Lollapalooza 2008 complete review

We've finally put together the recap of our experience at the event. Click the links below to check out our reviews for each day.

Lolla Day 1: Dancing ninjas, diva pigs, and frying our little brains
Lolla Day 2: Dancing jailbait, wannabe outlaws, and vocoder madness
Lolla Day 3: Alice Cooper makeup and drunken lullabies

OUR FAVORITES OF THE FESTIVAL
Deena’s top 10:
1. Kanye West
2. CSS
3. Okkervil River
4. Chromeo
5. The Go! Team
6. Gogol Bordello
7. Rage Against the Machine
8. Flogging Molly
9. innerpartysystem
10. Toadies


Scott’s top 10:
1. Kanye West
2. Gogol Bordello
3. Okkervil River
4. Chromeo
5. The Go! Team
6. Rage Against the Machine
7. Radiohead
8. Flogging Molly
9. CSS
10. Iron & Wine

Lollapalooza Day 3: Alice Cooper makeup and drunken lullabies

Day 3 of Lollapalooza 2008. Photos and videos taken by Deena and Scott. Reviews by both of us except where noted.

12:30 Kid Sister (Scott)
The most interesting thing about Kanye protégé Kid Sister is that she named her just-released debut album Koko B. Ware, after the parrot-wielding 1980s WWF wrestler. She capably brought the hip hop, though she came off like a lesser M.I.A.

12:30 White Lies (Deena)

I decided to check out White Lies and weasel my way up to a prime spot for The Weakerthans, who were scheduled to play at 1:15. These four attractive British gents delivered a bit of a rushed show (they had been scheduled to play at a different stage), with not much audience banter, but their Depeche Mode-esque songs were well-delivered with excellent vocals from singer/guitarist Harry McVeigh. By the time they finished I was planted firmly against the fence in the front row, only to discover that the next band introduced was Office, due to a poorly-publicized cancellation by The Weakerthans. I left a bit disgruntled, through no fault of White Lies.

1:00 What Made Milwaukee Famous (Scott)

This band gets the “Chin Up Chin Up award” for being the act that I remember least at Lolla. WMMF had a cool keyboard line here, a nifty drum roll there, but nothing that set them apart from countless other indie rock acts.

1:30 The Whigs (Scott)
The Whigs have a heavier sound than you’d expect from a band signed to Dave Matthews’ ATO label. Their powerful guitar riffs and catchy melodies packed a real punch. They were one of our best discoveries of the festival.

2:15 Nicole Atkins & the Sea

We interviewed Nicole last year, and though she hasn’t taken off yet, if she keeps performing like this, it’s only a matter of time. She played all the best from Neptune City, including the ones where she gets to let loose, like “The Way It Is.” Her strong voice was matched by her delightful personality, like when she feared that her makeup was running in the overwhelming heat - “Do I look like Alice Cooper yet? That was kinda my goal.”

Video clip: Nicole Atkins – “Maybe Tonight”


3:15 Chromeo

“We’ve been friends since we were kids... and he doesn’t have a shirt on,” said Chromeo’s Dave 1 of his bandmate P-Thug. These Canadians are the coolest dorks on the planet, as evidenced by the combination of pre-recorded electronic elements and live guitars and keys, with late ‘80s-style dance music and sleazy love songs that had fans at the MySpace stage dancing their asses off.

4:15 Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves

There’s been a revival of the ‘60s R&B sound recently, but most of those performers are female. On Nicole Atkins’ recommendation, we checked out Eli “Paperboy” Reed, who preaches this music to a new generation of listeners. He channeled James Brown vocally, and his big band helped serve up one of the more unique styles during the weekend.

4:45 Iron & Wine (Scott)
Iron & Wine was pure beauty. Sam Beam and company added a touch of twang to “Boy With a Coin,” and Beam’s guitar noodling at the end of the slow-burning “Upward Over the Mountain” was exquisite.

Video clip: Iron & Wine – “Boy With a Coin”

5:15 Flogging Molly

“I’d like to dedicate this song to myself!” said singer Dave King. His band’s Irish punk rock was great fun. His band gets a run for its money - they’re great musicians to be able to play these fast songs so well live. We’ve seen Flogging Molly before, but they were never this good. “Drunken Lullabies” was the biggest highlight.

