Lost Lake Festival in Phoenix Friday, Day 1: Chance the Rapper, Pixies, Playboy Manbaby
Ed Masley
Chance the Rapper brought opening day of the inaugural Lost Lake Festival to a joyous conclusion Friday as he led his gospel choir in repeating "Are you ready for your blessings? Are you ready for your miracle?"
By the end of the song, a shower of confetti had rained down on the audience as they sang along with Chance on a soulful mantra of "When the praises go up, the blessings come down.".
It was the perfect ending to a deeply spiritual performance at Steele Indian School Park by a hip-hop original whose sound is steeped as much in gospel, jazz and classic soul as anything resembling modern hip-hop.
Chance was in good spirits, having just unboxed the Grammys he won earlier this year with the help of his two-year-old daughter, Kensli, a moment he captured on a video he tweeted out a day before the Lost Lake show, his final concert of 2017.
In addition to those gospel singers, Chance was backed by the Social Experiment, including Nico Segal, who Chance introduced as "the man of the hour" and "the Artist Formerly Known as Donnie Trumpet," as well as musical director Peter Cottontale.
A soulful, uplifting rendition of "Sunday Candy," which as the man in the No. 3 cap pointed out, was the only video they filmed for the Social Experiment album, was among the many highlights of a set that offset selections from "Coloring Book" with tracks on which he guested.
Hence, the Kanye medley that ended with "Ultralight Beam" and a playful rendition of DJ Khaled's "I'm the One" to remind you that there are some things on Chance's mind that be classified as spiritual.
He started with four songs from "Coloring Book" – a pyro-laden "Mixtape," a version of "Blessings" that felt more like a gospel tent revival than a concert by one of the hottest names in hip-hop, an equally euphoric "Angels" and a deeply soulful "Juke Jam," for which he encourage the crowd to get their camera phone lights up.
Before the set was through, he returned to the album for "D.R.A.M. Sings Special" (which emerged here as a stunning showcase for his gospel singers), "All We Got," "No Problem," "Summer Friends" and "Same Drugs."
He also ramped up the production values, with plenty of pyro and that shower of confetti. But it wasn't necessary, really. It was more about the power of his music and the power of his message being filtered through the power of his personality.
He filled the park with such positive energy – an energy in short supply in these divisive times -- if Chance's performance didn't "make you remember how to smile good," as he promised in "Blessings (Reprise)," it wasn't for a lack of trying on his part.
Lost Lakes open
Lost Lakes earned the opening spot of the opening day of the three-day festival presented by Superfly, the creators of Bonnaroo and Outsides Lands in San Francisco the old-fashioned way – having the name of the actual festival in their name.
I caught three songs – an atmospheric country-flavored ballad titled "Free Love," an equally wistful song about "drowning in digital tears" and the somewhat reggae-flavored country-rock of "Can't It Wait."
By the time I headed off to catch the Dap-Kings as Lost Lakes were diving into "Whiskey River," they'd already made a solid case for deserving to be there regardless of festival names.
Dap-Kings loosen things up
I made it to the Dap-Kings just in time to hear a very soulful read on "Gonna Make Time," which the singer introduced with "This song is basically just about love. You wear it how you have to wear it."
They told the crowd "This is the time y'all dance. Get loose" as they followed through with a more upbeat horn-driven funk groove, but the Phoenix sun does not inspire dancing at 2:45 in the afternoon.
Other highlights of their set included "You Keep Running to Me," "Big Wheel," "Look Closer" and a version of "Sunshine (You're Blowing My Cool)" that did have people swaying in the gentle breeze that was starting to blow by that point.
The Dap-Kings rose to fame as the funk and soul ensemble backing Sharon Jones, who died of pancreatic cancer last November. But backup singers Saun & Starr have stepped up in a big way on vocals. Jones would be proud to see them carry on.
This was the first of two Dap-Kings performances at Lost Lake. They're also the house band for Saturday's tribute to the Beatles.
Striking Matches play with no drums or bass
Nashville's Striking Matches – Sarah Zimmerman and Justin Davis – stirred up an impressive racket for a blues-rock duo deciding to make a go of it without a drummer or a bassist.
Davis did, however, add a little kick drum to the mix while playing guitar, which helped a lot, as did the fact that both singers are perfectly capable of tearing it up on guitar, with Zimmerman adding some bottleneck slide to the proceedings.
Luna Aura rocks and raps
The formerly local Luna Aura came out rocking, leading drummer Ryan McPhatter and Vince Gabuzzi, the long-haired and bearded guitarist she introduced as "the beautiful Rock and Roll Jesus" in a set that showcased her stylistic range.
She's as comfortable rapping on rock songs as she is crooning soulful electropop ballads and engaging in the sort of hook-intensive pop you might expect from Katy Perry.
