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A LOOK BACK AT MUSIC MIDTOWN
IN ATLANTA
by Jonathan Williams and Aysha
Photos by Evil Jim
From the July 2005 issue of Prick Magazine.
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 The Killers. |
 The White Stripes. |
 Devo. |
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As one of the largest outdoor music festivals in the United States, Atlanta's Music Midtown usually has a somewhat underwhelming lineup consisting mostly of acts that have yet to make a name for themselves and older bands that have become more novelty than nostalgia, hardly making it worth standing in the sun or rain to witness. But this year, the people behind the festival decided to make some changes and the result was one of the best Music Midtown events in its 12-year history.
First, the event was moved from early spring to the weekend of June 10-12. But more importantly was the fact that the lineup consisted of hot bands-of-the-moment like The White Stripes, Interpol, The Killers, and Coheed and Cambria, as well as older-but-still-relevant acts like Lou Reed, Tom Petty, The Pixies, and Devo.
The crowd seemed a little less dense than previous years, probably due to rainy weather, slightly higher ticket prices and a couple of competing events happening that same weekend. From a fan's perspective, however, the smaller crowd made it easier to get close to the bands and walk from one stage to the other without getting crushed between drunken frat boys and underage suburban girls. But even though it was easier to catch acts on different stages, the packed lineup made it difficult to see some of the more exciting bands because they were often performing simultaneously.
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 Lou Reed. |
 The White Stripes. |
 Devo. |
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The highlights of the first night were Lou Reed, who performed a set of mostly obscurities and newer material, and Interpol, who played on a different stage during the same time slot. Despite the rain and heat, Interpol still dressed to impress in its trademark suits and perfectly styled hair.
Saturday was dominated by a post-new wave/Brit pop lineup that included She Wants Revenge, Louis XIV, Bloc Party, and Keane. While all of those bands sounded great, they all seemed like they were better suited for a more intimate venue. One act that made the great outdoors as intimate as possible was rapper David Banner, who leapt from the stage several times during his set and interacted with the crowd by letting them sing along with him and lifting girls onto his shoulders as he walked around. If more performers were willing to get down-and-dirty like Banner did, it would definitely make for a more entertaining weekend. Despite the downpour that opened up by the end of the evening, a large crowd gathered to see the reunited Pixies, who put on a stellar show of crowd favorites like "Gigantic," "Debaser" and "Wave Of Mutilation."
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 The Killers. |
 Tom Petty. |
 John Fogerty. |
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The weekend ended on a retro note with acts like Joan Jett, Def Leppard, Doug E. Fresh, and the Lemonheads performing on various stages throughout the day. But the highlight of the weekend (and probably of any Music Midtown to date) was when Devo took the stage wearing its red energy domes and yellow jumpsuits. While the rest of the weekend was filled with corporate sponsorships and bands promoting their latest releases, Devo performed songs dating back to the late '70s and early '80s such as "Freedom Of Choice," "Whip It," "Jocko Homo," and "Uncontrollable Urge."
The band went through a couple of costume changes, such as when the paper jumpsuits were torn away to reveal tight black T-shirts, running shorts and kneepads (made all the more hilarious by the fact that most of the band members have gained a considerable amount of weight since their days on MTV). The band's encore included "Beautiful World" and saw Mark Mothersbaugh taking on the roll of Booji Boy, a demented choirboy-like character who threw bouncy balls into the audience and rambled on about a bird who suffered an untimely death after being the subject of such torturous activities as having beer spit on it by the other rock stars on the bill.
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 Devo. |
 Joan Jett. |
 Def Leppard. |
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Maybe it was the fact that this was Devo's first Atlanta performance in more than 20 years, or just that the band's quirky sense of humor was clearly the strangest thing anyone had seen all weekend, but once the show was over it was hard to even recall anyone else's performance.
Hopefully something was learned from this year's event despite the somewhat sparse turnout. If Music Midtown is able to draw such diverse and talented acts next year, it will definitely be something to look forward to again. And it might even be worth braving the elements, overpriced beer and crowds of people who don’t normally make it to the big city to see some quality musical acts.
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For more information, go to www.musicmidtown.com
For more Evil Jim photography visit www.eviljimsrecords.com
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