TIMF – Showbams

First Times: Experiencing a piece of SF history as My Morning Jacket take over The Fillmore for four sold-out nights with no repeats

June 7, 2024 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

My Morning Jacket //
The Fillmore – San Francisco
May 27th-28th & 30th-31st, 2024 //

Growing up in Los Angeles, I have always loved going to the Bay Area. Sure, there is definitely no love lost between SoCal and NorCal when it comes to certain professional sports teams and their fan bases, but that hasn’t changed my feelings or how I think of it now — even if I bleed Dodger blue.

With my aunt, uncle and late grandparents living in the City, I have many fond memories of our family trips up north and still consider SF to be one of my favorite towns in the world that I have ever been to (and to be honest, there are a lot I haven’t stepped foot in). But from beautiful parks and breathtaking views to world-class art and innovative cuisine among a plethora of tourist attractions, there’s never a shortage of things to do in “The City by the Bay” no matter where your interests lie or how much time and money (obvious tip: it helps to have a lot) you have on your hands.

Since I began covering concerts more than a decade ago in this space though, my adventures in “music journalism” — if we can call it that — had not yet taken me to the same city where this blog was founded for “work.” I had visited back in 2011 to attend Outside Lands and Treasure Island Music Festival before returning five years later to cover what ended up being a disastrous and largely forgettable 2016 edition of TIMF (read our festival review here). Nevertheless, the right opportunity to photograph any individual shows had not presented itself despite all the years I have lived in the Golden State. That is, until one of my favorite acts in live music announced by early March that it had booked four in the span of five days at the historic Fillmore and promised not to repeat songs.

The first time I saw My Morning Jacket in the flesh, Jim James (lead vocals, guitar), Tom Blankenship (bass), Patrick Hallahan (drums, percussion), Bo Koster (keyboards, percussion, backing vocals) and Carl Broemel (guitar, pedal steel guitar, saxophone, backing vocals) completely blew me away after a three-night run at The Wiltern in LA with a unique opener — featuring Portugal. The Man, Iron & Wine and Shabazz Palaces — and setlist (inspired by fan requests submitted online) each night serving as the impetus for the Louisville-bred band’s “Spontaneous Curation Series.” The five-piece by that point was in between albums, having already released 2011’s Circuital almost 18 months earlier and toured the country in support of it, and the circumstances in the 415 felt similar with 2021’s self-titled marking the group’s last proper studio effort (unless you are counting MMJ’s holiday-themed LP entitled Happy Holiday! that they released in late November comprised mostly of Christmas carols plus two originals).

The weeks in May leading up to The Fillmore were certainly bittersweet. After all, this wasn’t supposed to be the first time I was seeing Jacket since their rescheduled — thanks to Tropical Storm Hilary — co-headlining date with Fleet Foxes at the Hollywood Bowl in August (read our show review here) after two sold-out gigs at Red Rocks (read our show review here). That was intended to be the first week of May instead of the last one, when they were scheduled to lead the third and final day of BeachLife Festival with ZZ Top, Fleet Foxes and Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB also rounding out an excellent lineup. But after covering the event’s first two days in Redondo Beach (read our festival review here), the final four hours were unexpectedly canceled — and many would say prematurely — due to a high-wind advisory.

In the matter of an hour, the only LA date that MMJ had slated for this year had been completely wiped from the record. The decision had already been made, and with the staff and security being sent home and an earlier curfew for Sunday in place, there was no way all the remaining artists could still perform. Attendees left that day visibly frustrated and angry with the fest’s organizers for calling it off so quickly, considering the wind had died down by 7 p.m. with time left on the clock. Subsequently, we have been wondering in the aftermath why BeachLife doesn’t target a weekend in June or another summer month rather than early May when it’s not exactly “beach weather” — unless you think daytime temperatures that peak in the mid-60’s and high winds of 45-50 mph is for some reason.

Is there any chance MMJ will eventually announce a makeup date for their SoCal-based fans? No one knows right now, but alas, there we were driving along Interstate 5 through California’s Central Valley a few weeks later, excited and gratified to be making the roughly 800-mile trek roundtrip to catch them at least on one occasion in 2024 and use that, on a personal level, as a way to celebrate the beginning of a new decade. Assuredly it helps when the weather in the Bay Area cooperates over the course of your stay, and with warm, sunny days filling the forecast, the stars were finally starting to slowly align after the disappointment we had recently experienced at BeachLife. Because when I walked up those burgundy-colored carpeted stairs at The Fillmore for the first time and was greeted by hundreds of old photos and posters plus a large bucket of apples (we can’t confirm if they were organic even if they passed our taste test), I could immediately feel the history of the place. And in the leadup to these shows, I had curiously spent some time learning more about Bill Graham and became fascinated with his backstory as I dived deeper into it. The legendary promoter whose mother placed him in an orphanage that helped Graham escape Nazi Germany has been credited with hosting some of rock ‘n’ roll’s most legendary musicians — Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, the Doors and Otis Redding — as the counterculture movement in the 60’s exploded all across Western civilization. Whether it’s the iconic Jerry Garcia photo that greets you at the top of the staircase on your way to the Poster Room or the bevy of ornate chandeliers that hang above the hardwood dance floor, there’s nothing quite like an evening at The Fillmore. It has been said that Graham wanted to make patrons believe as if they were hanging out in his own personal living room, and the warm, friendly staff we encountered matched the auditorium’s cozy vibe that he created thanks to entrepreneur and businessman Charles Sullivan, who owned the property’s master lease in 1965 and let him use his dance hall permit to put on concerts.

Holding only 1,315 guests, the former Majestic Hall built in 1912 is easily the smallest music venue that I have ever seen MMJ play. While they have never quite reached the level of an arena or stadium act like other popular rock bands, any room under a couple of thousand folks would be considered an “intimate” setting for them at this point in their 25-year-plus history. Between the live music industry shutting down during the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing demands of touring upon its resumption however, you also won’t find Jacket throwing down three- and four-night runs with much regularity nowadays outside of their own destination festival One Big Holiday in Mexico and a select few U.S. cities such as Denver and Chicago where some of the highest fan concentration in the MMJ community exists. That’s not to say there aren’t plenty who traveled great distances to arrive at the corner of Geary Blvd. and Fillmore St. on the edge of Japantown. One couple I met, in fact, came all the way from northeast Pennsylvania to catch all four performances, and that’s the kind of dedication you will see from longtime enthusiasts and loyal listeners.

But considering the setlists that were assembled, no one could have asked for much more when the final note of “Wordless Chorus” was struck. After an opening night that boasted a myriad of highlights, including “Master Plan” with a “China Cat Sunflower” tag as an ode to the Dead, a stretched-out “Only Memories Remain” that reached the 14-minute mark, the first “Librarian” since March 2018 and a Bob Dylan cover of “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” during the encore, there were more Fillmore fireworks on Night 2 when James and company broke into Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” and later offered up “I Get Around” from The Beach Boys, which we were hoping to hear at BeachLife since MMJ performed the 1964 single last year during the GRAMMY’s televised tribute for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band. Yet, I knew Jacket would save some of their biggest bangers for the last two shows in SF and we can only imagine the 48-hour break between Nights 2 and 3 provided some necessary respite before they dove into another round of jams to unleash only the fourth “If It Smashes Down” ever, extend “Steam Engine” for a whopping 18 minutes, bring back “By My Car” for the first time in almost five years and close with a huge “Phone Went West” that included Journey’s “Lights” interpolated midway through.

That collection of songs would satisfy most Jacket fans on any given night, but I was sure they would save their best for last — and by “best,” I mean “Dondante” without a doubt. The Z finale has been my favorite MMJ tune for quite a while, and the nearly 22-minute version they uncorked at The Fillmore was by far the best (no pun intended) one I have witnessed out of four. You could tell by the end of it that the capacity crowd, having already been gifted “Cobra” at the onset as well as a cover of George Harrison’s “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” earlier, was officially on cloud nine. Something special had seemingly happened in that moment and nothing could bring us down to Earth from that point forward — only making James’ ensuing “State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)” all the more powerful to experience live (you would have thought “the power is going out” from the way they played it with such fervor) along with the apropos live debut of Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”, which was written following the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival in a Sausalito houseboat the “King of Soul” rented. The three-time Grammy nominees, on the other hand, have always made a point to mix in covers that correspond to a particular time or place, and this was one that couldn’t have been more perfect for the moment. It was just another example of what has us coming back around time and time again … and ultimately why we will have our fingers crossed for that makeup date in LA.

