All Points West Saturday Report

This past weekend was the inaugural All Points West festival in Jersey City, NJ. I braved the crowds and bathroom lines Saturday to see what it was all about.

Chromeo
The day started with this electro-pop duo from Canada. I didn’t see what the big deal about them is. Their first few songs basically involved them repeating their name over and over, in case you forgot who you were watching. Someone I was with said it was one of the greatest moments of her life. At least someone enjoyed it. My old, crappy digital camera also decided to bite it after their set, so that was the end of my good pics.

Metric
They seemed solid, though I am unfamiliar with their music so I couldn’t really get into it. The lead singer made some quip about turning into a hipster band. Whatever.

Animal Collective
This was a weird set. It started off and ended well, but the middle was a muddled mess. The peak came at the end with “Fireworks,” but by the time they built up their momentum, it was over, leaving us unfulfilled. Maybe I needed to be on drugs to fully enjoy it, as there was a guy around us who seemed to be enjoying it a bit too much.

The Roots
Just to start, I want to say how much of a travesty it was that they got put on the second stage and ended a mere 15 minutes before Radiohead. I’m sure there were more than a few people who sat through Kings of Leon instead of seeing the Roots just so they had good seats for Radiohead. That said, they missed a hell of a show. The last 35 minutes started with a 15 minute epic version of “You Got Me,” complete with tuba and (a killer) guitar solos. It didn’t let up from then until the end of the set. Set list, for all those who want to know what they missed out on, was as follows:

Rising Up
Mellow My Man
Criminal
Long Time
You Got Me (super extended OMG version)
The Seed 2.0
The Next Movement
75 Bars (we left a minute or so into this, so I’m not sure if there was anything else)

Radiohead
Well, what can I say, it’s friggin Radiohead. It wasn’t the most personal show I’ve ever been to (what can you expect with 20,000 people?), but it was extremely rewarding. The set as very In Rainbows heavy, but also included a nice variety of older material, including a nice amount from Kid A. Highlights included “The National Anthem,” “Fake Plastic Trees,” “Exit Music (For a film),” and “Weird Fishes.” The lights were exceptional as well and just added to and excellent performance.

Overall, APW was very hit and miss. The Roots ended up stealing the show, and between them and Radiohead, the ticket price was warranted. However, everything leading up to those two performances was a very mixed bag, and it seemed the same way for the Friday and Saturday shows. Next year, hopefully they get a few more A-list acts and stagger the set times a bit better.