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Music fan and PNJ reporter Eric Heisig blogged throughout the weekend at DeLuna Fest 2012.
I am in a hotel room in Tallahassee, and I need to be awake in just a few hours for a conference I am attending.
But wow, what a weekend. The highs were high (Pearl Jam, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Mould), and the lows didn’t bother me THAT much (Guided by Voices had some redeeming qualities, even if their set wasn’t up to the standards I had set for them). This was my first DeLuna Fest, and I had a great time.
I mean, how many people can say they get to watch music and get paid for it? Not many, which makes me one lucky guy.
All right, time for bed. Thanks for reading!
I was able to catch the last 10 minutes of Florence + The Machine’s set, and it made me wish I could have caught more.
She sounded fantastic and held the crowd in the palm of her hand. She closed with “Dog Days Are Over,” commanding the crowd (which was overflowing, just as I thought) to jump with her. They did, following her every move.
Now why wasn’t she closing the festival on the main stage?
Unfortunately, though, she was the last set I was able to see, as I left immediately after and was on the road to Tallahassee. Goodbye DeLuna, it was a great weekend for me!
Superchunk walked offstage about 10 minutes early, but they used their 50 minutes wisely.
Opening with “Learned to Surf,” the North Carolina quartet ripped through many of their best songs, be them from the new records (“Digging for Something,” “This Summer”) or from the old (“Driveway to Driveway,” “Like a Fool”).
Lead singer Mac McCaughan was constantly moving, bounding about the stage as he soloed and riffed away. Bassist Laura Balance also pogoed away, while guitarist Jim Wilbur and drummer Jon Wurster (who played with Bob Mould right before this set) kept the chaos controlled.
The crowd finally started getting larger when the band took the stage, after several acts played to few people. Superchunk did not disappoint. I had been waiting to see them for a long time.
Superchunk is playing "Learned to Surf," so I'll make it quick: The Corin Tucker Band was made for the small stage.
All the songs sounded great, especially from the new album, "Kill My Blues." But with very little movement, they are still growing, and need some time.
Tucker, who is best known from her time with the band Sleater-Kinney, still has that trademark banshee wail of a voice. And “Groundhog Day” and “Joey” sounded great, while a small but enraptured crowd watched her every move.
The woman is an indie-rock legend, and it’s interesting to see her try to start over. She made a good case for it at DeLuna, but she still needs time to grow. I’ll be patient though…
There are no words for how good Bob Mould was. Simply incredible.
The veteran rocker was advertised to play all of "Copper Blue," his former band Sugar's classic 1992 album. Well, he did about half of it before breaking and playing whatever he wanted, throwing in some of his new album and some Hüsker Dü classics.
Now in his 50s, the bespectacled Mould was in constant motion, throwing himself around the stage as he solos and plays with bassist Jason Narducy and drummer Jon Wurster. His guitar sounded like the musical equivalent of a 747 landing on stage, only getting more intense as the set progressed.
He hasn't lost a step, and it was incredible. I don’t think I had more fun all weekend than shouting along to “A Good Idea” or “I Apologize.”
It’s a shame that the crowd, while growing, remained small. And it’s an even bigger shame that this musical legend was only scheduled for 45 minutes, yet The Wallflowers and Fitz & The Tantrums get a full hour.
The heck with popularity. Go with stature. Mould has it, and he proved that he still has the goods on Sunday afternoon.
The Corin Tucker Band next.
Redd Kross left the stage in a haze of feedback, a chaos they were able to control through all of their 45-minute set.
It was a perfect way to start Sunday, even though I am baking in the heat. But with a healthy dose of their new album (they opened with “Stay Away from Downtown,” one of the best songs from “Researching the Blues”), as well as some classics, they knocked it out. Lead singer and guitarist Jeff McDonald, who is now pushing 50, sounds as young as ever, and channeled his inner Mick Jagger when he chose to put down the guitar and strut across the stage.
I loved it, though some of the Florence + The Machine fans that gathered early seem a bit bewildered. No reason to be afraid people, it’s just good power pop all around.
Bob Mould is next. And by looking at the schedule, it seems like this is the day for alternative rock to take over.
I can't wait.
