The following playlist gives you a tool for keeping your mind sharp while fighting whatever comes your way. So stand up and get ready to punch that homework in the face while you listen to a delectable mix of various kinds of rock.

The Squeeze (Street Sweeper Social Club): Nothing like a little anarchist anthem to start a playlist off with the combo of strong rap and blasting guitar. Thank you Tom Morello.

Can’t Stop (Red Hot Chili Peppers): Slowly transitioning us from rap to rock, the rhythm keeps the energy moving in preparation for the upcoming diabolic duo of hard rock.

Shinobi vs. Dragon Ninja (Lostprophets): Best song name ever. I don’t know what Shinobi is (a kind of sushi?) but I love it already.

Sin with a Grin (Shinedown): I wish I had some deep insight on the lyrical progression of this song, but I don’t. It’s just badass and fun in a sick twisted way.

Prayer of the Refugee (Rise Against): With both poignant lyrics and unique instrumentals, Rise against proves that they do not play the same stuff over and over and over. For this song.

TNT (AC/DC): If I had women to the left of me, and women to the right, I probably would write a song as remarkably epic as this one.

The Pretender (Foo Fighters): Often overplayed, but ever potent, The Pretender remains a hard rock landmark. Of awesomeness. And deep varied word choice.

Take Me Out (Franz Ferdinand): It’s song I sing to pretty much every girl ever. Though not to effective, its still an amazing song.

The Little Things (Danny Elfman): Known for its appearance in Wanted, this is a wonder often forgotten after the credits, and one that deserves to be on every iPod and playlist.

Red Sector A (Rush): Just listen to the words, they are chilling, but in a way that inspires you to raise your head after ten rounds of intense calculus.

Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya (Dropkick Murphys): Ironically an anti-war song in a fighting playlist, the song remains a testament to the power of a rise and fall in a song.

What’s Left of the Flag (Flogging Molly): Almost everyday I hear myself mutter “then the rosemary beads count them one two three”. It’s an addicting song that will be stuck in your head until you finally get to wipe that golden tear from your mother dear.

Measuring Cups (Andrew Byrd): Starting us off with soft bums, Byrd sets the mood by playing his characteristic tune and raising you to the first level of relaxation.

(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay (Otis Redding): The ultimate song of freedom, Otis Redding sings about the dream of every teenager, the chance to be free from parents and school.

New Slang (The Shins): Though you may not have seen Garden State, you most likely know this song as that tune you heard once in passing. Enjoy this déjà vu inducing song.

Sex and Candy (Marcys Playground): Often mistaken for Nirvana, the song talks about the two greatest things ever: disco and lemonade.

Swing Life Away (Rise Against): Again, along the same vein of relaxation with a hint of freedom, this simple song breaks from the punk rock style of Rise Against.

Just Breathe (Pearl Jam): I’ll be honest, this song made the cut simply because it is one of my favorite songs ever, and though not the most vocally superb, it is touching nonetheless.

Marigold (Dave Grohl): The original recording of a song that is on Nirvana’s sacred song list, a simple unaltered tune capturing the essence of lonely strength.

Everlong (Foo Fighters): The acoustic version of a hard rock classic, Everlong is arguably the greatest Foo Fighters song ever written.

Ungodly Hour (The Fray): If you have the chance, listen to this song around midnight, and watch the words begin to match how you feel (or do you change to match the words? Mystery and music, this playlist has it all!).

Misguided Ghosts (Paramore): Its not talking about Casper, but Paramore delivers another angst filled classic to ease the minds of worried listeners.

Home (Foo Fighters): I know, it’s a Dave Grohl heavy playlist, but this often overlooked song captures the importance of that place we struggle to escape, home.

End of the Movie (Cake): If you lasted this far on the playlist, then I hope these lyrics will ring true for you capturing that simple satisfaction of the end.

We decided to pick out happy songs this week because sad songs dominate the music scene in general, and, let’s face it, we’re all sick of Daniel Powter. It seems that music is trying to get us down with stories about heartbreak and pain when it really should be cheering us up. These songs are upbeat and funky and show the happier side of music. Below is the playlist and our reasons for adding the songs to the list.

