Nightglow Window

Sunday, June 10, 2007

The 94/9 Miller Lite Independence Jam

By 1:45, the work is over and the fun part of the day can begin. For Mother's Day I got Christy tickets to the 94.9 Independence Jam. The festival starts at 2:00 p.m. and we're there early, before the first band hits the stage.

The weather is sunny and nice. We lounge on the grass near the stage, getting slightly sunburned, as the stadium begins to fill behind us. It's a good bill. Test Your Reflex opened, and seemed genuinely stoked to be sharing a stage with Interpol. They were entertaining, too, proving once again that the 1980s aesthetic is back with a vengeance.

The next act, the Aggrolites, pretty much sucked. The lead singer was guilty of trying way too hard. Dude if you tell me to "get crazy" one more time, I'm going to hurl. Pipe down and play. Oh, and just because you call your ska "dirty reggae" doesn't make it anything more than Inland Empire crap. Next!

The Living Things were up next and were way better. Frontman Lillian Berlin was channeling Mick Jagger, which was fun to watch. They were solid. If you saw them in your local bar you'd think they were the best thing ever, bound for greatness. In a football stadium, well, they were pretty good.

By the time Spoon took the stage, the crowd had filled in and we ended up close to the stage. Lead singer Britt Daniel was excellent (although the Ray Bans gave him a Tom Cruise circa "Risky Business" look). They didn't play much of their new stuff, however. I especially wanted to listen to "The Ghost Of You Lingers," but no dice.

Kings Of Leon had many people in the audience very excited, but alas, for me these Nashville rockers were no big whoop. I mean, they were good, just nuthin special. Lead singer Caleb Followill certainly had the rock star attitude down, but I bet he'd be a dick if you met him in real life. Or perhaps it was just his frustration with the sound man. Whatever.

No, none of that mattered. Interpol was who we were here to see and hear, and they didn't disappoint. With a set chosen mostly from their first two albums (with three or four new tracks sprinkled in from their upcoming CD "Our Love To Admire") those sharp-dressed New Yorkers gave a great show -- and the huge crowd was appreciative. My only complaint is my camera battery konked out as they took the stage.