MAY 27TH

Setlist:
At Dawn
O Is the One That Is Real
Master Plan (with “China Cat Sunflower” by Grateful Dead tag)
Mahgeetah
Rollin Back
Run It
Evelyn Is Not Real
Carried Away (Carl Broemel song) (“Just My Imagination” by The Temptations tag)
Only Memories Remain
A New Life (Jim James song)
You Wanna Freak Out
Outta My System
Honest Man
Librarian (last played 3/5/2018; “Let’s Live for Today” by The Grass Roots tag)
What a Wonderful Man (preceded by a Jim solo version on omnichord)
In Its Infancy (The Waterfall)
Holdin On to Black Metal
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 1
Here in Spirit (Jim James song)
Love Love Love

Encore:
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
Feel You
Gideon
Dancefloors (with “China Cat Sunflower” and “China Cat Sunflower” > “I Know You Rider” by Grateful Dead transition teases)

MAY 28TH

Setlist:
In Color
It’s About Twilight Now
Strangulation! (instrumental intro due to technical difficulties)
War Begun
Slow Slow Tune
The Way That He Sings
X-Mas Curtain
Never in the Real World
How Could I Know (Oxen)
I Will Sing You Songs
Harvest Moon (Neil Young cover)
Come Closer
I Think I’m Going to Hell
Victory Dance
Aluminum Park
I Get Around (The Beach Boys cover)
Anytime

Encore:
Old Sept. Blues (with “Sleep Walk” by Santo & Johnny during intro)
It Beats 4 U
Spring (Among the Living) (with “Dear Prudence” by The Beatles tag)
One Big Holiday

MAY 30TH

Setlist:
Regularly Scheduled Programming
Compound Fracture
Off the Record
Tropics (Erase Traces)
Death Is the Easy Way
If It Smashes Down (only performed live three times & last played on 3/2/2018)
The Dark
Lowdown
Climbing the Ladder
Least Expected
Penny for Your Thoughts
Steam Engine
By My Car (last played 08/09/2019)
I’m Amazed
Picture of You
Believe (Nobody Knows)
Lay Low
Wasted

Encore:
Sooner
Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time) (Elton John cover)
Smokin’ From Shootin’
Phone Went West (“Lights” by Journey interpolation > Phone Went West)

MAY 31ST

Setlist:
Cobra
If All Else Fails
Golden
Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) (George Harrison cover)
Circuital
Easy Morning Rebel
Nashville to Kentucky
Like a River
Thank You Too!
Lucky to Be Alive
Evil Urges
Dondante
State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.) (Jim James song)
Remnants
Run Thru

Encore:
Highly Suspicious
Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2
(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay (Otis Redding cover) (Live debut)
Wordless Chorus

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, First Times, Live Music Reviews, Show Experience Tagged With: BeachLife Festival, BeachLife Festival 2024, Bob Dylan, BottleRock, BottleRock 2024, BottleRock Napa, BottleRock Napa 2024, Carl Broemel, Elton John, Fleet Foxes, George Harrison, grateful dead, Iron & Wine, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Jim James, Jimi Hendrix, Journey, Monterey Pop Festival 2017, My Morning Jacket, Neil Young, Otis Redding, Outside Lands, Outside Lands Music Festival, Portugal. The Man, Poster Room, Poster Room at The Fillmore, Santo & Johnny, Shabazz Palaces, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, The Doors, The Fillmore, The Grass Roots, The Who, TIMF, Treasure Island Music Festival, Trey Anastasio, Trey Anastasio & Classic TAB, ZZ Top

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018: A strong return for one of the Bay Area’s best live music events

October 19, 2018 by Brett Ruffenach 1 Comment

Photos by Brendan Mansfield, Josh Withers, Paige K. Parsons & Josh Sanseri // Written by Brett Ruffenach //

Treasure Island Music Festival //
Middle Harbor Shoreline Park – Oakland
October 13th-14th, 2018 //

Treasure Island Music Festival is back. After 10 years on its namesake island, Another Planet Entertainment’s and Noise Pop’s two-day music and arts festival has returned in full form to its new home, the Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland.

A popular spot for open-air events, MHSP has become well-known for its sprawling natural grass, cool breeze and stunning sunsets revealing a silhouetted view of the Bay Bridge and San Francisco skyline. Having hosted both hip-hop festival Blurry Vision and house music day party All Day I Dream in the past, the park has become a reliable space for large-scale events in the East Bay.

TIMF 2018 was no different. For the fest’s first iteration at this new venue, organization and logistics ran as smoothly as one may hope. Based on my own experience and the anecdotes shared by other festivalgoers throughout the weekend, arriving and leaving the festival was simple and stress-free; exiting both nights after the headliner finished and waiting to board the shuttle to the West Oakland BART station took no longer than 30 minutes, even at peak times. After transporting thousands of patrons on and off Treasure Island in years past, it’s not a surprise that the organizers were successful in keeping everything on course over the whole weekend.

The layout of the festival followed a similar logic to previous iterations: two stages at opposite ends of a large field, with artists playing back-to-back on each stage. This is where TIMF truly shines — to be able to see every artist on any music festival’s lineup is always a treat. Kicking off Saturday’s hip-hop and electronic-oriented artist roster was up-and-coming experimental rapper JPEGMAFIA. Using nothing but a laptop (managed by himself) and a mic, JPEGMAFIA spent much of his set in the crowd, rapping his manic flows atop noisy, blaring hip-hop beats.

Moses Sumney

Later, Moses Sumney took the stage as a four-piece band, a new iteration of what has usually been a solo project. His sultry vocals, combined with some expanded instrumentation, made for a complete reinvention of the LA native’s live show. “Make Out in Your Car”, for example, featured an extremely groovy outro that gave the band backing the soulful singer-songwriter space to jam out for a second.

Sadly, as Sumney began his closing track “Plastic”, electronic duo Polo & Pan started their set on the opposite stage, quickly overtaking the airwaves across Middle Harbor. Polo & Pan have garnered considerable hype this year, and for good reason. The French duo seamlessly guided us through a 45-minute, non-stop dance party, layering bacchanalian melodies over thumping house beats that invoked a sense of being at a old-time carnival. It’s quite a unique sound that can really get a crowd moving.

As the afternoon progressed, artist after artist brought their best underneath the beating sun. Laff Trax is a new side project featuring Bay Area resident Chaz Bundick (aka Toro y Moi) and enigmatic electronic producer Nosaj Thing. In what really ended up being a B2B DJ set rather than a new musical project, the two DJs were impeccable in their selections.

Back at the main stage, Santigold celebrated the 10th anniversary of her self-titled debut LP by performing it in full. Another new DJ duo, Silk City, which was formed by All-Star record producers Mark Ronson and Diplo, shortly followed, keeping a small crowd moving leading up to the night’s two final acts: Pusha T and A$AP Rocky.

Pusha T

Pusha T took The City stage right at set time, kicking off with an a capella intro to the opening track “If You Know You Know” from his most recent album Daytona. From there, it was “King Push” in full form — performing a setlist of nearly 20 songs, back to back to back, while never missing a beat. Throughout the set, Pusha and his DJ continuously proclaimed “DAYTONA … ALBUM OF THE YEAR!” And after he performed the whole disc from start to finish, including a word-perfect rendition of “Infared”, I might be inclined to agree.

Saturday headliner A$AP Rocky was an unfortunate disappointment. Due to what we think was technical difficulties, he didn’t take the stage until 37 minutes after his scheduled start time, killing more than half an hour. While he brought all the bells and whistles one would expect — pyrotechnics, strobe lights and a full backing band — when headlining a festival, you could tell he felt rushed and flustered trying to get through what they could before the strict noise curfew of 10 p.m. As a result, Rocky ended up being one of the more forgettable acts of the weekend.

Sunday at TIMF proved to be sublime. Offering just as much sunshine and warmth as Day 1, a perfectly sequenced day focused heavily on rock transpired. Pond, the first of four Australian acts to perform on the main stage, got things started for a noticeably large audience, many of who were likely Tame Impala fans arriving early to show their support for Jay Watson, who is in both bands. Next was Soccer Mommy, another one of this year’s indie darlings, as she and her sidekicks held their own playing tracks off her debut LP Clean, including excellent takes on “Your Dog” and “Cool”.

Alex Cameron, the second Australian act to take the main stage on Sunday, is a puzzling one. Picture “Macho Man” Randy Savage meeting Michael Jackson if you can. It’s part comedy bit, part completely serious 80’s dream-pop band. Cameron describes the project as a “dossier of evidence about the condition of being a straight white male.” Take from that what you will.

U.S. Girls

The marathon of music subsequently continued. Shame, a post-punk outfit that couldn’t have originated from anywhere except the UK, brought a breath of fresh air (and dust) to TIMF with their fast and loose instrumentation and leery vocal stylings. Sharon Van Etton unveiled what I see as version 2.0 of her music by adding some really gritty guitar and synthesizer sounds to her stunning vocals. We look forward to hearing her new album Remind Me Tomorrow, which comes out next year.

But U.S. Girls were the highlight of the weekend for us. A nine-piece experimental pop act, they put on a stunning 45-minute set that culminated in an entrancing rendition of “Time”, the closing track on their critically acclaimed studio effort In a Poem Unlimited, that lasted more than 10 minutes. The energy, instrumentation and vocal capabilities were absolutely stunning. Easily one of this year’s most exciting new acts, and we can’t wait to catch them again soon.

Tame Impala delivered what one might expect from one of the world’s top-touring rock bands right now. Running through a 17-song set full of hits, from “Alter Ego” to “The Less I Know the Better” on 2015’s Currents, the final Aussie act of the day left us with a special treat by playing “Jeremy’s Storm” from their debut album Innerspeaker for the first time in nearly five years.

After taking 2017 off and relocating to Oakland, TIMF has returned in full form and we are certainly thrilled about that. With great weather, excellent organization and a near-perfect sequencing of artists this year, it still happens to be one of the best live music events in the Bay Area. Who’s ready for 2019?

