By Coleman Bentley of My Social List
To borrow a tagline courtesy of Anheuser-Busch's ex frat-bro marketing crack-squad: Here. We. Go. With temps set to broil and Governor's Ball's -- a ticking ego-time bomb loaded with love-to-hate icons like Axl Rose and Kanye West -- about to detonate, summer's lumbering momentum has seemingly been loosed. So whether you're swinging by a DIY warehouse sauna or headed out to Randall's Island for a weekend of agoraphobia-inducing port-a-john lines, make sure you remember the SPF and PBR, because once this starts, it can't be stopped.
While there has been a lot of drama surrounding Governor's Ball Saturday lineup, thanks in large part to the daytime soap that is Guns N' Roses and their contrasting set time with fellow headline-grabber Nas, it could very well be the best of the fest's three days. In case you hadn't figured it out already, this live music Eden, boasting sets from Japandroids, Fucked Up, Kendrick Lamar, and Animal Collective, checks in as our MOST BUZZED Show of the Week.
Expect a meltdown, a flair-up, or a burnout. Expect perfection, godliness, maybe legend. For good or for bad, Kanye West's penultimate appearance at Governor's Ball -- 10 days shy of the release of Yeezus, the follow-up to best reviewed hip hop album of all time -- has the potential to go down one in the annals of NYC show infamy. But will it? Ye's penchant for operatic drama and high-flying publicity stunts has me guessing yes and considering that this one clocks in at number two on our weekly top ten, I'd say the Internet agrees.
While there are sure to be some sour grapes in attendance for The National's Barclays Center gig this week -- I mean, the band did just play several impromptu/intimate/free shows in NYC after tickets for this one had been on sale for months -- rest assured all will be forgiven as soon as the first notes of the band's new (and stellar) LP, Trouble Will Find Me, hits mid-Brooklyn airwaves on Wednesday night. If you haven't done so already, pick up a copy of the album, and grab tickets to this one, which, while not as cheap as those aforementioned sets, is only going to run about $10 more than the vinyl you just bought anyway.
The first night Governor's Ball is also the third to land in our MOST BUZZED top ten, boasting headlining sets from long-absent Kings of Leon and other summer essentials (see: Beach House). While the Tennessee radio rockers recent output has been a little shaky, this one is still totally worth your hard earned cash and hard won time, if only for that Dinosaur Jr. appearance, which may well be my pick of the evening.
It's genuinely cool that we live in a world where Erykah Badu, Mos Def, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra can appear on the same bill and nobody north of the Mason Dixon bats an eye. There's always the chance it's just an NYC thing but either way the trio meet at BAM (a pyrotechnic acronym for Brooklyn Art Museum) on Friday night for a sonic cross-pollination not soon to be forgotten...as if that were possible anyway.
If you've somehow managed to sleep on, pass up, or outright dismiss the Japandroids in the twelve months since Celebration Rock spit its whiskey all over the blogosphere's bar and flicked a match, then you've done your ears a horrible disservice. There's still time to amend your oversight, however, beginning with this après Governor Ball rager at Music Hall of Williamsburg. The Vancouver rock n' roll duo are long way from home for this one, so make sure to show them your love.
Besides Bob Dole and O.J., everyone loved the 90s. In fact they were so great (apparently, as I was more interested in Tonka trucks than the American cultural climate) the second decade of the oughts has decided to revive them, starting with bands like Dead Stars, who encapsulate the best of the 90s (Mudhoney) while letting the worst (Candlebox) rest in relative peace. So grab your flannels and cut-off shorts, because those are back in too, and get yourself to The Grand Victory for killer nostalgia sets from the aforementioned Dead Stars, Radical Dads, and more.
If you asked a chronic NYC show-goer to organize their ideal summer festival without regard for budget or off-limit public venues, the result would probably look very similar to Summerstage's current lineup, which hits MOST BUZZED this week in the form of Flatbush Zombies' Red Hook Park-hosted throw down. Oh, and like almost all Summerstage shows, this one is totally free. Remind me again why you aren't going?