You can blame it on Woodstock if you want (choose either the 1969 musical milestone or the 1999 debacle; either fits the bill), but the summer months are the perfect time for hippies (the former Woodstock), frat boys (the latter) and other cultural clich̩s everywhere to gather for the granddaddy of musical experiences: the festival. While local venues such as the 9:30 Club, the Black Cat and the Ottobar are quite amazing at delivering intense, in-your-face concerts Рthe 9:30 Club in and of itself has hosted such notables as Bob Dylan, the Beastie Boys and the late, great James Brown Рarea festivals are a rare thing.
So when Virgin Group announced in 2006 that the company’s new annual rock concert was to be held in Baltimore, metropolitan-area suburban kids everywhere sat up and paid attention. Although the Virgin Festival is only two years old – and still lacks the specific angling other festivals, such as the hip-hop-centered Rock the Bells and the patchouli, pot and jam band antics of Bonnaroo – this upcoming weekend at the Pimlico Race Course should be a righteous one.
Last year’s festival took place on Sept. 23 and featured headliners the Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Who, but this year’s affair on Aug. 4 and 5 is meant to impress with the newly reunited Police, similarly back- in-action Smashing Pumpkins (no D’arcy or James, but for most, Billy Corgan will suffice), the Beastie Boys and a slew of other indie-kid heartthrobs such as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, M.I.A., Amy Winehouse and Girl Talk.
Those acts – over 40 total – will be spread out over three stages (the North Stage for the largest acts, the South Stage for the B-listers and the Dance Tent for the electro/raver/kids who think they can dance) for the course of the two-day festival. Many of the acts’ time slots overlap, though, so prioritize your day and don’t pull any procrastination.
On Saturday, make sure to check out Winehouse on the North Stage from 2:10 p.m. to 3 p.m. (if she doesn’t cancel in typical Winehouse-style, a meltdown is sure to rear its ugly head, and who wouldn’t want to see that?) and stick around for sets from the Beastie Boys (who are set with a license to ill from 6:15 p.m. to 7:35 p.m.) and The Police, who will round out the night from 8:05 p.m. to 9:50 p.m. But if Sting and Co.’s set at Bonnaroo is any indication – The Police played for only 100 minutes of a significantly larger slotted set time – you might have time to travel to the South Stage for Modest Mouse from 8:45 p.m. to 10 p.m. Singer Isaac Brock isn’t necessarily a sight for sore eyes, but hipsters all around you will be flipping their shit to Johnny Marr, and if you don’t know why, this might be a good time to find out.
After a night spent recuperating, traipse back into Pimlico for Sunday’s ridiculously jam-packed itinerary. Show up at 12 p.m. to jam to the Dan Deacon/Girl Talk one-two punch in the Dance Tent, then get your Hasidic fix with Matisyahu on the South Stage at 1:30 p.m. Skip the pseudo-existential musings of Explosions in the Sky for Spoon at 2:25 p.m. instead; don’t let anybody you know see you at the North Stage for Panic! at the Disco at 3:45 p.m. and learn some local history with Bad Brains until 5:15 p.m.
But Sunday’s evening and night sets are when the going gets good – and the inevitable overlapping begins. It’s either the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on North Stage at 5:15 p.m. (Rolling Stone once described the band as “goth, nerd, slut,” and that’s pretty accurate) or Wu-Tang Clan on South Stage at 5:45 p.m. (even without the resting-in-peace Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Wu-Tang is still worth seeing). Then it’s your choice between the ever-stylish Interpol on North Stage at 6:45 p.m. or Deep Dish, the local Persian Grammy-winning house DJs, at the Dance Tent.
The moment of truth, however, comes in the form of the festival’s closing acts: It’s either the Pumpkins on the North Stage, 311 on the South Stage or M.I.A. in the Dance Tent. Crowds will probably be split along clique lines (goths/grunges vs. faux-reggae bros vs. badly-dressed wannabe militants), but if you’re up for the challenge, try to attend all three performances (thanks to staggered start times, it’s possible). If you refuse, you’ll miss out on multiple eargasms, and let’s face it – musical abstinence is just as lame as the real kind.
The Virgin Festival will be held at the Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore this Saturday and Sunday. Tickets are still available and can be bought through Ticketmaster and cost $97.50 or $175 for a one-day ticket and for two-day tickets, respectively. For more information, visit www.virginfestival.com.
Contact reporter Roxana Hadadi at roxanadbk@gmail.com.
