Raleigh’s third annual Raleigh Wide Open was held this past weekend to celebrate the opening of the new Raleigh Convention Center. Dozens of local vendors set up booths offering a wide variety of food and beverage options for the anticipated tens of thousands of attendees. Three stages were booked with bands representative of the varied nature of Raleigh’s collective musical taste… from Chuck Berry to Annuals, Soul Asylum to Freebase 808, and many many more. Unfortunately, Hurricane Hanna (at this point merely a tropical storm) had other plans. Most of the day Friday was intermittently interrupted by rain showers and strong winds as the storm made landfall and headed inland. This resulted in fairly poor attendance until later in the evening, but the show most definitely went on as planned regardless of the inclement weather. After all, hurricanes ain’t nothin’ but a thang to North Carolinians (who’ve endured over 400 hurricanes in recorded history) and by mid-day Saturday the weather was back to sunny and beautiful as the festival hit full stride with Lou Gramm (former lead singer of Foreigner) headlining the main stage, Islands on the Cherry Bounce stage, and fireworks lighting up Raleigh’s ever-evolving skyline.
Lonnie Walker (above): 3:00pm, Cherry Bounce Stage, Friday
In the midst of steadily falling rain and a mere handful of brave audience members, Lonnie Walker (hailing from Greenville, NC) took to the Cherry Bounce stage with tight guitar parts, fresh out-of-college faces, loose “Dylan went electric” vocals, and an aura that begs for them to cut their teeth on a series of shows at dingy New York clubs. Think The Walkmen by way of Vampire Weekend and Bright Eyes… Lonnie Walker are signed to Terpsikhore which, at the very least, should ensure that more than a few people have a chance to catch their rousing live show in the near future.Live from this show: Unknown Song by Lonnie Walker - YouTube | MP3
Dawn Chorus (above): 4:15pm, Cherry Bounce Stage, Friday
On their recently released record Florida St. Serenade, Greensboro’s Dawn Chorus find a happy place between Neil Young and The Connells that comes across as both dynamic and nicely understated. They deliver a studied balance of songcraft and pacing that signals a mature band ready for bigger and better things; however, these little things that make them so successful in the studio were simply absent in person at Raleigh Wide Open. Given the conditions, that’s more than understandable.Live from this show: “It’s Human” by Dawn Chorus - YouTube | MP3
The Bleeding Hearts (above): 5:30pm, Cherry Bounce Stage, Friday
If rock and roll has to be one thing, and one thing only, it has to be LOUD. Sexy. Abrasive. Dangerous. Rapturous. Feverish. Bluesy. Foot-tapping. Body-moving. Deadly. Did I say one thing or ten? The definition differs for every listener, but whatever that most central characteristic is for you one thing is certain: The Bleeding Hearts have it. It. Raw power.Live from this show: “Nothin’ On But The Radio” by The Bleeding Hearts - YouTube | MP3
Dex Romweber Duo (above): 6:30pm, Cherry Bounce Stage, Friday
Roots-rocker Dexter Romweber has been a major influence on a wide variety of artists (most noticeably Jack White) thanks largely to his time fronting Chapel Hill’s Flat Duo Jets in the ’80s and ’90s. Currently, he and his sister perform as the Dex Romweber Duo and play a combination of genres that always ends up heavy on the early rock, rockabilly, and bluesed-out guitar shredding. Highlight of the set: a slightly uptempo take on the Tammy Wynette classic song “Still Around”.Live from this show: “Still Around” (Tammy Wynette cover) by Dex Romweber Duo - YouTube | MP3
Chuck Berry (above): 7:30pm, Main Stage, Friday
The major draw, in terms of name, for the entire weekend was the one, the only, Chuck Berry. People were abuzz early on talking about seeing his car drive by, spotting Chuck ever-so-briefly on the street, and anticipating being able to see a living legend perform later that evening. Given that I’d recently seen him in a much more controlled environment, I planned on skipping out on Chuck Berry altogether. However, as his set time neared I found myself drawn to the main stage eager for another glimpse of Chuck and (fingers crossed) another performance of “Memphis, Tennessee”. As the rain fell hard and fast the audience shielded themselves with a canopy of umbrellas that all but entirely blocked the view to the stage and turned the show into a rainy listening party. Enough! I headed back to the Cherry Bounce stage after a mere two songs.
Annuals (above): 8:00pm, Cherry Bounce Stage, Friday
Hometown shows can be a tricky thing when circumstances outside of a band’s control threaten to impact turnout or the overall mood of the night. After consistently small crowds, and increasingly severe rain, the question of just how many fans would show up for the Cherry Bounce Stage’s Friday night headliner, Raleigh’s own Annuals, lingered in the gusty air. Thankfully no amount of tropical stormage was going to deter Annuals fans from showing their love and the band fed off of the crowd’s energy for well over an hour, performing favorites from the past, present, and future (their new album Such Fun drops on October 7th) as the audience grew to its largest size of the day and Hanna edged closer and closer. The circumstances, coupled with the band’s ever-improving live performance chops, made for quite an epic show. Likely the highlight of the entire weekend.
The T’s (above): 4:00pm, Cherry Bounce Stage, Saturday
Saturday was a new day, sunny and warm and perfect in that special post-storm kind of way. But that didn’t stop The T’s from bringing the pain as if they themselves were a hurricane. This band is straight up, unabashed, rock and roll. Not that pansy shit that earns pretty boys millions of dollars on television, but the kind that you want playing when you enter a bar, already drunk, looking for either a fight or a fuck. Or both. The riffs are hard and heavy and full of fire baby; The T’s know just how you like it.Live from this show: Unknown Song(s) by The T’s - YouTube | MP3
Islands (above): 8:00pm, Cherry Bounce Stage, Saturday
If ever there was a band perfectly suited to encompass the balance between the tumultuous weather of day one and the lovely blue skies of day two, then Islands is that band. After getting off to a slow start with a few small missteps during their opening song “The Arm”, Islands fell right into the groove mixing sunny tracks from their debut Return to the Sea with the “dark and stormy” prog-pop of Arm’s Way. They had the kids up front frenetically dancing and singing along the entire time, teased the audience with a minute long cover of Foreigner’s “Cold as Ice”, and ended their set with an eleven minute long version of “Swans”. Not quite one of the best Islands shows I’ve ever seen (definitely missed the rap during “Where There’s A Will, There’s A Whalebone” and really would’ve been happy to hear “I Feel Evil Creeping In”), but this is Islands we’re talking about. And I’ve seen them like a hundred times anyway. Which is to say, every show is a pleasure. And I was happy to have them playing a free show to enthusiastic fans in my hometown. It was a real treat.
Superlatives
Best food: J. Betski’s sausages
Best shelter from the rain: The Raleigh Times
Best beer: that Belgian wheat beer in a can that Raleigh Times was selling on the street
Best thing about Raleigh’s new convention center: the interior
Best new band: Lonnie Walker
Best performance: Annuals
Best idea ever: bringing two extra shirts on Friday
Best picture I took: little girl rocking out to The Bleeding Hearts
Best thing about Raleigh Wide Open 3: seeing downtown Raleigh packed with people enjoying music and food and walking everywhere. It was almost like a real city for two days! Keep it up Raleigh.
If you’d like to see even more EF pictures taken at this year’s Raleigh Wide Open (crowd shots and other scenic pics) head on over to EAR FARM’s Flickr Page.
*slideshow created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.
09.08.08 11:58 am
great pictures. looks like fun!