All Points West Music and Arts Festival

Walking into Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey, I felt like I had entered a secret city of self-expression. The first things to notice about All Points West Music and Arts Festival were the aforementioned “arts,” which highlighted the festival in their originality and surreal quality. My favorite was the misting area, where giant flower and mushroom-like apparatuses sprayed mist onto overheated concert-goers as rotating DJs spun trance tracks that matched the dreamlike atmosphere. Things only got stranger from there, with bamboo spires, a haunted carousel ride, and a veritable garden of “sound.” Goldenvoice/AEG Live Events truly picked a perfect location for their try at a “Coachella East.” Liberty State Park was transformed into an imaginative playground, fit for creative minds, devoted fans, or anyone with a sense of wonder. I began my day with a lap around the grounds, catching small glimpses of Metric and the Felice Brothers before I settled on K’naan as my first show of the day.

K’naan came onto the stage like an old friend. He clearly likes to talk, and wasn’t afraid to level with the crowd. He took requests but also readily admitted to not remembering the lyrics to some early songs. Despite his distaste for professionalism, K’naan’s talent proved that he was no amateur. He began with “African Way,” a track off his last album, The Dusty Foot Philosopher. He followed this with an energetic spoken word piece, the first of many, which he uses to show that he doesn’t need to hide behind beats. Before a thought-provoking rendition of “What’s Hardcore,” K’naan performed a clever adaptation of Nas’s “One Mic,” adding his own lyrics to the recognizable beats and sirens. His fusion of American hip-hop and traditional Somali melodies was addictive, and I found myself grooving to the beats long after DJ Onetime had stopped playing them. K’naan spoke volumes of his new album Troubadour, set to drop later this year. This cocky attitude might have put me off, had he not backed it up with charming banter and tantalizing previews of his new material.

After K’naan, I caught the first half of Animal Collective’s set on the big stage. I expected them to tailor their set to an audience of newcomers, not freak folk aficionados, but this was not the case. The synthesizer was often overpowering on their songs, leading to an ethereal buzzing that I appreciated for it’s experimentation, though I am unsure if others in the crowd felt similarly. Panda Bear, or Noah Lennox to a civilian, proved to be the most charismatic of the group. I strained to hear his voice under the electronica but my ears were futile in most of their attempts. In my dissatisfaction I marched over to Sia, hoping for some better luck.

Sia turned out to be one of the best acts of the day, though I came in with little knowledge of her music besides the now commercial single, “Breathe Me.” Her voice was always such a big surprise, coming from a petite blonde who seemed miles away on stage, dancing around and thanking the audience with a delightful Australian accent. I first heard “Playground” off of her most recent album, Some People Have Real Problems. Sia could have been heard across the East River and well into the middle of Manhattan. Her voice is astounding in its ability to move instantly from the powerful to the graceful, the passionate to the unsure. She performed two equally superb songs that brought the crowd back to her days with Zero 7—“Destiny” and “Distractions.” She told us it was ok to “have a little cuddle” as she began “Breathe Me,” which rose to a new level with the live strings in her band. Her performance was the only one that inspired me to purchase the new album in Best Buy the other day, though I already own most of The Roots and Radiohead’s discography.

Once Sia said her goodbyes, I relaxed with in the grass with a corn dog and funnel cake, some of the many deep fried goodies available at the festival. These items occupied my time and sullied my clothes until it was time for The Roots. I have had the pleasure of seeing The Roots twice previously to All Points West, and I can definitively say that this was their worst performance to date. Maybe it was the outdoor venue, change of personnel (usual bassist, Hub, was noticeably absent), or the tragic passing of Bernie Mac (which the band mentioned and held a moment of silence for), but The Roots were not themselves. Their energy was lacking, and what in the past was clever improvisation from the band seemed like elevator music at best. I saw glimpses of the old Roots when they came to their hits “The Hot Music and “The Seed,” but even those were frantic and rushed. I always thought that The Roots’ talent shone best at their live shows, and I hope that Saturday was a fluke for the hip hop greats.

I expected a mass exodus to the big stage after The Roots, as Radiohead was the only band left to perform. I booked it to the big stage in the middle of The Roots’ thank yous and goodnights, taking a minute to photograph the gorgeous sunset over Liberty State Park. As the natural light dimmed, the torch of the Statue of Liberty began to glow. It was uncanny, but not unexpected in the supernatural world created by the minds behind All Points West. The departure from reality reached new heights when Radiohead began their mind-blowing, two hour set.

The band began with “Planet Telex,” off of The Bends, and revealed a stunning light display that highlighted their entire performance. Radiohead was quite literally “in rainbows,” and each song took on a new color, texture, and design. The set was dominated by tracks off of In Rainbows, but not without significant nods to historical gems as old as Pablo Honey. Watching Thom Yorke belt out hits such as “The Bends” and “No Surprises” led me to an unsurprising revelation: they sounded the same as their albums. Radiohead’s talent, even without the larger-than-life lights, sound, and video, is unsurpassed and one hundred percent real. Thom Yorke looked a bit like an ant from where I was standing, but I heard the electricity in his voice and saw the passion in his spastic dancing on the large video screens. Even with several flubs in the sound quality, Radiohead’s performance was mysterious, enthralling, and slightly superhuman. Some highlight tracks of the night included “My Iron Lung,” “No Surprises,” and “Idioteque,” which closed the show. The band even expanded on their usual instrumentation, following “Everything in Its Right Place” with creative, electronic improvisation. Waiting in line for the ferry to Manhattan after Radiohead finally ended their set, all I felt was a strong urge to Wikipedia Radiohead and find out every meaning behind every word Thom Yorke uttered that night.

All Points West Music and Arts Festival did an excellent job in its rookie year. The food was delicious, the artistry was trippy, and bands were diverse and mostly performed well. I see bright and psychedelic things in this festival’s future, so long as they stop charging four bucks for a bottle of water…

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