Word and pictures by Duane Clawson
If I remember correctly, last year’s Sunday at LouFest was the
more laid back of the two-day affair. This year’s Sunday would follow the same
pattern. The Prenikoff Brothers led off
with a sound that was comparable to that of Los Lonely Boys mixed with splashes
of Dave Matthews. The Brothers are a St. Louis-based band comprised of brothers Tom
and Rick along with drummer Dan Germaine.
The band’s original tunes from their debut album, On My Way, mixed with
a killer version of “Eleanor Rigby” got a growing Sunday audience’s blood
flowing. As I’ve stated before, I’m not
the world’s biggest rap fan but the ladies of THEESatisfaction held my
attention nicely with beats and bass that rattled the legs of my shorts.
The band from southwest Missouri with the
longest name of the weekend, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin (SSLYBY)
followed the ladies of THEESatisfaction.
SSLYBY brings to mind early Kinks material blended with infusions of electronic
happiness. The hipsters showed their
appreciation by dancing throughout SSLYBY’s set. After yet another trip across the LouFest
grounds I perched myself in front of the band Wild Nothing. Wild Nothing was a suitable follow up to SSLYBY
and this year’s Deerhunter but with a sound that focused a little more on the
pop and electronic elements of music.
Cults
frontwoman, Madeline Folin, sashayed her way
into the hearts of LouFest attendees in her white mid-thigh length dress and
vocals that were a bit different than anything I’ve heard before. Cults' songs
could best be defined as adult versions of playground songs. If LouFest Day Two was in need of a wake up call, it was
about to happen on two fronts. The first wake up call would be in the form of
the L.A. band Dawes. Dawes followed the
same formula that Son Volt had used the previous day. Hard, heavy folk drive drew a large crowd to
the Orange Stage to catch their hearty but shortened performance. The second wake up call of the day, a half-hour
long downpour complete with thunder and lightning. Dr. Dog band members patiently waited as the
stage was dried and attendees continued to emerge from the limited cover of
Forest Park. The LouFest throngs found
Dr. Dog’s party folk style of music a suitable way to dry off and get wound up
for the impending highlight of the weekend, the Flaming Lips.
The Flaming Lips could easily be called this
generation’s Pink Floyd. Just as Floyd’s stage show utilized massive amounts of
theatrics to accompany their music, the Lips would give any Floyd production a run for
their money. From the onset and throughout the first song, confetti blew into the
Forest Park night skies. Balloons filled with confetti were burst by the headstock
of Wayne Coyne’s abused acoustic guitar while young ladies dressed as Dorothy’s, from the Wizard of Oz, danced on either side of the stage. A true assault of the senses was in progress
during my feeble attempts to digitally capture the essence of this band. After the three song limit for photography
purposes, I finally got the full effect of the Flaming Lips by stepping to the
back of an estimated 5 to 7 thousand people and taking in this party
atmosphere. Wayne Coyne wore giant hands
that speckled the crowd with laser light. As the band encored with “Do You
Realize??”, I realized I had truly seen something special. A little damp, a little
hungry, and a little tired after 20 hours over two days of LouFest
coverage, I found my way home to dream
of how LouFest could possibly out do this year’s lineup. Can’t wait to find
out. Special thanks to all of the bands and the LouFest organizers for allowing
MTC to cover this outstanding event for a second year. Pictures of Day Two are below:
LouFest Day Two @ Forest Park, St. Louis, MO
Reviewed by Scott Rowe, Editor
on
September 01, 2012
Rating:
Reviewed by Scott Rowe, Editor
on
September 01, 2012
Rating:
