Incubus on Kimmel

Incubus were on Jimmy Kimmel Live this week to perform "Adolescents" and "Promises, Promises" off their latest, If Not Now? When. Take a look.

Adios Amigos! 15 Years Since The Ramones Split!

1,2,3,4! 14 albums, 8 members, 4 chords all developed by band that changed a generation, city, and music forever. Forming in Forrest Hills, Queens in 1974, The Ramones would speed up rock and roll and usher in a new sound that would eventually be known as punk rock. To most, they were the first true punk band, while MC5 and The Stooges were creating punk antics and esthetics, Ramones created the sound and style that bands would go on and mimic for decades later. While they never experienced massive success in the US, it was other parts of the world that their fans would put them on the same pedestal as The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Elvis. After countless shows, numerous line-up changes, internal issues and 22 years together, on August 6, 1996 The Ramones called it quits with a huge farewell concert in LA. In the 15 years since the band stopped playing, the music world and the history of rock and roll has embraced them more today than ever before.

In the shadow of the New York skyline, three friends; Jeff Hyman, John Cummings, Doug Colvin got together to form a band, their story starts off like any other of any group of young guys wanting to achieve rock and roll glory, struggling starts and bizarre finishes to every song but when the Ramones first came about it was not what we have come to know about the band. At first it was Joey (Jeff Hyman) drumming, Dee Dee (Doug Colvin) singing and playing bass and Johnny (Cummings) playing guitar. At the suggestion of their friend, producer and eventual next drummer, Tommy, they switched the line-up to Joey on the mic, Dee Dee just playing bass and backing vocals, Tommy took to the kit and Johnny kept to guitar and thus the foundation of Ramones line-up was formed. “It was totally raw, it was really something else” Ramones tour manager and author of On the Road with The Ramones, Monte Melnick told me in an interview when I discussed the band with him. While the band would develop their sound in Queens, they would eventually make their way to the Bowery at the infamous CBGB’S and it was there that their reputation would build. With the band’s bizarre look; tall and lanky Joey fronting with Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy with mop-tops and all in motorcycle jackets, it was not just the sound that was strange, it was also the band’s appearance.

As they gathered fans from the downtown scene, the band would build its reputation on the road as one of the finest bands, if not greatest band to ever come from New York City, but the road was long and difficult. The bands philosophy was tour, tour, record then tour more. When I asked Melnick what it was like to be on the road with the band, he replied quickly and said “it was great!” when I asked Joey’s brother, Mickey Leagh the same question in a 2010 interview, he said “it was uncharted what they were doing, in terms of punk rock. Nobody really knew what was going on when they would see these guys, so we were never quit sure how we would be received when we went to these small towns.” While the band would fail to pack clubs initially outside of New York, their friends who were working with them stuck by them, really for work as Melnick says “I was working with bands with three part harmonies and had records myself, I thought of the band as kind of a joke, but it grew on me.” What they were creating was so original and so new that it was hard to market and hard to understand from those outside of the punk scene in both New York and London. Yet, as the years went on, the genre grew, as did the respect of the band. “The Ramones in itself was a pretty radical group and the raw stages of The Ramones were even more radical,” Melnick says.

While the Ramones built a reputation on the road, they were still searching for a hit record. With radio not playing their songs in heavy rotation, it was difficult for them to get noticed. “The Sex Pistols had a lot to do with it, they perverted the outlook of radio stations in the United States,” Melnick says “we were so close to them, but they were not us, but were tied to them.” It was in other countries where concert promoters owned local radio stations; they were bigger in Europe and South America and would get a taste of what it was like to be bona fide rock stars. With disgruntle attitudes toward their success, fighting between Johnny and Joey, Joey faced with a severe OCD problem, Dee Dee dealing with a major drug addiction then eventually leaving in the early 90’s, and a revolving door of drummers, the Ramones could have imploded and stopped at any time, yet they kept pushing on. After headlining Lollapalooza alongside Metallica and Soundgarden, the band played their final show, never to return to the stage together again. In 2001 Joey died of Lymphoma, a year later the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and solidified themselves as legends, a few moths after their induction, Dee Dee died of a drug overdose. In 2004 Johnny died of prostate cancer. While the remaining members and supporting musicians through the years still play Ramones music in concert, anytime one listens to the radio or picks up an album from any artist ranging from U2 to Pearl Jam to Green Day to The Strokes to Arcade Fire to Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ramones’ influence can be heard. While they collectively never got to see what they would become to the history of American music, Ramones will live on through their short songs, infamous sets and four chords that altered music eternally.

