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X Japan at Lollapalooza 2010: Live review and photo gallery
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Dear Perry Farrell, thank you for no-wait Port-A-Potty lines, the Columbus Dr. walkway and the artery-clogging (Kuma’s) Judas Priest cranberry/walnut/bacon/bleu cheese party in my mouth…but thank you most of all for X Japan. Engineering the first stateside import of Japan’s (mostly) quadragenarian metal monsters was the coup of the festival, and as expected, faces were in fact melted.
Ascending the stage to a chorale that wouldn’t be out of place in later-version Final Fantasy soundtracks, band co-founders Yoshiki (drums, piano) and Toshi (Steve-Perry-eat-your-heart-out lead vocals) gave the cue and huge bursts of crimson flame launched us into “Rusty Nail.” A tidal wave of air pressure preceded the staggering guitar onslaught as a neck-braced and velvet-robed Yoshiki hammered the skins as though the crowd were a few zeros larger than the couple thousand throwing up its signature, crossed-forearm “X”’s. “Chicagoooooooo. Are you ready to rock?” screamed the cowhide jacketed and leather pants-sporting singer. It would not be the last, nor the second or third to last time this inquiry would be made. As promised in his interview with me last month, Yoshiki and company stuck to the harder numbers, shying away from its notoriously dramatic ballads, and here moved on to “Jade.” Perhaps what makes this brand of metal distinctly Japanese is the juxtaposition of speed metal and epic-sentiment lyrics, as in this little ditty with guitarist Sugizo’s brain-stabbingly thrashy solos alternating with dripping lines like: “‘Cause you are beautiful, your scars are beautiful / Like the jade / You’ll still shine, when you sink into the sea / When all the bleeding scarlet jealousy goes away with me.”
X Japan loyals alone will have noticed the slo-mo video image of former member hide (Hideto Matsumoto) projected on the screens during an interlude. Having died of an apparent suicide in 1998, an assessment his band mates and fans contest, the guitarist has taken on almost mythic status perpetuated in part by his 2008 “ressurection” via 3D hologram to 150,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome. It’s actually quite touching that after twelve years the profoundly famous band continues to honor his memory.
But back to the pyro! An inclusion on the “Saw IV” soundtrack introduced many Americans to X Japan for the first time, and Toshi was insistent that the Lolla newly-faithful sing “In the rain…I’m calling you, dear” from the hit, “IV.” Given that the band have pervaded nearly every aspect of Japanese culture (branding a racing team, condoms, fashion line, etc) he seemed genuinely perplexed that not everyone knew the lyric as inherently as the Empire Carpets jingle, but continued flurries of double kick-drum blast beats and lusty, cortex-crushingly flying-V solos kept the audience perpetually transfixed through till the monumental closer, “X.” The call-to-crossed-arms is an absolute shredfest, and could only have been topped by X Japan being chopper-lifted from the stage…but they need to save something for next time, right?
So, Perry, we still need to talk about misfires like the inclusion of Neon Trees and the pouring of Bud in place of Goose Island…but hats off to you, good sir, for the staggering Hello Kitty ear-Howitzer that is…X Japan.
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Lollapalooza: X Japan makes U.S. debut, wins convertsby Thomas Conner
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The other night, referring to the small crowd for the Strokes and the triumph of Lady Gaga, I quipped that rock is dead. I stand corrected.
Making its U.S. debut -- after forming in 1982 and re-forming in 2007, with massive popularity in its home country -- X Japan took to the Lollapalooza main stage Sunday afternoon and delivered a spectacular, almost operatic performance of big ballads and speed metal.
japan.X.arms.jpgGiven the circumstances of the premiere, a small knot of hardcore fans clustered down front for the show, some of whom traveled from all over the country for this event, dressed to the nines in X Japan's glam-anime style called "visual kei." But by the end of the show, even the mildly curious were won over by the infectious rock drama. Fists were pumping, guys were playing air guitar, people were chuckling at themselves while following suit, making the X Japan sign by crossing forearms in the air. One guy in front of me was so involved in his air guitar, he sloshed beer all over nearby fans.
X Japan only played six songs, but the theater -- on the same stage where 36 hours earlier Lady Gaga had brought her bawdy Broadway peep show -- was captivating. Bursting to life with plumes of pyro, the quintet launched into "Rusty Nail" with a driving rock melody that dissolved into synthesized strings. Such is the duality of X Japan, moving between hard rock and classical structures sometimes within the same measure. A new song, "Jade," opens with a kind of rumbling guitar attack that would make Metallica take notice, then it's a lumbering power ballad, then it's chugging at a breakneck pace, finally erupting into a guitars vs. drums battle. All the while singer Toshi Deyama -- he looks like Roy Orbison and sings with a pinched high tenor like Steve Perry -- wails away unlike a man who'd been virtually out of commission for a decade before the group re-formed.
The band's late guitarist, Hide, was able to make the debut, too, several years after his suspicious death. He appeared on the video screens while Toshi sang a slice of "Kurenai." The heart of the band, composer and drummer Yoshiki Hayashi, pounded and rolled his drums (wearing a neck brace to protect himself following drumming-related back surgery) and occasionally moved to a see-through grand piano for transitional music or to kickstart top-heavy ballads like "I.V."
At the end, Toshi asked, "Are you ready to rock?!" But the question wasn't too late, because the crowd, swept up in the frenzy, finally had an answer. "We are!" band members began shouting. The answer was to cross your forearms, marking the sign of X Japan. Over and over, this call and response continued. Once he realized he'd converted the Lollapalooza throng, Toshi changed the chant to "You are!" And we were.
Lolla '10: Sunday reviews
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..........X Japan
4 p.m. at Parkways stage
Are you ready to rock? Are you ready to ROCK? Are you ready to rock? Are you ready to ROCK? Yep, X Japan singer Toshi asked the crowd this no fewer than four times, by which point the answer should long be self-evident. X Japan, absolutely massive in its home country to the tune of more than 30 million albums sold, surely was ready to rock us: Sunday's Lolla set was the group's first U.S. performance ever, and X Japan formed in 1982. Too bad they still sound like 1982, without any fresh ideas or killer hooks preventing them from merely coming off like a few parts Motley Crue and a few parts Metallica, with Sebastian Bach singing. The band can definitely play loud and fast in between the on-stage pyrotechnics. Not the same as having strong material. -- Matt Pais...........
Lollapalooza's third day drenches fans with choices
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y Jerry Shriver and Benjamin Soloway, USA TODAY
Sunday's closing day of the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago left many fans with a dilemma: Which great act to catch?
Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago forced tens of thousands of indie rock fans to choose between A-list headliners playing late at opposite ends of Grant Park: grunge godfathers Soundgarden, reuniting after 13 years, or new minted superstars Arcade Fire, riding high on their new album The Suburbs. While they pondered that dilemma during intermittent rain, festival-goers enjoyed a full slate of emerging acts. USA TODAY surveyed Lollapalooza highlights from Sunday and the two previous days.
Ready, aim: Newly established stars Arcade Fire confidently opened their headlining set on Sunday night with Ready To Start from their just-released The Suburbs album — and found that many in the crowd already knew the lyrics. They followed with tunes from their first albums, including No Cars Go, giving their dueling violinists and accordion player a workout. The delicate Rococo from Suburbs found frontman Win Butler strumming an acoustic and singing in a Neil Young-inflected voice. The crowd wanted anthems, however, and the Canadian ensemble obliged with Neighborhood (Tunnels). Butler dedicated the majestic Crown of Love to The National, with whom they toured and who proceded them on the Lollapalooza bill.
Universal appeal: The National's Matt Berninger possesses a wondrously warm deep voice and he seduced everyone in hearing range Sunday. The group is riding high with its moody gem of an alt folk album, High Violet, and its songs figured prominently, notably Bloodbuzz, Ohio; Anyone's Ghost; Terrible Love; and opener Runaway. The band — brothers Dessner and Devendorf plus a horn section — took the lead on earlier hit Squalor Victoria. Berninger, natty in a tie and vest, was one of the few festival performers to spiff up (other than Gaga, of course).
Great grief: Brooklyn-based The Antlers brought one of the most interesting back stories to the festival for their afternoon set Sunday. Their lone album, Hospice, includes a song cycle about a wrenching love affair between a home-based caregiver and his dying cancer patient. Frontman Peter Silberman, Darby Cicci and Michael Lerner enthralled the rain-spattered crowd with emotional readings from that work, highlighted by Silberman's alternating quavery and soaring vocals. The gloomy weather, and the all-black stage setting decorated with a few white sprays of flowers, created an ideal ambience.
DAY 1: Strokes, Black Keys
DAY 2: Green Day, Phoenix, Spoon
Dang the damp:Switchfoot core members Chad Butler and brothers Jon and Tim Foreman come from Southern California surfing backgrounds, but they didn't let the gloomy weather dampen their energy Sunday. The band's hour-long set of mainstream rock included blistering versions of Hello Hurricane, Once in a Lifetime and Meant to Live, as well as a left-field cover of the Beastie Boys' Sabotage. An onstage interpreter for the hearing impaired was a nice touch.
Rising sons: X Japan's decades-in-the-making U.S. concert debut evoked a lusty reception Sunday. The group, formed by drummer Yoshiki Hayashi and singer Toshi Deyama in 1982, became Japan's biggest band, selling 30 million albums, DVDs and singles. Members broke up for a decade in 1997 but have reunited. Their afternoon set evoked aspects of Lady Gaga's set on the same stage Friday night. The metal-pop-punk was fast and ferocious, and the costumes were striking. Yoshiki, in a white neck brace, was bare-chested under a burgundy robe and wore blue vinyl pants and guyliner. Toshi's black helmet hair and shades evoked late Elvis, and his black leather garb was vintage '80s metal-band gear. Singing in English, Toshi wailed into the stratosphere on Jade and showed a pretty, tender tenor on a soft ballad. Flames and sparks belched periodically as Yoshiki stoked the spectacle with Keith-Moon-on-Red-Bull drumming from atop a riser. Japanese-sung anthems succeeded just as well, as this band is more about sonics and style than lyrical introspection. The rest of the quintet laid down a thunderous yet polished platform.
