Justice

By Jim Harrington

Just one year old and, yet, the Treasure Island Music Festival is no longer the new kid on the block. A whole new batch of festivals have popped up in 2008, both in the Bay Area and beyond, to vie for concert-goers’ dollars.

The organizers behind Treasure Island _ Berkeley-based promoter Another Planet Entertainment in collaboration with the same folks that host the annual Noise Pop festival _ hope that this increasingly competitive market place won’t have much of a negative impact on their event. They are still expecting good crowds to turn out when the festival makes its sophomore showing on the picturesque island in the Bay on Saturday and Sunday.
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It’s a pretty dead weekend for live music around the Bay. The place to be this weekend, musically speaking, would be the Rothbury Festival.

That festival features such awesome acts as Trey Anastasio, Dave Matthews, Phill Lesh, Modest Mouse and Medeski Martin and Wood. It also features such less-than-awesome (but still pretty good) acts as Widespread Panic, Thievery Corporation, John Mayer and Slightly Stoopid. No stinkers in the bunch, though.

If you’re like me - staying by the Bay for the Fourth - you might want to check out the video web stream of the Rothbury Festival. If you only have time to watch one artist’s set, make sure it’s Trey Anastasio’s. Trey’s a true guitar champion. Indeed, those who know music call Trey “the guitar hero equivalent of the Oakland A’s.”

Tune into the festival, July 3-6, by visiting www.iclips.net.

Modest Mouse
Saturday, June 1, 2008
UC Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA

1. Paper Thin Walls
2. Dance Hall
3. Dashboard
4. Satin in a Coffin
5. Fire It Up
6. Education
7. Wild Pack of Family Dogs
8. We’ve Got Everything
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Talk about the passion.

R.E.M. _ written off for dead by many critics after releasing three consecutive albums that failed to live up to commercial expectations _ added yet another chapter to the year’s most convincing comeback story during its thoroughly entertaining show on Saturday night (May 31).

The Athens, GA.-based group delivered a fiery, inspired two-hour performance, consisting of 27 songs, which served to remind the 8,500 fans at the UC Greek Theatre in Berkeley exactly why they fell in love with R.E.M. in the first place.

The group _ featuring founding members Michael Stipe on vocals, Peter Buck on guitar and Mike Mills on bass and keyboards, as well as touring partners Scott McCaughey on guitar and Bill Rieflin on drums _ thrilled the sold-out crowd with selections from its acclaimed new album, “Accelerate.” Yet, they also mined the rest of their 14-album back catalog.

R.E.M. _ which returned to the Greek with openers Modest Mouse and the National on Sunday night _ put on a show that was meant for longtime listeners, as opposed those who might have gone to the gig primarily in hopes of hearing “Shiny Happy People” (which the band, of course, didn’t play). Stipe and company went way back into its catalog _ way, way back.

“That song is from the year 1638,” Stipe said after performing “Ignoreland.” “It’s from our 75th album.” The singer would later introduce “West of the Fields” as being “from the year 1064.”
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With all the hoopla over R.E.M.’s return to town, I’ve neglected to hype up the other great band on the bill: Modest Mouse. So, excuse me, please. I love the Mouse and can’t wait to see them in Berkeley. Here’s what Modest Mouse played at the Hollywood Bowl on May 29:

(And, yes, I’m fired up!)

1. Satin in a Coffin
2. Dance Hall
3. Dashboard
4. Fire It Up
5. Truckers Atlas
6. King Rat
7. Doin’ the Cockroach
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R.E.M. spent much of last year working on what would become its 14th studio album, “Accelerate.” The Athens, GA-based group did, however, manage to take one well-publicized break from the process _ a short trip up to New York City to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

It was hardly a shocker that R.E.M., one of the most successful and influential bands in history, was enshrined in its first year of eligibility. The group was a clear favorite to make the Class of 2007 (which also included Van Halen, Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five, the Ronettes and Patti Smith).

Still, the star-studded affair, held at the glamorous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, turned out to be a bit surreal for R.E.M.

“There is nothing natural about getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,” says R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills during a recent phone interview from Los Angeles. “It was an honor. It was humbling.

