Dizzee, Diddley and The Dictators...

This weekend felt really long...not in a "long weekend" way, but I was up early every day and was doin shit nonstop...Friday seems a long time ago...

Anyway...I was totally prepared to pass out on my couch watching the Olympics opening jawn Friday night...long day at work...got everyone's voicemail when I called...knew others weren't gonna be around...so I kinda conceded staying in..when all of a sudden, in walks a buddy of mine (sans chammers...for the first time on Friday in months) fired up and ready to go meet some of his friends from work and head to Rothko...So I grab the remnants of a vodka bottle off my bar then pick up a can of red bull and a can of Sunkist from the epicurean downstairs...and it was on...

We went to a buddy of his place and hung out to watch the opening ceremonies... after a while we roll out to the bar to see what we can see...

Rest of the night was a bit of a blur...we got to Rothko right after The Soft Explosions were done...which was too bad cause I was looking forward to seeing them...and hung out for a while before I decided to turn in around 3ish so I could get up in the morning for...

Little Stevens Nostalgia Festival...

The day started off great...perfect festival weather, IMO...coolish and overcast, but no rain...but I quickly realized this shit was not made for people like me.

I liked the way the day was set up...with each band playing 2 or 3 songs then running off...It was just enough for me to say, "Oh, I know that song..." and then get ready for the next act...It was pretty amazing that Sil was able to get all these bands back together...but I mean...they all just didn't sound that great anymore. A few points:

*Hey...Kim Fowley and Martin Lewis...Shut the fuck up...seriously...Put on a CD or something between acts if you're worried about "dead air"...if you have nothing to say...don't force it...people can handle 2 minutes of silence from the stage...I swear...By far the most intolerable part of the day...those guys drove me nuts.

*I don't mind the sponsorship stuff at all...Sellout Schmellout...for a $20 ticket, do what you gotta do...It was very welcome for what they were able to put together.

*Y'all didn't have to introduce every band as if they were the the most important band of the last 50 years...I mean the schtick they gave about Pete Best was embarrassing...we know who he is...don't insult our intelligence by making it sound like the Beatles had no cred once he left...We know better.

*My biggest disappointment was that a lot of these bands just don't have it anymore...I was looking forward to seeing Big Star more than almost any other act all day...and they just didn't sound very good...Great band...but sounded like they hadn't played together in 20 years (have they?)...sad.

*The Strokes were depressing...playing in front of a crowd that couldn't care less about them...the band made it clear they were disappointed with the reaction...but there was nothing that could be done...90% of the crowd was there to hear their old favorite bands from when they were young...they don't know The Strokes. It didn't help that Julian looked bored, insisted that nobody wanted to hear them anyway, and went through the motions to get the set done. They clearly have been playing in Europe too long, where everybody loves them and still gets excited about seeing them for the first time...If the rumors are true that they are gonna slum around the Luna Lounges and the Lits for the next few months, it will do wonders for their rep and get people in NY excited for them again.

The two far and away highlights were The Dictators and Bo Diddley. The Dictators were just by far the most exciting and energetic band I saw all day...Handsome Dick Manitoba looked genuinely excited to be on stage in New York, and the result was an awesome set. Bo Diddley was unreal...I had no idea what to expect...but he sang his songs perfectly, and it was a genuine thrill to hear "Bo Diddley" and "I'm a Man" in their original form. If you ever see him playing a set near you, make a serious effort to check it out. It was an amazing surprise, and he truly made the festival for me.

Anyway...It's late and I'm gonna try and get to bed...I'll finish this shit up tomorrow re: Dizzie Rascal, Nas (or lack thereof) and HBO jabbering. Goodnight.