Morning madness: Arizona indie rockers Miniature Tigers kicked off Sunday with a set of psychedelic pop harmonies that seemed to embrace the rain that ended in the early afternoon. Songs influenced by early Weezer and the Beach Boys had the crowd awake and on their feet, with many dressed in ponchos or garbage bags pilfered from the cleanup crews. Songs like Cannibal Queen and Dino Damage from the band's 2009 album Tell It to the Volcano showcased the group's playful, catchy sound. "The whole pop-psychedelic thing is really cool," said Bryce McClellan, 23, from Richmond, Va.
Upscale downscale: The festival's food offerings have a populist-gourmet aesthetic, curated by Chicago chef Graham Elliott Bowles, who brought with him a few of his own specialties: truffle popcorn, and a new favorite, the "lobster corndog" (fried lobster on a stick with aioli). Other items, ranging in price from $5 to $10, offered on two major food avenues and at countless smaller booths (including a Lollapalooza Farmers Market), included deep dish pizza, Asian pork belly sliders, gyros, andouille sausage, and black bean and goat cheese burritos. "The lobster corn dog sounds good, but it definitely wasn't my favorite," said Taylor Kane, 25, of Chicago.
Let it all out: What's left for Lady Gaga to reveal? By the end of her two-hour, 18-song, epic performance Friday, she had laid it all out on the stage — her beliefs, her multitude of musical influences, her skin, her brazen vulgarity, her athleticism and her soul. The staging of the story line — Lady leads her troupe on a nightmarish journey to a Monster's Ball— was over the top and well-choreographed, and it projected well in the vast outdoor setting. But it was the few quieter moments that surprised the most. Sitting at the keyboard for Speechless and the new You and I from her in-the-works album, she revealed a lusty, more-than-serviceable voice reminiscent of the saloon-singing style of Billy Joel. Some may also have been surprised by the heavy-metal influences that augment the David Bowie-esque glam in songs such as Fame and Boys Boys Boys. But by the time of closer Bad Romance, surprise had given way to awe.
Red-letter night: Green Day's 2½-hour set Saturday was more off-Broadway than punk rock, unsurprising since its music has long been tinged with pop and theatrics. Hits from the two-decade-deep repertoire shared the set list with two medleys of rock classics (includingHey Jude, Iron Man, Highway to Hell and Satisfaction) — all punctuated by fireworks and jets of flame. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong led the proceedings effortlessly, from openers Song of the Century and 21st Century Breakdown through the extended encore, highlighted by American Idiot and Good Riddance (Time of Your Life). The feel-good ending sent the set 15 minutes over the city's strict 10 p.m. curfew, but no one, least of all Armstrong, seemed to care.
Hometown heroes: South Side resident and gospel titan Mavis Staples, 71, is somewhat short of stature and was almost swallowed by the huge stage. But her rich, rumbling voice filled up her half of Grant Park, especially when her crack band kicked in. She stuck mostly to songs from the new gospel-centered album, with three glorious exceptions: her cover of The Band classic The Weight, which she made her own long ago; a forceful reading of civil rights anthem Freedom Highway; and the closing I'll Take You There , from her Staple Singers heyday.
Lollapalooza 2010: Day 3 Quick Recap
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If you made it through the entire weekend while at the same time maximizing the number of bands you saw, I have to congratulate you for surviving Lollapalooza 2010. The true festival warriors are few and far between, and though the heat and crowds and loud music technically affects us all in some way or another, those who spent 11 hours a day on their feet over this past weekend deserve some serious kudos. Well done to you and everybody else, because yet another Lollapalooza is in the books and hopefully you had a blast. I did, and will go over the best and worst of the festival for you in a separate post that will also have plenty of photos. For the momeng though, let’s continue to savor what was the final day of the festival, Day 3, with a speedy recap as we’ve done with the first two days.
I needed just a little extra sleep heading into Sunday, as I’d been seriously killing myself with all the running between stages and off-the-hook aftershows (more on those later). But I made it to Lollapalooza Day 3 at about 1:30pm, shortly after some serious rain showers threatened to put a damper on the entire day. The good news is that the sun held up. So did The Dodos, who turned in a stirring early afternoon performance. Between the three guys on stage, they sure made a lot of racket, especially since 2 of them were on percussion. A personal highlight was their rendition of “Jodi”, which was almost pitch-perfect even if the crowd didn’t quite understand that.
Johnny Marr is still playing the role of guitarist in The Cribs, whose last album “Ignore the Ignorant” was far catchier and enjoyable than anybody could have reasonably expected. But Marr generally tears things up, both on that record and live, and though the crowd might have been a little sparse, everyone that was there seemed to have a great time. Things were kept generally light and airy as potential radio hit after potential radio hit breezed past our ears.
Much credit goes to Minus the Bear for knowing their audience. You might not have known it, but they opened for Soundgarden a couple days earlier at The Vic for their pre-Lollapalooza Chicago warm-up show Thursday night (I didn’t go, but a friend of mine did). But with all the clouds disappearing and the sun beating down hotter than ever, Minus the Bear stuck with mostly their high energy, poppier songs. In other words, many of the psychedelic leanings displayed on “Planet of Ice” were held at bay, though ice would have been really nice at that point.
One of my biggest challenges headed into Sunday was whether to see Yeasayer or X Japan. X Japan has been around for decades but has never played a show in the U.S. before. As I’ve seen Yeasayer a couple times already, I chose the unfamiliar act. Their set wasn’t very crowded, but especially at the front, hardcore X Japan fans really openly displayed their love for the band by dressing in costume, or just flying in from Japan where they’re a national treasure. Now I got a little snarky on Twitter about the band’s performance, but honestly it was very entertaining. That’s about all I was looking for, and they delivered, complete with overblown leather outfits, a gong, and pyrotechnics. They’re everything a stadium rock band could ask for, playing to a crowd of a few hundred. Their takeover of North America may not be as easy as they’re hoping it will be, but should they land some success, at least they’ll have the great show to back it up.
I’ve seen Frightened Rabbit 3 times now, and the first time was before I had heard any of their music. That performance, about 3-4 years ago, sold me on the band at which point I bought all their music. The second time I saw them they had been run ragged on tour for several months with no break, all the while partying a little too hard. Singer Scott Hutchinson’s voice was shot and it wasn’t very good. For Lollapalooza this year, the band was back in shape physically, but their set still had issues – the biggest of which was a lack of energy on stage. Even some of their most energetic tunes were left feeling a little flaccid in the hot summer sun beaming down. They couldn’t have turned up the tempo just a little? At least they seemed to largely pull from their best album to date, “Midnight Organ Fight” rather than their so-so new one “The Winter of Mixed Drinks”.
MGMT drew a huge crowd for their set, and that was to be expected. Apparently most people there just wanted to hear “Time to Pretend” and “Electric Feel” and “Kids” over and over again, because most seemed turned off by the highly psychedelic nature of MGMT’s performance. There were plenty who just gave up after 15 minutes, choosing to try and find greener pastures, or just some good food nearby. I arrived late with food in hand and stuck around long enough to finish my meal, though I couldn’t hear that well. I thought the guys did some nice work.
I may enjoy the new Temper Trap album more than MGMT’s latest (but not by much), which is why I left the latter to go see the former. With the smaller crowd at the smaller stage, Temper Trap really held things down well and got the crowd engaged with sing-along choruses. Of course “Sweet Disposition” came off best, but it was clear there are more potentially big hits we could be hearing more of in the coming months.
Finally, though virtually every one of my friends went to Arcade Fire, I chose Soundgarden with the idea that this could be one of those “once in a lifetime” situations. Having missed out on their shows in the 90′s, this was a big chance to finally see those classic songs played live. And Soundgarden did deliver, playing pretty much every song you might want to hear from them, unless that song is “Pretty Noose”. No worries though, because even when they weren’t doing big radio hits like “Spoonman” and “Blow Up the Outside World”, they tackled “Searching With My Good Eye Closed” and “Gun”. To be fair, the heaviest stuff tended to sound the best, especially the non-singles, but there was something to be said for those as well. “Outshined” was taken to the next level thanks to Chris Cornell coming off the stage and interacting heavily with the crowd of rabid fans. With his hair grown back out long and curly again, Cornell also looked pretty much exactly the same as he did in the 90′s, with that same voice to match. The set wasn’t without its flaws, like how the performance of “Black Hole Sun” seemed like the equivalent of pulling teeth to Cornell as he was probably only doing it because he HAD to. His frustration is understandable, but couldn’t he at least ACT like he still kind of liked the song? Also a small issue was the general attitude the band members had towards one another, which seemed to be the equivalent of a holiday family gathering of strangers. All four guys were there and playing to the best of their abilities, but in terms of interaction or to suggest there was any love between these guys, you could forget it. The question should then be raised: how long can this reunion last? Well, should they break up again tomorrow, I no longer care – seeing a Soundgarden show gets crossed off my Bucket List. I’ll have more details on this show and others in my final impressions of Lollapalooza 2010, which will be ready to go in the next day or two.
CoS vs. Grant Park III: Round Three at Lollapalooza ‘10
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CoS vs. Grant Park III: Round Three at Lollapalooza ‘10
By CoS Staff on August 9th, 2010 in Festival Coverage, Festival Reviews, Hot
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By the time the gates opened Sunday at Lollapalooza, the scant few that rolled up to Grant Park received some shit news from mother nature. Heavy rain and grey skies blanketed the downtown area like a deathly spirit. It seemed like the day was ruined; a repeat of last year’s Friday downpour. Nevertheless, that wasn’t the case.
The weekend’s good fortune prevailed. The sun returned, and so did the fans. Immediately, people of all sorts scuttled into the park. Excitement flavored the air. Two more headliners. The long-awaited return of 90’s grunge rock legends, Soundgarden, and the uber-hyped Arcade Fire set, which fans have been salivating about since The Suburbs hit the net. All in all, not too shabby of a way to pull down the curtain, blow out the candle, have the fat lady sing, etc.
