Grooveshark

Sometime around 12:30 last night we began to receive warnings of inclement weather on the horizon. Ominous tales of imminent meteorological destruction greeted us at every corner and we ended up having to cut Day 2 short to retreat to what we assumed was the safety of our tent. A hastily constructed edifice, our tent lasted all of about 3 hours before caving in amidst the colossal thunder storm. Left trapped in a nylon tomb that was rapidly filling with water, we fled to our neighbors for assistance. Sense of community is an integral part of the Langerado experience, so we were accepted with open arms by our beer swilling brethren. We ended up staying up all night witnessing the debauchery of our fellow campers. Their lowered inhibitions and reckless demeanor sufficiently distracted us from thinking about our saturated belongings and caved in domicile.

To say that Langerado is a haven for hedonism is akin to saying that The Beatles were a mildly influential band. Every inch of the 10,000 or so acres of the Langerado site smell like Snoop Dogg’s tour bus, and people wearing only body paint are a common occurrence. Having never really left the sanctity of Gainesville, Florida, the crowd’s persistent calls of “Molly” left me infinitely befuddled. It was only when I asked a tie-dyed wearing patron what it meant that I ascertained “molly” was in fact code for ecstasy. His look of shock left me feeling embarrassed and out of place, so I tried to play it off with an expertly timed Molly Ringwald joke. It did not go over well, cementing myself as possibly the least cool person at Langerado. People here love jam bands, but Sixteen Candles gets no love.

So it was oddly fitting that the first band I saw today was an organic rock and roll band. Blitzen Trapper has been garnering hype(even on this very blog) for the last several months thanks to their triumphant album Wild Mountain Nation. A beautiful melding of squalling guitars and country rock, Wild Mountain Nation is one of those albums that has consistently transcended the inordinate amount of attention it has received. The band took the stage with a no nonsense demeanor and immediately launched into gorgeous renditions of some of WMN tracks. Silhouetted against the beautiful Florida sky, the band brilliant segued from distortion heavy rock to elegant acoustic songs. We talked to singer Eric Earley after the set and learned that the band just recently turned in their followup to Wild Mountain Nation. If the two new songs they debuted are any indication, it’s going to be fantastic.

After Blitzen Trapper’s set I wandered back to the media area to find an incredibly busy Ben Folds. Having immersed myself in both his solo albums and his work with Ben Folds Five, I was struck with a rare feeling of nervousness. I began having terrible visions of coming off as a sniveling fanboy and subsequently falling victim to Folds’ notorious dry wit. As it turns out I ended up coming off as the most sycophantic person in the world, but Folds was more than accommodating. After our 30 second conversation I thought of at least 40 things I wished I has asked him. Meeting Ben Folds ended up being on of the highlights of Langerado for me despite my shocking inability to form a cohesive sentence.

Folds’ set only solidified my respect for his immense musical talent. I had been worried that I’d built his live set up in my head so much over the years that it would be impossible for me to legitimately enjoy it. My worries proved unfounded as Folds pounded the piano with a vigor that occasionally felt threatening. The set consisted of several new songs and a few from the Ben Folds Five days which really worked the crowd into a frenzy. At one point Folds scaled his piano and instructed the crowd to sing different harmonies on the song “Not the Same”. The crowd’s singing was suspect, but the smiles on every one of their faces belied their off key caterwauling. The crowd also participated in Folds’ cover of the Dr. Dre song “Bitches Aint Shit”, sing “bitches can’t hang with the streets” over and over. It was a sight exclusive to a Ben Folds concert.

One of the highlights of the set came when Folds launched into “One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solemn Faces”. A standout track from Ben Folds Five’s sophomore album Whatever and Ever Amen, the song saw Folds’ piano take a particularly violent beating. Folds had been hitting the keys so hard all day that it seemed fitting that he hurtle his stool at the instrument to conclude the song and his set.

I had some time to kill after Ben Folds’ set so I considered my options. They were as follows: Go see Medeski, Martin, Scofield, and Wood or wait 2 hours to assure a front row position for the R.E.M. set. I ended up deciding on the latter namely because I’ve been really enjoying Murmur lately and I had never really listened to MMSW.

As I waited for R.E.M. I began to rethink my decision. The band hadn’t put out an album I’d liked in about 10 years, and I wasn’t sure hearing “Losing My Religion” was worth waiting around in what had now become insufferably cold weather. I’d heard that their new record was a revelation, and despite my misgivings about journalists calling it a “return to form”, I ultimately decided to stick it out. About 10 minutes before show time the tension began to build and I felt that old familiar feeling of excitement that comes with the imminency of a great rock and roll show. When the band took the stage, it was evident that they shared the same feeling. Michael Stipe slowly approached the microphone and methodically counted down from 10 before the band launched into a frenetic version of “What’s The Frequency Kenneth”. It took about 2 more songs for the thousands of people in attendance to fully compose themselves after the suckerpunch of an opener.

If anyone thinks that R.E.M. is over the hill or irrelevant, then they a)haven’t seen them live or b)haven’t heard any of their new record, called Accelerate. I too had my misgivings, but after seeing their set I can confidently say that R.E.M. will be relevant for a long time. The new songs were filled with an urgency the band hasn’t had since Document, and the performance showed Stipe, Mike Mills, and Peter Buck at their top form. It’s like they’ve been asleep for ten years and were startled awake by the sound of someone playing Life’s Rich Pageant at a deafening volume.

The band’s revitalization is most evident in Michael Stipe. Wearing an Obama shirt that he prevalently displayed amidst the sea of flashing camera lights, he sang with the passion of a 24 year old. The Accelerate songs almost attack listeners in a way that is more punk rock than anything else. “Horse to Water” and “Supernatural Superserious” found the crowd in chaotic disarray. By the encore Stipe had changed into a Tom Wolfe-esque white suit to belt the pre-requisite rendition of “Man on the Moon”. It was a wonderful performance that reaffirmed R.E.M’s power to create evocative, brilliant lyrics and soundscapes not only to me, but all of those in attendance.

It’s cold and the remains of my tent are waterlogged. I can hear the pulsating sounds of Dan Deacon’s set in the background, so I’m going to go check that out. Again, if you’d like to hear any of the songs from Langerado for free simply go to www.grooveshark.com to stream any song for free.

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