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - JPEGMAFIA

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - George Fitzgerald

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - Polo & Pan

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - Laff Trax

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - Santigold

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - Aminé

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - Silk City

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - A$AP Rocky

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - POND

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - Soccer Mommy

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - Shame

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - Sharon Van Etten

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - Courtney Barnett

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - Cigarettes After Sex

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - Lord Huron

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - Jungle

Treasure Island Music Festival 2018 - Tame Impala

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festival Reviews, Festivals Tagged With: A$AP Rocky, Alex Cameron, All Day I Dream, Amine, Blurry Vision, Cigarettes After Sex, Courtney Barnett, Diplo, George Fitzgerald, Gilligan Moss, Hiatus Kaiyote, JPEGMAFIA, Jungle, Laff Trax, Lord Huron, Mark Ronson, Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, Moses Sumney, Nosaj Thing, Oaklandish, Polo & Pan, Pusha T, Santigold, serpentwithfeet, Shame, Sharon Van Etten, Silk City, Soccer Mommy, Tame Impala, TIMF, TIMF 2018, Toro Y Moi, Treasure Island Music Festival, Treasure Island Music Festival 2018, U.S. Girls

Can Treasure Island Music Festival regain its footing after a year off & a new location?

October 11, 2018 by Brett Ruffenach Leave a Comment

Written by Brett Ruffenach //

Treasure Island Music Festival //
Middle Harbor Shoreline Park – Oakland
October 13th-14th, 2018 //

With what seems like an endless amount of opportunities to see dozens of artists perform over a weekend in the Bay Area — Outside Lands, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Blurry Vision … the list goes on — Treasure Island Music Festival has spent the past decade establishing a foothold in Northern California’s festival scene through well-curated lineups and unique headliners such as Massive Attack, Atoms for Peace and Outkast, along with exciting emerging artists in pop, hip-hop, electronic and rock ‘n’ roll.

Best of all, TIMF is one of the few music festivals where you can see every single artist on the lineup. A two-stage event that staggers artists back-to-back for 12 hours straight, it’s ideal for those looking to discover some of the hottest live music acts on tour right now.

TIMF has gone through a couple changes over the years. Originally held on the northwestern end of its namesake island for the first nine years, organizers were forced to relocate the fest due to construction on new housing (what else would it be, of course?) in the area. And after what was an unfortunate 2016 installment due to bad weather and artist cancellations on the opposite end of Treasure Island, the festival took a break last year.

But TIMF has found a new home in Oakland’s Middle Harbor Shoreline Park. A new popular spot for open-air events, MHSP has become quite well-known for its sprawling natural grass, cool breeze right off the water and sunsets revealing a stunning, silhouetted view of the Bay Bridge and San Francisco skyline. MHSP has proven to be a reliable space for festivals, with events like hip-hop festival Blurry Vision and house music day party All Day I Dream.

TIMF’s 2018 lineup features, top to bottom, some of the most interesting artists in pop, rock, hip-hop, electronic and all the experimental forms that cross them. In an era where hip-hop remains at the height of its popularity, TIMF 2018 includes artists behind some of the most provocative rap music released this year. JPEGMAFIA, a rapper hailing from Baltimore, is a standout among heavy hitters like Pusha T and A$AP Rocky. Blending experimental noise with booming beats behind maniacal flows, this is not one to be missed. He’s on at 12:40 p.m., so get there early, folks. You won’t regret it.

It’s hard to place a lot of these exciting artists in a specific genre. How can you capture the sweeping sounds of Moses Sumney? Take the soaring vocal traditions in gospel, then mix jazz, looped electronics and simple guitar chord progressions, and stir. Having hit pretty much every major music festival this year while also appearing at The Oscars with Sufjan Stevens, this buzzworthy artist lives up to the hype.

In a similar vein, serpentwithfeet will make an appearance to play the experimental sounds from his critically acclaimed album, entitled soil, that arrived in June. Alongside other genre-bending artists like Hiatus Kaiyote, a soul-meets-rock band bound to catch the interest of any first-time listener, there’s really no shortage of artists refusing to be placed in one category.

Joining the wide spectrum of hip-hop, R&B and jazz showcased on Saturday is a cavalcade of cutting-edge electronic projects, including easily one of the most exciting acts to emerge over the last year in French duo Polo & Pan.

Even more excitingly, TIMF will host two brand-new projects making their Bay Area debut: Laff Trax and Silk City. Hard to imagine what exactly to expect, but when you see that indie-pop artist and Berkeley native Toro y Moi is going B2B with the downtempo, enigmatic beats of Nosaj Thing, it’s hard not to have your hopes high. Similarly, Silk City will feature two of the biggest pop music producers in the world joining forces, Mark Ronson and Diplo. You’ll just have to be there to see what it’s like.

Guitars may seem like a thing of the past at other major music festivals (we’re looking at you, Coachella), but at TIMF, rock ‘n’ roll is thriving. With the current kings of psychedelic rock in Tame Impala leading the pack, the bands preceding them are sure to pack their own punch.

Among the most exciting are U.S. Girls, a pop project lead by the unique vocal stylings of Meghan Remy. Their most recent LP In a Poem Unlimited is destined to top many year-end lists, and we can only expect their live production to meet a similar standard. Sharon Van Etten, with her new-meets-old-school style, and Courtney Barnett, who possesses the most charming accent in the game and just played LA’s Greek Theatre (read our review here) this month, also will be there to showcase their latest material.

Be sure to hit the merch stand early, as TIMF will have a brand-new line of gear to celebrate their new home in Oakland. This year’s merch is presented in partnership with Oaklandish, which is a popular fashion line and retail store based in Oakland. They’ll be printing all of this year’s merch locally in their warehouse, and they’ve also been tapped to design a new collaborative item specific to 2018. The company will also have a pop-up booth at TIMF for those looking to explore additional apparel and accessories. Plus, there will be a variety of Oakland and East Bay food trucks to keep things local and of course, your bellies full.

Who are you most excited to see? What are your pro tips for this weekend?

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: A$AP Rocky, Alex Cameron, All Day I Dream, Amine, Blurry Vision, Cigarettes After Sex, Coachella, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Courtney Barnett, Diplo, George Fitzgerald, Gilligan Moss, Hiatus Kaiyote, JPEGMAFIA, Jungle, Laff Trax, Lord Huron, Mark Ronson, Middle Harbor Shoreline Park, Moses Sumney, Nosaj Thing, Oaklandish, Polo & Pan, Pusha T, Santigold, serpentwithfeet, Shame, Sharon Van Etten, Silk City, Soccer Mommy, Tame Impala, TIMF, TIMF 2018, Toro Y Moi, Treasure Island Music Festival, Treasure Island Music Festival 2018, U.S. Girls

Treasure Island Music Festival 2016: The Good, The Bad & The Muddy

October 25, 2016 by Molly Kish 2 Comments

Photos by Josh Herwitt & Lisette Worster // Written by Molly Kish //

Treasure Island Music Festival //
Treasure Island – San Francisco
October 15th-16th, 2016 //

Treasure Island Music Festival “raged the island” one last year and went out in a weekend of epic highs and tempestuous lows. Experiencing 2016’s most chaotic storm so far, festivalgoers and organizers were faced with some of the harshest conditions the boutique festival has ever faced. Beyond the obstacles Another Planet Entertainment and Noise Pop had going into the weekend with a new location, “no parking” restrictions and a few lineup changes, the added surprise element that Mother Nature tossed into the mix made for an experience to remember.

Here are the best, worst and most muddied (good ideas that ultimately went wrong) moments of TIMF 2016.

THE GOOD

Ice Cube

The Headliners

Battling against the unfavorable conditions, both of the weekend’s headliners reclaimed the festival in the eye of the storm each night by delivering unforgettable performances for their dedicated fans. Accompanied by original members of NWA on Saturday night, Cube gave a career-spanning set that gave the most weather-weary attendees the energy to participate in his aggressive call-and-response classics. Bay Area hip-hop fans danced through what was some light drizzle, screaming “Fuck Ice Cube” while getting down with family, friends and fellow hardcore rap enthusiasts. Generations of Cube fans could be witnessed sharing in a truly memorable moment, where despite the ridiculousness of the entire day leading up to that set, all inconveniences were briefly forgotten while the crowd’s collective love for the Westside reigned supreme. Icelandic post rockers Sigur Rós, meanwhile, closed things out Sunday night in epic fashion with a rare SF performance, wrapping up two wet and muddy days on the island.

Accessible Ride-Share Options

While parking on the island was a no-go this year — festivalgoers were given the looming “you’ll be ticketed/towed” warning — TIMF was sure to ramp up their shuttle services and even have a ride-share loading zone available for commuter’s utmost convenience. In past years, tracking down Uber, Lyft or a taxi on the island was a real nightmare. With little to no signage, mystery addresses and a street grid, even local residents find the island confusing. However, in the midst of the Bay Area’s largest storm so far this year, TIMF made sure that what used to be the most aggravating part was a breeze.

The Crowd

Throughout the years, TIMF has cultivated a fan base whose attitude, interests and diversity truly elevates the festival experience. Becoming more of a congregation of friends over the past decade, the intimate setting and impeccably curated lineup has solidified an audience that returns to the island equally as excited for each and every installment. Even with rough weather conditions, a new location and a number of other things to gripe or complain about, the crowd remained hilariously positive. Groups bonded, friendships were formed and the relationships between artists and fans reached new levels of understanding due to their love for the festival and the absurdity of the circumstances.