It’s sort of interesting how Sunday panned out, actually. Whoever scheduled the day divided it in such a way that those who favored more mainstream, aggressive acts were cattled into the south end of the park. Whereas the folks who preferred more indie-centric material had to hike it up north. In a way, it was sort of like a high school cafeteria, where particular groups flock to different tables, sneering at one another and butting heads in the lunch line.
For the most part, there was no ill will. With the exception of a roughneck crowd at MGMT (Care to explain that, anyone?), things remained civil. People danced, people headbanged, and others carried on their own business. Maybe it was because everyone has work tomorrow, but there was a lack of drunken tomfoolery usually seen at Lollapalooza. Very refreshing.
All in all, this year’s Lollapalooza concluded just fine, successfully bookmarking what may be one of the best weekends in the festival’s history. Wait, wait, don’t go down and comment just yet. Mull it over. Ask these questions: Where else would you see The Strokes? How often do you see not one, but two rare international sensations? (e.g. Empire of the Sun, X Japan) What other festival offers you the choice between Soundgarden and Arcade Fire? When was the last time you yelled out, “Holy shit, Green Day was awesome!”, without acting like a sarcastic ass in the comments below?
Rhetorical, rhetorical, rhetorical, and… rhetorical, of course. But, these are all good angles to observe. Without getting ahead of ourselves – after all, you’ve still yet to read our final report – we’re just going to say this: Lollapalooza kicked our asses this year. With smart planning (e.g. opening up Columbus Drive and expanding), great food (Damn you addicting Strawberry Lemonade!), and a handful of timeless performances, Lollapalooza reinvented itself once again. Chicago should only be so proud. Now, how about we write to City Hall and demand an extension on that irritating curfew? Huh?
Well, maybe you should read this first…
.................X Japan
Parkways, 4:00 p.m.
For months, X Japan had been touted as one of the specialty adds for Lollapalooza. A rare event not to be missed, they said. Some even compared the group, which came together in 1982, to Guns N’ Roses, touting them as Japan’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band. With that much hype, who wouldn’t skip Yeasayer for them? After a tedious soundcheck, which went five minutes over, the P.A. charged the really, really, really devoted crowd (some even braving the heat in black kimonos, others crying their eyes out in wonder) with epic instrumentals. Finally, members here and there littered the stage, as those aforementioned fans wailed on and on, and a full on metal show ensued. Given the band’s tunes average seven or eight minutes, the setlist lacked some depth, but that didn’t stop them from treating the gig as if it were a two-hour show.
Photo by Heather Kaplan
All the makings of an arena rock event were present. Pyro accented heavy drum fills, solos dug deeper and deeper, all the while frontman Toshi Deyama tugged harder and harder at the crowd. Christ can he wail, too. On opener “Rusty Nail”, Deyama’s vocals rivaled those of Steve Perry, while on newer material like “Jade”, he scowled and gnarled better than Axl Rose could ever dream to anymore. To borrow from Ghostbusters, they came, they saw, they kicked our ass. Sure, the set had its fair share of window shoppers (about 20% of the crowd left after the first song); however, X Japan retained a stable and dedicated enough audience that further ventures into America shouldn’t seem unreasonable. At all. Call it a tad idealistic, but perhaps they’ll finally break through here. Better late than never, right? -Michael Roffman ..........
Lollapalooza wrap up
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At 39 degrees Celsius, our third and final day at Lollapalooza was by far the hottest. And that was without the scorching heat coming off the Soundgarden fretboards and microphones. Yes, after 13 years, the Seattle grandfathers of grunge and I were reunited. Technically speaking, about 60,000 other screaming, devil-horning, moshing fans were also reunited with the alt-rock gods. So, was the decade-plus wait worth it?
The answer is yes, yes it was.
But on a blisteringly hot day where sweaty swarms of fans sought water and Soundgarden - and not necessarily in that order - two other bands managed to stand out.
The first was a long-time favourite of mine, Minus the Bear. Their unique blend of catchy hooks, crunching rock riffs, and otherworldly guitar samples puts this band at the head of the math-rock class. With song titles like "Monkey! Knife! Fight!" and "I Lost All My Money at the Cockfights," these guys definitely know how to have a good time.
While guitarist Dave Knudson deftly finger-tapped and looped his way through the set, a sun-baked crowd loudly cheered him and the rest of the band on. And with temperatures reaching furnace-like highs, a miraculously energetic crowd was proof enough that these guys rocked. Oh, did I mention that they opened for Soundgarden at a secret, Thursday night show? Yeah, MTB knows how to throw it down.
The second band worth noting were metal veterans X Japan, hailing from none other than the land of the rising sun. Kicking off their set with an explosion of pyrotechnics, thundering double kick drums, and screaming vocals straight out of 1986, X Japan wasted no time in showing their hand. Their hour-long set was a tour de force in instrumentation and crowd-riling antics. Broken English didn't stop lead singer Toshimitsu Deyama from whipping the heavy metal hordes before him into a frenzied state. By the end of the set, there wasn't a person left in the crowd who wasn't waiving arms crossed in an "x" above their head to cheer the group on.
Finally, after three days of waiting, it was time for Soundgarden. With an almost mythical realization, songs from my teenage past came to life before my eyes, conjured forth by Cornell's commanding performance. If Soundgarden hasn't played a show together in 13 years, someone forgot to tell them. From start to finish, the band was note-for-note bang-on. Throughout the two hour set, the group delivered screaming guitars, pounding drums, and arguably some of the smoothest vocals in rock with authority and gusto.
For many of the festival's younger fans, though, a flawless delivery wasn't enough. Admittedly, Soundgarden's performance was a little on the flat side when compared to the elaborate productions put on by the likes of Green Day and Lady Gaga. After the band finished up their former hit single "Blackhole Sun" half-way through the set, crowds of concert-goers could be seen leaving the area. Some left to catch the rest of The Arcade Fire set; others, to a meal and much-needed shower back home. Whatever their plans were, it was clear another hour of Soundgarden wasn't in the mix. By the end of Soundgarden's set, less than half of the original crowd remained.
While Soundgarden's set may not have been enough to win over new fans, it was more than enough to send old fans home happy. They played every single they have ever released. Chris Cornell sang like the past 13 years hadn't happened. Matt Cameron showed us why he's still one of rock's best drummers. In short, the band has never sounded so good. If Soundgarden reunites again in another 13 years, I'll be happy if they sound half as incredible as they did tonight.
From Sarah:
Lollapalooza has finally come to a close and I still have mixed feelings about the festival as a whole. Today was a less busy day with bands/acts that I wanted to see, including only Minus the Bear, X Japan, Cypress Hill and Soundgarden. Admittedly, I don’t listen to any of them on a regular basis with, so I wouldn’t be able to sing along (one of the best parts of being at a live show). Still, I tried to maintain a level of optimism that even without being a superfan, I’d still enjoy myself.
We arrived at the festival to first watch Minus the Bear whose set was comprised primarily of new material from “Omni” that I wasn’t at all familiar with; I haven’t listened to anything after their debut album, “Highly Refined Pirates”. I was a bit bummed since I can’t even remember the last time I saw them, but they’ve achieved a pretty huge following, which speaks pretty highly of their adaptation with each new album. The highlight of that set was them closing out with ‘Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse’.
X Japan was one of our last-minute choices; I had been reading the Lollapalooza program guide and their description as an 80’s Japanese metal band was too good to pass up. Fortunately, I wasn’t at all disappointed – X Japan was incredible! Unlike with my punk rock bands, I love my metal bands to put on a visceral show with great outfits and pyro. The members of X Japan did just that, with the lead singer dressed in a bedazzled leather jacket and pants, the outfit made complete by pitch black sunglasses and heeled black boots. Their stage show definitely rivalled that of all the headliners with flames shooting up during songs and easily the biggest drum riser of the weekend. I get the feeling these guys are the biggest unknown band of Lolla, and what I mean by that is I think X Japan probably plays shows to hundreds of thousands of screaming fans in Europe and Asia, but barely cleared 2,000 here. Regardless, I’m stoked for them to start their worldwide tour in October with stops in Canada, TBD.
While waiting for Soundgarden, and holding a sweet viewing area, we watched both Wolfmother and Erykah Badu. Erykah showed up late to her set, but fortunately her sweet band kept it together. Her time was pretty unremarkable to me as I’m not a big fan, but she definitely had a calming effect to Lolla with her smooth, buttery vocals. Because she was a bit late, her time got cut short by Wolfmother starting up. Now, apparently I didn’t get the memo that this band has become popular, but they had a decent sized crowd. This band is way too 1970’s radio rock for me, so I tuned out pretty quickly. I didn’t appear to be alone, however, since most of the crowed tuned out in between their two hit songs.
Before the final show of the night was Cypress Hill whose music has helped me and my friends get ready for many nights of dancing. Even though it’s a normal sight at every Cypress Hill show, it was still a little strange to hear Detective Fin exclaim to a crowd of thousands: “Are you high? ‘Cause I am!” They busted out with some of my favourites, ‘Dr.Greenthumb’ and (obviously) ‘Jump’ which sent the crowd into a mesmerizing wave of bodies. They ended just in time for Soundgarden, making sure to plug their newest album drop.
Lastly was Soundgarden who, as Steve mentioned, relies heavily on their music to speak for themselves. I think they made a mistake by starting out heavy with all the hits in the first hour because what started out as a crowd of about 65,000 quickly dwindled to a measly 15,000 or so after ‘Black Hole Sun’. A lot of those leaving looked too young to even know who Soundgarden was, let alone care that they were back together that night – sad but true. Not to take away anything from their musicianship and talent on each of their instruments, including Chris Cornell’s absolutely flawless voice, their show just didn’t translate to a lot of people. But, for those diehard fans it was a dream 12 years in the making and I’m glad to have been there to be part of it.