6:15 Gnarls Barkley
We didn’t get to watch much of their set, but got to hear true-to-album versions of favorites like “Gone Daddy Gone,” “Run,” and “Don’t Be Surprised.” Cee-Lo was in fine form.

6:45 Girl Talk

Someone at Lolla who has no clue decided to put Pittsburgh mashup DJ Girl Talk on a small side stage, which resulted in the most packed-together crowd of the weekend. Then again, since that setup facilitated lots of sweating and dancing, maybe it was better that way. Girl Talk brought out giant balloons and toilet paper cannons to make the party insane. Which was good, because his actual performance wasn’t quite as strong. The transitions between songs were too deliberate – he stayed on “Whoomp! There It Is!” for several minutes, for instance. The ending was classic, though, as Girl Talk surfed the crowd in an inflatable raft to Journey’s “Faithfully.”

Video clip: Giant balloon during Girl Talk performance

7:30 The National (Scott)

The National closed with a great one-two punch of “Fake Empire” and the spirited “Mr. November,” which Matt Berninger made sure to point out “is not dedicated to John McCain.”

7:30 Mark Ronson (Deena)

Despite the small crowd (due to the anticipation of Kanye West’s performance at the adjacent stage, I suspect), Mark Ronson provided an entertaining, diverse set of stylized cover songs. Among those joining him and his band, which included brass and string sections, were Daniel Merriweather and rap duo Plastic Little. And though Radiohead didn’t play “Just,” one of my favorites of theirs, Ronson supplied his own unique, soulful version of the tune.

8:15 Nine Inch Nails

We caught the first half of Trent Reznor’s set, and though “Discipline” and “March of the Pigs” were strong, he also wandered into meandering instrumentals that lost the crowd. It looks like the rest of the set was great – too bad we missed “Piggy” and “Head Like a Hole.”

8:45 Kanye West

Kanye West elicits such strong feelings from people - they either love him or hate him. (Or they think he’s ok.)

Yeah, he’s cocky. But only the most biased Kanye haters would deny that his Lolla show was off the hook. It was everything Kanye’s performance at Bonnaroo was not: There was enthusiasm, spontaneity, graciousness, even a live band and backup singers. The band made a noticeable difference, turning “Hey Mama,” Kanye’s ode to his mother, into an even more forlorn, delicate ballad, and the electric guitars made the dark, moody “Can’t Tell Me Nuthin” frighteningly intense.

There was an odd 4-minute soliloquy in which Kanye boasted about trying to be the greatest musician of all-time, claiming, “I ain’t saying I’m there yet, but I’m going to the studio tonight – that might change by the morning.” A great “Kanye being Kanye” moment.

“Put On” was one of the most mind-blowing moments of the festival, Kanye saluting his hometown of Chicago with fury and sincerity. That was followed by “Touch the Sky,” which segued directly into “The Good Life,” both of which featured lots of throwing hands into the sky. “Stronger” capped the show and closed out the festival in memorable fashion.

Video clip: Kanye West boasts


Sunday’s top 5:
1. Kanye West
2. Chromeo
3. Flogging Molly
4. Nicole Atkins & the Sea
5. (tie) Iron & Wine
(tie) Mark Ronson

Lollapalooza Day 2: Dancing jailbait, wannabe outlaws, and vocoder madness

Day 2 of Lollapalooza 2008. Photos and videos taken by Deena and Scott. Reviews by both of us except where noted.

12:30 Does It Offend You, Yeah?

This was an upbeat, up-tempo show that started out strong but lulled in the middle. At one point the singer said, “This is our big pop song,” then proceeded to play one of the blandest songs we heard all weekend. At least the vocoder-heavy “Doomed Now” and “We Are Rockstars” lived up to their potential. Stick to the fat, thick, grimy electro-punk, guys—it’s what you do best.

1:15 Ferras (Deena)

Ferras was another visit I made based on hearing some stuff on Lolla radio. His claim to fame is “Hollywood’s Not America,” American Idol Season 7’s “farewell song”—you know, the one played each week during the video montage of someone who gets voted off. His show seemed bland, though, compared to what I’d heard on his album Aliens and Rainbows. He had a nice voice but spent most of his time behind the piano, not interacting a whole lot with the crowd; and even when he did it seemed awkward. I was just happy to enjoy some music in the shade for this one.