Kamaiyah

Artists Stepping Up

Rain delays were rampant, and to the dismay of many, quite a few artists weren’t even able to perform. Weather issues beyond the festival’s control caused stages to flood and equipment to malfunction, but amidst the torrential downpour, a few notable MVPs came through big time.

On Saturday, during what will forever be remembered as the “Young Thugg Rain Delay,” Bay Area emcee Kamaiyah Johnson, who goes by her first name when performing, went head to head with Mother Nature for one of the most electrifying sets of the weekend. Spitting bars in between 40 mile-per-hour winds and drenched head to toe in a neon-green poncho, her flow was flawless even as she was being pelted in the face by heavy rain. Doing the Bay proud, she definitely earned some street cred in keeping the rain-soaked crowd happy and hyphy during the delay.

Tycho

Bailing out Another Planet twice, Bay Area superstar/TIMF lifesaver Tycho lessened one of the weekend’s harshest blows when he filled in for James Blak after Blake’s set was abruptly canceled on Sunday evening. Coming off a surprise show at The Independent the night before the fest officially kicked off, which in turn, was making up for Pantha du Prince’s last-minute cancellation, Scott Hansen was called upon again after his band’s live set on Sunday — this time to DJ during another set-debilitating downpour. The defeated crowd, even more upset by the unfortunate news that Blake would not be performing, looked as though it had suffered one final blow and could be overheard discussing whether or not to stick around for Sigur Rós’ headlining performance.

It looked like a gloomy surrender until out of nowhere, TIMF started sending out alerts via its social media channels that a surprise DJ set from Tycho would promptly start in Blake’s place. Probably the only artist who could alleviate the crushing blow of hearing that Blake’s set was canceled took the stage and quickly reinvigorated the crowd, motivating spectators to weather the storm with his ethereal beats.

James Blake’s “Redemption” Show

Monday morning hit like a ton of bricks, especially for anyone returning to work after the emotional rollercoaster that was TIMF. Still feeling the effects of the festival, many started off their week with a serious case of post-festival stress disorder. But just when we finally were ready to turn off any push notifications from the TIMF app, an alert delivered what easily was the best news of the entire weekend.

As a consolation for Blake’s canceled set, festival organizers announced he would be playing a makeup concert free to ticket holders that night at The Fox Theater Oakland. Sending social media into a flurry, Another Planet confirmed the news and even made tickets available for purchase to those who didn’t attend TIMF. Although many were skeptical about whether or not they’d be able to get in, those who made the effort were treated to a magical performance with a comfortably sized crowd.

Playing every song you would have hoped to hear at TIMF while being able to explain and subsequently show the crowd why his amazing new stage show would not have been able to survive the storm, Blake gave the crowd a performance to remember and extinguished any sedimentary frustrations left over from the mishaps that took place. The 28-year-old British singer-songwriter cleansed the crowd with a set full of beautiful, serene love songs as well as deep-house/1-800-Dinosaur cuts, making the show feel near-sacrosanct and giving us some serious festival redemption. He spoke candidly about the previous weekend’s circumstances, wooed the crowd with humorous antecdotes and even stopped the show at one point to make sure even the rowdiest audience members didn’t ruin the occasion.

THE BAD

• The unrelenting mayhem of Mother Nature’s first official storm of 2016

• The inability to bring an umbrella to comfortably handle the weather

• Artists being unable to perform (and their social media meltdowns that followed)

• Gripes and backlash from ticket buyers that spawned the hashtag #refundTIMF10

• A shortage of water at the festival’s refill stations

• The lack of cellphone reception and timely communication from TIMF organizers during Saturday’s storm

THE MUDDY

• Laying down a beautiful lawn that turned into a mud field by the end of the weekend

• The beautiful location of the pier for the Silent Disco and various vendors, yet due to high winds, was not accessible on Saturday and only available on Sunday

• The awesome bar and tent available for VIP ticket holders, which turned out to be the only cover from the storm throughout the festival grounds

• Selling disposable ponchos at the festival’s merchandise tent, only for them to sell out almost immediately

• The promise of a “rain or shine” festival without anticipating that the island would get consumed by a white squall

Treasure Island Music Festival 2016 - Neon Indian

Treasure Island Music Festival 2016 - Purity Ring

Treasure Island Music Festival 2016 - Sylvan Esso

Treasure Island Music Festival 2016 - How to Dress Well

Treasure Island Music Festival 2016 - Ice Cube

Treasure Island Music Festival 2016 - ZHU

Treasure Island Music Festival 2016 - Sigur Rós

Treasure Island Music Festival 2016 - Glass Animals

Filed Under: Editor's Picks, Featured, Festival Reviews, Festivals Tagged With: Glass Animals, How to Dress Well, Ice Cube, Kamaiyah, Neon Indian, Purity Ring, Sigur Ros, Sylvan Esso, TIMF, TIMF 2016, Treasure Island Music Festival, Treasure Island Music Festival 2016, Tycho, zhu

Treasure Island Music Festival 2016: 10 pro tips for ‘raging the Bay’ one last time

October 13, 2016 by Molly Kish Leave a Comment

Written by Molly Kish //

Treasure Island Music Festival //
Treasure Island – San Francisco
October 15th-16th, 2016 //

Setting its inaugural sail way back in 2006, Treasure Island Music Festival has earned its spot as one of the top boutique music festivals in the country. The two-day festival that takes place in the middle of the bay has assembled some impressive lineups over the years that has made it a gale force to be reckoned with.

With this weekend marking the fest’s 10-year anniversary, it faces some aesthetic changes, looming weather forecasts and lineup reconfiguration. Though some may view these factors as an unfavorable hindrance, festivalgoers shouldn’t fret.

Taking it all into consideration, including our previous years of experience covering what easily can be touted as one of our favorite events of the year, we have compiled a list of “pro tips” for you to navigate one final celebratory storm that marks TIMF’s final anchor on the island.

10. Complimentary Festival Transportation

Whether you’re commuting from east or west of the Bay Bridge, FREE shuttles will be picking and dropping off at convenient locations on both sides of the Bay.

There is absolutely NO PARKING options on the island, so avoid paying huge ride-share fares with massive surcharge rates and hop on one of these shuttles:

San Francisco: Located on Fulton St. between Larkin St. and Polk St., one block from Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

Oakland: Located next to the West Oakland Bart station on 5th St., between Chester St. and Mandela Parkway.

There will also be a bike valet service at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium for anyone wanting to store their chariot safely while visiting the island. For those coming from out of town, TIMF has partnered with Breez to make carpooling to the aforementioned shuttle stops hassle-free. If you’re looking for the VIP treatment, round-trip water taxi service from SF is also available via Tideline Marine Group with single-day passes starting at $45 per person and weekend rates at $85 here.

9. Embrace the Eastside

While it seems like most of the Bay Area “indie” culture has been relocating east, it was only a matter of time before our favorite boutique festival made the natural transition. Getting edged out by the massive construction efforts simultaneously happening on the “Great Lawn,” TIMF has a new location on the Oakland/East Bay side of the island, which also happens to be 20 percent larger than the festival’s previous site.

Though the iconic views of SF will certainly be missed, festivalgoers will be pleasantly surprised by the beautiful, sweeping views of the Port of Oakland, Berkeley Hills and the majestically illuminated eastern expansion of the Bay Bridge.

For those still longing for their “mandatory SF skyline” photo, views to the west will still be accessible from the Century Ferris Wheel, which will be located alongside the Silent Disco on the pier (one of the festival’s new layout additions).

8. Organize Your Schedule/Stay Connected

One of the best parts about TIMF is that it truly is a festival that puts the emphasis on music. Curated by Noise Pop and produced by Another Planet Entertainment, it truly is a FUBU (“For us, by us”) festival experience for the unabashed audiophiles of the world.

TIMF remains one of the only festivals recognized on a national circuit that refuses to have overlapping set times. Even in its new location, the fairgrounds remain intimate enough to allow you ample time between sets to shift your location back and forth between both stages without missing a beat.

Still, with the insane lineup of talent this year, we encourage you to create your custom lineup and sync it with your friends’ schedule on social media here.

Be sure to let everyone know you’re attending here. Lastly, download the FREE DoStuff app to find out about everything in real time.

7. Bundle Up in Weatherproof Gear

Any local resident and TIMF veteran knows that Mother Nature has a flare for the eccentric when dealing with the weather patterns on the island. While the eastern side usually does boast higher temperatures and sun-soaked shores, the forecast for this upcoming weekend has hinted otherwise and everyone should be prepared for inclement weather.

Be conscious of the regional microclimates, anticipate some moisture and take a moment to realize the fact that you ARE in the middle of the Bay. Once that and the impending forecast sinks in, add layer upon layer upon layer.

Just think of this as a debut weekend for all your fun new autumn wear and allow yourself to succumb to the fact that this year’s lineup may actually be that much more enjoyable with a few storm clouds heightening the experience.

6. Deprivate Your Senses

If you need a break from the continuous back and forth between stages or have some open time slots in your schedule, be sure to stop by the Silent Disco at its new location on the pier.

A favorite feature among TIMF attendees, the incredibly entertaining Silent Disco has become a mainstay at festivals across the globe. Growing into somewhat of a mini stage within itself, this year’s lineup serves up talent across the TIMF’s 10-year legacy and showcases some of the best local and nationally recognized electronic artists on the bill. See the lineup here.

