DMB Caravan Rolls Into Town

Photo by Jim Kopeny

We hadn't planned on attending the inaugural Chicago edition of the DMB Caravan but a last minute chance to see The Flaming Lips perform Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon set us on our way to the fest's south side location yesterday. The new Lakeside venue grounds intrigued us with the chance to set up a viable new concert location in a promising new spot. We admit, though, we are not exactly fans of the fest's curator and headliner (and, prior to yesterday, even less a fan of their fans) so we set out on our journey with a mixture of trepidation and honestly excited curiosity.

Luckily for us we did a bit of advance research and learned from the unfortunate transportation issues suffered by some of our fellow music writers. While the CTA Red Line was providing service between it's 83rd St. stop and the venue via shuttle buses, it sounds like that whole affair was mired in problems. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Metra's service between Millennium Station and a stop four blocks from the festival grounds was quick and easy, with additional trains added to the schedule to handle the concert crowds.

One of the more unusual discoveries of the day. Photo by Michelle Meywes.

The grounds themselves were unusual. Attempts at creating walkable grounds were made with large amounts of mulch and wood chips but that couldn't hide the incredibly rocky terrain. And the festival layout was a bit weird, with large amounts of fencing in seemingly random places. What amazed us the most, though, was the crowd. Even though we got there relatively late on Sunday festival-goers were a pretty mellow and friendly lot. We admit we expected to wander into a drunken bro-fest but the fan base of the Dave Matthews Band (and make no mistake, most of the crowd viewed the weekend as three Dave Matthews show with a couple different openers) is far older and diverse than we expected. And friendly. At times the mixture of good vibes and the otherworldly feel of the location had us feeling like we were attending a concert, erm, on the moon.

Speaking of the moon, The Flaming Lips set surprised us by only being their rendition of The Dark Side of the Moon. We were expecting a couple of their "hits" but the band stretched the Dark Side album to fit their entire time slot by adding in additional music and thematic tie-ins with, what else, The Wizard Of Oz. The band was flanked by legions of girls dressed as Wizard's Dorothy, and during "Money" singer Wayne Coyne brought out balloons he claimed were filled with $10,000 in cash provided by Dave Matthews himself and popped them over the crowd. And, after brief burst of a rain shower under a shining sun a rainbow appeared behind the band. Of course. Only The Flaming Lips.

After The Lips' set we made our way to the festival's largest stage and did something we never in a million years thought we would find ourselves doing: we watched a show by The Dave Matthews Band. Usually this is the point in a review where the writer would admit that upon seeing a band live they finally "got it." Well, we still don't "get" Dave Matthews. We're not converts. But we at least now understand why folks pay to see him. And while the crowd at Lollapalooza might be a lot hipper, Matthews fans are some of the nicest folks we've come across in huge numbers. And while we just couldn't get down the music from the band onstage we did find ourselves doing something we rarely do at festivals; we made new friends and just had a really good time. And once we grew bored we were able to just walk a couple blocks back to the Metra and we were home in under an hour.

So we have hope for the new Lakeside location and are interested to see what else JAM or Livenation book there separately or together. The grounds need some work but we're willing to view that as a work in progress since this was the very first event held there. Lakeside has potential so let's see where it goes from here.

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By Tankboy in Arts & Events on July 11, 2011 1:00 PM

Comments [rss]

bittertea

I, too, like to make jabs at DMB and their fans, but I have a lot of
respect for the community he has created and the mission behind the
Caravan.

After I was done showering off the
thick layer of dust, I went to sleep happy. It seemed well-organized and
it made a lot of locals see a part of the city that is scenic, but needs
help and some rebuilding.

Tankboy

Totes agree. Especially with the latter point.

Speedstr

So...is DMB going to be like the next Greatful Dead? (tours I mean)

Tom Fennell

I think ticket and transit prices make it a thing of the past. And with only a few exceptions, there aren't many acts out there putting together a Dead-style tour schedule with a deep-enough repertoire to keep everybody on the road with them.

dupreeblue

Glad you took the Metra. As I said, if we went back we'd have done the same. It had to have been easier. From what I saw, the CTA did the best job they could possibly do in the situation. There were plenty of shuttles to be had, but when you put them all on a one lane road that isn't closed to other traffic... well, that's going to be a long 3 mile ride (and it was).

I saw my first ever live DMB too. Your review of them was much more positive than mine. They were everything I expected & duller. Now had it only been Carter on that stage I'd have really enjoyed it.

Tankboy

Usually I'm so busy running around covering a fest unfortunately I don't have the time to just chill and meet people. So there's that, and ElvisStokjo is also right-on in that I really didn't expect to enjoy the crowd at this particular fest.

Tom Fennell

A much more reasonable conclusion. I try not to drink too much of the Peace & Love Kool-Aid (No, seriously--don't drink anything those people give you) but a "residential" camping fest is really a great time. Bonnaroo's always good for a few laughs when the jam-scene (majority) has their collective mellow harshed with niche fans for the incongruous band for the year (shell-necklaced DMB fans one year, Combat-booted Metallica followers another).

ElvisStojko

I think what he meant was the reality of enjoying the crowd versus his expectation of this particular crowd, not festivals in general.

Tankboy, it sounds like your account of leaving the festival differs from other reports I've read on Twitter and the Tribune. Did you just know the best way or did it have a lot to do with leaving early?

Tankboy

From what I could tell the primary problem was with the CTA option. Folks that drove or took the Metra (at least from what I read and observed) seemed to have very little problem getting out at the end of the day. We headed there at a pretty busy time (Millennium Station was packed with folks heading there primarily to catch the Dave Matthews Band) but getting there was a snap.

Had I followed my original plan and taken the Red Line I imagine I would be complaining a lot more about the venue location.

Tom Fennell

Making new friends and having a really good time is a rarity at festivals? You're doing it wrong! Get out of the city, away from these overgrown Taste of Lincoln / Taste of Wicker Park hybrids, pitch a tent and check out a real fest. I guarantee you meet your neighbors, enjoy yourself the whole time, and look forward to next year unconditionally.