Aura worked the stage and the crowd with the confidence of a pro, at one point bringing a bearded photographer on stage to tease and taunt while singing to him, telling the crowd "Photographer Jeff here likes a woman who's in charge."
Playboy Manbaby a local crowdpleaser
Playboy Manbaby turned in a ridiculously entertaining set, rocking the crowd with the reckless abandon that's made them one of Arizona's fastest-rising live attractions.
Robbie Pfeffer made the most of the occasion by treating their well-deserved place on the festival stage with a self-effacing sense of humor while rocking a Scottsdale Jazz Festival T-shirt. After shouting his way through their opening number, Pfeffer introduced himself.
"Hello everybody, we are the Pixies," he joked.
The singer later told the crowd, "We've come a long way to be here." According to Google Maps, he said, "By walking, this is seven minutes from my house."
Ludacris became a running joke, Pfeffer thanking the rapper for getting them on the bill.
And after leading his bandmates through such crowd-pleasing highlights as "Bored, Broke & Sober," "You Can Be a Fascist Too" and "Last One Standing," he told the crowd, "We are Playboy Manbaby. After us, all the bands you paid money to see."
But there's no way the fans shouting along on the call-and-response of "You Can Be a Fascist Too" wouldn't gladly pay to see them play again, especially after Pfeffer climbed into the crowd for some up-close-and-personal crowd interaction on their final song. It was brilliant, hilarious showmanship. And the crowd ate it up.
YouTube teen Trinidad Cardona slow jams
Trinidad Cardona, a local teen who earned more than 11 million YouTube views for "Jennifer," a timeless neo-soul slow jam, brought a natural charisma to the stage as he sang along to the tracks his DJ brother was spinning while rocking ripped jeans and a flannel with the sleeves torn off.
He was in an unfortunate spot on the bill for a hip-hop-flavored soul act. And given that Noname's set was scheduled to begin 15 minutes into his set, having his brother spin records for five minutes of his stage time may have been a bad idea. He showed promise, though. And it was the day's most swoon-inducing hairdo.
Noname charms the crowd
Chicago rapper Noname's soulful blend of hip-hop, jazz and poetry went over big with a crowd that was swimming in people wearing Chance the Rapper ball caps.
She and Chance are clearly kindred spirits and it goes beyond their having worked together.
Blessed with a magnetic smile and wearing a Lil Kim "Crush on You" T-shirt, Noname brought an unassuming charm to the proceedings as she made her way through such obvious highlights as "Comfortable," "Get Money," "Church/Liquor Store" and "Freedom (Interlude)."
After bringing her set to a climax with an emotional read on "Casket Pretty," she told the crowd, "All right, I'm done with this sad s--t," ending on a high note with "Forever" and a very soulful "Yesterday."
Broods, Crystal Castles turn up the volume
Broods and Crystal Castles took two very different approaches to rocking the EDM vote as the festival got noticeably louder.
Broods are singer Georgia Nott and Caleb Nott, the older brother with whom she formed the project in New Zealand. Their sound is dramatic electro-pop topped by emotional vocals that would speak to fans of Lorde and Ellie Goulding.
Crystal Castles take a darker path. They're also more experimental, more intense and not nearly as human-sounding, running the vocals through a haze of digital distortion as Edith Frances throws herself into a very physical performance that underscores the industrial aspects of their sound.
Calexico brings Southwest to stage
Tucson's Calexico are clearly coming at their music from a more organic place than Broods and Crystal Castles, treating a much smaller yet receptive crowd to their Southwestern spin on American roots music with Spanish guitar, pedal steel and Mariachi horns, often singing in Spanish.
Haim cover Shania Twain
Haim were the day's big pop-rock attraction, so it came as no surprise that they had the crowd singing along from the time they hit the stage with "Want You Back," following through with such crowd-pleasing highlights as "Little of Your Love" and a goofy cover of "That Don't Impress Me Much" by "Queen Shania Twain."
As one of the sisters explained, "We were in a cover band with our parents when I was four. Now every time we go on tour, we pick a cover and this tour is no different." It was cute and Twain's producer Mutt Lange would've liked the electronic finger pops.
The Pixies 'Planet of Sound' as otherworldly as ever
I missed Ludacris because the first 10 minutes of his set were dedicated to announcing his eventual arrival and the Pixies, Friday's most anticipated rock act, were about to take the stage on the opposite side of the park.
Their set was a ferocious trip down Alternative Memory Lane, tearing new holes in the listeners' nostalgia with raucous renditions of "Planet of Sound," "Caribou," "Monkey Gone to Heaven," "Debaser," "Wave of Mutilation" and "Where Is My Mind," to name just a few of the obvious highlights.
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