CoS remembers All Points West
This past weekend, Consequence of Sound traveled to Jersey City’s Liberty State Park to take in the sights and sounds of the inaugural All Points West Music Festival. Between the travel woes, two nights of Radiohead, Jack Johnson’s jamming, the beer policy, and the backdrop of the New York City skyline, APW certainly left some rather memorable impressions.
Below is a recap of our complete coverage of the weekend, including all the reviews and photos you need to relive the New Jersey festival, regardless if you actually attended it or not.
All Points West 2008, this was your festival…
Table of Contents:
I. Day 1 in Review
II. Day 2 in Review
III. Day 3 in Review
IV. Day 1 in Photos
IV. Day 2 in Photos
V. Day 3 in Photos
VI. Special Thanks
VII. Special Thanks
Day One: Friday, August 8th
The Main Event: Radiohead (Part I)
Radiohead wowed the crowds gathered at Liberty State Park in New Jersey last night with a two-hour set to toast the end of Day 1 of All Points West.
The band put on a stunning, quite possibly seizure-inducing light show that seemed the perfect complement to the New York-New Jersey skyline across the Hudson River. A checkered arrangement of LED screens ran live footage of the band performing through a variety of color and effects filters, while a row of tall and extremely narrow vertical screens alternated flashing color patterns. Now we know: the climax scene of Close Encounters would be better if the aliens played Radiohead.
The rest of the day…
Day one of All Points West flew by. In fact, one could even say it was way too short. Part of the problem is that the schedule is extremely light early in the day. It is as if the “real” festival does not begin until 2:00 and then, besides the single headliner every night, it is over at 8:15. Thus, APW is just terrible bang for your buck. The consumers are paying for a mega-festival, but in the end, getting a three-day, six-hour fest with two Radiohead shows and a Jack Johnson show. In addition, the headliners are scheduled to finish at 10:30, which is extremely early for this type of festival. Compare this to Bonnaroo (4:30, with times really finishing closer to 6) or even Coachella (midnight).
Overall, All Points West just feels small in comparison to bigger festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo, yet AEG Live/Goldenvoice charge the same (more than Bonnaroo). If rent is the issue (as I’m sure someone will argue), move it to upstate NY (the Catskills) or down further south in Jersey (uhhh…Vineland, anyone?) It would not doubt be a shame if they were forced to move APW, as the scene is surreal. I’ve driven past Liberty State Park hundreds of times without even realizing its existence. It is amazing to watch a band with the NYC skyline all around.
Speaking of which, the film Cloverfield was a popular topic of discussion among the artists today. When Girl Talk (Gregg Gillis) took the stage, he made it a point to mention that this field is where Cloverfield took place. The New Pornographers also brought it up, discussing how crazy it was to see the Statue of Liberty’s head fly and roll into the Financial District of downtown Manhattan. By the way, the view of the Statue from the park is breathtaking. Absolutely stunning.
The ferry ride over in the morning was a great way to see the City and surrounding area. However, it is simply too expensive for a ten minute ferry. In the end, charging $30 (without any service fees, since it was handed to someone sitting at a table) seemed like another way for the festival promoters to rip the kids off. Once they get to Liberty State Park, they were faced with $4 waters, $10 burritos and $90 posters!
The weather was extremely pleasant. While it was humid and hot at times, the rain cooled it off. In fact, the temperature significantly dropped at night and the cold breeze felt great until around 9:00 when, all of a sudden, it became a bit too cold for this time of year.
The North Carolina hip-hop group Little Brother started the party early on the first day of the inaugural All Points West. While the attendees were still filling in on this early afternoon, Phonte and Big Pooh managed to grab their attention as they walked by to scope out the rest of the scene at Liberty State Park. Little Brother’s beat master turned it up on the one’s and two’s as he hyped up the gathering crowd and introduced the dual lyricists. The group was great at getting everyone within earshot to throw a hand up and bounce with the beats. It seemed a bit out of place for a mostly indie centric festival, but they held their own for their supporters at the front of the stage.
Liela Moss, all legs and pale British heat, seemed to serenade Lady Liberty just across the river as she clung to a crescent tambourine. If Liberty’s goddess is the sun, Leila Moss’ is surely the moon. Songs like “Sunken Treasure”, and “The Step and the Walk” had the sexual, rock energy of things typically nocturnal. By “Dog Roses” Moss announced, “My hangover has officially left the building,” and The Duke Spirit continued to play a strong set into the sundrenched afternoon while everyone worked on their base tan.