Quick News

Just after they played Lollapalooza, Portugal. The Man's van and gear was stolen near Grant Park in Chicago. Inside the van were instruments, speakers and other gear. The van and trailer were found yesterday but nothing was inside. Please, please, please go to www.portugaltheman.com/news to see a list of the stolen items as well as pictures. If you have any idea about the whereabouts of these items please contact the band via Twitter (@portugaltheman) OR email - band.portugaltheman@gmail.com.

After just headlining Lollapalooza this weekend, Muse have announced that they plan on recording their sixth album in September according to BBC1 Radio.

Gallows have announced the replacement for Frank Carter, the band's new front man is Wade MacNeil formerly of Alexisonfire.

Justice will release their much anticipated sophomore album on October 25, the record Audio, Video, Disco is the band's first work of original material since their stellar 2007 debut, Cross (t).

Sparta have emerged from a three year hiatus and will play their first gig in November in their hometown of El Paso, Texas. Singer Jim Ward's blog states that the band will also enter the studio this fall and work on their fourth album.

The Joy Formidable are wasting no time to release their sophomore album. Speaking to NME, singer Ritzy Bryan said "We started the second album ages ago. We write all the time, even when we're on the road, because we record ourselves, we build collections of songs quite quickly. We have about 15 or 20 already, but lots of other bits too, there'll be lots to choose from when we eventually sit down and sort it out." The band are currently on the road with Foo Fighters.

The Kills on Fallon

Just a few days after they took Grant Park and Lollapalooza by storm, watch The Kills take Jimmy Fallon by storm.

Surfer Blood EP Cover & Track Listing

Surfer Blood are currently working on new material to their follow up to last years fantastic, Astro Coast. In the meantime, on October 25, the band will release the EP Tarot Classics, take a look at the cover above and the four song track listing below:

1. I’m Not Ready
2. Miranda
3. Voyager Reprise
4. Drinking Problem

Lollapalooza Day 3

On the final day of the 20th anniversary of the legendary festival that is Lollapalooza, it could be summed up in one word - extreme. From extreme temperatures to extreme buckets of rain falling from the sky, to the extreme amount of artists we managed to squeeze into one day. If you are going to close out a landmark year of a festival, this was the only way to do it.

Starting off the day, we could only let it begin with a bang and a big roar, so it had to come from Joy Formidable. The Welsh three piece made their Lolla debut in boiling heat and as singer Ritzy Bryan welcomed the crowd by saying "Lollapalooza! Fuckin' Hell! I have been waiting all weekend to say that! Thanks for spending your morning in the heat with us!" The band, who's debut is one of the years best albums, were just simply on fire and proved us correct that they would be one of the breakout bands of the year. Ritzy's voice combined with her bands aggression made it sound as if there were 30 people instead of three in the band. It was an explosive way to start off the final day, as they closed with their single "Whirring," the managed to demolish the stage and have inflatable giant cat heads blow up as they were doing it. Simply fantastic.

From the destruction and beautiful chaos of Joy Formidable, it was time to get our dancing shoes for Brooklyn via UK disco rock band Deluka. Deluka's set was in the shade and thank heavens because their crowd needed some help from the sun because they were creating so much heat moving and shaking to the band's very fun and bouncy music. They are a fantastic live band with so much energy that they need to be experienced. Just before the band played, I caught up with singer Ellie Innocenti for a quick interview, I asked Ellie what it was like to be playing Lolla's 20th and her response was "well, this is our first American festival ever, so we are just really excited to be here. This has been great so far."

