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Written by JULIE MOSSLER
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Thursday, 11 August 2005 |
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Our Redwalls encounter perfectly demonstrates my ideal rock experience. It’s such a rare thing to catch a band on their way up, while the buzz is good and the group are still the same they were on the day they decided to make it big.
‘Make it’ they will…maybe the Redwalls already have, if you judge such things on a band’s publicity. A feature ran earlier this summer in the Chicago Tribune touting the guys as the current sweet spot for music critics. Five minutes into the set, it wasn’t hard to see why. For a band who haven’t enjoyed the radio success that is undoubtedly coming, rows of fans braved the heat to sing every word they knew by heart.
As the crowd grew, the Redwalls meshed as though they were seasoned touring veterans. (I’d describe their sound as part Beatles’ lost tapes infused with The White Stripes and a little Black Keys. Throw in some seriously tapered jeans and a Budweiser tall boy, and you’re in business.) How many times do you see a crew and journalists backstage rocking out in time to the music being played? The journalists would be Nick and myself, shaking and trying to outclap Beatle Bob, a DJ from St. Louis in a polyester blue suit doing high kicks and jazz turns near the front of the stage. (Bonus points if you spotted him throughout the fest; we caught him backstage at Dashboard, too.) We were welcomed backstage with open arms, although our press passes didn’t guarantee any access. Legit or not, our time at the Redwalls show was easily the highlight of my day. And the drum solo closer pushes the guys ahead of the pack and onto our Wonders of Lollapalooza list. Powered by AkoComment 2.0! |