As mentioned in my previous reviews, there has been a mix of hits and misses from this weekend, and despite the heat, I feel that it was indeed worth the trip to Chicago for Lollapalooza, I just hope next year will have a line-up that is of more interest to me.
Thanks for reading our reviews of this weekend and hey, maybe we’ll see you there next year!
From Steve:
My final day at Lollapalooza started off with Minus the Bear. Normally at these festivals you wanna start the day off well or come 8pm you're gonna be exhausted. Needless to say I've never really been a big Minus the Bear fan but I can appreciate the energy they bring to the table in their live show. They performed an hour long set focused primarily on newer material to a good sized crowd that seemed to be loving every second of it. I was pretty distracted throughout their set due to who was about to follow them on the main stage.
One of the most anticipated performances of the entire festival was from X Japan. This was the Japanese power metal kings first ever North American show. I can honestly say that from the second their intro music started playing I was about to eat up anything and everything they could have possibly thrown at me. From the broken English to blazing solos to the huge pyro this band just had it dialed in and cranked up to awesome. The performance however was a bit dampened by the sound for the performance. I don't know what was going on in that sound booth but it was by far the worst quality in and out sound of the entire festival. Despite the bad sound the performance was flawless and the band seemed to be having the time of their lives on stage. I hope that it wound up being a warm enough welcome to convince them to come back. I would go as far as to say that X Japan gave one of the best performances of the festival and really set the bar high for the rest of day 3's artists.
The next band that I watched was Wolfmother. This is another band that I'll have to admit I've never really been into. They came out to a pretty decent sized crowd on the main stage. Early on in their set they performed their smash hit "Woman" which seemed to send the audience into a frenzy. It looked like they were eating out of the palm of the bands collective hands. Once "Woman" was over it seemed like the show took a turn and the audience almost went to sleep just standing and quietly head bobbing. The show was like this again till they closed with their other massive single "Joker and the Thief" to which the audience again went wild.
Lastly to close out my Lollapalooza it was time to see the mighty Soundgarden. I have been a huge Soundgarden fan my entire life and I was thrilled that I was going to be able to watch them close out the festival. They arrived on stage to a thundering cheer from what looked to be about 65 000 screaming fans. The audience exploded with the 2nd song of the night "Spoonman". It seemed like this was to be a night that will forever go down in Soundgarden history... However that being said... what goes up must come down. A few songs after Spoonman a large portion of the audience started to filter out of the venue, whether it was to see Arcade Fire or to get a good night sleep we'll never know. Unfortunately I think Soundgarden suffer from a serious case of being a generational band. They are and have always been a band that lets the music and the songs speak for themselves in a live performance. In this day and age with pyro and wardrobe changes and fast paced videos when a band lets the music do the talking people start getting bored. Its really too bad that a decent chunk of people couldn't handle the flawless performances of technical musicianship that comes along with playing these songs. Once the band played what most people believe to be their most popular song "Black Hole Sun" it looked like the venue had a one way moving walkway out the door. It was such a mass exit I started to think that I was missing out on some sort of inside joke. The band continued playing and closed out their 2 hour set to about 15 000 adoring fans. The band sounded spot on like they hadn't taken a night off of touring let alone the last 13 years. I can't think of a more perfect way to close out 3 days of fun and great music!
Here are my +/- of the festival
+ X Japan
+ The staff at the venue for being helpful and informative
+ The concert attendees for all being very conscious and cleaning up after themselves making for a nice clean venue
+ Green Day
+ Against Me!
+ AFI
+ Lady Gaga
+ Social Distortion
+ The organizers for putting on a top notch 2nd to none 3 day festival
- The sound guy during X Japan
- Wolfmother
- The 40 plus degree heat
- The few fans that don't know when to stop drinking
- Minus the Bear
- Vonnegutt
- Having to wait a whole year for next year's festival
Best Moments of Lollapalooza: Final Day
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Best Moments of Lollapalooza: Final Day
Festival
By Spin Staff on August 9, 2010 10:14 AM (5) Comments
X Japan / Photo by Erik Voake
............
Best Ergonomic Solution for Killer Drum Fills: X Japan
Among all the big-ticket reunions that festivals bank on, one of the biggest featured a band most Lollapalooza attendees had likely never heard of before Sunday. Prog-metal giants X Japan -- no relation to Exene Cervenka, John Doe et. al -- sold millions of records at home before breaking up in 1997. (Their flamboyant guitarist hanged himself under mysterious circumstances in 1998.) But the band had never played America. A reconstituted version rectified that yesterday looking like anime characters dropped into a 1987 Manowar video. There was pyro, sure, but the most lasting impression was left by multi-tasking drummer Yoshiki, who pounded away at his kit -- and, more lovingly, at a white baby grand for the ballads -- all while wearing a thick neck brace, kinda like Joan Cusack in Sixteen Candles. The Japanese Tommy Lee quickly became the hero of the day and was last spotted driving a boat on Lake Michigan -- with his dick. -- STEVE KANDELL
X Japan / Photo: Erik Voake
Click to enlarge...............
Lollapalooza 2010 day three review: X Japan, Frightened Rabbits, MGMT
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As the final day of Lollapalooza 2010 was heading into its last hours, I was getting ready to see a few major acts one after the other, starting with electro-psych popsters MGMT, then moody indie rockers The National, and finally revered Canadian alt-rock act Arcade Fire. First, though, I caught parts of performances from X Japan and Frightened Rabbits.
It's safe to say there has never been another act quite like X Japan at Lollapalooza. The band is indeed Japanese and perform an over the top combination of power metal and progressive rock. They're known for donning wild, manga-inspired costumes during performances, though Sunday afternoon their visuals leaned toward heavy metal gothic, with black leather, skulls and crosses. Their soaring, epic heavy metal anthems aren't something I'd generally gravitate toward, but there was something endearing about the band and their outrageous show. Maybe it was the fact that, despite existing as a unit since the '80s, it was the first time performing in the States and it was cool to see them getting good energy from the crowd. Or maybe it was the fire blasts that popped up on stage near the end of the set. Who knows, but it was all kind of cool. For photos of the performance, check out Time Out Chicago's gallery and review here.
Lollapalooza 2010: X Japan makes their stateside debut, Badu is just bad, and MGMT bring out the "Kids" in all of us
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If NERVO know how to dance, X Japan know how to rock. The Japanese band that has been performing on and off for nearly 30 years in their home country made their stateside debut to a small crowd of diehard fans who knew the words to just about every song. Dressed in a glam get-up and frequently screaming “Are you ready to rock?” singer Toshi Deyama looked like he continues to be inspired by the American hair metal from the distant year his group formed. By the end of the short six-song set, onlookers were pumping fists and playing air guitar. Whenever prompted, arms were raised and crossed to form an X representing the band’s name. Heavy metal music reminiscent of an age before most festival-goers were born tends not to excite most people, but for the small contingent who are moved by such music, X Japan excited them enough for the rest of us.
Japan's Bono: Yoshiki Is Ready to Take on the U.S.
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Japan's Bono: Yoshiki Is Ready to Take on the U.S.
His Band X-Japan Played Lollapalooza Recently and Will Release an Album in the Fall
By DAN HARRIS and ENJOLI FRANCIS
He may have a small U.S. fan base but he has been called the Bono of Japan.
PHOTO X-Japan's Yoshiki has been called the Bono of Japan.
X-Japan's Yoshiki has been called the Bono of Japan.
(ABC News)
More Photos
Yoshiki, the drummer and pianist of the rock band X-Japan, has sold millions of records and regularly plays to 50,000 to 70,000 people. He has a branded Visa card, a fragrance line and a race car team.
He's the first human to have a Hello Kitty doll named after him. And now he wants to conquer America.
"We wanted to come here [to America] a long time ago," Yoshiki said. "Because of our influence. ... Kiss, Metallica. Also it's a center of entertainment, center of pretty much everything."
X-Japan Begins
Yoshiki Hayashi, 44, of Tateyama, Japan, and a classically trained pianist, discovered U.S. heavy metal as a kid.
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He only listened to Beethoven, Bach and Chopin until he was 10 and discovered Kiss, he said. "I saw, like, Gene Simmons, the face with the blood, like what is that? I want it," he said.
From there, he started listening to Led Zeppelin and the Beatles.
At the age of 10, Yoshiki and childhood friend Toshimitsu "Toshi" Deyama started an amateur school band with Yoshiki on drums and Deyama on vocals and guitar. By junior high, they had added a few more members and named the band X. They added Japan 15 years ago because a band named X already existed in the United States.
They combined punk fashion with kimonos, provoking controversy in socially conservative Japan.
"Our style at the time it was like punk rock, like Mohawks and spikes, and we just put all the elements into one style," Yoshiki said.
The style, called visual kei, influenced animation and comics.
Despite the attention in the 1980s, the band broke up in the late '90s. Deyama and Yoshiki didn't speak for eight years. Three years ago, the pair reunited, and Yoshiki set his sights once again on the United States.
He has now become the face of the band. He has composed a concerto for the emperor and made lots of money.
Yoshiki said it isn't fame he seeks, however. "I want people to listen to our music so that's my goal," he said is bandmates are reluctant to take on America but Yoshiki is quietly confident.
"You just have to keep challenging," Yoshiki said. "I mean, if we don't have confidence, we are not here [in America.] You've got to try to see. We are pretty confident."
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He said he and the band have been encouraged by the fans in the United States.
This past week, X-Japan played its first big U.S. show at Lollapalooza in Chicago. The band's new album -- with English lyrics -- will be released in the fall followed by a U.S. tour.
"[The new album] is still very heavy," Yoshiki said. "A combination of heavy rock and some classical."
Yoshiki said he just smiles when critics say that X-Japan won't succeed in the United States, that no Asian band has ever broken into the U.S. mainstream.
"I mean, as I said a long time ago, I proved them wrong," he said, "so I just have to do that again."
X Japan Jade на сайте Роуллингов!!!!!!!!!!
www.rollingstone.com/music/news/
Не удивляйтесь, я решила скопировать все статьи сюда, т.к. они имеют тенденцию исчезать из архивов электронных СМИ....Все-таки Lolla для Иксов - исторический момент...
