
GATEKEEPER EMA TUNE-YARDS BATTLES THURSTON MOORE CURREN$Y GUIDED BY VOICES DAS RACIST NEKO CASE JAMES BLAKE ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
They stampeded from EMA’s set. In previous years it wasn’t until Saturday that the Blue Stage, a.k.a. the stage for “less-known” acts, turned into such a madhouse. But before Merrill Garbus was even finished soundchecking, the face-painted crowd was already going nuts. It looked like somebody put the Indigo Girls fanbase in a blender with a Ziggy Stardust concert. Meanwhile, Battles have a crazy keyboard set-up.
The weather is perfect. I better find some wood to knock on. As they opened the gates, a slew of Animal Collective fans peeled across the lawn to get pole position by the barricades. Then EMA came out and tore it up so much she broke something. Or maybe whatever it was just came unplugged. Then I went to the press tent and watched Das Racist answer 30 questions in two minutes. Crazy.