Download Festival @ Shoreline - section 200 row n? - ~$60

The all-day affair started at 12p though we didn't get there till a lazy 3-330p. It was pretty sunny, of course it gets freezing at Shoreline by nightfall. The Lovemakers started up at 12:30 so that was a no go. I actually missed all the bands on the smaller stage out back, we couldn't really figure out where that was for one thing hahha. While we were walking around, Extra Action Marching Band passed us by



I remember trying to look up some information on them but didn't get really far. They were weird, an actual marching band with pretty eccentric and revealing outfits, the highlight were two guys in thongs gyrating and waving a huge flag


Anyway, we got some drinks and headed to our seats in section 200 (right of the stage) to catch British Sea Power on the main stage. The band looked really young. They were pretty mellow I guess, not a whole lot of energy but a few songs sounded pretty good. It never occured to me but I guess outdoor concerts have crappier sound than other venues. We weren't close to the stage but it was a lot better than lawn. Towards the end, the guy with the funny beanie hat made his way into the audience and banged his one drum like a crazy guy, he walked right by us as we were going for a walk



We took a break to get drinks, food and some shirts before the next act


Doves came on with little fanfare, the two albums I listened to were not bad but think I was very put off by the fact that the singer looked damn old


Arcade Fire was the next band, it was definitely starting to get dark.. they were okay actually, some familiar tunes and I liked that there were like a million people on stage. I think they opened with "Wake Up". Another highlight was "Haiti". We all needed to go use the restroom so we ducked out before they finished. I'm kinda bummed cuz I missed "Rebellion (Lies)" which closed their set

After getting some more food and drinks, we actually walked by the myspace.com stage where they had funky white people dancing. We joined in, it was very 80s brit pop (like the Cure's "Just like heaven") and we went nuts in there



I think in retrospect, dancin up there was the most fun I had all night. It got so packed that they cleared off some couches for more people to be on the platform and they weren't letting people come on unless others left.. over capactiy club haha. We kept daring each other to go request a song with the Asian dj. Lucy finally went and we about died when she played "Somebody told me" by the Killers. We were on our way out when "Honest Mistake" by the Bravery came on so we had to stay. That song is so awesome. I hope I get to see them live some time soon. On the way out, I heard the dj was from popscene which totally makes sense (she's Nako)

We made our way back to catch Modest Mouse but man did they suck. The only song I kinda knew was "Float On" but otherwise it was a real bore. I sat a lot during their set and counted the minutes till the Killers came on. It was getting seriously cold by then and we tried to look for some coffee but both stands were out, how do u run out of coffee..


The Killers came on well after 10p, their tin foil backdrop was kinda sad lookin hahah, they were pretty good though, I wish the keyboards were more audible but in general I liked it. I think we were all a bit tired by then. The singer Brandon Flowers would say a little something before each song, it was cool. He said there were only 4 shows left for their current tour



There was a cool moment at the encore where Brandon asked people to hold up their cell phone, I think that's gonna be a staple of modern concerts, made the whole venue look dreamy. I wrote myself a memo on my cellphone for the Killers set list so I wouldn't have to look it up later (still don't have the proper one for Bloc Party @ Warfiled)

Jenny was a friend of mine
On top
Somebody told me
Midnight show
Believe me Natalie
Change your Mind
Under the gun
Smile like you mean it
Andy you're a star
Indie rock n roll for me
Mr Brightside

Everything will be alright
Moonage Daydream (David Bowie cover)
All the things that I've done

Before the encore, the crowd went nuts and started throwing those seat cushions they been handin out. A few people got nailed in the head, that was kinda intense haha. We thought about parking next to an exit because of the notorious post-concert traffic jams but our exit strategy was pretty much the worse. We didn't get out til much much later, when most of the lot was empty

Overall good stuff, well the Killers really. I don't think I'm a big fan of festivals