1:45 innerpartysystem

This act out of Reading, PA was just what we’d hoped for. innerpartysystem (named after a social class in George Orwell’s 1984) dished out their powerful electro-emo with both gusto and musicality. The band passionately performed and thanked the audience, which they claimed was the biggest crowd they’d ever played for. We’re looking forward to checking out their full-length album slated for release in September.

2:15 Foals (Deena)

I still can’t quite figure out what math rock is, but apparently Foals is it. Their dance-punk set sounded pretty true to their album, but I didn’t quite get their performance. The lead vocalist’s mic was set up so that when he sang, he faced the right side of the stage instead of the audience, and their guitarist was constantly facing the left side of the stage. Is this part of their math rock equation? I don’t know, but it didn’t add up to an entertaining performance.

2:30 Dierks Bentley (Scott)

The official Lollapalooza program tried to peg Dierks Bentley as an outlaw cowboy in the tradition of Waylon Jennings. Sorry, I’m not buying it. The guy used to work for CMT, for crying out loud. You can’t get more mainstream than that. But I did dig his rocking country tunes.

3:30 MGMT

Playing before a massive crowd (the largest I’ve ever seen at a non-mainstage at a festival), psychedelic synthpop band MGMT managed to bore everyone silly for the first half of their performance. No dancing, no singing along, just a lot of standing around and sweating. “Electric Feel” finally got things moving, but it was an aberration. “The Handshake” and the genius single “Time to Pretend” felt utterly joyless. Andrew VanWyngarden’s voice was so weak that the hooks weren’t even hooks because his voice was barely discernable. MGMT get this year’s “Fratellis award” for being the up-and-coming band that was presented with a huge opportunity at Lollapalooza and blew it.

4:30 Brand New (Deena)
This set started slow and never quite picked up momentum. Brand New’s songs often have subdued parts with lower-pitched vocals that are offset by borderline screamo, which works well on their albums; unfortunately, these sections didn’t carry over well live, forcing the singer to sing-yell them, which didn’t have the same effect. All in all, what I heard was okay, but after hearing frontman Jesse Lacey tell the audience (twice!) that they should really be seeing Explosions in the Sky, I went and did just that.

4:45 Explosions in the Sky (Scott)
Instrumentals don’t necessarily play well in a festival setting, unless you’re looking for some background music while you toss around the frisbee. These guys are known for thundering rock compositions, but for the portion of their set I observed, they stuck mostly to the quieter stuff, one exception being the magnificent “Welcome Ghosts.”

5:30 Okkervil River

Okkervil’s live show is phenomenal. The spontaneity between Will Sheff and his bandmates and the way they play off each other is great to witness. Sheff’s punk energy took the band’s best storytelling tracks like “Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe” and “The President’s Dead” to another level, proving (as if we didn't already know) that Okkervil River are one of the more exciting bands in rock these days.

7:30 Toadies (Deena)

I will freely admit that the Toadies aren’t a remarkable band, but they still provided one of the better shows I saw all day. Although they only had one semi-breakthrough hit with “Possum Kingdom” off their 1994 Rubberneck album, it was obvious that much of the crowd (including me) had been holding on to that album all these years, waiting to sing along to every song. These aging rockers delivered a solid set despite the years-long break since their last tour, playing all the songs people wanted to hear along with a preview of some tracks from their new album.

7:45 Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings (Scott)

52-year-old Sharon Jones is sassy, spunky, and soulful, and her performances are never dull. Against the wishes of security personnel, she invited a young man onstage, then said, “He looks kinda young. Do you think I can go to jail? I’m not trying to go to jail.” After discovering he has a wife, she taught him some dance moves to please his woman. Her throwback R&B tracks like “100 Days, 100 Nights” brought down the house.

8:30 Rage Against the Machine

Rage had to stop their show several times to order fans to step back because of the intensity of fans moshing and crashing the stage barriers. Even with the delays, the band owned Grant Park, rocking like it was 1996 and they were in their prime. Singer Zach de la Rocha was a commanding presence, and Tom Morello’s shredding was a sight to behold. As might have been expected, de la Rocha got political, speaking of the mysterious terrorist force that threatens our way of life, then claiming, “It’s our very government that is the terrorist organization we’ve been hearing about.” But mostly, Rage let their music do the talking, building up to an explosive conclusion of “Freedom” and “Killing in the Name.”