More in tune with the weather (ha ha, oh god) was Forro In the Dark, whose Brazilian beats were the first thing to get people really dancing all day. And once the ice was broken, time flew by. CSS took the stage to cheers and howls as Lovefoxx emerged in a full floral bodysuit. It didn’t seem like things could get much better. Then Underworld and Girl Talk happened.
Though the Bullet Stage was heavily backed up, when Cansei de Ser Sexy finally made its way onto stage, it did not disappoint. Playing a nice selection of songs off both of their albums, CSS may have been the only band on Friday to dance more than the crowd watching. There were even two “backup” dancers, one on each side of the stage (I swear, one of them must have been a band member’s mother.) Of course, the audience was into the music and returned the favor. The festival organizers layered the stages to allow CSS to fit between the New Pornographers and Underworld, but the backup caused CSS to pair up against the powerhouse DJs. As a result, the majority of the attendees were over at Blue Comet watching Underworld, but those getting down to CSS were enjoying every minute of it. On the music side, highlights included “Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above” and the poppy “Alcohol.”
While CSS entertained festival-goers over at the Bullet Stage, Underworld made a European dance floor party off the Blue Comet Stage. Most went nuts, sweating up a storm, hell, even some ravers made it into Liberty Park, turning the English duo’s set into the hottest party this side of the Hudson turning the set. The trio hit a selection of recognizable tracks, along with many that were simply good to get down to. As expected, everyone’s highlight was the classic “Born Slippy” (you know, that song from Trainspotting.)
Among the many inflatables thrown out into the crowd, Greg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, tossed an air mattress. He literally crowd surfed it, standing on top, until he fell off on top of the crowd. As is becoming customary at any festival he played, the Pittsburgh born DJ put on a show for the ages, both in terms of music and energy. A b-boy busted some moves up on the side of the stage, while a cross-dresser flashed the crowd on the other, all behind the backdrop of Girl Talk’s familiar mishmashes. He seemed to play everyone’s favorite 30 seconds of everyone’s favorite dance tracks, from the Jackson 5’s “ABC” to Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence” to Beyoncé’s “Crazy In Love”. The sun was setting and everyone was finally putting the “fest” into this festival. There was even room for laughs with a mix of Khia’s “My Neck My Back” with Yael Naim’s “New Soul.”
It was all perfect prep for Radiohead, a warm-up for the rubdown that was Thom Yorke and the Amazing Technicolor Light Show…
Day Two: Saturday, August 9th
The Main Event: Radiohead (Part II)
Radiohead returned to All Points West on Saturday night for the conclusion of their epic two night headlining stint at the inaugural edition of the Jersey City based music festival. Going into the night, the question certainly on everybody’s mind was, simply put, what would Radiohead do? How would Thom Yorke and company follow up on day one’s fun, which included a rousing rendition of “Just” and “Idioteque”? Would the set be more ruckus, more rare, or simply, the same as before?
Our questions were soon answered as the first sounds of “Reckoner” brilliant filled Liberty State Park.
The rest of the day…
The second day of All Points West may have started out a little slow, but the pace picked up quickly, as the crowd filed in, seemingly doubling the number of people as were in attendance the previous day. The sun felt a bit hotter and the shade became a valued commodity, as the day wore on. Another day, another solid lineup filled with up n’ comers (K’naan), indie-approved (Animal Collective), ol’ time favorites (the Roots), and one superstar headliner (Radiohead).
Nicole Atkins took the stage early. The crowd started out fairly small, but she impressed everyone within earshot with her sing-along “Brooklyn’s on Fire.” Folks quickly hustled over to check out the auburn-haired “swoonstress,” who mixed in the rowdy group vocal chorus with her better-known throwback style. Playing along on guitar during a good portion of the songs, her band aptly jammed out, turning her folk songs into psychedelic, romantic pop-rock.
If you are a regular reader of Consequence of Sound, you might remember how K’NAAN absolutely killed it at Bonnaroo. We were looking forward to our next chance to catch the Somalian-Canadian artist (so much, in fact, that he was a top priority when it came to booking interviews). After an hour-long set consisting of everything from spoken word poetry to funky hip hop jams, K’naan continues to impress. Armed with a drum strapped over his shoulder, the Dusty Foot Philosopher took stage to deliver stories of his youth in the warlord infested Mogadishu, heart-filled descriptions of his passion for music and art, and some songs that were so catchy that they could have been about anything and the crowd would have eaten it up.