5. Store That “Booty”

Preparing for a weekend-long festival on an island is no easy feat. And especially when you consider all of the changes that TIMF is going through this year, you’re going to want to be prepared. But this can become a cumbersome task and even more so when extra layers of clothing, accessories and footwear may be part of the equation.

Fear not, TIMF has got you covered! For those who act fast, the festival is renting overnight lockers that even come equipped with a universal cellphone charger. Stay warm, happy and connected with you crew all weekend long. Exponentially heighten your overall experience with the convenience of a clean, dry, safe and fully charged phone by reserving a locker here.

4. Do Your Research

Whether you’re going to TIMF to catch your favorite band or are excited to jump right into discovering “the next big thing,” the 2016 lineup really has something for everyone. Known for its groundbreaking performances over the last decade, the festival has become a circuit staple for exposing talent on a local and national level.

While opinions vary on how much immersive preparation one should engage in, we always suggest perusing some festival previews (besides this one you’re reading right now, of course) and listening to the most current material from the artists listed on the lineup.

Following suit, here’s a TIMF 2016 playlist that samples the best of the fest and will get you hyped for the big weekend ahead.

3. Navigate the Fairgrounds

TIMF calls itself a “boutique” music festival not just because of its picturesque setting (which is hard to beat), smaller crowd capacity and meticulously curated bill, but also due to the fact that aside from the music, the festival highlights vendors, artists and independent craftsmen who are still on the up and up.

Between sets, you can visit the 60-foot Century Ferris Wheel or get down at the Silent Disco. Plus, this year includes a brand-new, iron installation called “Fire Triangle” and a 10-year retrospective “Memory Gallery” that will be on display.

From teriyaki and tamales to paella and raw/vegan food, the cultural influence of the Bay Area will be represented throughout the festival. With full bars and plenty of food trucks, there will be no lack of culinary delights to satiate even the most finicky foodie.

2. Go to a Night Show

If you can’t make it out for the full weekend of festivities or are among the dedicated few who want to continue dancing into the early-morning hours after the festival wraps up, the party doesn’t have to stop once the flood lights turn on!

For those who may be feeling a little deterred by the weather, TIMF has an amazing lineup for their “Night Show” series and you can win free tickets on us here.

1. Have Fun!

Most important, just remember: YOU’RE AT A MUSIC FESTIVAL! There can be far worse places and much less exciting things you could be doing than creating memories and taking in some incredible live music at TIMF’s 10th edition.

Music festivals are really all about what you make of them, and if you follow our 10 pro tips to maximize your experience, we guarantee you will have an unforgettable time participating in TIMF’s final docking on the island!

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: TIMF, TIMF 2016, Treasure Island Music Festival, Treasure Island Music Festival 2016

SF Shows of the Week // GO4FREE to Treasure Island Music Festival night shows

October 11, 2016 by The Bam Team Leave a Comment

Written by Josh Herwitt & Molly Kish //

Treasure Island Music Festival //
Treasure Island – San Francisco
October 15th-16th, 2016 //

This weekend, Treasure Island Music Festival celebrates its 10-year anniversary with some of the biggest names in rock, hip-hop, electronic and experimental music all performing on the island, including headliners Ice Cube and Sigur Rós.

The two-day event has become known for its groundbreaking lineups, picturesque location, ideal layout/production and incredible after-hours entertainment during the nights leading up to the festival as well as after each day of TIMF.

Win a pair of free tickets to a TIMF night show by entering your name and email below.

Dan Deacon: October 13th (THUR) @ California Academy of Sciences // BUY TICKETS

Avant-garde trailblazer and digital mastermind/composer Dan Deacon brings his interactive show (read what some had to say about his show in SF earlier this year here) to the California Academy of Sciences on Thursday night before the festival officially kicks off a little less than two days later.

Contest ends this Thursday at 3 p.m.

BUKU: October 15th (SAT) @ The Independent // BUY TICKETS

Pittsburgh native and Music Technology graduate BUKU (born Robert Balotsky) brings his expertise in sound design and music theory to The Independent after the first day of TIMF with support from Stylust Beats and BOGL.

Contest ends this Friday at 3 p.m.

Deerhunter: October 15th (SAT) @ Mezzanine // BUY TICKETS

Fronted by the compellingly weird Bradford Cox, Atlanta four-piece Deerhunter performed at TIMF last year (read our review here), so while the experimental noise rockers won’t be hitting the island this year, you can be sure to catch them upon your return to the City on Saturday.

Contest ends this Friday at 3 p.m.

Stwo: October 15th (SAT) @ Secret Downtown SF Location (TBA) // BUY TICKETS

After amassing 10 million streams online with his debut single “Lovin U”, 24-year-old French producer Stwo will occupy a secret warehouse (address and information will be emailed only to ticket buyers 24 hours before the event) for this late-night affair.

Contest ends this Friday at 3 p.m.

Kero Kero Bonito: October 16th (SUN) @ Swedish American Hall // BUY TICKETS

Wrap up your TIMF weekend on Sunday night with Kero Kero Bonito at the Swedish American Hall as the British casio-electro trio are sure to perform songs from their forthcoming debut LP Bonito Generation before its release next week.

Contest ends this Friday at 3 p.m.

Follow Showbams on Twitter for more contest giveaways throughout the week. Be the first to respond to our contest tweets to GO4FREE to these shows:

• She Wants Revenge: October 13th (WED) at Mezzanine
• Malaa & REZZ: October 13th (THUR) at The UC Theatre
• Polyrhythmics: October 14th (FRI) at Brick & Mortar Music Hall
• Temples: October 15th (SAT) at Great American Music Hall
• Andre Nickatina: October 15th (SAT) at Slim’s
• The Sonics: October 15th (SAT) at The New Parish

Pick the show you would like to attend from the dropdown, then enter your name (First and Last) along with your email. If you win a contest, you’ll be notified on the day the contest ends (details above). 21+

Like Showbams on Facebook, follow Showbams on Twitter and follow Showbams on Instagram. Subscribe to our social channels for a better chance to win!

CONTEST CLOSED.

Filed Under: Contests Tagged With: Andre Nickatina, BUKU, Dan Deacon, Deerhunter, Great American Music Hall, HOUSE OF MEZZANINE, Kero Kero Bonito, Malaa, Malaa & REZZ, Polyrhythmics, REZZ, She Wants Revenge, Slims, Temples, The New Parish, The Sonics, TIMF, TIMF 2016, Treasure Island Music Festival, Treasure Island Music Festival 2016

Treasure Island Music Festival releases 2016 lineup with headliners Sigur Rós, Ice Cube

June 14, 2016 by Josh Herwitt Leave a Comment

Treasure Island Music Festival //
Treasure Island – San Francisco
October 15th-16th, 2016 //

Treasure Island Music Festival is back for its 10th anniversary this fall, and after months of speculation, we now know who will be performing in 2016.

Headlining the two-day event in mid-October will be Icelandic post-rock outfit Sigur Rós and legendary rapper Ice Cube, who has been making the rounds on the festival circuit this year. The rest of the TIMF bill leans heavily on electronic music — as just another sign of times — with English singer-songwriter James Blake leading the way after the release of his critically acclaimed LP The Colour in Anything last month.

Other acts on the 2016 TIMF lineup worth noting include Canadian electronic duo Purity Ring, Chinese-American electronic musician ZHU, Oxford indie-rock quartet Glass Animals, English deep-house DJ Duke Dumont, slacker-rock king Mac DeMarco, 23-year-old emcee Young Thug, Australian electronic duo Flight Facilities, North Carolina indie-pop duo Sylvan Esso, French singer-songwriter Héloïse Letissier’s band Christine and the Queens, UK grime ambassador Stormzy, Texas chillwave group Neon Indian, Jack Tatum’s dream-pop quintet Wild Nothing and the experimental sounds of Tom Krell’s How to Dress Well.

The Bay Area music scene will also be well-represented at TIMF in 2016 with Scott Hansen’s ambient-techno project Tycho, black-metal enthusiasts Deafheaven and Oakland’s Day Wave all set to perform.

Tickets go on sale this Thursday, June 16th starting at 10 a.m. and include two-day GA passes for an early-bird price of $159.50 (before increasing to $179.50) as well as two-day VIP passes for $315. All GA and VIP tickets will include a complimentary shuttle to and from the festival at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in SF.

Ready to hit the island this October? Relive last year’s fest with our 20 favorite moments here.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Car Seat Headrest, Day Wave, Deafheaven, Duke Dumont, Flight Facilities, Glass Animals, Hinds, HONNE, How to Dress Well, Ice Cube, James Blake, Kamaiyah, Mac Demarco, Mura Masa, Neon Indian, Purity Ring, Sigur Ros, Stormzy, TIMF, TIMF 2016, Treasure Island Music Festival, Treasure Island Music Festival 2016, Tycho, Wild Nothing, Young Thug, zhu

Treasure Island Music Festival unveils 2015 lineup featuring headliners The National, Deadmau5

June 9, 2015 by Josh Herwitt 1 Comment

Treasure Island Music Festival //
Treasure Island – San Francisco
October 17th-18th, 2015 //

After bringing Outkast and Massive Attack to the bay last fall, Treasure Island Music Festival has released the lineup for its 2015 edition — and it’s another doozy.

