I agree with some of the VIP stuff, last year they had an obvious second entrance (rope off) or at least some signage or a volunteer to help VIPs at every door.

If I hadn't been around last year and didn't know I could walk in I would have struggled at Lincoln theatre...there was no help for VIPs there, and it wasn't obvious that you could move through the front of the line. Hell, 2 kids creeped up on me as I tried to walk in and got pissed!

9/9/2011 11:06:49 AM

Quote :

"fucking lol at my random drunken intro to spookyjon and his lovely lady. nice to meet you, though mang."

Haha nice to meet you too.

Man, I had such a good time last night. Dinosaur Feathers, Lower Dens, Reading Rainbow, and JEFF the Brotherhood were all especially great. I would've enjoyed Cold Cave more if it weren't so packed in there, but they were awesome too.

9/9/2011 11:25:55 AM

looking for suggestions for what to see after annuals tonight.

swans sounds like they'd be cool to check out for a bit. japandroids, too.

9/9/2011 11:30:39 AM

Dinosaur Feathers
Last Year's Men
Rhys Chatham G3
Spider Bags
Love Language
Weekend
Cold Cave

All were pretty cool...sound for Weekend at Pour House was not the best, but Cold Cave fucking ruled there. I was pretty drunk and super, super tired by the time Cold Cave was done due to having to wake up at 6 AM that morning with no nap in between. Had to wake up at 6 AM this morning, too, but can't wait for tonight. I'm especially stoked about the Truckers, actually.

Think I'm also gonna try to check out the "The Power of Narrative Songs" Q & A thing at Raleigh City Museum here in a few hours. They have Pat Hood on the panel and, in my opinion, he's the best contemporary writer of narrative songs that we have right now.

[Edited on September 9, 2011 at 11:35 AM. Reason : .]

9/9/2011 11:32:00 AM

Quote :

"looking for suggestions for what to see after annuals tonight. swans sounds like they'd be cool to check out for a bit. japandroids, too."

Twin Shadow if you want to dance. Braids if you Mount Moriah, Japandroids, White Ring. Vivian Girls.

9/9/2011 11:37:09 AM

pumped as hell for Mount Moriah tonight.

love that new record.

9/9/2011 11:53:59 AM

Kings needs to get their VIP shit straightened out

Cold Cave was amazing

9/9/2011 12:04:11 PM

5 different venues last night

went to bed at 5

my head is still spinning

Lower Dens, PC Worship, and Cold Cave won the night

[Edited on September 9, 2011 at 12:09 PM. Reason : don't know how I forgot them]

9/9/2011 12:06:59 PM

Today: Mt. Eerie at Slim's, Dodos at City Plaza, dinner or nap during Drive By Truckers, back for GBV, Whatever Brains at Kings, Diamond Rings at Five Star, Generationals at White Collar, possibly more Mt. Eerie, and finishing the night with Swans. Might try to fit in Braids, JV, and Mount Moriah somehow.

9/9/2011 12:20:15 PM

Managed to see at least some of everything I wanted yesterday. Was sad to leave JEFF the Brotherhood after two songs, but Cold Cave more than made up for it.

Not being quite as ambitious today: maybe King's for awhile, panel discussion thing at City Museum, Dodos, GBV!, either Wooden Wand or the Loners, Vivian Girls, a bit of Twin Shadow (maybe), Japandroids

9/9/2011 1:35:03 PM

GBV, L.E.G.A.C.Y., King Mez, Diamond Rings, Liturgy (or Twin Shadow), Foreign Exchange

[Edited on September 9, 2011 at 1:38 PM. Reason : s]

9/9/2011 1:37:43 PM

Last night kicked ass. Dino feathers>Rhys Chatham>love language>cold cave.

9/9/2011 3:52:21 PM

So how do tickets for individual shows work? Don't have time to take in the whole festival but would definitely like to catch foreign exchange tonight.

9/9/2011 5:08:51 PM

I asked on the last page but it got glazed over. I checked the Q&A Hopscotch and it says "single venue" tickets are $25 at the front and may not be available due to capacity. It didn't explicitly say but it might be one band as well.

9/9/2011 5:32:15 PM

Dont eat the jack links chicken nuggets

Also i dont get the guided by voices fuss

9/9/2011 9:07:02 PM

bass drum of death put on a pretty decent show when i saw them a few months ago. they're worth seeing if there are no other shows you'd rather see at the same time.