As the heat was building and the fun was just beginning, it was off to Perry's tent for Daedelus. The grime / dubstep DJ was creating a world of his own in the confines of the massive tent. His set was what we needed to keep the momentum going and with a crowd of people already feeling the effects of whatever substance they may have already ingested at 3 in the afternoon, he provided the soundtrack to their escape. As the heat in the tent reached near boiling, we made a dash for some shade and the opposite style of music, which we found in Oscar Winner Ryan Bingham and his band The Dead Horses. Bingham brought his alt-country, blues, rockabilly sound to Chicago and had a fair amount of people at his stage. With his 45-minute set, he concentrated on all the material off his latest record, Junky Star, but what was surprisingly not played what his biggest track and the song that got him the Academy Award, "The Weary Kind," from Crazy Heart. A baffled audience left pleased but would have left satisfied had it been played.

After Bingham it was back to Perry's for Chicago sons, The Cool Kids, who at last minute replaced Jay Electronica in the tent. The Cool Kids brought no electronic gear with them but spit fire and fury on the mics and had their DJ spin in the back as they delivered one of the best hip-hop sets of the weekend. In a showcase so raw and chaotic, it saw emcee Mikey climbing scaffolding and rapping from up in the air. As their set went on, it got too overwhelmingly packed in the tent we made a break for shade and calm sounds of Pains of Being Pure at Heart. The Brooklyn indie rockers took to Chicago and drew a rather large crowd at the Playstation stage. The band's mellow sound was perfect for mid afternoon and they sounded great. While there is not much to their live show, the band's sound is very slick and comes across very solid in concert.

We took a break from music for a bit to meet up with Fitz and the Tantrums who were sticking around Chicago and Grant Park for a bit before heading back home to LA. In an interview with the boys in the band, I asked how they felt about playing Lolla's big birthday and singer Michael Fitzpatrick had the best response anyone could have asked for, "Didn't you see our set yesterday! 25 thousand fucking people! It was great!" Fitz yesterday was dressing in a red suit and newsboy hat, while the rest of the band were dressed like musical mafioso's, I had to ask how they didn't pass out, Fitz responded "I was determined not to take a single layer off, I had to keep it on." Drummer John Wicks logical assessment was "it is what we do, we do it all the time." I asked how the overall festival experience has been for them and multi-instrumentalist James King said "it has been a blast and now we get to go back home to LA and then hit the road again." While our interview was going on, it was proof that our friends in Fitz have not just been a very busy band on the road, they have been a very busy band being actual members of the band as fans would come up to the guys and say "great job" or ask for a picture. The feeling they must be getting now must be overwhelming in all the right ways and with live sets like how they do it, it is fully deserved. See you back in New York fellas!

After my interview with Fitz it was onto seeing the legendary and newly reunited Cars. The band sounded perfect and it was as if they have been playing together this whole time since they have been MIA with Rick Ocasek all this time. With hits like "You Might Think," "Just What I Needed," and playing tracks off their latest, Move Like This, the band bridged the generation gap seamlessly. While they may have lost a bit of stage presence since their new wave heyday, The Cars are allowed to do that given what they have given us all those years back and return to do it again. As The Cars came to a close, it was onto Portugal. The Man who were returning to Lollapalooza after making their brilliant debut back in 2009. The Portland via Alaska band sounded as stunning as they always do, but something was different about this particular performance and it had nothing to do with the band. As they played songs off their brilliant new album, In the Mountain, In the Cloud and their last record American Ghetto, a fast wind started picking up and dark clouds came rolling in, it would be just a matter of minutes before the sky would open up and down poor. With buckets falling from the sky, it put a serious damper on what was turning out to be the best day of the weekend in terms of music and performances. As everyone scrambled for some cover, it was off to the Boy and the Bear who were at the BMI stage. The band, who could be considered the Mumford and Sons from down under, drew an impressive audience that were singing and screaming out the hooks to every song. Yet, the rain was doing damage to them as well, as soon as their short but very sweet set was done, they bolted off stage.

