AccessAtlanta > Music > Music Midtown > Blog > Archives > 2005 > June > 12
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Public Enemy
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Now this was a headline-worthy, festival-closing show.
Hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy pulled the curtain on the Hot-107.9 stage Sunday night with a show with as much decibel power as anything on the rock stage, a crowd as diverse as anything throughout the 42-acre site and a set more cohesive than any on the rap bill Saturday night at Vibe MusicFest.
Not that it wasn’t as inflammatory as anything Ludacris or T.I. said at Vibe. Except Enemy’s Chuck D, Flavor Flav and Professor Griff assail the establishment and institutions instead of women or people who scuff their new tennis shoes.
“[Expletive] George Bush,” they said from the stage. And the all-ages crowd cursed along in unison. Then — ever the instructors — Atlantan D explained why he led that taunt: “The government will send your [expletive] to war in a minute.”
Later on he excoriated radio program directors who play music during the day that make “fourthth-graders want to be up in the strip club…In the name of James Brown, please, please, please look out for the babies.”
But the bulletproof baritone was just as deadly when he was rapping “Welcome to the Terrordome,” “Don’t Believe the Hype” and the crackling closer, “Fight the Power.”
Permalink | Comments (4) | Categories: Coca-Cola/Verizon Wireless/Hot 107.9/Fox 5 Stage
Devo
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Yes, Music Midtown booked its share of hot young acts this year, but one of the best sets came from none other than Devo. Yes, Devo — the oddball quintet you may know best (or only) for the angular pop song “Whip It.”
The band got that little number out of the way early on the 99X stage, clearing the way for a staggering set of jittery, pulsating rock. The men of Devo came out wearing matching yellow uniforms with their signature red flower pots as hats. They later stripped to matching black ensembles, including shorts and kneepads.
Sometimes they rocked like a conventional guitar band. Sometimes they played the bass parts on a keyboard. At one point they performed their cover of the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” giving the original a fabulous gutting.
Permalink | Comments (8) | Categories: Best Buy/99X Locals Only Stage
Def Leppard
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Def Leppard is the perfect outdoor festival band. The British ’80s rockers carry a testerone-driven, guitar-crunching sound merged with a hook-laden sensibility that generated 15 top 40 hits, more than enough to fill a one-hour set. Beer-buzzed, tank-top wearing fans can sing along badly to the simple lyrics and nobody cares.
This is the band’s second trip to Music Midtown in three years, and lead singer Joe Elliott said he had so much fun the first time, they came back. (Promoter Peter Conlon probably gave the band a great financial incentive, too.) And as he sang, “Let’s get rocked,” the crowd obliged with much gusto.
Though Elliott’s voice sometimes got swallowed by the fine guitar work of Phil Collen and Viv Campbell, the big hits still carried a full-bodied heft. And while predictable, the final three songs in succession â€â€? “Photograph,” “Rock of Ages” and “Pour Some Sugar In Me” â€â€? was pop-rock heaven.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Ford/Best Buy/96 Rock/UPN Atlanta Stage
Montgomery Gentry
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At long last, sunshine finally visited the mud-encrusted Kicks 101.5 stage in time for Montgomery Gentry’s set early Sunday night. With substantial sound bleed coming from Def Leppard across the park, the country duo had its work cut out for them.
And then threatening skies returned and not even free Hooters beachballs could distract a sizable crowd that was kept waiting for more than 30 minutes because of “technical difficulties.” So it helped that comic Larry the Cable Guy was brought out to introduce the act.
Faster than you could say “Get er done!” the guys blasted onstage with “Gone” from the MG album “You Do Your Thing,” and “She Couldn’t Change Me.” Clad in black leather, jeans and hats, country’s resident tough guys gave off plenty of heat from the stage.
“The party officially starts now!” they assured the crowd before blasting into the barroom bawl, “Lonely and Gone.” Singing “We’re gonna be a tough act to follow,” MG proved precisely that. The act was the last band booked on the Kicks stage Sunday night.
Permalink | | Categories: Hooters/Kicks 101.5 Stage
Common
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Chi-town emcee Common exploded onto the Hot 107.9 stage Saturday night with a surprising ferocity. Although his catalog of songs aren’t as popular as mainstream rappers, they were more than enough to keep the crowd bouncing through the first three songs, which included the title track off his new album “Be.” Shortly after, the crowd went ballistic when Common’s fellow Chicago rapper Kanye West blessed the stage for a few tracks of his own, including “All Falls Down” and “Jesus Walks.” Together, the two made something that fits their “Good Music” campaign: a “Great Hip-Hop Show.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Coca-Cola/Verizon Wireless/Hot 107.9/Fox 5 Stage
Alan Jackson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cowboy hats, NASCAR apparel, Braves caps, ponchos and Polo shirts converged near the Kicks 101.5 stage late Saturday night for Newnan’s own Alan Jackson.
