Lollapalooza Mon Aug 02 2010

Lollapalooza Stage Clash 2010 - Round 1

Every year it becomes harder and harder to decide what band to see during a particular hour at Lollapalooza, partly because the bands are so great, partly because choosing a band on one end of the vast Lollapalooza empire means you just won't have time to hoof it to the other end for another's set. All this week we'll be bringing you our staff's picks on which band to see and which to skip. Hopefully making your hard decisions a little easier.

Without further ado, we bring you picks for

Friday, August 6th: early afternoon

Noon-1pm Wavves vs. Balkan Beat Box
While 2009's Wavves and this year's King of the Beach remain on regular rotation on my summer soundtrack, Wavves turned out a less than stellar performance at last year's Pitchfork Music Festival, so I'm inclined to write them off for this year's Lolla. To their credit, at the time singer Nathan Williams was playing guitar with a broken arm, security was having major issues after the barricades had caved in and I suspect the poor performance was partially due to sound issues that were not entirely the band's fault. Isreali electronica band Balkan Beat Box are guaranteed to bring a sweaty dance party, and offer a much larger variety of musical styles and sound experimentation than Wavves. The best bet would definitely be to get your gypsy punk groove on and head over to Balkan Beat Box's set.
- Stephanie Griffin

2-3pm: Mavis Staples vs. Raphael Saadiq
Schedule conflicts are criticized every year, even though most are necessary. But it's baffling that two of this year's three R&B acts are playing opposite each other at the same exact time. On the north stage is Mavis Staples, probably the most legendary act on this year's schedule. (Playing "Birth Ritual" in Singles is pretty great, but it can't quite compete with marching with Martin Luther King, Jr.) Even at 60 years as a singer, Staples hasn't lost a step. Her voice is in fine form when performing Staple Singers classics, her own material and even an array of delightful covers. On the south stage, Raphael Saadiq should be dropping some tunes with arrangements that may remind showgoers of Holland/Dozier/Holland. His latest record The Way I See It has been lauded for its retro style, but he's no slouch as a performer either.
- James Ziegenfus

2:15-3:15 Ana Sia vs. Tim and The Space Cadets
A fun loving power pop party that manifests the spirit of everything amazing about being a kid! Parties, Superheros and space travel to a moon that truly is composed of cheese, Tim and The Space Cadets might be a much needed break if you exhaust your indie rock threshold and need to jump around to adorably addictive hook and corny, yet witty lyrics. Their debut CD is entitled The Greatest Party Ever who wouldn't want to get down with that? Ana Sia is far on the other end of the musical spectrum, blending almost all of the elements of dance music in to a electro-crunk explosion of blips, beeps and a buzz out repetition that is like drowning in a sea of computer glitches. Both musicians will have you dancing, just in very different ways.
- Aharona Ament

3-4:30pm Peanut Butter Wolf vs. The Big Pink (vs. Drive-By Truckers)
The travels of one PB Wolf are a rarer treat than you might expect for an in-demand DJ. Of course, the man's evergreen appeal stems from the fact that he not only mixes music with the best of them, but he also curates it as well. If you really want to see the the head of Stone's Throw lay down on the wheels of steel, by all means do -- but for those who aren't quite sold, or prefer a little honky with their tonk -- take a gander at the Drive-By Truckers. Their three-pronged guitar attack brings plenty of Southern grit and little of the compositional fat that defines the dinosaur rock they blossom from. But if you'd rather not stray towards anything with a steel guitar, or just want to dance a bit, trust in the deep collection of Mr. Wolf.
- Dan Morgridge

4-5pm: Devo vs. The New Pornographers
The best thing about this potential conflict is that both Devo and the New Pornographers are playing aftershows. So the easy answer here is to see one at an aftershow, the other at 4pm on Friday. Unfortunately, Devo's become something of a novelty act the last few years, treading on songs that're 30+ years old. However, they do have a new record out that's added a bit of flare to their set lists. And they're always entertaining. The New Pornographers also have a new record out filled with power-pop jams. A lot of people think it's a big deal that Dan Bejar's playing with them again, but he really doesn't add much to their show. How could he over AC Newman and Neko Case?! They're the stars and the New Pornos live and die with them being on their game (or not).
- James Ziegenfus