All Points West ended on a high note with Coldplay‘s headlining performance on Sunday night. They brought their songs to life with outstanding musicianship, a larger-than-life backdrop and tremendous stage presence from all members of the band, particularly exhibited by frontman Chris Martin.
While their hits were more than enjoyable (gigantic yellow balloons descended on the crowd during – you guessed it – “Yellow”), some of the show’s best moments were when Coldplay paid tribute to The Beastie Boys and Michael Jackson. Chris Martin played a piano solo on a side stage to accompany his amazing musical arrangement of “Fight for your Right”. Later, when the band appeared on a small stage in the middle of the crowd, Martin sang “Billie Jean” backed by the band on three acoustic guitars.
On that note, I leave you with one of my favorites: Terry Urban’s mash-up of Coldplay’s “Vida la Viva” with Lil’ Wayne’s “A Mille”… enjoy.
Lil Wayne and Coldplay – “Viva la Mille” (Terry Urban Remix)
Seeing the Black Keys live is like walking into a garage and coming across two awesome guys rocking out. They put on a great performance at All Points West on Sunday night. On the drums, Patrick Carney is fierce. Combined with the soulful raspy voice of Dan Auerbach and his fantastic riffs on the guitar, the duo (from Akron, Ohio) is explosive on stage.
After the jump, check out their performance of “I Got Mine”.
“If you have a complaint,” Lykke Li addressed the crowd after singing “Complaint Department”, “then you haven’t had enough to drink, so go get a drink and let’s do it like we do in Europe!” Lykke Li was her usual charismatic self on Sunday during her set at All Points West. If you’ve heard her music, you already know about her unique voice, but only in her live performances can you see the primal quality she brings to her movements.
Listen to Drake‘s take on Lykke Li’s “Little Bit” from his mixtape, So Far Gone, below:
The Ting Tings stepped up their game at their performance at All Points West on Saturday night. The set got off to a strong start with a reworked version of “We Walk”. Jules De Martino proved to be quite the multitasker, simultaneously playing guitar and bass drum while singing with Katie White. During “Impacilla Carpisung”, Katie took a quick break backstage while Jules took over the drum machine and hyped the crowd with a medley of classics, including “Walk this Way” and “Another One Bites the Dust”. The Ting Tings played almost every song from their debut album, They Started Nothing, and yes, Katie finally changed her outfit.
Crystal Castles is not for the faint-hearted. With a large strobe light swinging in hand, Alice Glass was a storm on the stage. Their intense and light-heavy performance was charged by Alice’s energetic and swift movements as she climbed the amplifiers to excite an audience that was already in a frenzy.
From All Points West, the duo will head to Montreal for the Osheaga Music Festival, which also ends today. They will be joined by other performers from All Points West, including the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Vampire Weekend, The Ting Tings and the Honey Brothers.
Gogol Bordello rocked the crowd with an explosive set on Saturday afternoon. Their diverse musical style, reminiscent of Manu Chao, appeals to a wide audience, making them a great band to see at a festival. Having never heard their music, I was amazed by their energy, talent and overall ability to put on a great show.
After the jump, check out our video of Gogol Bordello from All Points West. It can’t fully convey the sheer awesomeness of their performance, but hopefully not too much is lost in translation.
The Cool Kids performed at All Points West on Saturday afternoon. Though they put on a good show, we preferred their performance at The Blender Theater last October, only because the small stage allowed them to interact more with each other. Their set included live mash-ups of “Mikey Rocks” with Queen’s “We Will Rock You”, and “88″ with Montell Jordan’s “This is How We Do It”.
If you want to see The Cool Kids in a more intimate setting, catch them at S.O.B.’s on August 30.