While the rain was showing no mercy, we went back to the Music Unlimited stage for what we thought would be Arctic Monkeys set. However, weather delays were causing us to miss the band and after standing for nearly a half hour, we went to see the sounds of Busy P and missed, unfortunately the Monkeys all together. Yet, the former Daft Punk manager and Ed Banger Records CEO was throwing a party that no one wanted to miss. Busy P probably had no idea it was raining on the outside of the tent for the sheer fact that his audience was already covered in sweat and were soaked even before the rain happened all thanks to his hard and pulse pounding beats. The French electronic mastermind showed off his skills and had everyone question, why he was not a headliner in the tent for later on in the night.

While the rain was calming down after a strong hour beating up the city of Chicago, mud tossing and mud sliding seemed to be on everyone's agenda at Nas and Damien "Jr Gong" Marley's set. The dynamic duo of hip-hop and reggae were simply on fire in an EPIC set that included hits from Nas like "Hip-Hop is Dead," "If I Ruled the World," and tracks from their stellar 2010 record together, Distant Relatives. While Nas brought the house down with his lyrical delivery, it was Damien would would bring his culture right to Chicago and show how they have fun in Jamaica. Having the two of them is not just awe inspiring but a gift for all music fans. Fingers crossed that more material comes from them in the future.

As the rain came to a stand still for the time being, it was off to catch dubstep superstars and friends of Thom Yorke, Modeselektor perform at Perry's. The duo's sub bass could be felt as far away as Buckingham Fountain, which in relation to that tent is half a mile away. Modeselektor had a crowd that was more interested in playing the mud than dancing to their set, but it did not seem to phase them, backed by an extraordinary light show, the duo looked as if they were having the time of their lives.

With the closing night always building up to the final band, the honor this year went to Foo Fighters and Deadmau5. Deadmau5 would have massive technical problems due to the rain and not allowing his set up to be fully experienced. Foo Fighters were simply unstoppable from first note to their last. In what could be the best performance I have seen from them and easily the best performance of the weekend, the legendary American rock and roll band gave everything they had and more for their Chicago fans and showed off why rock is not dead and is King at Lolla. Opening with "Bridge Burning," and then getting into a heavy greatest hits set while slipping in new songs off their magnificent, Wasting Light album, Dave Grohl and company were barnstorming through as many songs as they could in the two hour slot they were given. However, just as things started to seriously pick up for them, the sky opened again and this time came down heavier. As rain made everyone sink into the mud and the band was immediately soaked, unlike earlier in the day, no one cared. It was to the point that you were so wet that you could not get any wetter, in fact in only enhanced the experience as their crowd embraced the rain and turned Lollapalooza into Woodstock and had the time of their lives. "We ain't gonna let a little rain stop us!" Grohl said after the rain went away a half hour after it arrived. "Look at that behind you, clear sky's and a beautiful city," Grohl pointed out. From songs like "Learn to Fly," "Best of You," "Stacked Actors," "Monkey Wrench," and so on, Foo Fighters catalogue is enough to keep anyone entertained but in concert, the intensity and brilliance of how phenomenal they are as musician's peak on through. "I like it when rock and roll bands come up on stage and play their instruments and not fucking computers," Grohl blasted the current state of the genre because of the fact that all he has done has made real music and real rock and roll from the time he was drumming for Scream in the 80's then to Nirvana and now Foo's among his other projects, it was only necessity that they had to close this anniversary. With a tour de force set that had everyone begging for more, Grohl pointed out that in 1991 he and Kurt Cobain were working on Nevermind and they went to Lollapalooza in LA and realized that good music does exist and good music can come from an community place. As hearing the story was touching enough, as Nevermind turns 20 next month, Dave brought out Perry Farrel to thank him. While we wanted Perry to sing, we got hugs instead, which was great enough. It was then onto "Everlong" that brought the festival to a close and Perry running back on stage and taking the mic going "Foo Fucking Fighters! Good Night everyone!"

Joy Formidable

Ryan Bingham

Cool Kids

Pains of Being Pure at Heart

The Cars

Portugal. The Man

Modeselektor

Foo Fighters

For More Photos LIKE us on FACEBOOK:

Lollapalooza Day 2

With day one being such a massive kickstart to the 20th anniversary of Lollapalooza, day two seemed to have very big shoes to fill and they found a very entertaining way to do it. As the sun beat down and hardly any breeze, it was going to be a trying day running back and forth, but all worth the exhaustion.

