- The Flaming Lips
Few newspaper headlines have captured the essence of a music festival quite like this one that ran in the Sun-Sentinel last year: “Steve Miller Band to rock SunFest.”
That’s right, West Palm Beach’s signature music event had gotten so dire that the scheduling of Steve “The Joker” Miller was headline news. Of course, that headline could have reflected on the hipness of the Sun-Sentinel as much as it did on the sorriness of SunFest, but given the festival’s history of specializing in soft-jazz terrorists, dust-farting classic-rock bands and flatlining pop acts, it was far from surprising. Last year’s lineup also featured such boundaries-avoiding artists as Tonic, UB40, Gin Blossoms, David Cook, Spyro Gyra, Randy Bachman and James “Ambien” Taylor. And yes, it is difficult being as cool as me.
Naturally, when the Sun-Sentinel posted a story today with the headline “SunFest organizers announce big-name acts,” I braced myself for the usual onslaught of Molly Hatchets, Semisonics, Candleboxes and Fantasia Barrinos and began making other plans for the week of April 28 to May 2 before even reading the article’s first sentence.
But the story reveals that SunFest’s organizers may have finally bought one of those iPod things or at least turned off the radio long enough to accidentally discover the day the music died wasn’t April 5, 1994 and, better still, that it may not have died at all. And then, they went and gave me a reason to write this: The Flaming Lips are coming to SunFest. Not the Go-Gos, not Right Said Fred and definitely not that goddamn Jackson Browne. The Flaming Lips. The band that recorded Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. The band that wrote “A Spoonful Weighs a Ton.” The band whose singer crowd-surfs while inside a giant hamster ball. The band that is responsible for this.
Let all that sink in for a minute, and then come back for the remainder of SunFest 2010’s remarkably not-all-that-horrible lineup.
OK, ready? Here it is: Ben Harper and Relentless7; the B-52’s; Nas; Maze featuring Frankie Beverly; Rise Against; Damian Marley; ZZ Top (who aren’t exactly relevant, but you have to love them for sticking with those beards); Flogging Molly; and, the band that got the Sun-Sentinel all hot and bothered, Weezer.
This being SunFest, several acts will offer concertgoers hour-long opportunities to hunt for funnel cakes and squattable Port-O-Lets during their sets, including Five for Fighting, Sister Hazel, Charlie Daniels Band and Better Than Ezra. Those last three groups all will play Saturday, May 1, the festival’s weakest day by far, particularly because it will offer the terrifying prospect of seeing something called Classic Albums Live’s 40 Years of Woodstock.
Last year, the inclusion of that last act would have made me think the SunFest folks had ignored those warnings about eating the brown acid. Now, because of this and this, I’m certain — and certainly happy — they did.
Contact Jake Cline at jcline@citylinkmagazine.com.
Comments
yes yes yes! the flaming lips!!
but hey! SunFest has had great lineups for at least the past 2 years! 2009:
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Kinky & 311
Friday, May 1, 2009
Pennywise, Pepper & Slightly Stoopid
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Cold War Kids
Sunday, May 3, 2009
B-Liminal, G Love & Special Sauce, Jack’s Mannequin!
Spam Allstars were also featured last year.
And back in 2008 I saw George Clinton & the Parliament Funk followed by Michael Franti & Spearhead! Opening night was THE BEST night of the 6-day run. I also had a great time watching Ozomatli, Steel Pulse, all the Marley brothers, Matisyahu, The Secret Handshake & John Legend.
bring on SunFest!