1: The Kooks – She Moves In Her Own Way – Beyond the obvious, this tune has a great attitude in itself, which is a great break from all the annoying moroseness that you get with a lot of music.

2: The Temptations – My Girl – The man in this song does nothing but sing about how much happier he is than everybody else. I guess you’ll say, what can make him feel this way? Music, obviously.

3: Bob Marley – Three Little Birds – Imagine something with a really positive vibe.  Throw in some Bob Marley, and you know you have a gem.

4: The Commodores – Machine Gun – This song oozes with get-up-and-go positivity, without sounding too corny. The lack of lyrics actually helps, because anybody with this good of an attitude would be unbearably annoying. This is the high point of the playlist, in my opinion.

5: Rick James – Mary Jane – Clearly he is fond of a woman named Mary Jane.

6: Earth Wind & Fire – September – If this doesn’t get your spirits up then you must have a problem with music, life, or both.

7: Parliament – Give Up The Funk –  This song borders on the un-fun, but is so funky that it needed to be included.

8: Jamiroquai – Canned Heat – This song is about being carefree and dancing. This isn’t just dancing either, this is getting down funky-style.

9: Kool & The Gang – Celebration – Not putting this song on the list would be a reprehensible omission. You probably know this song well enough already, so give it one more listen just for kicks and giggles.

10: The Beatles – Good Day Sunshine – Yeah, the Beatles had a lot to be happy about. After listening to this song, you should too.

To define all the best driving songs in one playlist is impossible, I cannot put it any other way. But I have done my best to craft you an experience, a playlist which will last you any long drive, that will keep your hopes up as your eyes slowly drift from the road to the squirrel which miraculously can keep up with your car on the sleepy suburban side street you wind along. So, listen to the songs, read the rationale, and enjoy. Please note, there is no Lady Gaga in this playlist. There will never be any Lady Gaga in this playlist. So Lady Gag-me fanatics, you may now leave.

All My Life (Foo Fighters): The ultimate starter song, gets the rocking started with a smooth beginning followed by heavy guitar.

Nobody Moves Until We Say Go (Street Sweeper Social Club): This Rock and Rap super group endeavor keeps the pedal pressing.

I’m Shipping Up to Boston (Dropkick Murphy’s): Heavy accordion, awesome bagpipes, sick vocals, recipe for fast turning and solid stops.

Map of the Problematique (Muse): Muse gives us the strong beat yet twisting vocals to bring you down from the high that is hard rock.

Black Friday Rule (Flogging Molly): As we shift into more mellow music, Flogging Molly keeps the power pumping with the greatest extended guitar ever.

It’s My Life (Bon Jovi): Nothing gives you the sense of individual badassery like this song, the perfect song to blast while going the exact speed limit as a good law abiding teen.

Running Down a Dream (Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers): The song itself is an amazing journey, just like your quest in your car!

Don’t Stop Me Now (Queen): Name says it all. No further comment.

Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin): Rock and Roll keeps rocking with the same constant jam for the whole song. It’s got a fun sound to listen to that doesn’t require close study to appreciate.

Wheel In The Sky (Journey): The wheel in the sky keeps you yearning while keeping those hands on the wheel in the car!  That’s right – I went there.

The Distance (Cake): The song is about a badass racecar driver, how is this not the perfect song?

Riders On The Storm (Doors): I save this song (a personal favorite) for last simply because just as All My Life is the ultimate starting song, Riders is the ultimate ending song, transitioning you from the epic land of rock to the subdued but still pretty awesome normal world.

The show overall was not just an exhibition, or a jam for friends; it was a true performance, complete with an opening act and plenty of in show banter.  Sam Hausman started the festivities off with some of his renowned stand up.  However, Sam’s standup was much stronger in his first half as he spouted off about “current events we all could have predicted.”  He then proceeded to do his “Ms. Bin Laden” and “Bro’s and Homosexuality” bits, which both seemed to fall short as he gave away and forgot many of the punch lines.  The bit felt like it need a bit more practice and refining of the jokes, but overall, was enjoyable and funny.