9/9/2011 9:08:15 PM

don't even bother trying to buy single venue tickets for popular shows

you might get in for foreign exchange tho

9/9/2011 11:39:33 PM

annuals were great, twin shadow was also very good. tried to go see japandroids after that but the line was way too long and we couldn't get in so headed back to lincoln theatre for foreign exchange.

9/10/2011 2:27:59 AM

In before scrumples comments on foreign exchange

9/10/2011 3:20:08 AM

Had a great time last night. Never saw so many people trying to figure out why they should give a shit as I did at Swans (personally, I love Angels of Light but Swans wasn't really my thing--I would've given them my full attention if it weren't in the middle of everything else, but we ended up stopping in for 30 minutes and then heading back out). Mt. Eerie was awesome, GBV was GBV, Diamond Rings was gaymazing, met some super nice frat bros at Generationals...yeah, good night. Wish I could've seen JV, Mount Moriah, Braids, and Hospitality. Should've rented a Segway.

9/10/2011 10:42:58 AM

The Dodos
Drive-By Truckers
GBV
Julianna Barwick
Braids
Twin Shadow
Swans
End of Japandroids

Twin Shadow was fucking amazing, probably the best set I've seen yet this weekend. He had the crowd going bonkers and seemed to be loving every minute of it. In my opinion, Lincoln Theatre is the best indoor venue in Raleigh (I just wish they wouldn't book garbage all the time). The sound there is fantastic.

Also, when we Twin Shadow was over, we ran over to Fletcher Opera Hall to catch the rest of Swans. So, right when we walk in to the theater, the room is dead silent except for the sound of a shirtless drummer banging a huge drum as hard as he could like a metronome for a solid five minutes as the other five dudes in the band stood staring at a him. It was bizarre and awesome and hilarious. Those guys were animals on stage; the thirty minutes I caught of their set was incredible, wished I could've been there for the whole set.

Then when that was over we stopped by the Pour House and caught the last three or four songs of Japandroids' set. They, too, sounded great and it seemed like we came in right at the end of a pretty awesome show. Sucks that all three of these bands conflicted with each other. Glad I got to catch a little of each, though. Truckers on the Plaza were also awesome...GBV was alright.

9/10/2011 10:44:38 AM

I thought GBV sounded like shit (cue someone telling me that's the point). White Ring was so fucked up in the perfect way. Probably my favorite thing so far.

9/10/2011 10:49:33 AM

I hugged Bob Pollard last night

9/10/2011 10:50:06 AM

Dodos were pretty disappointing. Braids wasn't.

9/10/2011 10:50:47 AM

^^^ http://twitter.com/#!/T_Costello/status/112343987788062721

But yeah, we left GBV after 15 minutes.

9/10/2011 10:52:11 AM

I liked The Dodos' set, wasn't really into Braids.

9/10/2011 10:52:47 AM

Started yesterday off with Woodsman at Busy Bee and they were quite good. Braids and Twin Shadow were also fun. For the second straight night I finished at Pour House and Japandroids rocked my face off. Dodos were ok - something was "off" with their sound. Barwick was kind of a snoozefest, but I guess that should have been expected when following GBV.

Can't wait to do it all one more time today.

9/10/2011 11:12:56 AM

Japandroids melted my face off

9/10/2011 11:57:26 AM

man, Mount Moriah were so god damn good last night.

and, my surprise of the entire festival was how good Old Bricks were last night; i know they're local, and I've seen them before, but i figured i would stop by there before I went to see Chip Robinson at Deep South (uggg, i hate that venue).

anyway, Old Bricks fucking KILLED it. they really, really impressed me last night. seriously one of the top 5 shows of the whole festival so far, imho.

9/10/2011 11:59:15 AM

^ would've loved to see Mount Moriah. I'm listening to their new album right now

9/10/2011 12:05:57 PM

^ yeah man, the last 3 or 4 days i've been absolutely killing their new album, and i had to go last night.

they did not disappoint at all.

holy shit, today is going to be a long day. may roll up to see Future Islands at 1:30 just in case something happens later (even with VIP). probably see that rosebuds show at 4, and shortly after that, the main stage shows start, lol.

[Edited on September 10, 2011 at 12:17 PM. Reason : .]