Taking over the island in mid-October, Brooklyn indie rockers The National and Canadian progressive-house producer Deadmau5 will headline the two-day festival, while Robyn (with La Bagatelle Magique), CHVRCHES, The War on Drugs, Azealia Banks, Father John Misty, STS9, Run the Jewels, Panda Bear, Gorgon City and Jose Gonzalez are just some of the other highlights on this year’s bill.

But don’t sleep on some other artists further down on the poster, including Atlanta five-piece Deerhunter, Norwegian producer/DJ Cashmere Cat, San Diego post-hardcore band Drive Like Jehu, Ty Segall contributor Mikal Cronin and Canadian post-punk outfit Viet Cong, which we had the pleasure of witnessing at Rickshaw Stop back in March.

Tickets go on sale this Thursday, June 11th here starting at 10 a.m. and include two-day GA passes for an early-bird price of $149.50 (before increasing to $169.50) as well as two-day VIP passes for $315.

In the meantime, you can relive the best and worst of 2014’s festival here.

Filed Under: Featured, Festivals Tagged With: Azealia Banks, Baio, Bob Moses, Cashmere Cat, Chvrches, Deadmau5, Deerhunter, Drive Like Jehu, El Hex, Father John Misty, Gorgon City, Hudson Mohawke, Jose Gonzalez, La Bagatelle Magique, Lower Dens, Mikal Cronin, Ought, Panda Bear, Robyn, Run The Jewels, Shamir, Skylar Spence, Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9), STS9, The National, The War on Drugs, TIMF, TIMF 2015, Treasure Island Music Festival, Treasure Island Music Festival 2015, Viceroy, Viet Cong

Treasure Island Music Festival 2013 predictions

May 13, 2013 by Kevin Quandt & Mike Frash 5 Comments

Treasure Island Music Festival‘s 2013 lineup will be unleashed Tuesday (May 28th), so it got us thinking: Who will perform at the festival on the bay October 19th-20th? This scenic festival usually offers about 25 acts over two days and is conflict-free — no sets overlap.

Our predictions are based on simple research; we take a look at artists that fit into Treasure Island Music Festival’s curation history who also happen to be touring in or around October. Be warned — this is pure speculation. The confirmed lineup will be released Tuesday morning after Memorial Day weekend.

UPDATE: The lineup was announced May 28th, and it’s a good one. We got a handful of artist predictions correct, and remember to snatch up those early-bird tickets when they go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.

Atoms for Peace

Thom Yorke and his band of merry players are the first and most glaring treat that is likely to headline Saturday’s traditionally dance, hip-hop and electronic-friendly bill. Their particular tour route puts them right in the Bay Area after a pair of instant sellout shows in Southern California. It appears Thom will will bring the group of Flea, Nigel Godrich, Mauro Refosco and Joey Waronker to stay consistent with this project’s past. Rich rhythmic arrangements and lush synths are certain to keep patrons dancing well into a, hopefully, warm Indian Summer night with the cityscape as one of the best backgrounds a fan can ask for. Their 2010 Fox Theater shows were well received and at capacity, so tickets for Treasure Island this year could go quickly. AMOK received high praises a few months back, and now with a deeper bag of songs to pull from, one can only be thrilled at this lauded fall tour finishing in the Bay.

The Cure

It was rather surprising that this name didn’t appear on the Outside Lands lineup, but what better veteran rock act is there to close out Sunday evening? Though Robert Smith won’t be touring a new record, he will likely have a few tricks up his sleeve after a multi-year tour hiatus, except for a handful of European festivals in 2012. The Cure will be active in October, performing at Austin City Limits, and it’s been nearly a decade since they played the City proper, so what better time than October?

Queens of the Stone Age

Giddy up! Josh Homme and his crew of stony musicians are back for more after a hiatus from touring with his most-famous project to date. With their forthcoming release …Like Clockwork arriving in June, it’s sure to be a busy second half of 2013 for QOTSA as the California band books festival after festival, getting these new tracks into the ears of anxious listeners. One other aspect that we have to look forward to is the inclusion of John Theodore (ex-Mars Volta) as QOTSA’s new drummer, sure to propel the pummeling drive of the Hommes’ quintessential stoner hard rock.

Animal Collective

The psychedelic, seizure-inducing LSD flashback of a freakout known as Animal Collective would be a fine fit in TIMF’s scope of artists, and they could possibly headline at this point. They have been touring with Dan Deacon and were forced to cancel a block of dates in March due to Avey Tare’s mondo case of strep throat. Many of these shows have been rescheduled for October, and there is a noticeable gap on their tour docket from October 18th-23rd. AC will also be performing at other music festivals like Austin City Limits and Mountain Oasis Electronic Music Summit, making a TI performance even more logical.

Kendrick Lamar

California native Kendrick Lamar has only set foot in San Francisco/Oakland once since releasing his instant classic LP Good Kid, Mad City, and TIMF has provided at least one marquee hip-hop name on the lineup the past three years with Public Enemy, Dizzee Rascal & Die Antwoord (zef-hop?). Let’s hope this continues with a victory lap performance from the Dr. Dre protégé, which seems logical. Lamar will continue a hectic tour schedule through the summer, then he’s on board to perform at Austin City Limits the two weekends prior to Treasure Island.

James Blake

Much like Atoms, James Blake has some shows scheduled in the southern region of the state, and one can only make the educated leap that Blake will be featured at Treasure Island this year. With a constantly rising stock, Blake continues feverishly touring his latest release Overgrown, and it’s his year to bring his unique post-dubstep take on soulful balladry to a wider audience. His sunset slot time at FYF in LA last fall was superb, and one can only imagine the beauty of Blake’s set on the tiny rock in the San Francisco Bay. His crossover style makes it difficult to decipher which day he will be featured, but then again that’s one of the best aspects of music today — genre lines are being blurred more and more each year, and Treasure Island Music Fest embraces this quality so well.

Death Grips

From San Francisco house parties to mid-tier festival act in a short amount of time places this highly-buzzed band square in the crossfires of Treasure Island. An extensive summer tour leaves Northern California off the itinerary, and therefore the Bay Area is likely to get some love come fall. Their brutal stage show has been turning heads, along with their shock-tastic media attention, whether it’s pissing off their label or putting out pornographic album art. Plus, they hail from Sacramento, so it would be a proper nod the region.

Disclosure

Treasure Island has always prided themselves on booking forward thinking, up-and-coming acts, so it would make sense to snatch up the UK two-step/house amalgam that is Disclosure. Having not returned to the Bay Area since the young lads’ banner SF premier last fall leads me to believe this would be an ideal spot to showcase the producer/brother pair. Furthermore, it would be their first under-21 show in the region and would be a perfect warm-up to Atoms for Peace on Saturday.

OTHER LIKELY PERFORMERS @timfsf
MIA
Dan Deacon
Dinosaur Jr
Foxygen
John Talabot
Palma Violets
The Shouting Matches
Savages
Paper Diamond
Phosphorescent
Haim
Autre Ne Veut
Iceage
Mikal Cronin
White Arrows
Social Studies

Filed Under: Festivals Tagged With: Animal Collective, Atoms for Peace, Autre Ne Veut, Dan Deacon, Death Grips, Disclosure, Foxygen, Haim, Iceage, James Blake, John Talabot, Kendrick Lamar, MIA, Mikal Cronin, Palma Violets, Paper Diamond, Phosphorescent, Queens of the Stone Age, Savages, Social Studies, The Cure, The Shouting Matches, TIMF, TIMF 3013, Treasure Island Music Festival, Treasure Island Music Festival 2013, White Arrows

Showbams’ best shows of 2012

December 23, 2012 by The Bam Team 2 Comments

It has been a top-notch year for live music, and we witnessed some great acts that have come through California over the past 12 months. Check out our favorite shows from 2012.

What was your favorite concert in 2012? Let us know in the comments below.

The xx at Treasure Island Music Festival

Mike Frash – San Francisco

1. Sigur Rós at Outside Lands Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – August 11th
Leaving Metallica for Sigur Rós to end the second day at Outside Lands was a torturous decision. Metallica was a warzone spectacle, but i stuck to my guns and headed to the Twin Peaks stage. I’m glad I did. Jonsi now conducts a mini orchestra, and the eerie SF fog lowered on command to the slow builds & crescendos. It was a spiritual show that effected me more than any other concert in 2012.

2. Japandroids at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – June 14th
Brian King and David Prowse brought ecstatic energy to the sold out Independent in June the week after Celebration Rock was released. Brian King understands how to control the pace of his set, offering fun pre-song statements that prepare you for what’s next. Their songs are vibrant live – it doesn’t sound like only two people are playing instruments. They truly seem to live the life they glorify on their 2012 album – still drinking, still smokin, and full of hyperactive desperation.

3. Phish (Night #3) at Bill Grahm Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – August 19th
The highly anticipated phish three-show SF run in August started off a bit slowly. Saturday’s show left me a little bummed about Phish due to some sloppy play (“Split open and melt”) and what felt like a lack of enthusiasm. I was questioning why I still see Phish live heading into the last show of the weekend. My lowered expectations combined with a killer show quashed those thoughts. “Crosseyed and Painless” > “Light” > “Sneakin’ Sally” > “Crosseyed” was some of the best Phish I’ve ever heard, “Boogie on” redeemed Stevie Wonder’s omission of the song at Outside Lands the week before, “Meatstick” made me really happy, and the San Francisco-mentioning “Ride Captain Ride” made a surprise encore appearance. The show was pure bliss.

