I first saw Santigold open for U2, er, Coldplay (work event, no choice), where she did a fine job, though the acoustics of the United Center butchered much of the subtlety. Her Lolla performance was a lot more fan-forward, sticking to the singles, occasionally peppered with samples of other flavor-of-the-moment R&B. The sound was a lot better at this show than when I saw her at the UC, but for whatever reason, she seemed a lot more cutting edge opening for Coldplay. Maybe she had less to lose at that show, afterall most Coldplay fans are unlikely to be cross shopping Santigold, or maybe she's falling into the stadium act routine. Whatever the case, this performance, while proficient and basically flawless, was largely emotionless and flippant. A throw-away show amongst the day's events is disappointing from a star such as this with so much potential.
This was my third Kings of Leon show, and I've had enough. I first saw them at Summerfest about 4 years ago, on a smaller side stage, and I was blown away. At the time I was still in love with Youth and Young Manhood and had I been blogging back then, might have put that show at the top of the list that year. My how the mighty have fallen. They've become the new U2 (sorry, Coldplay) - and I hate U2. I found it hilarious at my last Art Brut show that Eddie Argos spent a good 5 minutes bitching about how "Sex on Fire" makes no goddamn sense. He then proceeded to bitch about U2 sucking. Which endeared Art Brut to me all the more. I couldn't agree more.
Going to grad school in the hometown of Polyvinyl, I got to see Of Montreal nearly every other week (Polyvinyl still owes me a big box of albums that I ordered nearly 2 months ago, BTW). Which was good and bad. Of Montreal is a fun live act, but they're also a little full of themselves. They continue to add the schtick each time I see them, and their performance at Lolla was truly over-the-top with numerous costumed dancers and flamboyant outfits. It adds to the aesthetic, sure, but I've never really been all that clear on what the attempted aesthetic is, exactly. It's like a dumbed-down, less tongue-in-cheek rendition of Flaming Lips. Which is not to say that the music is dumbed-down, because it isn't. Oh no, it's way heady stuff, with tracks like "Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse". See, can't you tell how intellectual they are? The saving grace with this band is that they're catchy, the keyboardist actually looks like she's enjoying herself and seems appreciative of the fan base, and they don't think themselves too good to play Canopy Club in Urbana, Illinois every other Tuesday evening. At least not yet.
I like that The Decemberists now have to tell their crowds ahead of time whether they'll be performing a "regular" show or a "Hazards of Love" show. That's what a concept album will do to you. I agree with the critics that the album isn't all that great front-to-back. Give me Operation Mindcrime any day of the week over this album. But, like most Decemberists effort, even if I don't particularly like a certain song or album, I can at least appreciate the effort, and know that they do so with a mixture of sincere artistry, humility and fun. I've written about Decemberists before, so I won't extol again here my love-hate relationship with the band. Instead, I'll talk about this Lolla show. They simply rushed through the Hazards of Love front-to-back, and as everybody expected, the guest female vocals stole the show. Much ink has been spilled about the Diamond gals on this album, so I won't go into it here. It was a solid effort, if rushed, and broke no real new ground. As part of a weekend festival, it worked, but as a stand alone show, I wouldn't have been real happy. 
I've seen Fleet Foxes exactly twice, once at Pitchfork and now at Lolla. So, at two outdoor festivals. And you know what? They sounded better at Lolla - the larger outdoor space. This doesn't seem right. A band heavy on vocal harmonies and angelic choruses should be better at a more intimate venue, right? I think the answer is that the passage of time honed their skills. At Pitchfork, FF seemed a little shy, reserved, nervous perhaps. At Lolla, they've more fully embraced and realized their potential, seeming to have more fun with the venue, and casting their mellow harmonies across the large field. The rain soaked crowd seemed to lap it up, as did I. 