Despite a driving rain and a Tom Petty concert across the field, country fans immediately punctured a hole in the notion that country acts just don’t draw at Music Midtown. Thousands upon thousands packed in to see the country artist.
Jackson, who arrived on stage in his hat, tan Western shirt and blue jeans, launched into “Gone Country” and didn’t look back.
The country icon, who’s sold 43 million records over his 15-year career, plowed through a big chunk of his catalog of 31 No. 1 hits.
Upon hearing Jackson favorites “Don’t Rock the Jukebox,” “Livin’ On Love,” “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” and “Drive (For Daddy Gene),” fans forgot about the set-long torrential downpour.
“It’s good to be back here with the skyline of Atlanta, pine trees, dogwoods and the Varsity’s chili dogs,” the singer told the throng.
And by the time he got to his massive hit, “Chattahoochee,” the water and the red clay mud near the stage matched the images in the song.
Permalink | | Categories: Hooters/Kicks 101.5 Stage
Cowboy Crush
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What do you get when you add a bass, drums, keyboard, fiddle and five country girls? If you are a record executive, you are hoping for The Dixie Chicks plus two.
The answer, however, is Nashville’s Cowboy Crush — a country group that doesn’t hold a candle to the Chicks. The girls played a loose set of typical country arrangements marred by sound and microphone problems.
While each member is fairly proficient with their instruments — especially fiddler Renae Truex — as a band they are not tight enough to be impressive. Crush does, however, have a couple songs that might make it on country radio. The rest are lackluster and predictable.
Permalink | | Categories: Hooters/Kicks 101.5 Stage
Whodini
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The loyal and dedicated old-school hip-hop fans showed up early and were ready to party, and Whodini delivered. They performed some of their hits, including “Friends,” “Freaks Come Out at Night” and “One Love.”
They are one of the few rap groups from the early ’80s that are still together. How MTV fails to mention them when retracing hip-hop’s history is beyond my understanding. But as the sign from a fan said, “Whodini Forever.”
Permalink | | Categories: Coca-Cola/Verizon Wireless/Hot 107.9/Fox 5 Stage
Jo Dee Messina
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The fiery country redhead from Massachusetts came out swinging, belting out the words “let me entertain you, we’re gonna have a ball.â€? The sizable crowd at the Kicks stage, finally soaking up sun instead of rain, seemed more than willing to let her do just that.
“Heads Carolina, Tails Californiaâ€? followed, and it was just the second memorable tune of a solid, hit-packed hour with a side trip back to Motown for a cover of “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours).â€?
The sound problems that plagued some of Saturday’s sets on the country stage didn’t reappear.
“We love Atlanta. You guys are so awesome,� Messina shouted at one point, sounding genuinely thrilled at the rousing reception. It was just more evidence that bringing country back to Music Midtown was a brilliant move.
Permalink | | Categories: Jo Dee Messina
Collective Efforts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Like many hip-hop performers, Atlanta’s Collective Efforts brought out guest stars you wouldn’t know if you ran into them tomorrow. But you would remember this group because they pumped out what old-schoolers used to call music to nod your head to. There was plenty of that throughout the crowd, mostly because of catchy hooks and DJ Creashun’s turntable skills, but don’t look here for that club record. The socially conscious MC’s rock the house in their own way.
The quartet’s lyrics and everyman demeanor are reminiscent of A Tribe Called Quest with a dash of Common. After some teasing old-school rap posturing and Ben Hameen’s double duty as singer and rapper, the set ended far too soon.
Permalink | | Categories: Best Buy/99X Locals Only Stage
Joan Jett
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Back in the early ’80s, Joan Jett came off as Pat Benatar’s rougher-hewed cousin, and 25 years later, things haven’t changed an iota.
Jett, a well-preserved 46-year-old with washboard abs and a punky short haircut, still sounds sharp vocally. The crowd was polite but somewhat languid, perking up, naturally, for her signature “I Love Rock ‘n Roll.â€?
Part of her problem was her habit of staring at her guitar too much and avoiding eye contact with the festival goers. She did liven up for a rousing rendition of “Crimson and Clover,� showing off her delightfully wicked grin all too briefly.
Permalink | Comments (5) | Categories: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Luna Halo
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Lead singer Nathan Barlowe promised that the band would “limp through this as best we can” after early sound trouble. Then the Nashville-based band, with Atlanta-born Chris Coleman on drums, galloped through a 25-minute set with bass booming heavy enough for your hard-core hip-hop fan.
“Kings & Queens” turned the once-sparse group watching into a crowd who cheered Barlowe’s little brother Cary, who strutted, preened and pranced across the stage. Whether they achieve rock-star status or not, these guys have the goods. Here’s a tip: Soho’s, Columbus, Ga. June 23, doors open at 9 p.m.