We started the day off with Friendly Fires and what a perfect way to introduce us to Saturday. The UK bouncy pop/electronic band were simply on fire - no pun intended. They were simply stunning and had a massive audience bopping and dancing for their 60 minute set. Concentrating mostly on their latest (and very fantastic) new album, Pala, Friendly Fires stood out as one of the best bands of the weekend thus far. Their live set just had brilliant sound, that every little jingle and jangle could be heard and singer Ed McFarlane looked like Niagra Falls with the amount of sweat dripping off of him but it was not holding him back from jumping and dancing around and making the crowd move with him. For the first band of the day, they raised the bar as to what would be excellence from the rest of the festival.

It was then off to our friends, Fitz & the Tantrums, who were on the opposite side of the park, starting and having a party of their own. We have been covering the band since their days of packing small clubs, but like watching your children grow, you just get such an unbelievable sense of pride watching them pack more people to the stage then headliners My Morning Jacket. Fitz's set was their traditional rock and soul, but Chicago was loving it. Opening the doors to new fans, Fitz won the crowd and ultimately won a city. As Fitz ended, it was the mellow sounds of Mayor Hawthorne and the County that had us relax after two pulse pounding sets. The Michigan native, Mr. Hawthorne, brought his cool neo-soul meets rockabilly sound to Chicago and made his Lolla debut, it was something to watch at the perfect time, but mainly forgettable.

From there it was then onto the massive reunion of Death from Above 1979! The Canadian duo have gotten back together after a six year hiatus and have been touring all summer. It was our first time witnessing a band we are pleased to see back. Their eclectic combo of thrash / funk / punk / hardcore was very welcomed in the eyes and arms of their fans. Playing under a backdrop of a tombstone that read "DFA 2001-2006," the band have resurrected themselves and can only have us hoping a new album gets released. For new ears or those that went to check them out, I can understand how some could be turned off, but for fans like us, it was a joy to finally witness their return.

From one reunion to another, it was then back to the other side of the park for Big Audio Dynamite. The band, fronted by former Clash member, Mick Jones, reunited also this year after a 25 year split. The dub / reggae / rock band from London played to a decent size crowd who were curious to see if they still had it, while Mick Jones shouted the titles of each song before they were played, it was "Rush," the band's biggest single that got the most applause. However, for a band that has not been together as long as they have, they still sounded perfect and sounded like then did when they first burst onto the scene in the mid-80's. They even included new songs which gets minds wondering if new material is on the horizon....

It was then onto Sacramento post-hardcore legends, Deftones. All we can say is - WOW. On so many levels they did the greatest set, given their obstacles. They were playing at the Playstation stage, which for a band of this caliber is the most incorrect spot to be playing. The stage itself is sunken into the ground, thus forcing vantage points to be minimal and the crowd they drew was unbelievably but not surprisingly massive. Between a bad stage pick and their sound just getting drowned out by sub-bass, singer Chino Moreno would just crouch down and scream his lungs out while running back and forth and making it look so easy. Deftones have faced a number of obstacles through the years, including their bassist and founding member Chi Cheng's 2008 car accident which has left him in a hospital since then, the band have pushed forward with some of their best work in a decade and showed that stage and sound issues are nothing as to what they could do. Doing a greatest hits set that included "Rocket Skates," "Around the Fur," "My Own Summer," "Digital Bath," "Change," and the epic set closer of "7 Words," which saw Chino get into the audience and act like an animal, Deftones were awe inspiring and only left the crowd wanting more.