Статьи в прессе:
X Japan at Lollapalooza 2010: Live review and photo gallery
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Dear Perry Farrell, thank you for no-wait Port-A-Potty lines, the Columbus Dr. walkway and the artery-clogging (Kuma’s) Judas Priest cranberry/walnut/bacon/bleu cheese party in my mouth…but thank you most of all for X Japan. Engineering the first stateside import of Japan’s (mostly) quadragenarian metal monsters was the coup of the festival, and as expected, faces were in fact melted.
Ascending the stage to a chorale that wouldn’t be out of place in later-version Final Fantasy soundtracks, band co-founders Yoshiki (drums, piano) and Toshi (Steve-Perry-eat-your-heart-out lead vocals) gave the cue and huge bursts of crimson flame launched us into “Rusty Nail.” A tidal wave of air pressure preceded the staggering guitar onslaught as a neck-braced and velvet-robed Yoshiki hammered the skins as though the crowd were a few zeros larger than the couple thousand throwing up its signature, crossed-forearm “X”’s. “Chicagoooooooo. Are you ready to rock?” screamed the cowhide jacketed and leather pants-sporting singer. It would not be the last, nor the second or third to last time this inquiry would be made. As promised in his interview with me last month, Yoshiki and company stuck to the harder numbers, shying away from its notoriously dramatic ballads, and here moved on to “Jade.” Perhaps what makes this brand of metal distinctly Japanese is the juxtaposition of speed metal and epic-sentiment lyrics, as in this little ditty with guitarist Sugizo’s brain-stabbingly thrashy solos alternating with dripping lines like: “‘Cause you are beautiful, your scars are beautiful / Like the jade / You’ll still shine, when you sink into the sea / When all the bleeding scarlet jealousy goes away with me.”
X Japan loyals alone will have noticed the slo-mo video image of former member hide (Hideto Matsumoto) projected on the screens during an interlude. Having died of an apparent suicide in 1998, an assessment his band mates and fans contest, the guitarist has taken on almost mythic status perpetuated in part by his 2008 “ressurection” via 3D hologram to 150,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome. It’s actually quite touching that after twelve years the profoundly famous band continues to honor his memory.
But back to the pyro! An inclusion on the “Saw IV” soundtrack introduced many Americans to X Japan for the first time, and Toshi was insistent that the Lolla newly-faithful sing “In the rain…I’m calling you, dear” from the hit, “IV.” Given that the band have pervaded nearly every aspect of Japanese culture (branding a racing team, condoms, fashion line, etc) he seemed genuinely perplexed that not everyone knew the lyric as inherently as the Empire Carpets jingle, but continued flurries of double kick-drum blast beats and lusty, cortex-crushingly flying-V solos kept the audience perpetually transfixed through till the monumental closer, “X.” The call-to-crossed-arms is an absolute shredfest, and could only have been topped by X Japan being chopper-lifted from the stage…but they need to save something for next time, right?
So, Perry, we still need to talk about misfires like the inclusion of Neon Trees and the pouring of Bud in place of Goose Island…but hats off to you, good sir, for the staggering Hello Kitty ear-Howitzer that is…X Japan.
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Lollapalooza: X Japan makes U.S. debut, wins convertsby Thomas Conner
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The other night, referring to the small crowd for the Strokes and the triumph of Lady Gaga, I quipped that rock is dead. I stand corrected.
Making its U.S. debut -- after forming in 1982 and re-forming in 2007, with massive popularity in its home country -- X Japan took to the Lollapalooza main stage Sunday afternoon and delivered a spectacular, almost operatic performance of big ballads and speed metal.
japan.X.arms.jpgGiven the circumstances of the premiere, a small knot of hardcore fans clustered down front for the show, some of whom traveled from all over the country for this event, dressed to the nines in X Japan's glam-anime style called "visual kei." But by the end of the show, even the mildly curious were won over by the infectious rock drama. Fists were pumping, guys were playing air guitar, people were chuckling at themselves while following suit, making the X Japan sign by crossing forearms in the air. One guy in front of me was so involved in his air guitar, he sloshed beer all over nearby fans.
X Japan only played six songs, but the theater -- on the same stage where 36 hours earlier Lady Gaga had brought her bawdy Broadway peep show -- was captivating. Bursting to life with plumes of pyro, the quintet launched into "Rusty Nail" with a driving rock melody that dissolved into synthesized strings. Such is the duality of X Japan, moving between hard rock and classical structures sometimes within the same measure. A new song, "Jade," opens with a kind of rumbling guitar attack that would make Metallica take notice, then it's a lumbering power ballad, then it's chugging at a breakneck pace, finally erupting into a guitars vs. drums battle. All the while singer Toshi Deyama -- he looks like Roy Orbison and sings with a pinched high tenor like Steve Perry -- wails away unlike a man who'd been virtually out of commission for a decade before the group re-formed.
The band's late guitarist, Hide, was able to make the debut, too, several years after his suspicious death. He appeared on the video screens while Toshi sang a slice of "Kurenai." The heart of the band, composer and drummer Yoshiki Hayashi, pounded and rolled his drums (wearing a neck brace to protect himself following drumming-related back surgery) and occasionally moved to a see-through grand piano for transitional music or to kickstart top-heavy ballads like "I.V."
At the end, Toshi asked, "Are you ready to rock?!" But the question wasn't too late, because the crowd, swept up in the frenzy, finally had an answer. "We are!" band members began shouting. The answer was to cross your forearms, marking the sign of X Japan. Over and over, this call and response continued. Once he realized he'd converted the Lollapalooza throng, Toshi changed the chant to "You are!" And we were.
Lolla '10: Sunday reviews
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..........X Japan
4 p.m. at Parkways stage
Are you ready to rock? Are you ready to ROCK? Are you ready to rock? Are you ready to ROCK? Yep, X Japan singer Toshi asked the crowd this no fewer than four times, by which point the answer should long be self-evident. X Japan, absolutely massive in its home country to the tune of more than 30 million albums sold, surely was ready to rock us: Sunday's Lolla set was the group's first U.S. performance ever, and X Japan formed in 1982. Too bad they still sound like 1982, without any fresh ideas or killer hooks preventing them from merely coming off like a few parts Motley Crue and a few parts Metallica, with Sebastian Bach singing. The band can definitely play loud and fast in between the on-stage pyrotechnics. Not the same as having strong material. -- Matt Pais...........
Lollapalooza's third day drenches fans with choices
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y Jerry Shriver and Benjamin Soloway, USA TODAY
Sunday's closing day of the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago left many fans with a dilemma: Which great act to catch?
Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago forced tens of thousands of indie rock fans to choose between A-list headliners playing late at opposite ends of Grant Park: grunge godfathers Soundgarden, reuniting after 13 years, or new minted superstars Arcade Fire, riding high on their new album The Suburbs. While they pondered that dilemma during intermittent rain, festival-goers enjoyed a full slate of emerging acts. USA TODAY surveyed Lollapalooza highlights from Sunday and the two previous days.
Ready, aim: Newly established stars Arcade Fire confidently opened their headlining set on Sunday night with Ready To Start from their just-released The Suburbs album — and found that many in the crowd already knew the lyrics. They followed with tunes from their first albums, including No Cars Go, giving their dueling violinists and accordion player a workout. The delicate Rococo from Suburbs found frontman Win Butler strumming an acoustic and singing in a Neil Young-inflected voice. The crowd wanted anthems, however, and the Canadian ensemble obliged with Neighborhood (Tunnels). Butler dedicated the majestic Crown of Love to The National, with whom they toured and who proceded them on the Lollapalooza bill.
Universal appeal: The National's Matt Berninger possesses a wondrously warm deep voice and he seduced everyone in hearing range Sunday. The group is riding high with its moody gem of an alt folk album, High Violet, and its songs figured prominently, notably Bloodbuzz, Ohio; Anyone's Ghost; Terrible Love; and opener Runaway. The band — brothers Dessner and Devendorf plus a horn section — took the lead on earlier hit Squalor Victoria. Berninger, natty in a tie and vest, was one of the few festival performers to spiff up (other than Gaga, of course).
Great grief: Brooklyn-based The Antlers brought one of the most interesting back stories to the festival for their afternoon set Sunday. Their lone album, Hospice, includes a song cycle about a wrenching love affair between a home-based caregiver and his dying cancer patient. Frontman Peter Silberman, Darby Cicci and Michael Lerner enthralled the rain-spattered crowd with emotional readings from that work, highlighted by Silberman's alternating quavery and soaring vocals. The gloomy weather, and the all-black stage setting decorated with a few white sprays of flowers, created an ideal ambience.
DAY 1: Strokes, Black Keys
DAY 2: Green Day, Phoenix, Spoon
Dang the damp:Switchfoot core members Chad Butler and brothers Jon and Tim Foreman come from Southern California surfing backgrounds, but they didn't let the gloomy weather dampen their energy Sunday. The band's hour-long set of mainstream rock included blistering versions of Hello Hurricane, Once in a Lifetime and Meant to Live, as well as a left-field cover of the Beastie Boys' Sabotage. An onstage interpreter for the hearing impaired was a nice touch.
Rising sons: X Japan's decades-in-the-making U.S. concert debut evoked a lusty reception Sunday. The group, formed by drummer Yoshiki Hayashi and singer Toshi Deyama in 1982, became Japan's biggest band, selling 30 million albums, DVDs and singles. Members broke up for a decade in 1997 but have reunited. Their afternoon set evoked aspects of Lady Gaga's set on the same stage Friday night. The metal-pop-punk was fast and ferocious, and the costumes were striking. Yoshiki, in a white neck brace, was bare-chested under a burgundy robe and wore blue vinyl pants and guyliner. Toshi's black helmet hair and shades evoked late Elvis, and his black leather garb was vintage '80s metal-band gear. Singing in English, Toshi wailed into the stratosphere on Jade and showed a pretty, tender tenor on a soft ballad. Flames and sparks belched periodically as Yoshiki stoked the spectacle with Keith-Moon-on-Red-Bull drumming from atop a riser. Japanese-sung anthems succeeded just as well, as this band is more about sonics and style than lyrical introspection. The rest of the quintet laid down a thunderous yet polished platform.