Permalink | | Categories: Ford/Best Buy/96 Rock/UPN Atlanta Stage
Biz Markie
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wearing a T-shirt, shorts, sandals and socks, the plus-sized old-school goofball Biz Markie started his set with a choppy bit of DJing. He spun and scratched various bits, dropping beats from funky pop/R&B, plus AC/DC’s “Back in Black” and some ancient LL Cool J. Then he said he was done messing around and began beat-boxing and rapping, and the show picked up considerably.
During the crowd-pleasing “Just a Friend,” a hilarious bit of marble-mouthed rapping and deliberately horrible singing, the big man lifted his shirt and rubbed his ample belly as a kind of fake-sexy joke. It was a nice reminder of one key difference between old-school MCs and today’s unsmiling rappers — the older dudes know how to have fun, sometimes at their own expense.
Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: Coca-Cola/Verizon Wireless/Hot 107.9/Fox 5 Stage
Coheed and Cambria
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
On their studio albums, Coheed and Cambria displays a definite progressive rock expansiveness. Onstage Sunday afternoon, the quartet just blazed through a set that made them sound a lot more like a simple but effective cross between metal and melodic punk. The band’s most distinctive elements came from frontman Claudio Sanchez. His high-pitched, expressive voice, a less feline version of Rush’s Geddy Lee, cut through the steamy afternoon like a machete. But his hair was truly riveting, a bicolored mass of fuzziness that covered his face most of the time. In short, the band rocked, but the hair rocked even harder.
Permalink | | Categories: Miller Lite/99X Stage
Black Eyed Peas
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Black Eyed Peas, seen at the Super Bowl, heard on NBA commercials, in high rotation on MTV, are almost as ubiquitous in pop culture land as Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton — and almost as annoying.
Finishing the night on the Hot 107.9 stage, the multiracial hip-hop group hit the stage with one aim: to entertain you, whether you liked it or not. With a frenetic eagerness reminiscent of Tom Cruise on “Oprah,” they pumped out the hits, from “Hey Mama” to “Don’t Phunk With My Heart.” They were loud and relentless, with lead singer Will.I.Am feeding the crowd bonus riffs from Kelis, Lil Jon and Terror Squad.
So where is our love? We’ll give them this: 1) They keep a real band, unlike most hip-hop acts, who performed rockin’ guitar solos, a trumpeter and yes, even a flute player. 2) They possess an amazingly Richard Simmons-like positive vibe. 3) Fergie has the energy of a cheerleader gone bad and the pipes to break glass. And 4) they’ll be a great showroom act at the Mandalay Bay in 2028.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Categories: Coca-Cola/Verizon Wireless/Hot 107.9/Fox 5 Stage
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For unexplained reasons, the big-screen TV for Tom Petty’s set showed him and his long-time band the Heartbreakers in black and white, so they looked like an old clip from “The Ed Sullivan Show.â€?
Come on, Petty’s not that old. He’s only 55, even if the huge crowd averaged about half that age. Managing to be both soaked and baked at the same time, the youthful audience, which had flowed like a river from the 99X stage specifically to hear Petty’s headline act, was delighted. Petty, however, was not. The dreaded festival “sound bleedâ€? brought Alan Jackson’s show from the Kicks stage into Petty’s ears, and he kvetched about it several times. “Who is that â€â€? Clint Black?â€? he asked.
It’s been a while since Petty’s had a big hit, but he’s not yet an oldies act. Petty had a challenging 2002 CD, “The Last DJ,â€? and played a new song from what he said was an upcoming album. But many of his three decades’ worth of familiar songs don’t just sound like radio hits any more â€â€? they sound even bigger. “Free Fallin’,â€? “I Won’t Back Down,â€? “American Girlâ€? and the rest sound like anthems.
For one of several encores, he went with “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35,â€? the Dylan classic he’s been having fun with at recent concerts. It was never more appropriate. â€â€? Phil Kloer
The Pixies
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The first time around, in the late ’80s and ’90s, the Pixies were cultishly adored, influential and only moderately successful.
The band’s recent comeback has proven far more lucrative, with sold-out shows all over the world. By the evidence on display at Music Midtown, the reunion was a good idea all around.
Unhinged songs like “Cactusâ€? may not sound as shockingly new and off-kilter as they did in the late ’80s, but that’s just because so many bands that followed them have copped the Pixies’ moves.
The Boston-born quartet still sounds dangerous, though, rocking ferociously through “Wave of Mutilation,” “Gouge Awayâ€? and capping the set with the strange and sinister “Where Is My Mind?,â€? which had some apparently altered audience members singing along appropriately. The Pixies’ collective mind was firing on all cylinders.
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Miller Lite/99X Stage
