BFD Shakedown

Yesterday was Sunday-funday at Shoreline Amphitheater as Live 105 put on their BFD (Big Fucking Deal) Festival 2010. Four stages and dozens of bands came out to play in sunny Mountain View early morning. The festivities (and the heat) started before noon as thousands of alternative rock lovers parked in dusty lots and entered the venue.

The Soft Pack was the first band I watched. Their guitar tone and is fairly distorted on record, but for some reason it didn't translate very well live. It could have been the open-air acoustics (they played in a cement lot), or maybe the sound technician got a little too stoned before hand. The band didn't seem to be enjoying themselves either. The heat shouldn't have affected them (they're from San Diego), but it was early and the crowd wasn't very energetic either. Not the best performance of the day.

Up next were the alternative-reggae bro's the Dirty Heads. When they first walked on stage their long, blonde hair and fitted hats immediately gave away where they are from. Their performance was solid, and Rome (new singer for Sublime) even came out to sing his part on their single 'Lay Me Down'. The band its self isn't bringing anything new to the table for they sound very similar to the other white reggae bands out there (Expendables, Rebelution). But, they were fun to watch and the crowd seemed to really dig them. Plus, they had a drummer AND a bongo-beater. Always a plus in my book.

The Temper Trap was the best show of the day in my opinion. This band hails from Melbourne, Australia and played with the enthusiasm that seemed to be missing from every performance before them. The vocals and guitars were melodic, but their ability to create an atmosphere really showed during their single 'Sweet Disposition'. The bass player was especially funky, but each member seemed to be having a great time. Around the second half of their set they started to break it down and went through a beautiful jam session, heavy on the rhythm section. The singer stepped back from the mic and busted out a floor tom and crash cymbal and shit got wild. It was amazing to see a band step away from such a strict set list and actually show some talent while having fun.

Later in the day the main stage opened up for the headliners to do their thing.

First on the main stage was Cage The Elephant. It seems like these guys try a little too hard to create a southern-Seventies style rock sound. The crowd didn't seem to be paying much attention to them until they played their single 'Ain't No Rest For the Wicked'.

The Silversun Pickups were solid, but nothing special. Their singer's voice is unique and ghostly, and he impressed with his live ability.

Courtney Love and her band Hole cancelled all their pre-show duties (meet and greets, interviews) but managed to hit the stage on time, quite a feat for Ms. Love. She was obviously wasted (called them the Supersuns Pickups) but managed to remember all the words to her songs and surprised everyone with a good show. And in true Courtney fashion, she yelled, "this next song is hard to sing and I'm old so give me a break." Then Courtney had her assistant light her a cigarette.

Deftones were up next, and if you've never seen this band live I highly recommend it. This is their first tour after the release of their new CD Diamond Eyes and after the death of their bassist. The whole band is lively and their singer Chino must get quite the work out from all the running and jumping he did. His voice is angelic at times and hellish at others. At both those points though, his emotions pour from his lungs and it creates for a touching and amazing show. During 'Around the Fur' they even added a verse from Gorillaz 'Stylo'. What a show.

And now for the upset of the day, I present Sublime with Rome. The reggae-punk legends have come back and enlisted a man by the name of Rome to front them. He sings just like Bradley (RIP), but was out there in the middle of the stage by himself while the drummer, bassist, and sax player just hung out in the back. Poor guy, that must have made him deathly nervous. And he showed it, he seemed scared like he didn't know his boundaries or place in the band. I don't blame him though. It must have been nerve-wracking to know that thousands of people were waiting to place their judgement. The sound quality was weak during their performance which definitely hurt the show. The whole band seemed scared and un-energetic. The crowd remained mostly silent through the first couple songs but then eventually warmed up around mid-set when 'Date Rape' and 'Smoke 2 Joints' were played.

Over all, the show was just alright. Some performances were great, others sucked.That's to be expected at small festivals though. I'm not really sure the festival is deserving of the name BFD. And why the fuck was Bud Light Lime more expensive than Stella Artois?