Let's just say this: sometimes the underdog gets the last laugh. There had been plenty of naysayers stacking up against this year's Fucking Awesome Fest. And the first night, although well attending for a Wednesday night kick-off, had people talking about under-attendance at this year's fest.

By the final night, I'm fairly certain that everyone had seen at least one act that they were gushing about. In fact, I apparently missed two of them simply by showing up late (10 pm) on Saturday. But, I will hasten to add, I was blown away by YACHT. Has there any other band that's been through the Majestic Complex in recent years that embodied a modern-day B-52s in such a way? Seriously. The Stick was turned into a dance party last night, and although I was most excited for YACHT of all the acts that graced the 4 stages within the complex over the weekend, I will readily admit that I was not entirely prepared for as enjoyable a show as I witnessed.

To be frank, you could have had the shittiest time the entire weekend, and still walked away feeling like you got your $40 worth last night. Between Dntel's solid set (although I did overhear a few folks wondering where the other half of the Postal Service was), another stellar set by Phantasmagoria (do these kids EVER underachieve?) and one of 2011's best performances in Detroit by YACHT, there were few Negative Nancies by the end of Saturday.

The only thing I wish had been different was that more of Detroit had turned out for FLASHCLASH on Wednesday night. They were truly, truly awesome. It was like a watered-down version of Yeasayer, but dancier. They are the real deal, stage show included. It was just a shame to see only 60 people turning up for their performance in the Theatre.

Well...THAT was one lousy turnout. What a shame. The BBQ was delicious (seriously, for venue patio barbeque, it sounds white trash, but it was fucking amazing), there were SEVERAL amazing performances, and the weather was great. But unfortunately, you don't get a huge turnout with a Wednesday night festival in Detroit that starts at 6:30pm. It was destined for failure. But, you can't just not try. Whoever made the attempt at the Crofoot, that is, whoever booked this monstrosity of a show, I give them huge credit. It takes balls. And it's going to take another two years. That's about the time when this is actually going to take off.
My prediction? It's going to be a flop again next summer. But word-of-mouth, despite how fickle and ignorant music fans can be in metro Detroit, works. It just takes a little bit in this town.
Pains of Being Pure at Heart sounded great, Passalacqua surprised the hell out of me with their energy and over-the-top performance (I'm not a big fan of local hip-hop), Craft Spells were everything I expected them to be, but the sleeper performance for most people (although I called it weeks ago) was the FUCKING BRILLIANT performance put on by Gardens & Villa. If this word-of-mouth I'm speaking of does any good at all, it will only take until they come back around on tour to metro Detroit for them to get a damned fine turnout. Although this time it will probably be at the Magic Stick. That's just a guess. Folks these days have no loyalty, talent buyers jump around (or get fired) far too often, and bands like to change it up. They won't play the Pike Room next time. But that next show will be one hell of a performance. Again. In the meantime we just wait.

Heading into the show, Slayer was kind of take-it-or-leave-it, but they ended up being one of the more impressive metal shows I've witnessed. They melted my face the fuck off, and set a nice precedent for the show as a whole. Originally, Rob Zombie was supposed to "open" (although it is a co-headling tour), but once he went on, it was obvious that this ridiculously extravagant stage layout wouldn't have quite the same impact during daylight hours.
With robots shooting out smoke, enormous monster puppets, three enormous video screens, UFO-quality lighting and an elevated drum kit, this was by far the most intense stage set that I'd ever witnessed.
Giving huge props to Detroit (which most artists do), he was actually able to recall that where we were witnessing this musical movement was once called "Pine Knob", as well as a show at Harpo's years ago. Whether he could remember these shows off the top of his head, or he did his research before taking the stage, this was most definitely a very respectful and appreciated moment he shared with metro Detroit.
Zombie made mention of the sound cut-off/curfew for DTE, and also made mention that he didn't give a fuck. He would gladly pay the $1000 per minute fine that would be levied should his set run past 11pm. And to be honest, as cool as that was, he could probably have cut out Ginger Fish's drum solo and the ludicrously long guitar solo of "Thunder Kiss '65". Also, I was never aware that Zombie was such a fucking Chatty Kathy. He sounded like an undead version of Dave Matthews. Cut out the chatter, dude, and you might have pulled off a timely set.
All the bullshit aside, this was the coolest, most sinister and impressive stage layout I have ever seen, by far. The show, metalhead douchebags included, was outstanding. Despite a number of horrible troll women with saggy tits and horrid tattoos, and their neck-tattooed greasemonkey common-law boyfriends, I wouldn't have traded this experience for anything. Especially considering most of the shows I attend are of the indie alternative unshowman-like quality. Kudos, Robert.