Saturday’s top 5:
1. Okkervil River
2. Rage Against the Machine
3. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings
4. Innerpartysystem
5. Explosions in the Sky

Lollapalooza Day 1: Dancing ninjas, diva pigs, and frying our little brains

Day 1 of Lollapalooza 2008. Photos and videos taken by your intrepid reporters, Deena and Scott. Reviews by both of us except where noted.

12:30 Holy Fuck

Kicking off the event with electronic rock band Holy Fuck was a great way to start the weekend. “Royal Gregory” was a treat, with Brian Borcherdt using some sort of vocoder device to create the song’s distorted vocals. With electronic music, there’s often the risk of being repetitive, but their songs constantly evolved and grew in just the right places. They closed with “Lovely Allen,” a brilliant instrumental that they slowly built up into a massive climax.

Video clip: Holy Fuck – "Lovely Allen"


2:15 The Go! Team

The Go! Team’s lively dance-pop music provided one of the most fun shows of the day. The colorful British ensemble perfectly replicated tracks from 2007’s Proof of Youth like “Grip Like a Vice” and “The Wrath of Marcie.” The Lollapalooza program touted The Go! Team’s lead singer, Ninja, as a “frontwoman/force of nature,” and they weren’t kidding. Ninja gripped the crowd like an overzealous aerobics instructor, giving us dance moves and encouraging participation. One great thing about this sextet is that their musical roles changed a lot during the 60-minute set, showing a breadth of skill and creating an interesting dynamic. Though they didn’t play the songs which resemble cheerleading chants (it would’ve been sweet to hear “The Power Is On” or "We Just Won't Be Defeated"), the show was still plenty fun without them.

Video clip: The Go! Team - "Titanic Vandalism"


3:15 Duffy (Scott)

This was my first Duffy experience, and it was quite a surprise. Based on all the buzz I’ve been hearing, I was expecting rich, soulful pipes along the lines of Joss Stone, but instead, Duffy has this little baby voice, like a cross between Paris Hilton and Porky Pig. It was unsettling. Her performance was quite polished and professional, but not nearly as impressive as I’d hoped.

3:15 Louis XIV (Deena)
I only knew a few of Louis XIV’s songs, but quickly realized that was all I needed to know. Their brand of “cock rock” was not terribly appealing and frontman Jason Hill’s style of sing-speaking got old after a few songs. Their lyrics seem similar to those of Electric Six—highly sexual, innuendo-filled, and dirty—except instead of being cute and tongue-in-cheek, they are serious, which is a bit obnoxious.

4:00 The Kills (Deena)

This male-female duo produces a more mellowed style of music than I typically enjoy, but their slinky, stripped-down songs grew on me. They closed strong with “Cheap and Cheerful” and “Fry My Little Brains,” a fitting song for how everyone felt out in the sweltering heat today.

4:15 Gogol Bordello

These crazy Gypsy freaks are probably not capable of putting on a bad show. What’s not to love about passionate eastern European music with accordions, fiddles, screaming dancers, and an indefatigable frontman? They rocked the mainstage with a set closely resembling their Bonnaroo performance, “Wonderlust King” and “American Wedding” being the main highlights.

5:15 Your Vegas (Deena)

Your Vegas was a last minute addition to my itinerary after hearing several of their songs on last.fm’s Lolla radio station before leaving for Chicago. These boys from Leeds serve up what sounds to me like the love child of Keane and The Killers. Their set did not disappoint, with soaring vocals and beautiful falsetto from their pleasant and gracious frontman, Coyle Girelli.

5:15 Mates of State (Scott)
Lately, I like my pop music overflowing with fun and excitement, like !!! and the Go! Team. And while their harmonies are pleasant enough, I didn’t have the patience for the easygoing, relaxed pop Mates of State were serving up. Sorry, kids.

5:45 Grizzly Bear (Scott)

You can’t be a blogger and not love Grizzly Bear, but I'm only just coming around to appreciating their slow, old-fashioned music, after seeing their performance of "Two Weeks" on Letterman. They opened their Lolla set with it, to a surprisingly tepid response. About half of the band’s songs were engaging and the other half were uninteresting.

6:15 Bloc Party (Deena)

The crowd roared as Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke stepped onstage wearing an Obama shirt, but that was about as excited as I got about Bloc Party’s set. There didn’t seem to be much energy or showmanship in the performance, though it was technically fine. I decided I’ll just stick to listening to their CDs, and I left early to get a good spot for CSS.