The final performer on the Queen of the Valley on Saturday was the cult favorite Sia. The singer, who many know from her extensive appearances on Zero 7 records, continues to grow in popularity and undoubtedly impressed a new segment of fans on this afternoon/evening. With the ability to switch from moody trip-hop to powerful ballads to lively pop songs, Ms. Furler makes singing (and “octave jumping”) seem easy. Even at a festival like APW, Sia was able to connect with the crowd. One minute she would be playing around and laughing between songs and the next, she was back in a powerful song.
The Kings of Leon have sure come a long way since opening for The Coral, which is the last time I saw them. Back then, the entire Followill clan still rocked long hair and seemed excited to play. Saturday’s performance was pretty much all business. Arguably, many of the people swarming around the Blue Comet Stage when the Kings came on were there for tactical reasons to set up camp for Radiohead. But given that Kings of Leon and Radiohead are musically pretty much unrelated, there was a surprising amount of enthusiasm for early stuff off Youth and Young Manhood and the Aha Shake Heartbreak hits “Taper Jean Girl” and “Milk”.
The Roots put on a mind-blowing performance on the Bullet Stage in front of a stunning sunset painted along the horizon. Surprising those who were less familiar (or have not seen them in a few years), the Roots crew came out with the rock and the audience could not get enough of it. Hard drum beats, deep bass lines, and loud guitar parts shook the crowd into a frenzy, it is a bit of a surprise that a mosh pit did not break open. Just like that, the band flipped and the rock blended into smoothed-out jazz with just a taste of funk. A highlight of the set was an unforgettable rendition of “Mellow My Man” off their classic Do You Want More?!!!??! Extended for over fifteen minutes, the guys filled the middle segment with a jazzy, ad hoc piece that didn’t leave those looking to party scratching their heads. Instead, this song was fun and, while showcasing individual talents and crazy melodies, ?uestlove’s beats kept the kids’ dancing. The band also played an extremely improvised version of their hit “You Got Me.”
The Roots were not finished with the rock n’ roll. In fact, I think they caught just about everyone off guard when they dug into a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song.” Captain Kirk, the Roots’ virtuoso guitarist handled Plant’s legendary wails, while Black Thought shared “percussionist” duties with ?uest, beatboxing along to the heavy metal riffs. While anyone who closely follows the Roots knows that the progression from hip hop jazz to more of a rock base (particularly with the live show) has been slow yet undeniable, seeing them pull off such a departure from their trademark sound was still impressive. If members of the audience were disappointed by the cover choice (even though it only lasted a minute or two), the Philly band quickly fixed these relationships, getting back on track with the concert staple “The Next Movement.” The thousands in attendance joined in for the hook, clamoring along with, “We got the hot music, the hot mu-sic.” This will go down as one of the Crew’s most memorable performances in the NYC area - if not of all time.
As if the clock struck midnight and they had some sort of pumpkin phobia, at 8:00 sharp, the crowd broke down and cleared out. With fifteen minutes left of scheduled performance time, attendees left to get spots at Radiohead, leaving better views for the rest.
Day Three: Sunday, August 10th
The Main Event: Jack Johnson
The final stage slot at the inaugural All Points West Music & Arts Festival in Liberty State Park featured a new headliner. It felt a bit strange when Radiohead did not take the stage, but that was all soon forgotten, as Jack Johnson played his catchy folk melodies for just under two hours. The Friday and Saturday alternative, hipster and indie crowd, while still present, thinned out enough to make way for the more hippy and family-friendly lineup on Sunday. Radiohead, Underworld, Girl Talk, Animal Collective, Kings of Leon, CSS and others went home, while Ben Harper, Trey Anastacio, and others took to the stages. At no day was this all more apparent than during Jack Johnson’s finale, where little children bounced upon their daddies’ shoulders or slept on blankets, while hippies wrapped in flowered skirts and sarongs danced the night away.
Johnson, always aiming to please his many fans, played through a catalogue of mostly familiar melodies and the crowd returned the favor by singing along in unison. Without Radiohead’s crazy light spectacular from Friday and Saturday, the New York skyline glowed with intensity and, at times, surreally appeared to hang over the scene like a large mural painting.
The rest of the day…
The third and final day of the inaugural All Points West Music & Arts Festival appeared gloomy, but reality told a different story. Bands rewarded fans for their dedication, with a few notable artists giving those braving the rainy weather some of the best performances of the weekend. One thing for sure, Sunday’s lower attendance numbers made everything a bit more bearable, as fewer crowds eased traffic, cut down lines and gave the concertgoers VIP views to popular main stage performers, such as Cat Power, Ben Harper and Jack Johnson.
