Ghostland Observatory – Free Heart Lover (to play while you read)

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After the promotion company suits and others responsible can be to blame for three years of lack-luster Street Scene Festivals, most notably ill-reviewed by their poor choice in venues (Cricket Amphitheatre and Qualcomm), the people were finally heard and the music festival returned to its rightful setting in downtown. Four stages tucked away in the up-and-coming East Village of downtown San Diego served home to the 2008 Street Scene music festival. Flooded with hipsters, rockers, hippies and yuppies, Street Scene combined the eclectic concert-goers scene in a two day party that played host to over 40 bands. The urban energy hyped the crowds as Petco Park and the East Village skyline graced backdrops.

Things got off to a somewhat rocky start. MGMT’s early Friday performance was plagued by exaggerated amounts of bass. People flocked to Hot Chip and not to be disappointed. Hot Chip, prized for their energy intensive performances, had the crowd jumping off the bat. With their hits, “One Pure Thought” and “Ready for the Floor” the band set the bar high for the remainder of the weekend.

Following Hot Chip, we moved on to see The Foals. Rocking out the Casbah Stage, which seemed to be more for the smaller up-and-coming bands, they attracted quite a crowd. Good sound and stage presence and songs like “Cassius” made this a very successful performance for the band. They also grabbed the attention of the hundreds frequenting the cocktail tent next to the stage…

Beer break.

Caught the end of Michael Franti and Spearhead. They had a good sized crowd and were playing many favorites. Onward to the Fulana Stage to see TV on the Radio. As the sunset on the East Village skyline, the energy of the festival intensified and was brought to fruition by this performance. With some classics, “Wolf Like Me” mixed with a lot of anticipated new stuff from Dear Science, the show was amazing. Everyone was into the performance including the band themselves.

From the Fulana Stage to the Fulano Stage we moved, Spoon was up. Spoon put on a show. Everything sounded so tight, their song selection had the crowd involved the entire time and they played for nearly an hour. This performance made me love the album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga even more.

Tough decision followed, Justice vs. Vampire Weekend. Since I recently saw Justice at Coachella, I made the call to see VW. Although I heard Justice was amazing, I am not regretful. Vampire Weekend literally has a record quality sound to their live performances. The Zarabanda Stage where they played is tucked in within a narrow street in the Village and created for a clustered and wild audience.

Saturday we got things going with Cold War Kids. Never a disappointment. Once again, they put on a soulful show and got their very large following into it immediately. Moving on back to the Casbah Stage (up-and-comings) we saw a solid performance by Tokyo Police Club. Definitely a band to watch over the next couple years, very Strokesy but a little more punk.

Time to get good seats for Audio Muffin reviewed, Ghostland Observatory from Austin, TX. The Zarabanda Stage did not know what hit it as Ghostland followed by Atmosphere completely shocked the crowd. Light shows, ten minute songs, rock star dancing, crowd singing, the epitome of a music festival. Man Man closed up the night with a stunning show as well.

All in all, Street Scene 2008 was a huge success. The band selection was on point, many new bands creating a lot of press and some old favorites as well. The East Village was a gracious host and would be expected to be the location of this event for years to come.

Stay classy San Diego.

Sensory Overload.