“But, the next day, it was back to focusing on the record. We knew that the only way we were going to make a really great record was to focus.”
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To help get you further pumped for R.E.M.’s two shows at the Greek in Berkeley on May 31-June 1, I thought I’d pass along this set list (with comments) from my friend/former co-worker Elizabeth Jardina. She saw the band’s show on Friday, May 23, in Vancouver (actually Deer Lake Park in Burnaby).

The show last night was pretty fantastic. Lots of stuff I’d never
heard live: a setlist for dedicated fans, I think.

1. Living Well’s the Best Revenge
2. What’s the Frequency
3. Ignoreland (which Michael claimed they were playing live for the
first time. Could that possibly be true? Googling around, I think it
is.)
4. Second Guessing (!)
5. Gardening at Night (!)
6. Man-Sized Wreath (dedicated to Barack Obama and the United States’
“potential in 2008.”)
7. Disturbance at the Heron House
8. Hollow Man
9. Accelerate
10. West of the Fields (really!?)
11. Houston
12. Electrolite
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Devil Makes Three
May 24

If you like a little punk-rock edge mixed in with your vintage American blues, then give a listen to the Bay Area’s own Devil Makes Three. The fun live act, which originally hails from Santa Cruz, is equally at home playing all-ages punk clubs, bluegrass festivals and jam-band showcases. That kind of musical versatility is all-too rare these days. 9 p.m., Great American Music Hall, 859 O’Farrell St., San Francisco, $15, 415-885-0750, www.gamh.com.

Flight of the Conchords
May 27

You’ve laughed with them (and often at them) on their self-named HBO comedy series. Now, it’s time to catch Flight of the Conchords in concert. The two comedians/musicians are brilliant on the small screen, but let’s see if they can carry off their shtick in front of live audiences. (Also May 29 at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco.) 8 p.m., Nob Hill Masonic, 1111 California St., $32.50, 510-625-TIXS, 925-685-TIXS or 415-421-TIXS, www.ticketmaster.com
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Great news. Having reportedly sold out their first date at the Greek in an amazing 10 minutes, R.E.M. has added a second show. That original May 31 gig was my pick for the year’s best bet _ given that we get both R.E.M. and Modest Mouse _ and now, fortunately, there are two shows! I’ll be at both. Here’s the skinny:

On-Sale Now!

Due To Popular Demand – 2nd Show Added

Another Planet Entertainment
presents

R.E.M.
MODEST MOUSE
THE NATIONAL

*******
The Greek Theatre
at UC Berkeley

Sunday, June 1st, 2008 at 5:00pm

*******
Tickets available at Ticketmaster and APEConcerts.com
Outlets: Ritmo Latino, and select FYE stores
Phone: 510.444.TIXS, 415.421.TIXS, 408.998.TIXS, 209.485.TIXS, and 707.528.TIXS

Tickets: Reserved Seating
Prices: $89.50, $59.50, & $39.50

(Please note: Wasn’t sure what to use for art with this post. But I just couldn’t resist going with the Muppets. If that doesn’t work for you, just imagine that Kermy is Isaac Brock or someone.)

Get ready for the second annual Treasure Island fest

It’s not even March and yet there’s already something to look forward to come September: the second annual Treasure Island Music Festival.

The sophomore outing will be held Sept. 20 and 21 at the picturesque setting of Treasure Island, the manmade island created in 1939 for the Golden Gate International Exposition. That means that fans can expect to spend another weekend enjoying great indie-pop music as well as some brilliant views of the San Francisco skyline, Alcatraz Island and the Golden Gate Bridge.

The lineup has not yet been announced for this year’s event, which falls almost exactly one year to the date from when the inaugural festival was held. The 2007 Treasure Island featured such headliners as Modest Mouse, Built to Spill, Gotan Project and Thievery Corporation and was, by most accounts, an overwhelming hit with fans.

Treasure Island is produced by the same folks that run Noise Pop festival _ which is now in full swing, through Sunday, in San Francisco _ and by Berkeley’s own Another Planet Entertainment.

For more information about the festival, visit www.treasureislandfestival.com.