So you want to be a WVUR DJ? Well this is for you.

Just fill out this form (.doc) or this PDF file. Then email it back to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it with your information. Sounds simple enough, right? If you have any questions, send them to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Welcome back one and all to valpo.edu/wvur, the official webcast home to Valpo athletics.  For those of you new to the site, click the Webcast link in the upper right corner of the main page to listen live to Crusader sports.  The full slate of scheduled broadcasts will be uploaded shortly.

For the fourth summer in a row, the once traveling, now destination festival Lollapalooza was held in Grant Park, downtown Chicago. This was my second time I attended the festival, and it only gets bigger and better each time.

Friday

The Black Lips

Opening things up on Friday afternoon was Atlanta, GA rockers The Black Lips. Openers of the day are often hit or miss, and this set certainly leaned more towards the “miss” end of the spectrum. Sure the band had a high level of energy, but it seemed like they were trying way too hard to please their audience. The lead singer did this gag where he would spit high up into the air, and then try to catch it in his mouth. It was a little amusing the first time, but after he tried it a fourth time, it was just sad.

The Go! Team
“We came here to rock the microphone,” sang Nkechi Ka Egenamba, lead singer of the British band The Go! Team. And boy did they ever. Bringing the most energy of any early afternoon band of the weekend, they played a well designed set mixing songs from both albums, all upbeat dance tunes (although honestly, most of their songs are). The one slower song they played, Everyone’s a VIP to Someone, was introduced with the first of many feel good messages of the weekend. The crowd responded very well to the band, and danced through most of the set. And when your band has two drummers, its hard not to get into it.

The Black Keys
The first bigger scheduling conflict came in the form of The Black Keys vs. Gogol Bordello. I decided that Gogol Bordello was more of a novelty act, since I don’t like their music, so I decided to go with talented Akron, OH blues-rockers The Black Keys. And they didn’t disappoint. Their set probably wasn’t as fun as Gogol Bordello over on the south side of the fest, but they’re certainly more talented. I can’t say I’m very familiar with their music, but they put on a good show, and their music is pretty accessible.

Mates of State
Poor Mates of State. NOBODY was at their set. Maybe a few hundred people. They were up against Cat Power, who drew away a great many people, and so many people were already camping out their spot for Radiohead later that night. I walked right on up and immediately had a fantastic spot. And it’s a shame not many were in attendance, because this cutesy husband and wife duo played their best. Songs from their new album Re-Arrange Us sounded well rehearsed, and they didn’t focus only on that newer material. All Mates of State fans, new and old could find the setlist enjoyable.

Bloc Party
Sporting a fashionable Obama t-shirt, Kele Okereke played to a massive crowd, many of which were not very responsive. It was clear that at least half of his crowd were Radiohead fans, and most weren’t very into Bloc Party. And with the performance they put on, who can blame them? They just went through the motions, playing song after song, and finally closed with their “hit” (I use the term lightly, since it was clear most just knew the song from Guitar Hero) Helicopter. I’m not sure if people were cheering because it’s a decent song, or because it meant their set was ending and they were that much closer to their precious Radiohead.

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks
Stephen Malkmus had hand down the worst time slot of the weekend. Under normal circumstances, he’s capable of drawing a large crowd, I’m sure. But Friday night, he not only played against The Raconteurs, he played immediately before Radiohead. Even I wasn’t really so much “in attendance” as I was across the field, holding onto my sub-par Radiohead spot. Malkmus is a seasoned pro at the whole indie-rock thing, and it came through in his performance, at least as well as I could tell.

Radiohead
Watching Radiohead perform with a congregation of roughly 75,000 people is both very cool, and bothersome. The idea of so many people enjoying one event together is exciting, but when it comes down to it, it is very hard to execute. People were talking through the entire set, and the literal sea of people made it nearly impossible to get any view of the stage. All that aside though, there wasn’t a single flaw in Radiohead’s performance. Whether they let it show or not, the band was looking forward to that night. They claim that their 2001 show in the same park was one of their favorites, and it was their only date in Chicago, and headlining a major festival. They sounded perfect. The set list was incredible (they played No Surprises). There were fireworks. And the people who really cared about the band and the music were attentive and polite. I really couldn’t have asked for a better performance.