While Deftones stole the show, it would be the anticipation of Cee-Lo who would bring down the vibe of the day with what could be the worst performance I have seen of any artist in my entire concert going career. With how bad Cee Lo was, was not only embarrassing, but I have no idea where to even begin. Walking on stage dressed as Mad Max and covering Danzig's "Mother," then into "Gone Daddy Gone," a song he sang for Gnarls Barkley, was an interesting start, will give him that. It was all downhill from there, he would start songs then stop, then start having recordings of famous songs like "Welcome to the Jungle," "Are You Gonna Go My Way," and others blare over the speakers. He looked as if he did not care and could care less what the crowd thought as they chanted "BOO" after the first 30 minutes of his set. It was then only a very, very sloppy version of "Bright Lights, Bigger City," where the crowd started filtering out. Cee-Lo then seemed to take a hint and said "I got one more, I will get out of your hair after this," and played his hit "Fuck You," at that point no one cared because all they were saying to him was "fuck you," and rightfully so.

While the night started to come down to just the final under card acts before the headliners, it was Lykke Li, who like Deftones was mistakenly placed and underestimated by the coordinators of the festival and was placed in a small stage area that no one could see her. Like Mumford and Sons last year, she drew a crowd that was so big, people were climbing trees to get a glimpse of what she was doing. The Swedish singer sounded pitch perfect and her latest album Wounded Rhythms shined like a beacon after the unlistenable Cee-Lo.

While the headliners would be rap versus rock, with Eminem taking on My Morning Jacket. I stuck to the rock for My Morning Jacket. The mid western band started off like a bomb exploding with how crisp and powerful the first hour of their set was. It was unbelievable to watch the musicianship of Jim James and his band mates as they stretched out songs and jammed through each number. Songs like "I'm Amazed," "Gideon," "Lay Low," proved why they are one of the most talked about live bands around. As the second hour of their set approached, things slowed down, almost too much as the crowd began to thin out and leaving the bands cult fans around. It would not be until the final songs of "Holding onto Black Metal" and "One Big Holiday," where they reignited their fire and brought down the house in the spirit of old school rock and roll.

While I was at the Jacket, correspondent Sean Farell was taking in Eminem. As he said, "Eminem was unbelievable, for the hour and a half he was on stage, it felt like 30 songs were played." Paying tribute to his late friend Nate Dogg, Em did a melody of tracks Nate lent his famous vocals to. It would be a headlining event of various sections as Em would then say "I just relapsed" and turned into his Slim Shady persona for a number of radio hits and songs off his Slim Shady LP. He would bring out guests Skylar Grey and Bruno Mars to sing the hooks to "I Need a Doctor" and "Lighters." Eminem proved that headlining a festival can come as natural to him as spitting lyrics, as Farell says "the intensity he brings and his constant motions on stage, he looks right at home, he knows how to command a crowd." Eminem proved that those missing him would regret it.

Friendly Fires

Fitz & the Tantrums

Death from Above 1979

Big Audio Dynamite

Chino from Deftones in Crowd

My Morning Jacket

For More Photos LIKE us on FACEBOOK:

Lollapalooza Day 1

20 years in the making, the festival that started the alternative craze and scene is going on its 20th birthday and Perry Farrell has curated one of the biggest line-ups to date. As we arrived in the Windy City this morning, there was already a special feeling, even more special than in the years past that we have covered Lolla, the fact that something of this scale and of this magnitude has been brought to the mid west, the city of Chicago and its people have welcomed the Lolla spectators and bands with open arms. There is no where on Earth that could pull off a 20th anniversary like the one that is being put on right now and we have Perry and the city to thank for that.

Arriving as early as we could, the first band of the day was the husband and wife duo of Tennis. The band's perfect summer songs went well in the warm air and the relaxed crowd that were watching. Tennis' light and laid back but very poppy tunes were just what we needed to ease ourselves into the mayhem of the weekends line-up. After Tennis' 45 minute set, it was onto the bass heavy but energetic Naked and Famous. The Kiwi band are making their Lollapalooza debut after their first US tour which took place earlier this year. Their electronic rock was getting the massive crowd they drew very excited and very entertained. For their 45 minutes on stage they showed not a single dull moment and made an imprint early on in the memories of those gathering to watch.