The band followed with style, opening the crowd with an energetic and fun rendition of the Mario Theme.  After the theme, they finally got around to a scattered introduction, Brett Warren on bass/vocals, Alexander Bercow on guitar, Neil Zacky on drums/vocals, and Brendy Hale on keyboards/synth/percussion/backup drummer/backup vocals.

The music was top notch, somewhere between psychedelic rock and funk, with an impressive display in both Bercow’s hard rock solos and Brett’s simply amazing bass work (I cannot emphasize enough how fantastic the bass work was).  They performed everything from country (not a group favorite, but a favorite of mine) to Pink Floyd to Rap.  Every song was delivered with style and the numerous bass and guitar solos were fantastic. Overall, the performance was simply, for lack of a better word, excellent – well worth the money and probably worth more.

Although good, the band was still far from perfect.  Numerous technical issues slowed them down and even prevented the expected Whamola jam, which was anxiously anticipated after its appearance at last year’s Battle of the Bands.  Tech seemed to be the bands major foible of the night.  The vocals were too low and often times completely unintelligible, the bass was turned up so loud that even during guitar solos you couldn’t help but let your eyes stray away from Bercow and onto Brett.

However, the fact remains, with all the issues, the performance was above and beyond what anyone could have expected. The audience was too small to give the band the appreciation they deserved. Everyone could forgive the band for minor snafus. In the future the band could work on a cleaner show, but the quality of music more than made up for any issue.

Highlights:

Have a Cigar

Amos Moses

One Better

Ghosts n’ Stuff

Land Down under

The festival literally takes place on an island in the middle of the bay, specifically the former US Navy Base dubbed “Treasure Island.”  There’s no parking on the island, but constant shuttles to and from the mainland provide hassle-free transport.

For both Saturday and Sunday, a random assortment of indie-kids, frat boys, hipsters, and seemingly normal adults alike enjoyed a variety of indie rock, techno, folk, drum and bass, alternative rock, experimental, and hip-hop/rap music.  With only two stages, the festival is arranged so that when one set ends on the Bridge Stage, the next one immediately starts on the Tunnel Stage, ensuring that none of the sets overlap. 

Here are some of the bands we saw:

SATURDAY:

Murs:

One of the first sets of the day, rap artist Murs seemed to know that pumping up the crowd would be a challenge.  However, Murs, which stands for “Making Underground Raw S**t,” easily pumped up the crowd with the infectious beat of his songs, and bass that shook the whole island.  Directly preceding his performance of “Break Up (the OJ Song), he professed how much he “loves women” and “loves [his] mom and sister,” proving to be charmingly oxymoronic as rap artists go.

Grade: B

Passion Pit:

With their new album “Manners,” Passion Pit is a band which has climbed high in a small amount of time.  Although lead singer Michael Angelakos’s famously high voice started off a little squeaky, he soon warmed up and eventually delivered vocals impressively similar to the studio recordings.  Another stand-out was Pit’s bass player, who executed some quality chicken-necking and cradled his bass as if it was a child.  Both engaging and fun, Pit delivered an act with intensity and, well, passion.

Grade: B+

Dan Deacon: 

A fat guy with nerdy glasses and a silly beard.  Most would not expect DJ Dan Deacon to be such an eccentric and dedicated performer, but his supergroup comprised of over three drummers challenges the boundaries of electronic music.  “Don’t be afraid to get dirty with the ground, the ground that gives us life,” yelled Deacon to his fans as he organized two dance circles in the crowds.  Aiming for a self-described “sassy as f**k” dance fight, Deacon appointed “that girl with the red thing” as team captain of one of the dance circles, and “that awesome looking guy” as the other team captain.  Although the dance circles eventually imploded, Deacon essentially succeeded in hyping up the still slightly hesitant crowd. 

Grade: A-  

DJ Krush:

Ishi Hideaki, otherwise known as DJ Krush, is one of the pioneers of Japanese hip-hop.  His was a performance oriented more toward feeling than sight or sound, as his bass drowned out most everything else.  Starting his set with “Hotel California” and using only a turntable and some synth pads, it was easy to tell that Hideaki was knowledgeable of all kinds of music.  Unfortunately, the audience did not share the excitement of the music, creating an atmosphere with potential, but lacking substance and response.