Saturday

The Melismatics
How cool would it be if you entered a big battle of the bands contest, won, and then got to play at Lollapalooza as your prize? Well that’s exactly what happened to Minneapolis based band The Melismatics. And their enthusiasm sure showed. They acted as you’d expect a tiny band full of 20-somethings playing a main stage of Lollapalooza to act. They gave 100%, and were honestly happy to be there. There was no trying to act cool. And I respect them more for that.

Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s
Probably the most “this is just okay” set of the fest, Margot and the Nuclear So and So’s started off looking exciting. I had no idea their band consisted of so many people. The thing is: having a large band is only cool if you have everyone doing something. Rarely did all members play together, and when they did, they just played the songs almost as if they weren’t in front of a large crowd. Don’t get me wrong; they sounded good. Its just that maybe they should take a page from The Melismatics and not take themselves quite so seriously.

The Ting Tings
As far as I could tell from their stage banter, this was the first time this British indie-pop duo performed in Chicago. They drew a fairly large crowd, and put on a good show. It seems like they’re trying hard to keep the attention that they got from recently exploding. Being put on an iPod commercial can do that to an artist. Thankfully, they did a good job proving that they deserve the spot, that they can perform, and that they plan on sticking around.

MGMT
The award for worst sound setup goes to this set. Combined with the fact that they weren’t nearly loud enough and that sound from the closest stage bled into MGMT’s area makes this set hard to review. I think they were good. People who were very close to the stage told me it was good. Unfortunately, after a few songs like that, it wasn’t worth sticking around, so I ventured off elsewhere.

Explosions in the Sky
You wouldn’t really figure an instrumental post rock quintet like Explosions in the Sky as the Lollapalooza type. Well, people who assumed that missed out. The crowd was smaller, but the people in attendance understood it. Close to 80% of the time, the band isn’t doing anything worth watching. But the sound they create makes up for it. And although it didn’t seem like it at first, Grant Park was a fantastic place for them to play. You didn’t have to watch the band. Looking at the skyline, the plants, or even straight up to the sky while listening to the music made both parts even more enjoyable.

Okkervil River
Some bands manage to sound better live than they do on album recordings. Okkervil River is one of these bands. There was something in this set for everyone. Some new songs, some old. Some upbeat songs, some slower. Leader Will Sheff remained very humble before the crowd, telling them numerous times how excited he was to see everyone, and telling the crowd that he loved them. And the thing is: I believed him. The only downside to the performance was the fact that a guitarist was gone. An unnamed woman filled in for him. She was good, but it certain parts where fast fingers and enthusiasm were necessary (the mandolin part on Westfall, the guitar solo on Unless It’s Kicks) she just didn’t cut it.

Broken Social Scene
What makes Broken Social Scene so fantastic can be summed up in three words: strength in numbers. While most conventional bands stop at having two (maybe three) guitarists, BSS had five. Not counting the bass. But it’s more than that. All members are skilled multi-instrumentalists, sometimes switching instruments mid-song. The 10 people out of the 14 member band on stage played a few “Broken Social Scene Presents…” songs, and the rest classic BSS songs. They even closed with all nine minutes of “It’s All Gonna Break,” which might just be one of the best songs to end an album ever. This show almost rivaled the bands infamous show two years before at Lollapalooza ’06. It was practically therapeutic at times. Leader Kevin Drew encouraged fans to scream at the top of their lungs, just to “let it out.” It felt good. And when he left the stage assuring the crowd of the global message that “everything will be alright,” it was enough for me to believe it, even if just for a few minutes.

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
This was a band I wanted to see, but ended up just listening to. I was not giving up my fantastic spot for Wilco. They sounded impressive though. If you like Motown sounding music, this is right up your alley.

