1. Del The Funkee Homosapien w/ Bukue One, Zac Hendrix, DJ Chilly C, P.R.E.A.C.H., and The 12 to 6 Movement

-Where: The Firebird
-When: Saturday, June 4th @  8:30 PM
-How Much: $15
-Why: A hip-hop legend and the rapper on the original Gorillaz album, Del won’t disappoint with his clever verses.

2. Bright Eyes w/ Dawes
-Where: The Pageant
-How Much: $27.50 adv / $30 dos ($2 minor surcharge)
-When: Monday, June 6th @ 8 PM
-Why: Conor Oberst always performs an emotional set, but opener Dawes’ country tinged hooks may steal the show.

3. Neon Indian w/ Asobi Seksu
-Where: The Firebird
-When: Wednesday, June 8th @ 9:00 PM
-How Much: $12
-Why: Still don’t know what Chillwave is? Come see Neon Indian – who made the genre well known – to get a grasp on relaxing summer grooves.

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The first set we caught on Sunday was Best Coast. As fellow Eleven team member Noah said, “One of the best of the fest. Best Coast oozed surf pop goodness that made me a melty hot mess. The perfect mid-afternoon treat for a hot Sunday in the park.” And this time, we actually agree with him.

Girls played next on the Aluminum stage. As usual, the crowd took a beating from the sun, zapping us concert-goers’ energy. Despite the heat, which caused several to retreat to cooler ground midway through the set, this was the largest crowd to which Girls have ever played, confessing to Eleven that they’ve never been so nervous for a show. Nerves didn’t stop Christopher Owens from putting on a stellar performance though. He’s a shy boy in-person, but once he gets on stage, boy does he know how to entertain a crowd—swaying his hips and dancing around like a little girl (a comparison he would probably welcome). Even though there were an extraordinary number of attendees, the crowd just couldn’t get into it with all the heat. Thankfully, heat didn’t stop us from getting down to “Morning Light,” “Hellhole Ratrace,” and “Lust for Life.” We love Girls!

We weren’t able to catch Washed Out, but Noah filled us in on the set: “On the slower side of life. But kept the beats goin’ and the crowd a movin’.”

Beach House was another band we were only able to watch from afar, but from where we sat, the sound was great. Noah, again, with a quote to leave us guessing: “The ideal festival band. Got your heart racing to EU nations such as Norway.” Err thanks, Noah.

While we were only able to withstand one song of Lightening Bolt’s raw, noise-rock set in the middle of our summer day, the rest of the crowd really seemed to dig their set. Gotta’ hand it to ‘em – not exactly sure how Brian Chippendale managed to project such an explosion of energy while rocking a sure-to-be-suffocating mask in the heat, but he really pulled through and delivered his typically prodigious drum performance.

Surfer Blood was up next, and drew a predictably large crowd of hipsters. Most striking about Surfer Blood was not their beachy pop music, but their age! We knew they were young, but really… that young?? What baby faces!

Major Lazer was a crowd favorite! Throngs of dance dudes lined up early in the day just to be close enough to catch Switch hump on stage. Noah called this set the most obscene show of the festival, and we’d have to agree. Kids love their Diplo!

Neon Indian was great. Alan Palomo was almost outshined by his adorable and dynamic live bandmate – the girl… It started out with a sultry teaser of hit “Should Have Taken Acid With You,” before turning into a surprisingly full, healthy sounding set. For those of us lucky enough to find spots in the shade, the heat was manageable, danceable even, as evidenced by bouts of drug induced jamming interspersed throughout the crowd. This was the one time when it seemed like there were drugs at this fest, which otherwise felt quite dry and sober.

Noah checked out Big Boi for us and reported the following: “Got expletive popping; a nearly perfect set list, covering his career with Outkast as well as his hits off Sir Lucious Left Foot.”

Depending on where you were standing for Sleigh Bells, it either sounded a like a muffled, crying elephant or the incredible attack of killer spaceships. The crowd was so dense that we couldn’t make it more than ten feet deep, where the sound was quiet and distorted. Deep in the front, however, Noah described it as “a regular dance party,” which apparently was a good thing. We left disappointed though, and saved our spots for Pavement.

Pavement’s appearance was hyped as a big reunion show, even though they’ve played several times already this summer. Having seen them at Coachella earlier this year, we have to say that this set did not live up to our expectations. That said, we can’t help but enjoy singing along to “Cut Your Hair” even if Stephen Malkmus lacked the heart to really excite the crowd. Noah described their set as being too polished, saying, “Playing a festival defeated the purpose of Pavement and it’s small club vibe.” We can’t argue this time.

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Photo by Alex Menter. More on Flickr

Neon Indian’s last stop on their six-month tour landed them in front of an energetic and eager crowd (The Hood Internet had just played) at Schubas in Chicago for the Tomorrow Never Knows music festival. For such brightly colored music, Alan Palomo, front man of Neon Indian, wore a black shirt with white polka dots, a black leather vest, black skinny jeans and white canvas shoes that all screamed rock and roll. His three band mates followed suit with the exception of the band’s only female, Leanne Macomber, who sported a bright purple wig. Even the lighting was simplistic blues and reds, and everyone who has been through kindergarten knows that makes purple, another dark shade to add to the conservative backdrop.  This was a rock ‘n’ roll band fully equipped with an axe man ready to shred whenever let loose. Too bad Neon Indian doesn’t play rock and roll music – or so I thought.

Neon Indian is a leader of the newish glo-fi/chill wave genre that has been sweeping the blogosphere. Their music is new, hip, and typically about as far from classic rocks as it gets. But, Neon Indian decided to bring the noise. Hits like “Deadbeat Summer” and “Should Have Taken Acid With You,” chock-full of exploding synthes and airy vocals, were as strong as ever. And although, Palomo (with one shoe untied and bouncing around like an adolescent… well… on acid) was mesmerizing to watch, he alone was not the most interesting or exciting part of the night.

Rather it was during “Ephermeral Artery” and “Local Joke,” songs that get lost at the end of Psychic Chasm, that Neon Indian showed their true live colors. Palomo seemed to be doing his best Mick Jagger impression while the rest of the band pushed it into overdrive. So I guess in the end it comes full circle. Who would have thought? Neon Indian is a glo-fi band stuck in a rock band’s body. Or a rock band stuck in a glo-fi band’s bod?  Either way, you know what I mean.

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