Morning madness: Arizona indie rockers Miniature Tigers kicked off Sunday with a set of psychedelic pop harmonies that seemed to embrace the rain that ended in the early afternoon. Songs influenced by early Weezer and the Beach Boys had the crowd awake and on their feet, with many dressed in ponchos or garbage bags pilfered from the cleanup crews. Songs like Cannibal Queen and Dino Damage from the band's 2009 album Tell It to the Volcano showcased the group's playful, catchy sound. "The whole pop-psychedelic thing is really cool," said Bryce McClellan, 23, from Richmond, Va.
Upscale downscale: The festival's food offerings have a populist-gourmet aesthetic, curated by Chicago chef Graham Elliott Bowles, who brought with him a few of his own specialties: truffle popcorn, and a new favorite, the "lobster corndog" (fried lobster on a stick with aioli). Other items, ranging in price from $5 to $10, offered on two major food avenues and at countless smaller booths (including a Lollapalooza Farmers Market), included deep dish pizza, Asian pork belly sliders, gyros, andouille sausage, and black bean and goat cheese burritos. "The lobster corn dog sounds good, but it definitely wasn't my favorite," said Taylor Kane, 25, of Chicago.
Let it all out: What's left for Lady Gaga to reveal? By the end of her two-hour, 18-song, epic performance Friday, she had laid it all out on the stage — her beliefs, her multitude of musical influences, her skin, her brazen vulgarity, her athleticism and her soul. The staging of the story line — Lady leads her troupe on a nightmarish journey to a Monster's Ball— was over the top and well-choreographed, and it projected well in the vast outdoor setting. But it was the few quieter moments that surprised the most. Sitting at the keyboard for Speechless and the new You and I from her in-the-works album, she revealed a lusty, more-than-serviceable voice reminiscent of the saloon-singing style of Billy Joel. Some may also have been surprised by the heavy-metal influences that augment the David Bowie-esque glam in songs such as Fame and Boys Boys Boys. But by the time of closer Bad Romance, surprise had given way to awe.
Red-letter night: Green Day's 2½-hour set Saturday was more off-Broadway than punk rock, unsurprising since its music has long been tinged with pop and theatrics. Hits from the two-decade-deep repertoire shared the set list with two medleys of rock classics (includingHey Jude, Iron Man, Highway to Hell and Satisfaction) — all punctuated by fireworks and jets of flame. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong led the proceedings effortlessly, from openers Song of the Century and 21st Century Breakdown through the extended encore, highlighted by American Idiot and Good Riddance (Time of Your Life). The feel-good ending sent the set 15 minutes over the city's strict 10 p.m. curfew, but no one, least of all Armstrong, seemed to care.
Hometown heroes: South Side resident and gospel titan Mavis Staples, 71, is somewhat short of stature and was almost swallowed by the huge stage. But her rich, rumbling voice filled up her half of Grant Park, especially when her crack band kicked in. She stuck mostly to songs from the new gospel-centered album, with three glorious exceptions: her cover of The Band classic The Weight, which she made her own long ago; a forceful reading of civil rights anthem Freedom Highway; and the closing I'll Take You There , from her Staple Singers heyday.
Lollapalooza 2010: Day 3 Quick Recap
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If you made it through the entire weekend while at the same time maximizing the number of bands you saw, I have to congratulate you for surviving Lollapalooza 2010. The true festival warriors are few and far between, and though the heat and crowds and loud music technically affects us all in some way or another, those who spent 11 hours a day on their feet over this past weekend deserve some serious kudos. Well done to you and everybody else, because yet another Lollapalooza is in the books and hopefully you had a blast. I did, and will go over the best and worst of the festival for you in a separate post that will also have plenty of photos. For the momeng though, let’s continue to savor what was the final day of the festival, Day 3, with a speedy recap as we’ve done with the first two days.
I needed just a little extra sleep heading into Sunday, as I’d been seriously killing myself with all the running between stages and off-the-hook aftershows (more on those later). But I made it to Lollapalooza Day 3 at about 1:30pm, shortly after some serious rain showers threatened to put a damper on the entire day. The good news is that the sun held up. So did The Dodos, who turned in a stirring early afternoon performance. Between the three guys on stage, they sure made a lot of racket, especially since 2 of them were on percussion. A personal highlight was their rendition of “Jodi”, which was almost pitch-perfect even if the crowd didn’t quite understand that.
Johnny Marr is still playing the role of guitarist in The Cribs, whose last album “Ignore the Ignorant” was far catchier and enjoyable than anybody could have reasonably expected. But Marr generally tears things up, both on that record and live, and though the crowd might have been a little sparse, everyone that was there seemed to have a great time. Things were kept generally light and airy as potential radio hit after potential radio hit breezed past our ears.
Much credit goes to Minus the Bear for knowing their audience. You might not have known it, but they opened for Soundgarden a couple days earlier at The Vic for their pre-Lollapalooza Chicago warm-up show Thursday night (I didn’t go, but a friend of mine did). But with all the clouds disappearing and the sun beating down hotter than ever, Minus the Bear stuck with mostly their high energy, poppier songs. In other words, many of the psychedelic leanings displayed on “Planet of Ice” were held at bay, though ice would have been really nice at that point.
One of my biggest challenges headed into Sunday was whether to see Yeasayer or X Japan. X Japan has been around for decades but has never played a show in the U.S. before. As I’ve seen Yeasayer a couple times already, I chose the unfamiliar act. Their set wasn’t very crowded, but especially at the front, hardcore X Japan fans really openly displayed their love for the band by dressing in costume, or just flying in from Japan where they’re a national treasure. Now I got a little snarky on Twitter about the band’s performance, but honestly it was very entertaining. That’s about all I was looking for, and they delivered, complete with overblown leather outfits, a gong, and pyrotechnics. They’re everything a stadium rock band could ask for, playing to a crowd of a few hundred. Their takeover of North America may not be as easy as they’re hoping it will be, but should they land some success, at least they’ll have the great show to back it up.
I’ve seen Frightened Rabbit 3 times now, and the first time was before I had heard any of their music. That performance, about 3-4 years ago, sold me on the band at which point I bought all their music. The second time I saw them they had been run ragged on tour for several months with no break, all the while partying a little too hard. Singer Scott Hutchinson’s voice was shot and it wasn’t very good. For Lollapalooza this year, the band was back in shape physically, but their set still had issues – the biggest of which was a lack of energy on stage. Even some of their most energetic tunes were left feeling a little flaccid in the hot summer sun beaming down. They couldn’t have turned up the tempo just a little? At least they seemed to largely pull from their best album to date, “Midnight Organ Fight” rather than their so-so new one “The Winter of Mixed Drinks”.
MGMT drew a huge crowd for their set, and that was to be expected. Apparently most people there just wanted to hear “Time to Pretend” and “Electric Feel” and “Kids” over and over again, because most seemed turned off by the highly psychedelic nature of MGMT’s performance. There were plenty who just gave up after 15 minutes, choosing to try and find greener pastures, or just some good food nearby. I arrived late with food in hand and stuck around long enough to finish my meal, though I couldn’t hear that well. I thought the guys did some nice work.
I may enjoy the new Temper Trap album more than MGMT’s latest (but not by much), which is why I left the latter to go see the former. With the smaller crowd at the smaller stage, Temper Trap really held things down well and got the crowd engaged with sing-along choruses. Of course “Sweet Disposition” came off best, but it was clear there are more potentially big hits we could be hearing more of in the coming months.
Finally, though virtually every one of my friends went to Arcade Fire, I chose Soundgarden with the idea that this could be one of those “once in a lifetime” situations. Having missed out on their shows in the 90′s, this was a big chance to finally see those classic songs played live. And Soundgarden did deliver, playing pretty much every song you might want to hear from them, unless that song is “Pretty Noose”. No worries though, because even when they weren’t doing big radio hits like “Spoonman” and “Blow Up the Outside World”, they tackled “Searching With My Good Eye Closed” and “Gun”. To be fair, the heaviest stuff tended to sound the best, especially the non-singles, but there was something to be said for those as well. “Outshined” was taken to the next level thanks to Chris Cornell coming off the stage and interacting heavily with the crowd of rabid fans. With his hair grown back out long and curly again, Cornell also looked pretty much exactly the same as he did in the 90′s, with that same voice to match. The set wasn’t without its flaws, like how the performance of “Black Hole Sun” seemed like the equivalent of pulling teeth to Cornell as he was probably only doing it because he HAD to. His frustration is understandable, but couldn’t he at least ACT like he still kind of liked the song? Also a small issue was the general attitude the band members had towards one another, which seemed to be the equivalent of a holiday family gathering of strangers. All four guys were there and playing to the best of their abilities, but in terms of interaction or to suggest there was any love between these guys, you could forget it. The question should then be raised: how long can this reunion last? Well, should they break up again tomorrow, I no longer care – seeing a Soundgarden show gets crossed off my Bucket List. I’ll have more details on this show and others in my final impressions of Lollapalooza 2010, which will be ready to go in the next day or two.
CoS vs. Grant Park III: Round Three at Lollapalooza ‘10
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CoS vs. Grant Park III: Round Three at Lollapalooza ‘10
By CoS Staff on August 9th, 2010 in Festival Coverage, Festival Reviews, Hot
27 Comments »
By the time the gates opened Sunday at Lollapalooza, the scant few that rolled up to Grant Park received some shit news from mother nature. Heavy rain and grey skies blanketed the downtown area like a deathly spirit. It seemed like the day was ruined; a repeat of last year’s Friday downpour. Nevertheless, that wasn’t the case.
The weekend’s good fortune prevailed. The sun returned, and so did the fans. Immediately, people of all sorts scuttled into the park. Excitement flavored the air. Two more headliners. The long-awaited return of 90’s grunge rock legends, Soundgarden, and the uber-hyped Arcade Fire set, which fans have been salivating about since The Suburbs hit the net. All in all, not too shabby of a way to pull down the curtain, blow out the candle, have the fat lady sing, etc.