Wilco
When it came down to it, at the end of the day, there were two kinds of people in attendance Saturday. Those who saw Rage Against the Machine, and those who saw Wilco. Pleasant band playing happy indie music in their hometown that they love, or angry band with angry fans and political banter. More people went with the latter, but I for one wasn’t missing Wilco. And it ended up being a good choice. Not only was the Rage show a little out of hand (the band stopping 4 times because the crowd was too violent, sending a constant stream of people to the paramedic booth), Wilco was awesome. The crowd was extremely pleasant. Acoustics were great. The set list was great. Although the song Spiders is a fantastic live song, I would have rather done without that 10 minutes song in exchange for 2 or 3 other songs. Ok, I admit it: they didn’t play Heavy Metal Drummer, and I’m bitter about it. But aside from that, everything was wonderful and Wilco closed out Saturday on a great, positive high point.

Sunday

The Weakerthans
Their bus broke down and they didn’t make it. It was a bummer, but its understandable and acceptable. What was not acceptable was the total lack of communication between Lollapalooza and the attendees. I found out about the bus problems after the weekend was over. Sunday morning there was no communication that the band wouldn’t be there. They could have easily put up a notice on one of the many gigantic screens at the stages, but they didn’t.

Nicole Atkins and the Sea
Skipping out on two bigger bands to see one you’ve never heard of is a pretty big risk. Luckily, that risk paid off for those who went to see Nicole Atkins. She’s got a killer voice, comparable to that of Regina Spektor and Charlotte Sometimes. The best description I can give is that she was confident. While admitting that she assumed that it would just be her mom and dad in the crowd (and thanking the audience for showing up), it was surprising how talented of a performer she was. And not just her either; her backing band was very good as well.

Black Kids
I only caught a few of their songs, so I could head over to Iron and Wine, but from what I saw, this indie-pop group isn’t that bad live. They seemed rather immature though. The lead singer just kept dropping f-bombs for no real reason, reminiscent of high schoolers swearing just because they think its cool. I still don’t get what the gigantic hype over them is though. They’re just okay.

Iron and Wine
I’m in the lonely minority of people who do not like the new sound of Iron and Wine. For the unfamiliar: the band has progressed from basically one guy with a guitar playing very lo-fi folk music to a full band that is pretty much the opposite of lo-fi (overproduced, in my opinion). I expected a decent amount of newer material, but when he started to play my old favorites in rearranged versions to make them sound more like his new sound, I was heartbroken. To most, it was probably a fantastic show, and the band sounded very together. But to me, I just want my old Iron and Wine back.

 Girl Talk
In a day full of mediocre performers, Greg Gillis, aka Girl Talk, saved the day. He took the stage by storm, starting off by exclaiming how Lollapalooza 1995 was an influential experience for him, and that he’d been looking to this event for a very long time. From there, he did what he does best: kick out the jams. Mixing up crowd favorites with a unexpected amount of new material, he had the whole packed area moving. Silly decision number two of Lollapalooza for that day was scheduling him at a tiny tent. It was crowded, hot, and sweaty as people danced the hour down. Four people climbed trees to see better, and then danced in the trees. It was downright impressive actually: those trees have been there many decades, some having a solid 20 feet before any branches even start. Even the people who were just passing by on their way in between stages got into it and were dancing. Although that’s to be expected with a Girl Talk concert. Things that aren’t expected: the crowd having to get off the stage because they started to break it from dancing so much, and Greg ending his set by riding in an inflatable raft across the massive crowd.

Ok, so my Sunday was kind of weak. It was the worst day out of all three as far as the lineup went. And I really had no problem leaving early without seeing any of the headliners. Nine Inch Nails does not excite me, and I knew what to expect from Kanye West. He put on a great performance, but was his usual arrogant self.

Altogether, Lollapalooza was a fantastic experience. There is literally something for everyone, no matter what their musical preference is. It’s almost like having a family of 75,000 for a few days. It provides a unique sense of unity but, unlike other festivals across the country, it allows you to go home each night and relax in the comfort of your own home (and get a shower). People look out for each other, and don’t hesitate to share necessities like water and sunscreen. I got to meet people from all over the country, and even people from other countries (including a guy from Taiwan). Everyone coming together for a common interest: music. I might be over-romanticizing it a bit, but the experience is almost enough to make be believe those messages of bands like Broken Social Scene. We will all take care of each other. Everything will be ok.