7:00 CSS

Having been devastated last year when CSS cancelled, we gave them another shot, and they justified our faith in them. The Brazilian electro-rock group played most of their self-titled debut as well as some of the more rocking tracks from their new release Donkey. Though “Music Is My Hot Hot Sex” was slowed to an almost-undanceable tempo, “Alala” and “Rat is Dead” offered the energy we were expecting. Lovefoxxx wore not one but two full-body leotards, and the entire band interacted with the audience throughout the extremely entertaining show.

8:00 Radiohead

OK, we’re going to say it, and we defy anyone to prove us wrong: This show was boring by Radiohead standards. Maybe we’re grading on a curve here, because even the worst Radiohead show is going to be better than 90% of rock concerts, but this band is capable of so much more. Why they continue to fill half their set with lifeless, uninspiring tracks like “The Gloaming” and “House of Cards” is beyond us. Dudes, you need to RAWK! Even “Paranoid Android” was lacking in the guitar-heavy sections where we could have been blown away. Thrown by the lack of crowd enthusiasm, Thom Yorke said, “You’re all so quiet out there.” And the obvious response was, “Yeah, because you’re putting us to sleep!”

Enough of that, let’s talk about the highlights: The spacey “Everything in Its Right Place” is simply one of the best live songs ever; “Fake Plastic Trees” was beautiful; the brooding “All I Need” was one of the few songs from In Rainbows that stood out; and “Idioteque,” the Radiohead-does-techno number from Kid A, was a stellar show closer.

Friday’s top 5:
1. Gogol Bordello
2. The Go! Team
3. CSS
4. Radiohead
5. Holy Fuck

We're off to Lollapalooza 2008

We're off to Lollapalooza. This year's lineup features an incredible group of headliners, but down the bill, the lineup isn't as deep as it has been in the past.

I'm ready for CSS to make up for last year, when they canceled at the last minute due to flight problems, leaving me devastated. If they cancel again, Lovefoxxx will be dead to me.

It's also Kanye West's shot at redemption, following his widely-panned half-performance at Bonnaroo. Chicago is his hometown, so I have no doubt he'll deliver.



There is rampant speculation that Barack Obama is going to make an appearance, perhaps to introduce either Wilco or Kanye West, both prominent Obama supporters. I will lose my shit if this happens. We're not going to see Wilco, though, so we might end up missing him.

Last year there were a ton of conflicts - bands I really liked playing opposite each other. This year, that is not the case. In fact, since I can skip Gnarls Barkley and the Raconteurs because I'll be seeing them a week later at the New American Music Union Festival, I have no significant conflicts at all. The biggest conflicts I can come up with are Black Lips vs. Holy Fuck and Brand New vs. Explosions in the Sky.



Scott's most anticipated acts:
1. Radiohead
2. Kanye West
3. CSS
4. Okkervil River
5. Gogol Bordello
6. MGMT
7. Rage Against the Machine
8. The Go! Team
9. Girl Talk
10. The National



Deena's most anticipated acts:
1. Nine Inch Nails
I've never seen a Nine Inch Nails performance, and I'm really excited about hearing tracks from The Slip as well as (hopefully) some older material.
2. Bloc Party
Their new song, "Mercury," is a slightly different direction than previous Bloc Party, but definitely good. Hoping these guys pack a good live show.
3. Rage Against The Machine
I'm stoked about seeing such a powerhouse band at a big festival show--can't wait to see the atmosphere of the crowd, and I hope I can get close enough to the stage without getting my ass kicked...
4. Girl Talk
I am going to dance my ass off when I see this guy.
5. Gnarls Barkley/The Raconteurs
Since the New American Music Union Festival in Pittsburgh sold out and I didn't get tickets, I'm definitely going to have to split up from Scott to catch these performances. Both have notable recent albums that I really enjoy.
6. "Special DJ Sets" by VHS or Beta and Does It Offend You, Yeah?
Since I've never been to Lolla, I'm not exactly sure what these DJ sets are all about, but I enjoy both of these electro-rock groups and am curious to see what these sets could bring.
7. Toadies
Back from the vaults! The Toadies, one of those forgettable bands from the early 90s who hit it semi-big with the single "Possum Kingdom," are reuniting for Lollapalooza. I always liked their southern goth-rock sound of their album Rubberneck.
8. The Weakerthans
For some reason I looked at my schedule at least a dozen times before I noticed that The Weakerthans were going to be at Lolla. Looking forward to their Canadian indie pop-punk.
9. Flogging Molly
What's not to like about an Irish punk band? Hopefully I'll be able to find a Guinness tent nearby.
10. Mark Ronson
This may or may not be good, since Ronson is more of a producer than an artist himself. I love Version, but unless he gets a star-studded cast on stage to perform it, I'm not sure his performance will be as noteworthy as I want it to be.