4. The Rapture at Coachella – Indio, CA – April 13th
5. The xx at Treasure Island Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – October 14th
6. The Presets at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – October 12th
7. STS9 at High Sierra Music Festival – Quincy, CA – July 5th-6th
8. Head and the Heart at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass – San Francisco, CA – October 6th
9. Tame Impala at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – November 15th
10. My Morning Jacket at Greek Theatre Berkeley – Berkeley, CA – September 15th

Honorable Mentions:
Father John Misty at Jansport Bonfire – San Francisco, CA – September 30th
Of Monsters and Men at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – March 22nd

My Morning Jacket at The Wiltern

Pete Mauch – Los Angeles

1. My Morning Jacket at The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA – September 13th
MMJ capped off the best three-night run I saw this year with this stellar closing show complete with a horns section. This is a big statement for a band I knew I loved but wasn’t fully convinced about until this night. Highlights: “All Night Long” and “Movin On Up” with horns.

2. Phish at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – August 19th
Phish played a terrific 3-night run, and topped off by an amazing Sunday night show that proves that Phish is still top of the Jam Scene. Highlight: Light > Sneakin Sally Through the Alley

3. Ryan Adams at Walt Disney Concert Hall – Los Angeles, CA – February 17th
Ryan Adams, an acoustic Guitar, and a Piano is all this show contained, and it was truly special. Adams’ classic songs stripped down with his raspy croons is all I needed to make this a top show of the year. Highlight: “Rescue Blues” on Piano “Holy Diver” on Guitar

4. Trey Anastasio and LA Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall – Los Angeles, CA – March 10th
5. Neil Young & Crazy Horse at Hollywood Bowl – Los Angeles, CA – October 17th
6. Charles Bradley with Menahan Street Band at Royce Hall – Los Angeles, CA – November 29th
7. Radiohead at Coachella Music Festival – Indio, CA – April 21st
8. Trombone Shorty at Key Club – West Hollywood, CA – February 11th
9. Wilco at Hollywood Palladium – Los Angeles, CA – January 24th
10. New Multitudes (tribute to Woody Guthrie) at Mayan Theater – Los Angeles, CA – March 7th

Honorable Mentions:
Phish at Long Beach Arena – Long Beach, CA – August 15th
String Cheese Incident at Greek Theatre Berkeley – Berkeley, CA – July 14th
Roger Waters presents “The Wall” at LA Memorial Coliseum – Los Angeles, CA – May 21st
Umphrey’s Mcgee (True Hollywood Stories acoustic show) at House of Blues – West Hollywood, CA – March 16th

The Faint at The Regency Ballroom

Molly Kish – San Francisco

1. Radiohead at HP Pavilion – San Jose, CA – April 12th
After merely catching glimpses of them while shoved against thousands of festivalgoers at Outside Lands 2008, I was determined to catch Radiohead the next time they came through the Bay Area. The sound, visuals, performance and energy of the evening were electrifying. Although I was extremely lucky to have been viewing the concert from the sixth row, the entire crowd looked as though they were just as lost in the moment as I was. The band’s enigmatic stage presence, fully developed set composition and career-spanning choice of material made for one of the most collectively impressive concert experiences that I have ever witnessed.

2. Of Montreal with Deerhoof, Kishi Bashi at Slim’s – San Francisco, CA – March 22nd
As a long time Of Montreal fan, I was ecstatic to get the opportunity to interview their opening act and latest addition to the lineup (Kishi Bashi) the night of their Slim’s performance. It wasn’t only for the sake of getting a personal perspective on the band, but also due to the fact that this would actually be my first time catching them performing live. The entire show and evening that followed was everything I could’ve wanted for my first experience seeing Of Montreal. Accompanied by three screens of psychedelic visuals, various costumed extras, balloon drops, props and whole score of vaudevillian rivalry, the band took the crowd and venue by storm. During the encore to top it off, I was able to reconnect with Kishi Bashi and ended up initiating an after-party with the entire band, crew and record label affiliates at an industrial themed “dark carnival,” taking place across the street at local dive bar Butter. Several jello shots, deep-fried twinkies and contortionist carnie-prompted dance battles later, I looked around and felt assured that I had enough material to develop my own personal “Of Montreal” concert story contender.

3. The Presets at Treasure Island Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – October 13th
Completely blown away by their performance the night before, I was overwhelmed with excitement and intrigue to see how the Presets could accomplish translating such energy to a festival setting. Anyone who had caught their Treasure Island Music Festival opener at the Independent instantly was taken over by sensory recall as they broke into song almost right where they left us hanging less than 24 hours earlier. Almost in homage to those who witnessed them destroy their previous set, they picked the dance party up right where they left off, only this time kicking it up about ten notches with the accompanied stage show, visual intensity and professional grade sound of seasoned professionals. Completely upstaging their more commercially recognized headliner and showing the younger generation how it should be done, they stole the show and were easily the stand out act of the 2012 TIMF. To this day I still find myself saying that I wish I could continually be going to a Presets show, based off of the concert experience I had at these two performances.

4. Dan Deacon at Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA – October 23rd
5. Against Me! at The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA – September 10th
6. The Faint at The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA – November 18th
7. Justice at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – November 4th
8. Metallica at Outside Lands Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – August 10th
9. Animal Collective at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – September 21st
10. The Shins at Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium – Santa Cruz, CA – April 22nd

Honorable Mentions:
Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Creators Project – San Francisco, CA – March 17th
Cold War Kids at Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA – March 5th
Dr. John at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – August 17th
Girl Talk at Sasquatch! Music Festival – George, WA – May 25th

David Byrnes & St. Vincent

Kevin Raos – San Francisco

1. David Byrne & St. Vincent at Orpheum Theater – San Francisco, CA – October 15th
This is my number one show of 2012 for a couple of reasons. First off, Love this Giant, the recently released collaborative album between Byrne and St. Vincent, was a major disappointment. One of my most anticipated albums of the year ended up being one of the most disappointing. All was redeemed, however, when I saw these songs performed live. The accompanying brass band and the chemistry on stage breathed new life into was I felt was a stale album. Playfully executed and precisely choreographed, these songs shined live.

Secondly, I am a huge David Byrne fan and was able to check a big one off my bucket list of musical artists. Byrne’s career needs no introduction, and this evening we were treated to a few Talking Heads classics such as “Burning Down the House”, “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” and “Like Humans Do”.

This show was simply a once in a lifetime experience.

2. Phish at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – August 19th
A three night run at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium was capped off with a masterful performance by jamband kings, Phish. The final night of the run was easily the best night as the band flexed their improvisational muscles in a blistering two-set performance, highlighted by covers of the Talking Heads’ “Crosseyed and Painless” and Robert Palmer’s “Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley.”

3. Sigur Rós at Outside Lands Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – August 11th
Sigur Rós on my birthday to cap off an unbelievable festival day? How could it possibly get any better? It can’t really.

4. Duo de Twang at Terrapin Crossroads – San Rafael, CA – October 4th
5. Keller Williams, Steve Kimock & Kyle Hollingsworth feat. Bernie Worrell, Wally Ingram & Andy Hess at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – October 7th
6. Miike Snow with Penguin Prison at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – April 12th
7. Washed Out at Mezzanine – San Francisco, CA – May 4th
8. Electric Guest at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – November 2nd
9. The Album Leaf with Blackbird Blackbird at Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA – September 30th
10. CITIZENS! with Tomorrow’s World, Lescop and Housse de Racket at Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA – October 12th

Honorable Mentions:
Zee Avi at The New Parish – Oakland, CA – September 28th
M83 at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – April 22nd

Japandroids

Eric Shaden – San Francisco

1. D’Angelo at House of Blues – West Hollywood, CA – July 4th

2. Passion Pit at Rock en Seine – Paris, France – August 26th

3. STRFKR at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – January 7th

4. Stevie Wonder at Outside Lands Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – August 12th
5. Miike Snow with Penguin Prison at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – April 12th
6. A.Skillz + Krafty Kuts Presents Tricka Technology at MIGHTY – San Francisco, CA – June 1st
7. Aaron Freeman (Gene Ween) at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – October 19th
8. Japandroids at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – June 14th
9. Guns N’ Roses (Bridge School Benefit) at Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA – October 21st
10. Kid Koala (Vinyl Vaudeville Tour) at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – November 4th

The Lumineers at The Chapel

Marc Fong – San Francisco

1. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at Slim’s – San Francisco, CA – March 25th
It’s not often I gush like a school girl (only about once or twice a week), but seeing ESatMZ at Slim’s was panty dropping. Can I say that? Well, I just did. It was a secret/private show so Slim’s was overcrowded. I stood center stage close enough to see the dirt on Alex Ebert’s suit. The sound was great, and the band always puts on a damn fine show.

2. The Lumineers at The Chapel – San Francisco, CA – October 11th
LIVE 105 brought the Lumineers to newly opened Chapel in SF and the band didn’t disappoint. The venue was the perfect size for the band and like most of the other bands on this list, the Lumineers had fun playing and it made for a great show.

3. Kronos Quartet at Greek Theatre Berkeley – Berkeley, CA – October 5th
OK, this was really Amon Tobin’s show, but Kronos opened and performed beautifully. Being a longtime fan, it’s not a surprise these openers made my list. Great music from great performers. And the Greek Theatre in Berkeley was the best venue to see them at … and most other concerts.