Grade: C

Brazilian Girls:

With only one girl and no Brazilians, the name is deceiving.  However, the Girls more than make up for it with their incorporation of international beats, relaxed energy, and overall appeal.  Lead singer Sabina Sciubba stole the show with her provocative performance and weird heart cut-out outfit.  Their style is addicting and confident, growing upon their predominantly male audience with each new song.  At the beginning, few were excited, but by the end everyone was singing along to such raunchy crowd favorites as “Pussy,” “Lazy Lover,” and “Sexy Asshole.”

Grade: B+

MSTRKRFT:

Hands down the highlight of Saturday’s performances, this Canadian duo created a crazy atmosphere and attracted the largest audience of the day. MSTRKRFT was definitely not a show for the timid; fans struggled and thrashed in desperate attempts to get to the front, and as the pumping techno beat began, elbowroom became a thing of the past.  Their energy was infectious, transforming the island into a giant rave with their versions of “Da Funk” by Daft Punk, “D.A.N.C.E” by Justice, and the crowd favorite “Heartbreaker.”  Breaking from their usual, MSTRKRFT ended with Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” causing the whole island to belt out the lyrics. Before the show, several worried fans expressed the concern that the sound would be disappointing because of the outdoor setting.  However, this problem proved to be nonexistent right off the bat.

Grade: A

Girl Talk:

Greg Gillis, more commonly known as “Girl Talk,” has redefined what it means to be a mash-up and sampling musician.  He mixes everything from Elton John to Styx to Lil Wayne, focusing heavily on club-friendly hip-hop.  Gillis is an experienced entertainer, and added life to his show by bringing about thirty people onstage to dance, periodically spraying the crowd with streamers, and eventually ripping off his shirt.  At one point, Gillis began playing Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone,” becoming the only person to make it okay for hipsters and indie kids to admit that they knew all the words to a Kelly Clarkson song.  At the very end, fireworks unexpectedly burst out from behind the stage and erupted in the sky, ending his show on a definite high note.

Grade: A-

MGMT:

While still very popular, MGMT usually follows everyone’s assumption that they do not perform.  And although they didn’t give a performance worthy of the headlining position and completely overshadowed by MSTRKRFT, they were welcomed nonetheless.  Their widespread popularity and horde of devoted fans alone compensate for their lack of performance depth.  Because they played their famous hits “Kids,” “Time to Pretend,” and “Electric Feel” in their very beginning, most people left after the first three or four songs.  The quality of their live music was just okay, and they failed to connect with the crowd at all.  

Grade: B-

SUNDAY:

Spiral Stairs:

With an early start time, this low-key band did its best to leave a lasting impression on the audience.  The Stairs had a more hard rock sound than most bands there, yet it was there more mellow songs that really stood out.  While a lot of their songs ended up sounding somewhat confused and chaotic, the Counting Crows-esque feel of their more relaxed songs visibly impressed the audience.  Probably the best part of their set was hearing the larger and very serious looking synth guy sing the high harmonies.

Grade: B

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros:

If Jesus had lived in Berkeley, then he would have looked exactly like Magnetic Zeros lead singer Alex Ebert.  Hailing from LA, Ebert and his family-like band are endearing, fun, and essentially magical.  Using a variety of instruments, including trumpet, tambourine, xylophone, shakers, ukulele, accordion, whistling and an actual piano, the Zeros have an engaging folk sound that appeals to a wide variety of audiences.  After parading around nearly naked, Ebert ultimately decided that it was a little too cold in San Francisco to be a hippie, and proceeded to put on a jacket.  He jumped around to keep warm and landed in the audience, welcoming everyone’s reaching hands with “thank you for all these wonderful hand-jobs.”  Towards the end, Ebert and his former girlfriend and female vocalist Jade Castrinos serenaded each other in the duet “Home.”  So absorbed was Ebert with Castrinos that he failed to notice that he was turned completely away from his audience.  With their diverse sound, the Zeros embodied the purely happy and welcoming aspects of music.