And finally, a few MP3s from Lolla acts...
MP3: Girl Talk - Hands in the Air (from Feed the Animals)
MP3: Gogol Bordello - Wonderlust King (from Taranta)
MP3: CSS - Rat is Dead (Rage) (from Donkey)
MP3: Battles - Ddiamond (from Mirrored)
MP3: Iron & Wine - Innocent Bones (from The Shepherd's Dog)

Lollapalooza downloads, Volume 2

I'm still working on upgrading my MP3 hosting so I can share more music... in the meantime enjoy these Lollapalooza MP3s courtesy of Sub Pop...

MP3: CSS - Alala (Cansei de Ser Sexy)
MP3: Foals - Balloons (Antidotes)
MP3: Rogue Wave - Every Moment (Out of the Shadow)

Rating the 2008 summer music festivals

Not sure which summer music festival to throw your money at? Here's a rundown of the major festivals in chronological order, with completely biased opinions of which ones rule and which ones suck...



Coachella
April 25-27, Indio, CA
www.coachella.com

At first, the headliners were laughable: Jack Johnson, Portishead, Kraftwerk, and Roger Waters performing Dark Side of the Moon. But then Prince came along and saved the day. The near-headliners (Raconteurs, the Verve, Death Cab for Cutie) are also less than impressive. But the middle- and lower-tier acts save this lineup, with names like Architecture in Helsinki, Justice, Kate Nash, Vampire Weekend, St. Vincent, DeVotchKa, Simian Mobile Disco, and Jens Lekman.

Headliners: D
Rest of lineup: A
$ value: B
Overall: C+


The Bamboozle
May 3-4, East Rutherford, NJ
www.thebamboozle.com

Bamboozle is like a mega-sized Warped Tour, with emo and punk bands out the wazoo and occasional hip hop acts thrown in for variety. Among the notables at this year's event are Snoop Dogg, Jimmy Eat World, Panic at the Disco, Gym Class Heroes, Paramore, Cobra Starship, and Anti-Flag. For those who appreciate this kind of music, Bamboozle could be one of the best bargains of the summer.

Headliners: B
Rest of lineup: B-
$ value: A-
Overall: B-


Sasquatch Music Festival
May 24-26, George, WA
www.sasquatchfestival.com

Because of its location, Sasquatch is the most inconvenient festival for most of the country to attend, but they continue to attract top-notch talent like R.E.M., the Flaming Lips, and The Cure, as well as quality mid-tier acts like The National, Tegan & Sara, Ghostland Observatory, M.I.A, and the Mars Volta. The bottom of the lineup is mostly filler, however.

Headliners: B-
Rest of lineup: C-
$ value: C+
Overall: C


Wakarusa
June 5-8, Lawrence, KS
www.wakarusa.com

Pissed that Bonnaroo has gone mainstream? Go to Wakarusa, which is more of a pure hippie/jam band fest. The lineup appears weaker than in recent years, but you can't go wrong with the Flaming Lips headlining. Other highlights include Emmylou Harris, Ozomatli, Bettye Lavette, Mates of State, and - get this - a re-formed Arrested Development. Four-day passes go for only $144.

Headliners: C-
Rest of lineup: C-
$ value: B
Overall: C


Bonnaroo
June 12-15, Manchester, TN
www.bonnaroo.com

Rock-solid headliners Metallica, Pearl Jam and Kanye West (let's ignore Jack Johnson) make this the summer's best festival. Chris Rock is also on the bill, set to make history by performing for one of the largest crowds ever to hear a stand-up set. Then there's Sigur Ros, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Willie Nelson, B.B. King, !!!, Gogol Bordello, Broken Social Scene, MGMT, Battles, and many others.

