Virgin Festival 2007 Day 1

So this past weekend (August 4^th/5^th 2007) Jessi and I hit the big music festival of the summer, The Virgin Festival. I’m not going to go into how awesome both days were because they were with out a doubt awesome. Even with the oppresive heat on the first day (we guess 120° in the sun) it was still the best festival since my first time going the HFS’Tival in 1997.

I will re-iterate what Jessi said, VIP is a must when dealing with this concert. It was so much a better experience for watching and listening to all these bands. Of course the perks weren’t bad either with our own bar and food service as well as an air conditioned lounge.

Here is my breakdown of what we saw on Day #1:

The Fratelli’s:

Since we got into the show a little late (traffic on 695 and general laziness for getting out of bed) we headed to see The Fratelli’s on the south stage. They were everything that I hoped they would be from a live act. The energy from the album came across in there performance. I was completely willing to risk heat stroke to watch this band.

Amy Winehouse:

Disappointing. It really didn’t seem like she really wanted to be there and kind of meandered her way through her set. The only shining part was when she did a cover of Lauryn Hill’s, That Thing.

Paolo Nutini:

Unbeknownst to me, this guy is more then just his “New Shoes” song that I keep hearing all over my satellite radio. Quite energetic and a great performer, definitely check him out if you get the chance.

Peter Bjorn and John / LCD Soundsystem:

Fan-fuck-tastic performances. Full power all the way on this one. I’m still kicking myself for not getting any good pictures of these bands. My only excuse was that it was too hot to venture out of our protective tent + bar. Once again, if you get the chance see these two bands you must go.

Beastie Boys:

Wow, even for being as old as they are they can still rock a mic. It was awesome to see them so into playing the music and then laughing and having fun while on stage. They even gave Laurel, MD a little ribbing proclaiming to not to be worth visiting. Mix Master Mike, as you would expect, destroyed during the set and even coming back on stage for an encore DJ set. All in all my favorite performance of the day hands down.

The Police:

The reason that we came here. They didn’t disapoint and dispite what was in the news, I could not detect any harshness between the members. It was almost as if they never broke up in the first place. Hell even Sting was playing with a bass that looked like it hadn’t been used since the last time they toured together back in 80′s. It was a great show and a double encore that really showed what a power house group these guys are.

Here are some videos I shot of The Beastie Boys and The Police.

The Police – Roxanne:

The Police:

Beastie Boys – Brass Monkey

Beastie Boys – Body Movin’

Mix Master Mike

Beastie Boys