4. Willie Nelson and Family at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – March 15th
5. Of Monsters and Men at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – May 22nd
6. Fun. at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – May 28th
7. Sage Francis at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – March 17th
8. Steve Aoki at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – January 21st
9. Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros at Fox Theater Oakland – Oakland, CA – May 12th
10. Avicii at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – June 28th

Tame Impala at The Fillmore

Kevin Quandt – San Francisco

1. The Walkmen at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – January 20th-21st
These 10th anniversary shows were a Walkmen fan’s wet dream as they played their first album in full among multiple sets and configurations including a horn section. Over 30 songs of Hamilton Leithauser and company churning out their own brand of rock and roll to devote fans from across the States.

2. Refused with The Hives, The Bronx at The Warfield – San Francisco, CA – April 18th
Having seen their Coachella show a week prior, the anticipation was less palpable, yet the reigning post-punk champs delighted a more rowdy and dedicated crowd with a spirited set for the masses who patiently waited a decade to witness.

3. Trey Anastasio with Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall – Los Angeles, CA – March 10th
Dressing up for a show is fun, especially when Trey is at the helm of philharmonic symphony in one of the best rooms to hear, and see, music in. From the playful rendition of “Guyute” to the half hour “Time Turns Elasctic,” this night had the packed concert hall re-charmed by Ernest and his recharged song book.

4. Tame Impala at The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA – November 15th
5. Phish at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA – August 19th
6. Woods & White Fence at The Chapel (Preservation Hall West) – San Francisco, CA – October 17th
7. Howlin Rain at The Independent – San Francisco, CA – February 18th
8. Radiohead at Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA – April 12th
9. Father John Misty with Har Mar Superstar at Bottom of the Hill – San Francisco, CA – May 5th
10. Mala at Yoshi’s – Oakland, CA – June 23rd

Festival sets:
Sigur Rós at Outside Lands Music Festival – San Francisco, CA – August 11th
Future Islands at FYF Fest – Los Angeles, CA – September 1st
Flying Lotus at Coachella – Indio, CA – April 14th

Justice at The Warfield

Sean Little – San Francisco

1. Justice at The Warfield – San Francisco, CA – November 4th
What else is there to say about Justice that hasn’t already been said. They came, they saw, and they melted faces with an amazing set the blew fans away and converted first timers alike. At least half my friends decided to go last minute (tickets were still available because it was a Sunday) and all of them became huge fans. Some of these friends are not into electronic music of any kind either, so that really says something. It was one of those rare shows where you leave euphoric and can’t stop saying “wow” to the people you went with.

2. Florence & the Machine at Coachella – Indio, CA – April 15th
The only other performer I’ve ever seen that commanded an audience like Florence did was Snoop Dogg back in 02 at the Smoke Out (stop-you’re not better than me so put that eyebrow back down). It was one of the rare festival sets where everyone felt really in tune with the performer and each other, singing along and knowing when to interact with each other and the songs. She was absolutely amazing, and the set was a dark horse highlight to my festival as I didn’t expect her to command the audience like she did. She’s truly a presence.

Filed Under: Best of, Best of 2012, Featured Tagged With: A.Skillz, Aaron Freeman, Against Me!, Animal Collective, AVICII, Best Concerts of 2012, Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, Bottom of the Hill, Bridge School Benefit, Charles Bradley, Citizens! Lescop, Coachella, Coachella 2012, Coachella Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Music and Arts Festival 2012, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival 2012, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2012, Cold War Kids, Creators Project, D'Angelo, Dan Deacon, David Byrne & St. Vincent, Deerhoof, Dr. John, Duo de Twang, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Electric Guest, Father John Misty, Flying Lotus, Fox Theater Oakland, Fun., Future Islands, FYF Fest, FYF Fest 2012, Gene Ween, Girl Talk, Great American Music Hall, Greek Theatre Berkeley, Guns N' Roses, Head and the Heart, Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood Palladium, House of Blues, Howlin Rain, HP Pavilion, Japandroids, Keller Williams, Key Club, Kid Koala, Kishi Bashi, Kronos Quartet, LA Memorial Coliseum, LA Phil, LA Philharmonic, Les Claypool, Long Beach Arena, Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, M83, Mala, Mayan Theater, Menahan Street Band, Metallica, Mezzanine, MIGHTY, Miike Snow, Music Festival Outside Lands Music Festival, Music Festival Outside Lands Music Festival 2012, My Morning Jacket, Neil Young, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, New Multitudes, Of Monsters and Men, Of Montreal, Outside Lands, Outside Lands 2012, Passion Pit, Penguin Prison, Phish, Radiohead, Refused, Rickshaw Stop, Royce Hall, Ryan Adams, Sage Francisc, Santa Barbara Bowl, Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, SAP Center, Sasquatch!, Sasquatch! 2012, Sasquatch! Music Festival, Sasquatch! Music Festival 2012, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Sigur Ros, Slims, Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9), Starfucker, Steve Aoki, Steve Kimock, Stevie Wonder, STS9, Tame Impala, Terrapin Crossroads, The, The Album Leaf, The Catalyst, The Chapel, The Faint, The Fillmore, The Hives, The Lumineers, The Mayan, The New Parish, The Presets, The Rapture, The Shins, The Walkmen, The Warfield, The Wiltern, The Wiltern Theatre, The xx, TIMF, TIMF 2012, Top Shows of 2012, Treasure Island, Treasure Island Music Festival, Treasure Island Music Festival 2012, Trey Anastasio, Trombone Shorty, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Washed Out, Ween, White Fence, Wilco, Willie Nelson, Willie Nelson and Family, Woods, Yeah Yeah Yeah's, Yoshi's, Zee Avi

Treasure Island Music Festival: 10 best sets

October 17, 2012 by Mike Frash 6 Comments

Treasure Island Music festival has a lot going for it. It’s smack dab during the nicest time of year in San Francisco, and the weather obliged this year. No sets overlap – you can see every single there if you can manage to get there in time – and the two stages are right next to each other. The view of the city by the bay never gets old, and many artist rightfully pointed out how great the view is. And the music curation delivered, as this year was a bit of a sleeper.

Scroll down to view the 10 best sets of the weekend, along with 10 more great sets.
What was your favorite set of the weekend? Leave a comment below.

1. The xx

Sunday was more crowded than Saturday, which is a testament to the rising worldwide power of The xx. Their newfound headline status was re-confirmed, as they were anything but mellow or boring. From the first notes of “Angel,” the festival crowd was rapturously involved. They were loud during the blasts & dance parts, and quiete during the subtleties. And the fan girls – The xx now has a screeching contingency of fangirls as if we were watching The Beatles or Justin Bieber.

The surprisingly respectful crowd added to a mind-blowing live show. Jamie xx has had a clear impact on The xx’s live show. Mid-set there was a string of songs that included “Reunion,” “Sunset” & “Swept Away” and was bridged by Jamie xx’s micro-house beats. A 20-30 minute dance sequence was not expected but certainly invited. And Romy Croft & Oliver Sim have such great voices live, and they play the parts well that they have invented in their songwriting. They were worth the price of admission Sunday.

2. The Presets

Aussie-Pop dance duo The Presets returned the US friday to play an epic show at The Independent. They were just as entertaining the second night in a row at TIMF. Their new live show melds dance beats and drops, live instrumentation, apocalyptic Aussie-charm vocals, and a killer light and video show that will satisfy most contemporary music fans. Their live show, which featured many new songs from Pacifica, turned into a dance party in no time.

They proved they are ready for the festival circuit just as it wraps up in the northern hemisphere. They’ll return come 2013 to headline Coachella, Bonnaroo, and everywhere in between if they’d like. After putting out one of the best albums of the year and showing the Bay area this past weekend that they put on a stellar show that plays both to small and large audiences.

3. M83

M83 has been touring on “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” forever. And why not, it’s one of the best albums of the last decade. The best part about the epic touring schedule is that they’ve gotten much better live. Last November at the Mezzanine they performed “Midnight City” without a saxophone solo and killed the momentum of the set with a poor performance of the wonderful slow song “Wait.”

About a year later, they have crafted a spectacular festival set that features songs that turn into dancey remixes of themselves and no slow songs. The group’s energy was infectious sunday, with Anthony Gonzalez, Yann Gonzalez & Morgan Kibby blasting off with kinetic energy nonstop. The 50 minutes passed by and the show ended with Anthony spraying the crowd with champagne as if they’ve reached the finish line. M83 indeed has come a long way in a year.

4. Matthew Dear

Matthew Dear put on a rock & roll set that showed off his dance moves, voice & stage presence. He stays away from adding many effects or relying heavily on digital music with his live group, and the super bassy vocal effect he uses on his voice on the newest LP was almost missed on tracks like “Headcage” & “Her Fantasy.” But their reconstruction of digital-sounding dance tunes worked well live, even though the crowd was sparse and Matthew Dear’s set would play better at night or inside (with lights).

5. araabMUZIK

AraabMUZIK is a beat machine. The thought “this guy is so completely unique and talented” crept into thought at least 5 times during this set that flew by Saturday. Abraham Orellana is a button pusher but damnit he’s probably the best there is (sorry Girl Talk). He controls and performs every live sound live on the fly with his MIDI pads and collection of mixers and effects. AraabMUZIK is pioneering a subgenre of spinning that micromanages the sound and adds a higher level technical proficiency needed to execute in the live setting. And by putting more on the line, it actually feels like a live performance because it is.