All Points West 2009: Day 1

Jay-Z

Soaking rains, and Jay-Z’s raining bravado, marked the first day of All Points West 2009—a lightly attended kickoff highlighted not by the default headliner, but by some of America’s most exciting acts filling up the under card. (Unlike Saturday and Sunday, this day was all homegrown, and arguably the festival’s strongest). FULL RECAP. Yeah Yeah Yeahs' frontwoman Karen O, dressed in what we can call a modified hipster burak, is a mesmerizing live performer, combining cabaret with Iggy Pop theatrics and drama for the day’s standout set. Not a disappointment. Vampire Weekend’s afro-pop-meets-indie-rock was virtually begging for a sunny atmosphere. (No dice.) Still, the group looked like it was having more fun than any other band today, playing three songs from a forthcoming LP.

Given The National’s slightly gloomy sound, frontman Matt Berninger was downright optimistic when surveying the clouds: “They said there was gonna be a tornado, so this is better.” With a highly energetic set and unique instrumentation that includes electric cello and electric violin, don’t be surprised to see Syracuse’s Ra Ra Riot graduate to the main stage next year. Q-Tip reimagined his past A Tribe Called Quest catalog with band, while The Pharcyde placed beefs aside to cover Bobby Brown’s “My Prerogative” complete with group choreography. Interviews include Vampire Weekend, Ra Ra Riot, MSTRKRFT and Telepathe. —Matt Rodbard and Jason Newman