Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Coachella Music Festival, along with fellow Weepsters Dave Clemmons and “Pablo Largo.” Of the many notable acts that we took in, all of us were impressed with the aural audacity and harmonic virtuosity of the uber-hyped group, Passion Pit…and we weren’t alone. As frontman Michael Angelakos noted, this particular performance was the largest show the band had ever played. In fact, other than headlining acts like Jay-Z, Muse, Tiesto, Thom Yorke, and Gorillaz, this was the most widely attended performance of the festival. It might have even surpassed the crowd that enjoyed Thom Yorke, Flea, Nigel Godrich, and friends.
Fast forward to 10AM today, when Passion Pit’s June 3, 2010 show at Washington, DC’s 9:30 Club went on sale. By 10:01am, the 1,200 seat venue was sold out, and reports have reached this correspondent that the web site crashed in the process. Luckily, due to punctuality and my skillz with the refresh button and multiple browsers, I was fully served before the vultures quickly finished their work. For those of you staring hungrily at carcasses picked bare to the bone, check out what is sure to be high demand on craigslist. For your sake, I hope demand is not as insane as it is for this weekend’s buzz-worthy Hot Chip / The XX sold-out show, where resale values are apparently fetching an incredible $100 / ticket.
A number of buzzed acts these days, particularly those emanating from Brooklyn, have made use of strong, dance-inflected electronic harmonies and rhythms. Clearly there is an 80’s influence abounding here, but a minimalist fusion of rock and electronica also reappeared a few years ago in Brooklyn with bands that included +/-, before Williamsburg became the undisputed locus of hipsterdom. Popular updates, however, in the current crop of bands include the increasingly textured electronic layers and ever-present male falsetto vocalizations. Clearly, manliness has been redefined by hipster-nation. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must accessorize accordingly with a suitably hip Native American headdress, which was almost as popular at Coachella as Passion Pit. Finally, the Village People’s distended influence shines brightly…