Grade: A

Grizzly Bear:

The vocals and harmonies of Ed Droste and Christopher Bear of Grizzly Bear were the most striking of all the performances.  Using flutes, some sort of harp-thing, and synth-pads as well as regular instruments, Grizzly Bear created a mild, slightly ethereal intensity that was oddly addicting.  Their new album, Veckatimest, is a contender for Album of the Year, and their performance definitely reflected that.  Beginning their set bundled up in jackets due to the miserable weather, Grizzly Bear actually sang the sun back, shining through the parted clouds for the first time all day.  Although at times there were brief lulls in excitement in the crowd, Grizzly Bear’s strong harmony, sound, and vocals combined into a powerful performance. 

Grade: A-

Beirut:

Although his music tells a different story, group-leader Zach Condon hails from New Mexico.  With an extensive brass section, an accordion, and a ukulele, Beirut’s music is distinctly Eastern European with an indie twist.  When actually present at a Beirut show, it becomes clear that they have a substantial amount of die-hard fans.  However, hands down the most awesome moment of the set was a lengthy tuba solo.  Acts like Beirut are few and not always accessible, and his set was mesmerizing to say the least. 

Grade: A-

The Decemberists:

The Decemberists had everything from songs from their new album, The Hazards of Love, to old songs from previous albums in their set list.  This contained both powerful melodies as well as mellow ones, with guest singer Becky Stark and lead singer Colin Meloy telling a story through their music.  However, the Decemberists ultimately failed to engage their audience at all, especially those unfamiliar with their story-like compositions.  Their sound quality and song selection was good, but most of the crowd was only there to stake out a spot for the Flaming Lips.

Grade: C+

The Flaming Lips:

There are no words to describe the sheer awesomeness of the set that the Lips played.  Basically, your life will be complete after you see them live.  Streams and streams of confetti blast while lead singer Wayne Coyne jumps around the stage and bashes his psychedelic gong.  The first of many antics, Coyne begins the set with his famous plastic bubble, basically crowd surfing in a giant, man-sized hamster ball.  The Lips strived to constantly engage the crowd, and Coyne would periodically go off on small tangents, suggesting that “we should just take over the whole island…and then if we run out of food we can just eat each other…and then it’d just turn bad there at the end.”  Not only was their performance exciting and excessively crowd pleasing, Coyne and the band seemed genuinely pleased to be there and happy to be performing.  Looking out at the crowd with his boyish grin, Coyne quipped that it “seemed chilly before but now id doesn’t f***ing matter.”  The only disappointment was the fact that Coyne did two sing-a-longs of “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” and “Flight Test” instead of actually playing them with all their eccentric effects.  Besides this, the Lips hands down played the greatest show of the festival, and are one of the bands you must see before you die.

Grade: A 

The tension of the forty-five minute wait between the opening bands, New York Dolls and Nervous Wreckords, and the Killers seemed unbearable. Suddenly, the lights disappeared except one glimmering blue ray that was seen through the smoke and mist. With the rising screams of the raging fans and the wail of a siren, the Killers burst into their climactic and danceable opener, “Human”. The energy from the stage increased with each new beat, but the real power came from the audience chanting and responding eagerly to the theatrics. The neon flashing lights, fake palm trees and replicas of Vegas casinos distinguished the Killers from other synth-pop bands. The mixed-up set list included songs from all of their albums and three covers, the infamous “Shadowplay” [from the dark gothic band, “Joy Division”] “Please Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” (a Nina Simone/Animals cover) and finally “Can’t Help Falling in Love” (yes, an Elvis cover). 
Though originally dismissed as a poppy girl band, the Killers appeal to ages and audiences across the world.

The fans, exerting a flow of constant screaming, embrace the intriguing devices with which the band entertains. The Killers are talented entertainers and have no problem keeping the crowd enthused. Whether you are a devoted fan or a first-time listener, the Killers can guarantee rollercoaster-ride of ethereal lights and keyboard effects at their best. I look forward to seeing them again.