FreeFest at Merriweather Post Pavillion on Oct 6, 2012

Merriweather Post Pavillion on 10-6-2012

I was disappointed with FreeFest this year. Not one act stood out as a really special discovery, it seemed over crowded compared to the last couple years, and the organizers scaled back on the extras that make it more festive. I went with Eric for the first time, and neither of us really enjoyed it. The sound quality was universally good on all stages - I have to give them that.

Act by act:
Das Racist - Last minute cancellation

Volta Bureau - Boring dance/rave music

Justin Jones - Good for what he does, but uninteresting to us. Workin' man's music - rock, sometimes with a little country or a little blues influence. Springstein influence, too. Nothing special about his stage show.

Allen Stone - I think I threw up in my mouth a little at this one. And I wasn't drinking. I hated this act. Motown white soul with weird quasi-religious overtones. Bleh.

Future Islands - The music is interesting - techo instrumentation with a monster voice for vocals. The lead singer had personality, but no charisma. He was 40 something and balding (as were his band-mates) with the weirdest lunging hunchback dance style. The show was great as long as you didn't look at the stage.

Penguin Prison - Good techno/electronic dance with vocals and great lights show. Just not amazing.

Portugal the Man - Standard rock band. It was Eric's first exposure to them and he really liked them. I feel that I've heard them so many times they bore me.

Trampled by Turtles - A 5 piece stringed American folk group. They were very good, though I almost dosed off a few times during their sleepier tunes. No showmanship, just musical excellence.

Nervo - Two hot female Australian DJs. The 20-somethings had a great time. We weren't all that impressed.

Ben Folds Five - A better showman than most, and an excellent musician, but Eric and I both hate most of his musical catalogue. I read a book during his act to kill time.

Santigold - Same show I saw at 9:30 Club, which was excellent, though it loses something on a huge stage. You really have to be able to see the stage well to enjoy her show-the dancers and crazy costumes. She did the best of anyone that day, but it wasn't mind-blowing.

Alabama Shakes - I couldn't see anything from our location - just a few glimpses of the screen. Incredible vocals, though. I liked the sound, even though I'm not into this group.

Nas - A potty-mouthed rapper. Bleh. Eric wanted to see what he was like, so we watched a couple songs to kill time.

ZZ Top - They had a great video stage show, but those men are creaky. They don't move much at all on stage, and their voices have not held up. They sounded and moved like they are ancient.

M83 - Pretty good live. Good stage set and energetic hired help musicians. The main guy didn't do much, though. I liked the one time he talked to the audience with his French accent. He should have done that a lot more.

Jack White - He was backed up by his all-girl band at this show. The music all sounded excellent, and the staging was attractive, but there was no connection with the audience, and I don't care for jamming. Apparently Jack White likes to jam sometimes. Eric and I left early, bored.

The Verdict: Very disappointing. Not one of the acts impressed me or exceeded my expectations. The only one that moved me to dance much was Santigold. Very few of the performers engaged the audience or spoke to them at all. They all seemed devoid of personality and didn't do anything outside of their normal recorded sound. It was nice weather, so it was a pleasant day out, but nothing great.