Headliners: A
Rest of lineup: B+
$ value: B
Overall: A


Rothbury Festival
July 3-6, Rothbury, MI
www.rothburyfestival.com

This festival is positioning itself as a Bonnaroo alternative, in a cooler location: the forests of western Michigan. They have a nice mix of jam bands and mainstream pop acts - Dave Matthews Band, Snoop Dogg, the Dresden Dolls, Of Montreal, Modest Mouse, Busdriver. But tickets are too pricey for my taste - $244 for a 3-day pass.

Headliners: B-
Rest of lineup: B-
$ value: D
Overall: C-


Pitchfork Music Festival
July 18-20, Chicago
www.pitchforkmusicfestival.com

The hipsters may disagree, but the acclaimed indie festival doesn't have as strong a lineup as usual, with several acts that aren't anything special, and others that are already booked for other festivals (!!!, Animal Collective, Vampire Weekend). They did score a big coup by nabbing Public Enemy, who will perform It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back in its entirety. But no matter how mediocre the lineup, with a three-day pass setting you back just $65 (or single-day tickets for the bargain basement price of $25), Pitchfork will always be a great deal.

Headliners: D+
Rest of lineup: D+
$ value: A+
Overall: B-


Mile High Music Festival
July 19-20, Commerce City, CO
www.milehighmusicfestival.com

This one is similar to Rothbury, with headliners Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer, and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. Also noteworthy are the Black Crowes, Steve Winwood, Spoon, and the Roots. The $150 price tag for a 2-day pass is pretty average.

Headliners: B-
Rest of lineup: D
$ value: C-
Overall: D+


Lollapalooza
August 1-3, Chicago
www.lollapalooza.com

This might be the greatest batch of headliners in recent American music festival history. A reunited Rage Against the Machine(!), plus Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Kanye West, and Wilco? Unbelievable. Unfortunately, the lineup is top-heavy. There are few decent mid-size acts here. I could also point out that many of these acts peaked at least two years ago (Gnarls Barkley, Girl Talk, Bloc Party, Wilco), but that would be nitpicking.

Headliners: A+
Rest of lineup: C
$ value: A
Overall: A-


All Points West
August 8-10, Jersey City, NJ
www.apwfestival.com

While other festivals feature more than 100 acts, APW inexplicably decided to book only 13 bands per day, while at the same time charging more than Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo. Most festivals work out to less than $2 per band, but the cost of APW works out to about $7 per band. There is no justification for this. There are a handful of good artists here - the New Pornographers, CSS, the Go! Team, Nicole Atkins, Animal Collective - and two nights of Radiohead is a great treat, but this festival is comically overpriced.

Headliners: B
Rest of lineup: D
$ value: F
Overall: D-


Virgin Mobile Festival
August 9-10, Baltimore
www.virginmobilefestival.com

Two unique names stand out amongst the headliners: Foo Fighters and Stone Temple Pilots. I've never been an STP fan, but I give Virgin credit for booking an act that isn't playing all the other festivals. Kanye, Jack Johnson, and Nine Inch Nails will be here as well. The recent addition of Bob Dylan was a nice coup.

Headliners: B
Rest of lineup: C
$ value: D+
Overall: C-


Outside Lands Festival
August 22-24, San Francisco
www.sfoutsidelands.com

I don't think there's a single act here that isn't already playing 5 other festivals. Radiohead, Jack Johnson, Tom Petty, Wilco, Beck, Rodrigo y Gabriela, etc. That doesn't mean it's a subpar lineup; just that they played it safe and were completely unoriginal when putting it together.

Headliners: B
Rest of lineup: D+
$ value: C-
Overall: C


Austin City Limits Festival
September 26-28, Austin, TX
www.aclfestival.com

Foo Fighters, Beck, and Robert Plant & Alison Krauss would be terrific secondary acts. But as headliners, they're weak. That said, this is one of the most consistent lineups of the summer - every act is quality. Band of Horses, Conor Oberst, and Okkervil River are particularly nice to see on the schedule.

Headliners: D
Rest of lineup: B+
$ value: A-
Overall: B

My personal 2008 rankings, from best to worst...
1. Bonnaroo
2. Lollapalooza
3. Austin City Limits
4. Pitchfork Music Festival
5. Bamboozle
6. Coachella
7. Sasquatch
8. Outside Lands
9. Wakarusa
10. Rothbury Festival
11. Virgin Mobile Festival
12. Mile High Music Festival
13. All Points West