9/10/2011 12:16:26 PM

cool. i saw them open for megafaun at the cradle a year or so ago and have been smitten ever since.

i wish the new album was available on vinyl. it's strange that it's not

9/10/2011 12:18:42 PM

vinyl is for faggots

just an opinion

9/10/2011 1:12:27 PM

i was pretty bored last night at Dodos and GBV - thought drive by truckers had a few fun songs but just wasnt feeling it. didnt feel very well and that had something to do with. Chip was sober Chip and was good. Saw Old Bricks with jstpack and they were really really good. very surprised as i had never heard their stuff.

john vanderslice made me leave the venue. i couldnt take his set and then back to back with Mount Moriah was just a little too mellow for my tastes but i loved Mount Moriah. i just lover her voice.

didnt catch any real late night shows as i was a pussy and went home around 1.

9/10/2011 1:35:33 PM

kind of excited about dreamers of the ghetto; really like this song

9/10/2011 1:39:00 PM

Did some serious nappin' in preparation for wildin' out tonight.

9/10/2011 5:39:44 PM

Quote :

"don't even bother trying to buy single venue tickets for popular shows you might get in for foreign exchange tho"

Friends that this applies to weren't going to go see really popular shows. Bombadil and Lost in the Trees, and honestly I think most people will choose different bands to end their Hopscotch experience, though I expect a decent turn-out for Lost in the Trees. Bombadil is a long-time favorite of myself and friends though, and they're not certain of when they'll be performing again.

9/10/2011 5:44:35 PM

Motherfucking TITUS ANDRONICUS

9/10/2011 7:30:54 PM

Quote :

"Motherfucking TITUS ANDRONICUS"

9/10/2011 11:01:52 PM

titus andronicus is the best band ever of all time

9/11/2011 2:01:02 AM

FUCK ^agreed

can't believe they ended with "Born in the USA" on 9/11. hell of a way to close out an amazing Hopscotch. Toro y Moi, Future Islands, Lips, and Superchunk were also all great. I was pleasantly surprised by Superchunk's energy.

9/11/2011 2:22:00 AM

I like the instrumentals in Titus Andronicus, but the vocals make it hard for me to enjoy.

9/11/2011 2:31:09 AM

anyone else notice during the dude about 3 rows back during the titus andronicus set who made a circle around his girl with his arms and started throwing elbows to protect her every time people went nuts? what is this, warped tour?

9/11/2011 2:34:41 AM

holy shit, i can't believe i missed that closer from Titus, but i was really happy that i was able to see both Future Islands and Titus.

that Future Islands show was incredible. everything i had hoped for and then some. i swear, Flaming Lips + Future Islands + what I saw of Titus was nearly worth the VIP price, without any of the other perks.

and the day show... that bottle of water, a bbq sammich and an abbreviated set by future islands were just what my hangover needed.

[Edited on September 11, 2011 at 2:42 AM. Reason : ..]

9/11/2011 2:37:25 AM

BOOOOOOOOOOOORN IN THE U S AAAAAAAAAAAYYYY

9/11/2011 4:08:13 AM

Saw:

Lower Dens - Crowded as fuck; wasn't impressed by the performance, won't be seeing them again.

PC Worship - Good garage band. Didn't absorb it all, but would definitely consider seeing again.

Dustin Wong - Meh.

the Love Language - Good as always.

Cold Cave - One of the best shows of the weekend.

the Dodos - Meh.

Driveby Truckers - Laff. However, they played Used to Be a Cop, so that was ~ok

Guided By Voices - Retarded. According to one of their fans, New Belgium apparently has a 'gay beer'. Same dude that was talking about driving from here to Chicago to see them. Another Laff.

the Temperance League - Friends of band; put on an excellent show as always. Not pretentious.

Diamond Rings - Fucking bullshit. Crowded; for people who can't admit they're gay, basically.

Generationals - What I saw was great. Shitty venue; again, really fucking crowded and douchebaggy.

Twin Shadow - great show, but not memorable. Wouldn't care if I missed during Moog...

Earth - Total joke. Shit like that doesn't translate well live whatsoever.

the Flaming Lips - too slow. We were all expecting the bubble and confetti and everything, but the show kinda sucked. I was glad they played "She Don't Use Jelly," because without Yoshimi, that's all I know of the Lips, and that was a HUGE surprise. I'll be glad to see them during Moog at a better venue with, hopefully, less douchebags.

All Tiny Creatures - What I heard was great. Just rhythmic synth and drum-type stuffish stuff. Would give another chance.

