Virgin Music Fest 2007 (Day 2) : My Daily Peace

Virgin Music Fest 2007 (Day 2)

Posted on August 26, 2007 - Filed Under Reviews, Music, VA/DC/MD Happenings |

My husband and I started Day 2 at Virgin Fest by meeting some friends at the Bad Brains stage. I was really excited to hear some punk rock and these 50-somethings not only rocked, they crushed. They played “Banned in D.C.” to a swirling mosh pit fit for even the straight-edge purists, of which I am not, so I headed for more frozen Southern Comfort drinks to the get the party started.

Next we went to check out the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, and let me preface this by saying that they are the best rock band out there right now. I absolutely dig everything they do and I could sit and listen to them all day. So when Karen O came running out on stage in a spectacular tinsel-laden ballerina outfit complete with bright silver cape, I knew I was in for a treat. They played an awesome mix of songs from their newer album, “Gold Lion” and their previous album, “Fever To Tell.” Even though Wu Tang was supposed to begin on another stage while the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs were still playing, I didn’t care…I stayed for their entire performance.

So we wandered over to the Wu Tang Clan stage, and yes, they definitely ain’t nuthin to fuck with, which was their opening song and it definitely got the crowd going. Evidently, they were having mic problems so we didn’t miss a thing. It looked like RZA and Method Man sort of took the lead on most of the songs, but the crowd was jumping and they gave a ramped-up performance. I mean, is there anything better than hearing “C.R.E.A.M.” live? Even Richard Branson came to listen to Wu Tang.

After some fabulous chicken souvlakis and a few more drinks, we found our way to Interpol. I’d like to tell you that this was their best show ever, but I was so much more interested in finally eating some dinner that they were more background music at this point. However, if they had sucked, I would have taken my pita elsewhere.

So our Interpol rest provided us with a second wind to head over to the DJ tent to check out Deep Dish. These DJs, whose headquarters are here in Washington DC, have quite an impressive resume. At this point in the day, there was a constant mist falling, so heading under a tent was a nice refuge. The tunes they were spinning were great and although there were some people dancing, there were not nearly enough for this prized DJ duo. It made me wonder whether or not Baltimore is a cool enough music town to hold this festival…

So for the festival closer we had to choose between 311 and the Smashing Pumpkins. Even with D’arcy and James now gone from the band, I had to go with the Pumpkins; not just because I am an Illinoisian loyal to this Chicago, Illinois, band, but because they rock and 311 is a studio band. Well that and I had the pleasure of serving Billy Corgan and large Sprite at a Carbondale, Illinois, movie theater in 1996 and he sprinkled grunge dust on me and I was hooked. I have also had the misfortune of seeing 311 live in concert a few times, and all of those times were disappointments. So the Smashing Pumpkins were an obvious choice. I hadn’t heard much of their new album before the concert, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I could tell the crowd was only interested in hearing their older songs because when the band started playing “Tarantula” and then later “Death from Above,” a majority of the crowd began to take their leave and head to their cars. Maybe they were just ready to head home after 2 days of music, maybe they have lumped the Pumpkins into the likes of “older” bands that aren’t allowed to play anything new. Regardless, they gave a great performance and I’m glad that Corgan and Chamberlain are back, and I look forward to any new music they create.

And so ended a great music festival. I want to like Baltimore, so I’m going to make a bigger effort to go there more often; maybe next time I’m in need of a tattoo or some of the best Mexican food I have ever had at Nacho Mamas.