It’s sort of interesting how Sunday panned out, actually. Whoever scheduled the day divided it in such a way that those who favored more mainstream, aggressive acts were cattled into the south end of the park. Whereas the folks who preferred more indie-centric material had to hike it up north. In a way, it was sort of like a high school cafeteria, where particular groups flock to different tables, sneering at one another and butting heads in the lunch line.
For the most part, there was no ill will. With the exception of a roughneck crowd at MGMT (Care to explain that, anyone?), things remained civil. People danced, people headbanged, and others carried on their own business. Maybe it was because everyone has work tomorrow, but there was a lack of drunken tomfoolery usually seen at Lollapalooza. Very refreshing.
All in all, this year’s Lollapalooza concluded just fine, successfully bookmarking what may be one of the best weekends in the festival’s history. Wait, wait, don’t go down and comment just yet. Mull it over. Ask these questions: Where else would you see The Strokes? How often do you see not one, but two rare international sensations? (e.g. Empire of the Sun, X Japan) What other festival offers you the choice between Soundgarden and Arcade Fire? When was the last time you yelled out, “Holy shit, Green Day was awesome!”, without acting like a sarcastic ass in the comments below?
Rhetorical, rhetorical, rhetorical, and… rhetorical, of course. But, these are all good angles to observe. Without getting ahead of ourselves – after all, you’ve still yet to read our final report – we’re just going to say this: Lollapalooza kicked our asses this year. With smart planning (e.g. opening up Columbus Drive and expanding), great food (Damn you addicting Strawberry Lemonade!), and a handful of timeless performances, Lollapalooza reinvented itself once again. Chicago should only be so proud. Now, how about we write to City Hall and demand an extension on that irritating curfew? Huh?
Well, maybe you should read this first…
.................X Japan
Parkways, 4:00 p.m.
For months, X Japan had been touted as one of the specialty adds for Lollapalooza. A rare event not to be missed, they said. Some even compared the group, which came together in 1982, to Guns N’ Roses, touting them as Japan’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band. With that much hype, who wouldn’t skip Yeasayer for them? After a tedious soundcheck, which went five minutes over, the P.A. charged the really, really, really devoted crowd (some even braving the heat in black kimonos, others crying their eyes out in wonder) with epic instrumentals. Finally, members here and there littered the stage, as those aforementioned fans wailed on and on, and a full on metal show ensued. Given the band’s tunes average seven or eight minutes, the setlist lacked some depth, but that didn’t stop them from treating the gig as if it were a two-hour show.
Photo by Heather Kaplan
All the makings of an arena rock event were present. Pyro accented heavy drum fills, solos dug deeper and deeper, all the while frontman Toshi Deyama tugged harder and harder at the crowd. Christ can he wail, too. On opener “Rusty Nail”, Deyama’s vocals rivaled those of Steve Perry, while on newer material like “Jade”, he scowled and gnarled better than Axl Rose could ever dream to anymore. To borrow from Ghostbusters, they came, they saw, they kicked our ass. Sure, the set had its fair share of window shoppers (about 20% of the crowd left after the first song); however, X Japan retained a stable and dedicated enough audience that further ventures into America shouldn’t seem unreasonable. At all. Call it a tad idealistic, but perhaps they’ll finally break through here. Better late than never, right? -Michael Roffman ..........
Lollapalooza wrap up
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At 39 degrees Celsius, our third and final day at Lollapalooza was by far the hottest. And that was without the scorching heat coming off the Soundgarden fretboards and microphones. Yes, after 13 years, the Seattle grandfathers of grunge and I were reunited. Technically speaking, about 60,000 other screaming, devil-horning, moshing fans were also reunited with the alt-rock gods. So, was the decade-plus wait worth it?
The answer is yes, yes it was.
But on a blisteringly hot day where sweaty swarms of fans sought water and Soundgarden - and not necessarily in that order - two other bands managed to stand out.
The first was a long-time favourite of mine, Minus the Bear. Their unique blend of catchy hooks, crunching rock riffs, and otherworldly guitar samples puts this band at the head of the math-rock class. With song titles like "Monkey! Knife! Fight!" and "I Lost All My Money at the Cockfights," these guys definitely know how to have a good time.
While guitarist Dave Knudson deftly finger-tapped and looped his way through the set, a sun-baked crowd loudly cheered him and the rest of the band on. And with temperatures reaching furnace-like highs, a miraculously energetic crowd was proof enough that these guys rocked. Oh, did I mention that they opened for Soundgarden at a secret, Thursday night show? Yeah, MTB knows how to throw it down.
The second band worth noting were metal veterans X Japan, hailing from none other than the land of the rising sun. Kicking off their set with an explosion of pyrotechnics, thundering double kick drums, and screaming vocals straight out of 1986, X Japan wasted no time in showing their hand. Their hour-long set was a tour de force in instrumentation and crowd-riling antics. Broken English didn't stop lead singer Toshimitsu Deyama from whipping the heavy metal hordes before him into a frenzied state. By the end of the set, there wasn't a person left in the crowd who wasn't waiving arms crossed in an "x" above their head to cheer the group on.
Finally, after three days of waiting, it was time for Soundgarden. With an almost mythical realization, songs from my teenage past came to life before my eyes, conjured forth by Cornell's commanding performance. If Soundgarden hasn't played a show together in 13 years, someone forgot to tell them. From start to finish, the band was note-for-note bang-on. Throughout the two hour set, the group delivered screaming guitars, pounding drums, and arguably some of the smoothest vocals in rock with authority and gusto.
For many of the festival's younger fans, though, a flawless delivery wasn't enough. Admittedly, Soundgarden's performance was a little on the flat side when compared to the elaborate productions put on by the likes of Green Day and Lady Gaga. After the band finished up their former hit single "Blackhole Sun" half-way through the set, crowds of concert-goers could be seen leaving the area. Some left to catch the rest of The Arcade Fire set; others, to a meal and much-needed shower back home. Whatever their plans were, it was clear another hour of Soundgarden wasn't in the mix. By the end of Soundgarden's set, less than half of the original crowd remained.
While Soundgarden's set may not have been enough to win over new fans, it was more than enough to send old fans home happy. They played every single they have ever released. Chris Cornell sang like the past 13 years hadn't happened. Matt Cameron showed us why he's still one of rock's best drummers. In short, the band has never sounded so good. If Soundgarden reunites again in another 13 years, I'll be happy if they sound half as incredible as they did tonight.
From Sarah:
Lollapalooza has finally come to a close and I still have mixed feelings about the festival as a whole. Today was a less busy day with bands/acts that I wanted to see, including only Minus the Bear, X Japan, Cypress Hill and Soundgarden. Admittedly, I don’t listen to any of them on a regular basis with, so I wouldn’t be able to sing along (one of the best parts of being at a live show). Still, I tried to maintain a level of optimism that even without being a superfan, I’d still enjoy myself.
We arrived at the festival to first watch Minus the Bear whose set was comprised primarily of new material from “Omni” that I wasn’t at all familiar with; I haven’t listened to anything after their debut album, “Highly Refined Pirates”. I was a bit bummed since I can’t even remember the last time I saw them, but they’ve achieved a pretty huge following, which speaks pretty highly of their adaptation with each new album. The highlight of that set was them closing out with ‘Absinthe Party at the Fly Honey Warehouse’.
X Japan was one of our last-minute choices; I had been reading the Lollapalooza program guide and their description as an 80’s Japanese metal band was too good to pass up. Fortunately, I wasn’t at all disappointed – X Japan was incredible! Unlike with my punk rock bands, I love my metal bands to put on a visceral show with great outfits and pyro. The members of X Japan did just that, with the lead singer dressed in a bedazzled leather jacket and pants, the outfit made complete by pitch black sunglasses and heeled black boots. Their stage show definitely rivalled that of all the headliners with flames shooting up during songs and easily the biggest drum riser of the weekend. I get the feeling these guys are the biggest unknown band of Lolla, and what I mean by that is I think X Japan probably plays shows to hundreds of thousands of screaming fans in Europe and Asia, but barely cleared 2,000 here. Regardless, I’m stoked for them to start their worldwide tour in October with stops in Canada, TBD.
While waiting for Soundgarden, and holding a sweet viewing area, we watched both Wolfmother and Erykah Badu. Erykah showed up late to her set, but fortunately her sweet band kept it together. Her time was pretty unremarkable to me as I’m not a big fan, but she definitely had a calming effect to Lolla with her smooth, buttery vocals. Because she was a bit late, her time got cut short by Wolfmother starting up. Now, apparently I didn’t get the memo that this band has become popular, but they had a decent sized crowd. This band is way too 1970’s radio rock for me, so I tuned out pretty quickly. I didn’t appear to be alone, however, since most of the crowed tuned out in between their two hit songs.
Before the final show of the night was Cypress Hill whose music has helped me and my friends get ready for many nights of dancing. Even though it’s a normal sight at every Cypress Hill show, it was still a little strange to hear Detective Fin exclaim to a crowd of thousands: “Are you high? ‘Cause I am!” They busted out with some of my favourites, ‘Dr.Greenthumb’ and (obviously) ‘Jump’ which sent the crowd into a mesmerizing wave of bodies. They ended just in time for Soundgarden, making sure to plug their newest album drop.
Lastly was Soundgarden who, as Steve mentioned, relies heavily on their music to speak for themselves. I think they made a mistake by starting out heavy with all the hits in the first hour because what started out as a crowd of about 65,000 quickly dwindled to a measly 15,000 or so after ‘Black Hole Sun’. A lot of those leaving looked too young to even know who Soundgarden was, let alone care that they were back together that night – sad but true. Not to take away anything from their musicianship and talent on each of their instruments, including Chris Cornell’s absolutely flawless voice, their show just didn’t translate to a lot of people. But, for those diehard fans it was a dream 12 years in the making and I’m glad to have been there to be part of it.