Spencer Krug brought his theatrical vocals and stripped-down eclectic electo-ish indie show to PJ's Lagerhouse last night. It was a solid show, but obviously not everything translates from a produced album to a live show (in a beautifully run-down historic and hole-in-the-wall bar in Corktown that can sometimes have iffy sound). Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown are Krug's other projects that are most established, more filled-out sounding musical experiments. This is a much more personal and intimate go at it. Not bad, although with the distinct sound of his wail, it sounded a bit like a Renaissance Festival performance at times. Overall, it was worth checking out. And local openers Phantasmagoria definitely killed it (despite the aforementioned lack of stellar sound in this bar).

Cut Copy at Royal Oak Music Theatre turned into a Detroit-style dance party fairly quickly Saturday night. The opening band, Delicate Steve, was a garbage can full of noise. Some sort of jam band with the sounds WAY too loud, it was barely tolerable. Cut Copy, however, was a completely different story. They played all the hits, got even the bros and sorority sisters in the crowd dancing (that's what a Detroit dance party is, folks), and did it all with shitty sound.

I'm not entirely sure if that's just how things are not at ROMT (I've never experience poor audio in that venue), or if the sounds person was just that lousy. Neither matters, and the fellas from Australia pulled out a great show. For those who haven't seen Cut Copy live, they don't come across as the New Wave '80s electro-pop band that they sound like on any of their albums. Their live instruments (particularly the guitarwork) really prove them to be a solid live band who doesn't just push buttons on a MacBook Pro and randomly screw around on a synth.

Oh, and don't fucking bother going to Sonic in Royal Oak on your way home. They're slower than molasses. Shocker.

So, without reminiscing (and dating myself) too much about "the good old days" when Tool or A Perfect Circle were impressionable on the masses, let's quickly reflect on how a heavy rock (alternative? Whatever the fuck that means) band with a mysterious and media-loathing lead singer has been able to impact a genre of music and a white-collar/white-trash fan base the likes of which we haven't seen since...Pantera? (I'd love to get into the bipolar offering of HOT broads vs underdressed hillbilly mules with ugly tattoos at the show tonight, but that would be an entirely different post altogether.)

APC tonight at the historic Fox Theatre was nothing short of extraordinary. I saw Tool at their peak in Kalamazoo in the early '00s (is that the proper way to abbreviate it? "The 2000s" sounds awfully yesteryear and not cybercool), and it was as close to a religiously musical experience as it gets. Nevermind the fact that the genre is scoffed at nowadays. Hell, even I would laugh at someone who said they were going to check out a band of this relevance in 2011.

All that aside, Maynard Keenan has one of the most impressive and eerie voices in modern music. Scott Weiland, a justifiable mancrush for pretty much anyone over the past 15 years, may have a more diverse and versatile (heroine-addled?) singing voice, but Keenan takes the cake when it comes to pairing up vocals with style of music. The man is a legend and an enigma. It would be safe to toss him in a category alongside Getty Lee (Rush), Justin Hawkins (The Darkness) and ODB (Wu-Tang).

Anyhow, with a setlist consisting of the hits off their three albums (truly only one of which was highly impressive), they entertained and impressed their loyal faithful alongside old fans like myself. "Magdalena", still one of my all-time favorite songs (alongside ANYTHING from Nirvana Unplugged and Yeasayer's Odd Blood), "The Hollow", "3 Libras" and "Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums" were the highlights of the evening. (Does anyone who isn't a, ugh, Phish fan even look at setlists online anymore?)

And there could not have been a more perfect setting for the show. They probably could have nearly sold out the Palace, but to play in a venue like the Fox was truly a stellar choice. (Although, with no true General Admission pit area, we were all stacked in seats alongside each other, and god help that dumb broad behind me that kept literally yelping in my ear until I nearly set her hair on fire.)

OK, now that I have the alternative-2000s (does that look better?) admiring out of my system (sorry I went all fanboy there for a few minutes), I promise to get back to reviewing shows (and the like) of music from bands that people give a fuck about these days...you know, hipster shit like The Pains of Being Pure at Heart or Matt & Kim or whatever the hell you idiots listen to these days.

Oh, and if you think you're way too cool for this, and it's not indie enough for you, I want you to take a listen to the Mountain Goats, then go back and listen to A Perfect Circle...and then tell me there aren't some enormous similarities.