As I was making my way on over to catch the very awesome Reptar, I heard a band crank out a perfect cover of The Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop," with tomorrow being the 15th anniversary of the band's split and being a massive Ramones fan, I had to see who was doing it. It was the UK band, Electric Touch, someone who I never heard of before but was extremely impressed by. They moved around on stage like Kaiser Chiefs and have a very solid Britrock sound to them, a band worth your time to look into. Their 20 minute set was just a taste, but I suspect more of them down the line. It was then onto Reptar, the Athens, Georgia band who drew a fairly large crowd for the stage they were at. Reptar are a band that has been buzzing around much this year after SXSW, they have a dub/reggae sound meets rock and soul vibe that was not only great to listen to, but they were so much fun to watch. With members of the bands dressed in nylon overalls and tossing tambourines across the stage as if it were a game of catch, Reptar proved to the people watching that they are something very special. Those watching knew that this is a band on the verge of exploding at any second.

It was then onto everyone's new favorite rockers, Foster the People. The LA band drew a crowd that could have rivaled any of the days headliners. Each song sounded as if it could be a hit on the radio but the real highlight was their cover of Neil Young's "Heart of Gold," which took everyone by surprise. It was then onto Smith Westerns, the shoe-gaze rock band from Chicago that has had the indie world talking. The hometown hero's were having the time of their lives on stage and making their city proud. With perfect sound and personality, it was the perfect combination for a mid-afternoon delight.

As Smith Westerns played their final note, The Kills came on to play their first. With a one-two punch, Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince looked as if they were out for blood. The duo were simply on fire for the first half of their set, while the second half saw them venture into much darker and moodier territory, they began loosing viewers after such a brilliant beginning. As The Kills came to a close, it was a fast run and hike over to the other side of the park for one of our favorites, Norther Ireland's Two Door Cinema Club. We have reviewed the band at every club in New York they have played at since last fall, however, nothing is like seeing them at a festival. Two Door are proving they are not just a fun band but an essential festival act, drawing in an impressive crowd that would not stop dancing and moving. When singer Alex Trimble told the audience to have the person next to them go on their shoulders, the crowd listened, his power as a front man has gone from awkward and shy to brave and strong in just a matter of months. What a band to see! What a performance! The whole audience would only beg and scream for more as soon as they finished.

Just as the bouncy and fun Two Door ended, the moody and dark A Perfect Circle began. Maynard James Keenan, along with James Iha and Billy Howerdel just crept in as if they walked out of a casket like Bela Legosi as Dracula and began a tight musical grip around the audiences attention. The beauty about a festival like Lolla is that in just a matter of seconds you can go from happy and joy with a band like Two Door then over to dark and mysterious with A Perfect Circle. Keenan's voice is the true center piece of the band, proven even more with their cover of John Lennon's "Imagine," the makes you rethink everything about the song - in a good way of course!

It was having to leave Perfect Circle early in order to run across the park again for Bright Eyes, an act that was easily one the best of the day and will be one of the best of the festival. Connor Oberst has managed to shed the "Dylan-esque" skin and "emo" credentials that critics have given him through the years, while his old persona's and comparisons still linger in his music, he is in a league all his own. Bright Eyes, tonight were just spectacular. No other word but that. It was a performance of sheer intensity and lyrical genius, as Oberst and his backing band cranked out songs from their latest effort, The People's Key and threw in fan favorites of his records from the past. While his electric material was lively and energetic, what we really want to see is Connor and his acoustic guitar and we got it. In a field packed with people, it felt as if he was playing right in our living rooms. With the epic closers of "Road to Joy," and "One for You, One for Me," which saw Conner jump into the audience and hugging random fans and security guards, it was something special and something I personally, will not forget.

Once the beautiful Bright Eyes were done, it was off to Perry's massive state-of-the-art DJ tent for the first time today. Inside was Afrojack but one would forget they were in Grant Park and thought they were at Pacha. Afrojack turned up the heat and the bodies in a wall to wall, could hardly breathe, no room to dance - in other words - very crammed and tight tent, it did not seem to phase his fans one bit. Backed by screens of wild imagines, Afrojack was partying his audience to what will be a good nights rest.