As mentioned in my previous reviews, there has been a mix of hits and misses from this weekend, and despite the heat, I feel that it was indeed worth the trip to Chicago for Lollapalooza, I just hope next year will have a line-up that is of more interest to me.
Thanks for reading our reviews of this weekend and hey, maybe we’ll see you there next year!
From Steve:
My final day at Lollapalooza started off with Minus the Bear. Normally at these festivals you wanna start the day off well or come 8pm you're gonna be exhausted. Needless to say I've never really been a big Minus the Bear fan but I can appreciate the energy they bring to the table in their live show. They performed an hour long set focused primarily on newer material to a good sized crowd that seemed to be loving every second of it. I was pretty distracted throughout their set due to who was about to follow them on the main stage.
One of the most anticipated performances of the entire festival was from X Japan. This was the Japanese power metal kings first ever North American show. I can honestly say that from the second their intro music started playing I was about to eat up anything and everything they could have possibly thrown at me. From the broken English to blazing solos to the huge pyro this band just had it dialed in and cranked up to awesome. The performance however was a bit dampened by the sound for the performance. I don't know what was going on in that sound booth but it was by far the worst quality in and out sound of the entire festival. Despite the bad sound the performance was flawless and the band seemed to be having the time of their lives on stage. I hope that it wound up being a warm enough welcome to convince them to come back. I would go as far as to say that X Japan gave one of the best performances of the festival and really set the bar high for the rest of day 3's artists.
The next band that I watched was Wolfmother. This is another band that I'll have to admit I've never really been into. They came out to a pretty decent sized crowd on the main stage. Early on in their set they performed their smash hit "Woman" which seemed to send the audience into a frenzy. It looked like they were eating out of the palm of the bands collective hands. Once "Woman" was over it seemed like the show took a turn and the audience almost went to sleep just standing and quietly head bobbing. The show was like this again till they closed with their other massive single "Joker and the Thief" to which the audience again went wild.
Lastly to close out my Lollapalooza it was time to see the mighty Soundgarden. I have been a huge Soundgarden fan my entire life and I was thrilled that I was going to be able to watch them close out the festival. They arrived on stage to a thundering cheer from what looked to be about 65 000 screaming fans. The audience exploded with the 2nd song of the night "Spoonman". It seemed like this was to be a night that will forever go down in Soundgarden history... However that being said... what goes up must come down. A few songs after Spoonman a large portion of the audience started to filter out of the venue, whether it was to see Arcade Fire or to get a good night sleep we'll never know. Unfortunately I think Soundgarden suffer from a serious case of being a generational band. They are and have always been a band that lets the music and the songs speak for themselves in a live performance. In this day and age with pyro and wardrobe changes and fast paced videos when a band lets the music do the talking people start getting bored. Its really too bad that a decent chunk of people couldn't handle the flawless performances of technical musicianship that comes along with playing these songs. Once the band played what most people believe to be their most popular song "Black Hole Sun" it looked like the venue had a one way moving walkway out the door. It was such a mass exit I started to think that I was missing out on some sort of inside joke. The band continued playing and closed out their 2 hour set to about 15 000 adoring fans. The band sounded spot on like they hadn't taken a night off of touring let alone the last 13 years. I can't think of a more perfect way to close out 3 days of fun and great music!
Here are my +/- of the festival
+ X Japan
+ The staff at the venue for being helpful and informative
+ The concert attendees for all being very conscious and cleaning up after themselves making for a nice clean venue
+ Green Day
+ Against Me!
+ AFI
+ Lady Gaga
+ Social Distortion
+ The organizers for putting on a top notch 2nd to none 3 day festival
- The sound guy during X Japan
- Wolfmother
- The 40 plus degree heat
- The few fans that don't know when to stop drinking
- Minus the Bear
- Vonnegutt
- Having to wait a whole year for next year's festival
Best Moments of Lollapalooza: Final Day
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Best Moments of Lollapalooza: Final Day
Festival
By Spin Staff on August 9, 2010 10:14 AM (5) Comments
X Japan / Photo by Erik Voake
............
Best Ergonomic Solution for Killer Drum Fills: X Japan
Among all the big-ticket reunions that festivals bank on, one of the biggest featured a band most Lollapalooza attendees had likely never heard of before Sunday. Prog-metal giants X Japan -- no relation to Exene Cervenka, John Doe et. al -- sold millions of records at home before breaking up in 1997. (Their flamboyant guitarist hanged himself under mysterious circumstances in 1998.) But the band had never played America. A reconstituted version rectified that yesterday looking like anime characters dropped into a 1987 Manowar video. There was pyro, sure, but the most lasting impression was left by multi-tasking drummer Yoshiki, who pounded away at his kit -- and, more lovingly, at a white baby grand for the ballads -- all while wearing a thick neck brace, kinda like Joan Cusack in Sixteen Candles. The Japanese Tommy Lee quickly became the hero of the day and was last spotted driving a boat on Lake Michigan -- with his dick. -- STEVE KANDELL
X Japan / Photo: Erik Voake
Click to enlarge...............
Lollapalooza 2010 day three review: X Japan, Frightened Rabbits, MGMT
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As the final day of Lollapalooza 2010 was heading into its last hours, I was getting ready to see a few major acts one after the other, starting with electro-psych popsters MGMT, then moody indie rockers The National, and finally revered Canadian alt-rock act Arcade Fire. First, though, I caught parts of performances from X Japan and Frightened Rabbits.
It's safe to say there has never been another act quite like X Japan at Lollapalooza. The band is indeed Japanese and perform an over the top combination of power metal and progressive rock. They're known for donning wild, manga-inspired costumes during performances, though Sunday afternoon their visuals leaned toward heavy metal gothic, with black leather, skulls and crosses. Their soaring, epic heavy metal anthems aren't something I'd generally gravitate toward, but there was something endearing about the band and their outrageous show. Maybe it was the fact that, despite existing as a unit since the '80s, it was the first time performing in the States and it was cool to see them getting good energy from the crowd. Or maybe it was the fire blasts that popped up on stage near the end of the set. Who knows, but it was all kind of cool. For photos of the performance, check out Time Out Chicago's gallery and review here.
Lollapalooza 2010: X Japan makes their stateside debut, Badu is just bad, and MGMT bring out the "Kids" in all of us
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If NERVO know how to dance, X Japan know how to rock. The Japanese band that has been performing on and off for nearly 30 years in their home country made their stateside debut to a small crowd of diehard fans who knew the words to just about every song. Dressed in a glam get-up and frequently screaming “Are you ready to rock?” singer Toshi Deyama looked like he continues to be inspired by the American hair metal from the distant year his group formed. By the end of the short six-song set, onlookers were pumping fists and playing air guitar. Whenever prompted, arms were raised and crossed to form an X representing the band’s name. Heavy metal music reminiscent of an age before most festival-goers were born tends not to excite most people, but for the small contingent who are moved by such music, X Japan excited them enough for the rest of us.
Japan's Bono: Yoshiki Is Ready to Take on the U.S.
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Japan's Bono: Yoshiki Is Ready to Take on the U.S.
His Band X-Japan Played Lollapalooza Recently and Will Release an Album in the Fall
By DAN HARRIS and ENJOLI FRANCIS
He may have a small U.S. fan base but he has been called the Bono of Japan.
PHOTO X-Japan's Yoshiki has been called the Bono of Japan.
X-Japan's Yoshiki has been called the Bono of Japan.
(ABC News)
More Photos
Yoshiki, the drummer and pianist of the rock band X-Japan, has sold millions of records and regularly plays to 50,000 to 70,000 people. He has a branded Visa card, a fragrance line and a race car team.
He's the first human to have a Hello Kitty doll named after him. And now he wants to conquer America.
"We wanted to come here [to America] a long time ago," Yoshiki said. "Because of our influence. ... Kiss, Metallica. Also it's a center of entertainment, center of pretty much everything."
X-Japan Begins
Yoshiki Hayashi, 44, of Tateyama, Japan, and a classically trained pianist, discovered U.S. heavy metal as a kid.
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He only listened to Beethoven, Bach and Chopin until he was 10 and discovered Kiss, he said. "I saw, like, Gene Simmons, the face with the blood, like what is that? I want it," he said.
From there, he started listening to Led Zeppelin and the Beatles.
At the age of 10, Yoshiki and childhood friend Toshimitsu "Toshi" Deyama started an amateur school band with Yoshiki on drums and Deyama on vocals and guitar. By junior high, they had added a few more members and named the band X. They added Japan 15 years ago because a band named X already existed in the United States.
They combined punk fashion with kimonos, provoking controversy in socially conservative Japan.
"Our style at the time it was like punk rock, like Mohawks and spikes, and we just put all the elements into one style," Yoshiki said.
The style, called visual kei, influenced animation and comics.
Despite the attention in the 1980s, the band broke up in the late '90s. Deyama and Yoshiki didn't speak for eight years. Three years ago, the pair reunited, and Yoshiki set his sights once again on the United States.
He has now become the face of the band. He has composed a concerto for the emperor and made lots of money.
Yoshiki said it isn't fame he seeks, however. "I want people to listen to our music so that's my goal," he said is bandmates are reluctant to take on America but Yoshiki is quietly confident.
"You just have to keep challenging," Yoshiki said. "I mean, if we don't have confidence, we are not here [in America.] You've got to try to see. We are pretty confident."
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He said he and the band have been encouraged by the fans in the United States.
This past week, X-Japan played its first big U.S. show at Lollapalooza in Chicago. The band's new album -- with English lyrics -- will be released in the fall followed by a U.S. tour.
"[The new album] is still very heavy," Yoshiki said. "A combination of heavy rock and some classical."
Yoshiki said he just smiles when critics say that X-Japan won't succeed in the United States, that no Asian band has ever broken into the U.S. mainstream.
"I mean, as I said a long time ago, I proved them wrong," he said, "so I just have to do that again."
X Japan Jade на сайте Роуллингов!!!!!!!!!!
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. Тем не менее, текст разобрать можно - 
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