In a way, the weather at the 2011 North Coast Music Festival was like a microcosm of Chicago’s whole summer. First it was super hot, then it was rainy, and finally, on the last day, it was just right. And in the true Chicago spirit, the attendees at North Coast’s sophomore showing were game for anything as long as it meant they could dance.
Danceability seemed like the only factor that connected many of North Coast’s diverse acts. The headliners had lengthy electronic resumes: Thievery Corporation, Bassnectar, Fatboy Slim, and David Guetta. Meanwhile, the undercard was a smorgasbord of styles: the quirky pop of acts like Little Dragon and of Montreal; classic hip-hop from Common; sample-heavy dance beats from Zed’s Dead, Major Lazer, and Wolfgang Gartner; and gypsy punk from Gogol Bordello. North Coast has so far been a case of all the odd kids at school sitting at one lunch table together, finally achieving critical oddball mass. North Coast is so varied, so wild, so different that everything flips and becomes cool again; a fest that many music snobs brush off (“I don’t really like electronica”) becomes the can’t-miss event of summer.
Sold-out on days two and three, North Coast seemed to be by all accounts a wild success. Like last year, superior organization (this is seriously the best-run festival I have ever been to or heard of) and good luck with the weather (it did rain, but the thunderstorm that forced the cancellation of many a football game on Saturday bypassed the fest altogether) contributed to a memorable weekend. They call North Coast “Summer’s Last Stand,” and we’d like to keep standing with it for as long as it’ll have us. Any summer that ends with thousands of people dancing in a field together in the cool night air is alright by us.
-Megan Ritt
Editorial Manager
Friday, September 2nd
The Hood Internet – Red Bull Stage – 4:30 p.m.
Photo by Derek Staples
The Hood Internet kicked off the afternoon for a lot of festival-goers, and they handled their assignment artfully. The shady Red Bull Stage provided better-than-expected relief from the nearly 100-degree heat, and the crowd cooled off while warming up to The Hood Internet’s eclectic mix of mash-ups. These included cuts from Modest Mouse and Michael Jackson and a sing-along inducing rendition of Cee Lo Green’s “Fuck You”. A dynamic light show and chilled-out dancing fit right along with the chorus of R. Kelly’s “Remix to Ignition”, combined into a dance-heavy mash-up: “It’s the freakin’ weekend baby/ I’m about to have me some fun.” –Megan Ritt
Auto Body – The Named After Groupon Stage – 5:30 p.m.
Photo by Derek Staples
If you’re still a fan of neon headbands, leggings, John Hughes’ flicks, and/or sporting a fanny pack, set Auto Body atop your must listen list. Hailing from sultry Austin, TX, the producer/bass guitar tandem of Thibault Bowman (aka DJ Thibault) and Felix Moreno had no issues with the intense mid-afternoon heat; sending out a cool wave of electro-pop beats. Even up against James Zabiela, the duo utilized an array of synthesizers, samplers, and Bowman’s above average vocals to build a decently sized, dance-happy crowd. Even those in the audience with two left feet would have a hard time not bouncing to the beats of “Closer To The Edge”. -Derek Staples
SBTRKT – North Coast Stage – 6:30 p.m.
Photo by Lilian Cai
Warning: Do not attend a SBTRKT show in hopes of catching multiple tracks off his debut release. The (as-always) masked performance began on a high note with a remix of Radiohead’s “Hole Inside My Head” and only continued to pick up steam, rarely mixing in vocal samples or slowing down the tempo to below 120 BPM, both of which are prevalent on SBTRKT. To the joy of the audience, SBTRKT did stray from the more up-tempo electro-dub DJ set to spin “Wildfire”, but unfortunately Little Dragon wasn’t on-hand for a special guest appearance. -Derek Staples
Lotus – Red Bull Grove Stage – 7:00 p.m.
Photo by Lilian Cai
During a day dominated by solo DJs, Lotus’ performance offered revelers the opportunity to actually watch an act perform tracks. Backed with an amazing light show, the four-piece started the set with “Bellwether”, and then got the Lotus-faithful moving with a spectacular performance of the bass/keyboard driven “Lead Pipe” into “Sunrain”. The set was closed out with a healthy dose of funk administered in the form of “Greet The Mind”. For a festival with such a high population of young hippies and jam fans, the 90-minute performance was deserving of headlining status over Wiz Khalifa and David Guetta. -Derek Staples
Wolfgang Gartner – North Coast Stage – 7:30 p.m.
Photo by Lilian Cai
As the sun set and the stage lights came up, Wolfgang Gartner took the stage in a full-on tribal mask. The sound built up quietly, almost indistinguishable from the canned backing music, until suddenly the bass was booming and the party began in earnest. An explosive, throbbing club beat drew people from all corners of the grounds, and the mass of pulsing humanity resembled nothing so much as a rave. Glow sticks held high, the crowd jumped as one to clever remixes like “Show Me Love” and a line from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. After a long set, the music began to run together, and the crowd began to trickle away to get spots for Wiz Khalifa. –Megan Ritt
David Guetta – North Coast Stage – 8:30 p.m.
Photo by Lilian Cai
Most artists feel comfortable spending a few minutes backstage prior to a performance, some go out of their way to interact, but David Guetta went to extremes in order to avoid all interactions during his performance Friday night at North Coast. Just moments prior to his set, the French superstar DJ/producer was ushered as near the stage as possible via a black SUV, and then demanded limited access to the backstage area during the entirety of his performance. Sociability issues aside, Guetta has the tracks and experience under his belt to perform a 90-minute long set entirely of massive self-produced radio/club hits.
The set focused on Guetta’s most recent album, Nothing But The Beat, launching with his recent Snoop Dogg collaboration entitled “Sweat”, and continuing with new hits “Where Them Girls At”, “Little Bad Girl”, “I Just Wanna Fuck (feat. Afrokjack”), and “Lunar”. Further Afrojack collaborations popped up, a remix of Guetta’s hit “One Love” over Afrojack’s “Doing it Right”. With a world-class visual production supporting every track, Guetta also spun “Levels”, “Memories”, and “Without You”. -Derek Staples
Wiz Khalifa – Red Bull Stage – 9:00 p.m.
Photo by Lilian Cai
Clad in Taylor Gang shirts and by now thoroughly drunk, the crowd roared when Wiz Khalifa took the stage with “When I’m Gone”. The edge of melancholy to the lyrics was perhaps lost on the partying crowd, but let it never be said the music was not enjoyed. With a monotone delivery and solid flow, Khalifa rapped over a couple guys on backing vocals and a DJ scratching on a pair of turntables.
Khalifa’s lyrics run to women and weed, but then so does the average fest-goer. “Make some noise over there if you’re smoking that good weed!” he shouted to a chorus of cheers. Tracks like “Cabin Fever” and “Gangbang” had the audience singing along. “The Thrill” added a surprising touch of sobriety to the proceedings. The crowd went nuts when they heard the opening bars, and the delivery of the serious lines made Khalifa a great deal more respectable as a performer. “We are always running for the thrill of it/ thrill of it… Never looking down/ I’m just in awe of what’s in front of me,” he spat, and you got the sense that he truly was. –Megan Ritt