The raindrops came down slowly, but were massive in size as Rodrigo y Gabriela took the stage. They came down so hard that those in the audience with “eggshell skull,” should have been running for cover. Meanwhile, the Mexican guitar dualists exerted a force from the stage. Using the stringed instruments as lead, rhythm and bass guitar, as well as eclectic-sounding percussion devices, the duo once again amazed those unfamiliar with their music and abilities. If you have seen them play before, you know that picking one highlight is an arduous task. For many in attendance, it may have been to hear Rodrigo y Gabriela’s take on Metallica’s familiar “Orion” (originally from their classic Master of Puppets.) Yet, it is hard to deny the intensity of the climactic finale. Alone on stage, Rodrigo handled an incredible song bringing in Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” As the crowd encouraged him, Gabriela rejoined him on stage and the song melded into an extended version of their stunning “Tamacun” with a crazy drum beat piece carved out in the middle. However, despite how anything after could not have matched the intensity, the crowd wanted more. As they bowed to a thunderous applause, screams of “MORE!” and “Play another!” were the only decipherable phrases from the packed-in audience.
Next up on the Blue Comet mainstage, Cat Power (aka, Chan Marshall) held down a magnificent set to by far the largest crowd of the timeslot. Starting off with some mellow songs, the grounds around the stage steamed with skunky essence. Her soulful crooning led one fan to exclaiming that this was by far the best performance out of all of the many Cat Power shows that she has attended over the years.
Cat Power mentioned that it looks like the wind was blowing the rain away, but it was the fi
rst chord of Earl Greyhound that seemed to blow the clouds up and clear the sky for the first time on Sunday. Walking on stage in Sunday whites, the Brooklyn trio kicked it off with their biggest hit “S.O.S.” and did not let up until the end of the set. Showcasing five new songs (out of the nine song set – ten depending how you count), the band rocked the faces off of dedicated fans and newcomers alike. Some type of smoke machine added to the ambiance and mystique of the band, creating a psychedelic edge to the modernized glam feel and sound. Out of the new songs, two in particular stood out. The first (possibly titled “We Are”?) saw Kamara Thomas starting out at the keys, but repositioning back to her bass and spot next to Matt Whyte at the front of the stage in the middle of the song. The second, a slowed-down track with a beautiful jammed out portion in the begging featured the afro rocking beaut on vocals and a blues-enriched sound. Yet, all in all, the highlight of the set had to be the final combined song of “I’m the One/Monkey” (both tracks are off of Soft Targets). The psychedelic rendition full of tempo changes, allowed Whyte to bust open an intense guitar solo up at the front of the stage, while Thomas positioned behind with her bass held out perpindicular from her legs, ripped apart the strings, and drummer Ricc Sheridan pounded away on his custom set, leaving those watching gaping with mouths open. While Cat Power maintained her large crowd (starting 15 minutes earlier on the opposite side of the grounds), every single person watching Earl Greyhound relished with elation at how amazing they performed, seemingly emitting uncontrollable words of adoration.
Ben Harper stuck it through initial technical difficulties with much poise, joking “It’s all my fault. I’m the kinda guy, I walk into the room and your toaster breaks.” Everyone must’ve saved the little pot they snuck in for Ben and the Innocent Criminals, because by the end of his set everything. . . seemed. . . a little. . . slower.
As darkness set on Liberty State Park, Jack Johonson soon took the stage to close out the third and final day of All Points West…
Day One in Photos:
Day Two in Photos:
Day Three in Photos:
Special Thanks:
Dave Rheins, G Piper Carr, and Faith-Ann Young of Citizen Image, WNEW.com, Brittany Pearce, Sandee Gardner, Carleen Donovan, and Zim Miller
Comments:
Voice your memories, thoughts, and anything else on your mind, below…
Any word on the attendance figures for this festival? Wondering if enough people showed up that they may try to do it again next year…
Aug 15th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
[...] all of this week’s festival coverage, we didn’t have much extra time to check out some of this week’s new [...]
Aug 19th, 2008 at 9:49 am
[...] Greyhound rocked out a magnificent set at All Points West last weekend. After the Brooklyn natives told me that they were playing a free show the following [...]
Oct 20th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
[...] While what this means for APW’s future remains to be seen - though it sure doesn’t seem like a good sign - if plans for another edition have indeed been scrapped, the move does come as some of a surprise. Minus some early transportation problems and an unfavorable beer policy, the inaugural All Points West was viewed mostly as a successes. [...]