Toro y Moi - Exactly what I expected, and didn't disappoint.

Future Islands - Absolutely kickass. I love this band. They make me sweat and tickle this silly bone in me that causes this introverted dude to do silly shit.

the Budos Band - Good nightcap, but otherwise pretty I'm pretty apathetic about it...


Other notes:

The afterparty """""; a complete waste of time. Moving Island; wow...I'm not paying $7 to get into some barely condemned place beside the old Ruby Red that has no bathroom to hang out with a bunch of scenesters. The front of that place was enough to tell me that placing my money on snake eyes in an Indian casino for a one-time bet was a better idea. Yeah, I mean I guess I could have bothered folks I knew that knew people...blah blah blah, but fuck this shit. I'm 30 years old. Total waste of time. I'm sure there's folks there as I type this that feel the same way...and $7 poorer.

Finally got to try this Beasley's Chicken and Honey that everybody keeps tweeting about... As much as I wanted to hate the place, I couldn't. The service was great and everybody there was absolutely hospitable. Everything came out on time, and the food was delicious. If I had but a couple nitpicky complaints, I'd say the food was too rich and it was just slightly overpriced. If I had to rate the place, however, I'd give it a B+, and would consider going back when I'm in Raleigh again.

But speaking of Raleigh; I've never been to so many shows clouded by complete douchebags in my entire life. I can only think of a handful of shows from the Festival where I don't have a memory of some douchey situation; or some situation where the crowdedness didn't get on my absolute nerves. Some fine examples include all the people pushing up into a show when it's clear there's nowhere to go. Huge pet peeve of mine; it's the same type of people (I'm sure) that run out the merging lane on a highway; they're so much more important than anybody else. Also, the many people that were there for the scene and alcohol...didn't really care about the music; it was pretty obvious. While at the Diamond Rings show, this group of two wiry, flat-featured hipster-looking girls tried to bitch me out about how long I was taking to close my tab out, or something else completely distorted or irrelevant, and they needed to be told off...This other group of girls during Toro wouldn't shut their fucking mouthes the whole time; just being all Glenwood and overboard obnoxious....

I really don't think I've had such a bad crowd experience ever as I have had in the last week. Maybe it's all circumstancial, but the shit was phenomenally and markedly terrible. I feel like last year's Hopscotch experience was 10 times better and I feel like this year too many people just came to be...seen or wanted to be there for some other reason (God only knows) than to watch bands.

With everything considered I had a decent experience. The VIP was extremely worth it; to counter what I said before. I WAS sick and tired of getting the stink eye from all these folks in line whenever we'd show up and get preference of admission when all these other folks'd had to do was buy a fucking ticket that was $50 more expensive. I'm really gonna loathe what I'm expecting from the Moog audience when they see my VIP status if it's anything close to what it was like for Hopscotch. You could literally FEEL these assholes gazing at you with lazy, drunken angriness because you've got preferential treatment that you fucking PAID for...

That being said, I kinda hope they raise prices in the future to keep all these scene ass-shits out. The stink of douche ran pretty rampant this year, and a lot more than I remember from last year's...

Lastly, "we've got 2 more left for you guys." Nobody act like they didn't constantly hear that shit and that it didn't get on your last nerve. Always '2 more left...'

9/11/2011 4:19:14 AM

Words.

9/11/2011 4:42:57 AM

There you have it, folks. Hopscotch will be back next year.

9/11/2011 4:44:38 AM

Wow sounds like you are being the douche here.

Just woke up, had an incredible weekend. A goddamn great time.

9/11/2011 9:25:22 AM

Quote :

"anyone else notice during the dude about 3 rows back during the titus andronicus set who made a circle around his girl with his arms and started throwing elbows to protect her every time people went nuts? what is this, warped tour?"

I don't usually do stuff like this, but I definitely tried to dig an elbow into that guy's ribcage whenever an opportunity arose (not too violently, just annoying). What a douche. Other than that guy, the crowd up front for Titus was fantastic; everybody knew all the words and was willing to scream them out, it was awesome. TA remains one of my absolute favorite bands.

Favorite sets of the weekend: Cold Cave, Twin Shadow, Drive-By Truckers, what I caught of Swans, Flaming Lips, Toro y Moi, and Titus Andronicus.

Just curious, what did everyone think of the Flaming Lips?

[Edited on September 11, 2011 at 10:05 AM. Reason : s]

9/11/2011 9:55:24 AM