It was just a quick half hour for us at Perry's then it was off to one of the two headliners of the night - Muse. It was a night of British bands going head to head as Coldplay and Muse would duke it out for fans as they went against each other. Muse started off strong and powerful, opening with "Uprising," then going into songs like "Hysteria," "Super Massive Black Hole," "Map of the Problematic" and more. Matt Bellamy and the boys just sounded superb and their light show was something to really admire. The band command the stage like a military, even though that is what they seem to be raging against. What comes out in the band's live set is not just the amount of beautiful noise they are making, but how brilliant of musicians they are. Just before Bellamy took to the opening chords of "Guiding Light," he sat at his baby grand piano and rumbled chords and notes that would even have Mozart in awe. A true showman and truly talented band.

After and hour with Muse, it was the closing hour of the first day with Coldplay. As we arrived they were playing "Shiver," and were going into a fan favorite set of songs like "God Put a Smile on Your Face," "Violet Hill," "Everything's Not Lost," "Politik" and more. However, it was room for brand new tracks from the bands forthcoming new album that would take everyone by surprise, songs like "Us Against the World," "Charlie Brown" and the epic closer "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" just proved that they were all meant to be heard live in concert. As the band played each note perfectly and Chris Martin jumped around on stage in his usual fashion, the real star of the night was the bands highly underrated drummer, Will Champion. Champion would take on vocal duties, guitar, bass, and various percussion all through the later parts of the bands set, it is something to be admired and discussed. What was also fitting and touching was the bands tribute to Amy Winehouse, as they covered "Rehab," just before going into "Fix You," and dedicating it to the late singer. Coldplay were in fine form and strong enough to be back on the road and getting everyone's attention again for their new material. Closing with an epic firework display, it only seemed fitting - like they were the ones lighting and blowing the candles on Lollapalooza's birthday cake.

Smith Westerns

The Kills

Bright Eyes

Two Door Cinema Club

Muse

Coldplay

For WAY MORE Photo's LIKE us on FACEBOOK:

VINTAGE CLIP! RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINES 1ST GIG!

This past weekend hometown hero's Rage Against the Machine staged the massive LA RISING concert at LA Coliseum. Just uncovered, RATM's first ever show, which took place at Cal State Northridge on October 23, 1991. The band's first album was released a year later. Here is the set list from the Cal State gig:

1: Killing In The Name
2: Take The Power Back
3: Autologic
4: Bullet In The Head
5: Hit The Deck
6: Township Rebellion
7: Darkness Of Greed
8: Clear The Lane
9: Clampdown
10: Know Your Enemy
11: Freedom

Quick News

While we posted on Twitter and Facebook this weekend that Caleb Followill walked out of a Dallas Kings of Leon gig in a rant, citing he was suffering heat exhaustion and his brother / bassist Jared tweeted that Caleb had a drinking problem - Kings of Leon have canceled the remaining dates of their latest tour. The bands opener, the fantastic Band of Horses are booking tour dates now to fulfill the empty slots that they had going on the road with the Followill fraternity. Kings of Leon are giving fans a full refund of tickets.

Adele is set to record a country and bluegrass album as the follow up to her massive and fantastic album 21, which was released earlier this year. The singer spoke to The Sun and said "I was exposed to a lot of country, rockabilly and bluegrass because I was touring for such a long time. The melodies and to-the-point lyrics I have found in a lot of American styles of music is definitely something I'm going be pursuing heavily from now on. I want to spend some time in Austin in Texas and Nashville, Tennessee, and learn about it."

In a surprise discovery Scottish electronic label, Soma Records have uncovered a lost Daft Punk demo for the song "Drive." The song was to be on the French DJ's break through album Da Funk but was left off after demo stages. Soma Records plans to release "Drive" as part of a 20th anniversary retrospect of the label due next month.

Mastodon have unleashed the track listing to their much anticipated new album, The Hunter. The album is due out next month, here is the track listing:
'Black Tongue'
'Curl Of The Burl'
'Blasteroid'
'Stargasm'
'Octopus Has No Friends'
'All The Heavy Lifting'
'The Hunter'
'Dry Bone Valley'
'Thickening'
'Creature Lives'
'Spectrelight'
'Bedazzled Fingernails'
'The Sparrow'