Wilting Winehouse at least shows up
By Rashod D. Ollison | Pop Music Critic
August 5, 2007
A year hasn't even passed since Amy Winehouse garnered critical acclaim and commercial success with her American debut, Back to Black. But the troubled 23-year-old singer already has earned a reputation for showing up to concerts inebriated - if she shows up at all.

Yesterday however, the British pop-soul revivalist was present and coherent at the sweltering opening day of this year's Virgin Festival, but Winehouse was also apathetic and indifferent.

Looking emaciated in a black midriff tank top and denim shorts, the heavily tattooed singer sported her trademark ratty beehive and bat-winged eye make-up. Winehouse was backed by a swinging, formidable nine-piece band that buoyed the 50-minute set as she mostly phoned in her performance. And the audience - clearly affected by the near triple-digit temperatures - was just as lethargic.


Virgin Festival 2007 artists Audio
Virgin Festival official site
Virgin Festival 2007
Pop bands Fountains of Wayne and Cheap Trick opened the festival - back at Pimlico Race Course for an expanded second year - with energetic sets, but Winehouse was the first marquee name to hit the main stage.

She fussed frequently with her necklace and hair and pulled at her low-riding shorts. The singer coasted through cuts from the charming (if overrated) Back to Black, including the mournful "Love is a Losing Game" and the sassy "Me and Mr. Jones." Halfway into her set, the music veered dangerously close to 1960s kitsch as her band added cheesy horn lines reminiscent of Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass.

But the band still managed to expertly support Winehouse with fluid music mixing early Motown, 1990s hip-hop and reggae.

The singer seemed tentative at the microphone, though, her richly textured voice cracking through the otherwise sublime "He Can Only Hold Her." She zipped through her signature hit "Rehab" and, after a muffled thank you, quickly exited the stage.

Later in the evening as the sun descended, the Beastie Boys, last night's second big-draw name, gave an exhilarating, relentless performance backed by a DJ and full band.

Gone are the obnoxious frat-boy antics of yesterday. The Beastie Boys - Mike D (Michael Diamond), MCA (Adam Yauch) and Ad-Rock (Adam Horovitz) - are all in their 40s now with graying hair. To underscore their maturity, the guys wore suits, ties and fedoras. But soon into the set, the Boys were getting hot and the jacket and hats were gone.

The same could be said about the music. The trio's set seamlessly rolled on like a live mix-tape with a colorful blend of the band's rowdy, 20-year-old punk-rap hits and churning soul-jazz instrumentals, the focus of the group's latest album, The Mix Up.

Polyrhythmic beats fused with choppy rock guitar chords, and all was overlaid with DJ scratches, sharp organ stabs and the Boys' rapid-fire rhymes. Engaging and animated, they still perform with the energy of their late-1980s heyday.

Over in the dance tent, Felix da Housecat spun a bumping blend of progressive electronica and house music in the afternoon.

If you closed your eyes, it could have been 1999 - when this kind of music peaked in popularity. The sound quality was clear and the bass heavy, but the heat kept most of the crowd from moving like they would have in an air-conditioned club.

The New York-based dance punk group LCD Soundsystem delivered one of the South Stage's best performances. Drummer Pat Mahoney delivered rib-cage rattling beats with mechanical precision while lead singer James Murphy's screeching falsetto hit spine-tingling high notes.

Their energetic rendition of the single "North American Scum" made the album version seem almost dull in comparison. And the quality kept building with each song. They closed out their 50-minute set with a blistering, percussion-heavy rendition of the song "Yeah (Crass Version)" off their self-titled debut.

Veteran pop rockers Fountains of Wayne got the festival rolling with a tight 45-minute set on the North Stage. Noticeably absent from their set was the hit single "Stacy's Mom." Instead, they performed songs off their new album, Traffic and Weather, such as "Strapped for Cash" and others from their back catalog.

Lead singer Chris Collingwood's voice started off rough and nasal, but he warmed up a couple songs into the set.

The backing harmonies were spot-on, and the band was pretty much on point. Collingwood summed up the vibe nicely: "I haven't been awake this early since the '80s."

gyro34 said:

She's 23? I guess the sauce can really age you.

namepeace said:

So sad she's in denial of her self-destructive habit.

I really dig this chick, but it's sad to see her so destructive so early in her career! I was checking out some of her videos and ran across this train wreck! Why Amy and the other chick decided to sing Michael Jacksons's "Beat It" is beyond me to begin with, but Amy's perfrmance is an outright disaster!

http://youtube.com/watch?...ed&search=
Sad!

VonMarie said:

Goddamn!!! She's a train wreck! It was acceptable when I thought it was temporary and didn't have "THAT" big and bad of an effect. But, she's going to want to do something about that and do something about that, quickly. SHEESH!!! I want to get her some help and I don't even know her.
[Edited 8/6/07 7:34am]

Shes easily the new Fiona Apple. Same shit Fiona used to do, she played a show here in NYC one time when her second had just come out, she played 2-3 songs, got pissed at the sound guy, and said "Fuck this" im not playing anymore, walked off and never came back. Now this has happend before with artists, and sound, BUT other artists at least give refunds, since Fiona had played 2-3 songs and the opening act had performed, NO refunds were given, and this is exactly where i see Amy going, well shes there already.

lastdecember said:

I get the impression that Fiona is an anger-driven person. The themes and the mood of her albums live up to whom she really is. Or was she as drunk as Amy?

gyro34 said:

no, i think fiona is just f*cked up in the head while amy is f*cked up in the head and a crackhead/drunk.

gyro34 said:

Yeah she was just angry, i wasnt at this show, it was a girl that i knew that loved her and thought she was amazing, until this show, then she hated her after that because she felt ripped off, no refund, nothing rescheduled. I cant get into artists like this, i like some of Fiona and Amy and think they are talented, but i try not to get to into them because i know at some point they are really going to lose it and just stop recording and become a Lauryn Hill type.

She's so trashy. I like her music but I cannot stand her. She should get her ass to an AA meeting.

Hypocrisy.

Her supposed self-destructive behavior is what is giving you all something to talk about. The minute she cleans up is the minute everyone loses interest because "she's boring."

Nobody paid attention to her with her first record. You're all paying attention now and while you're at it you are telling her she sucks.

Hypocrisy.

PapaSmurf said:

Not True! You're full of crap!!! Blue Smurf crap for that matter!!!

She and her band were fabulous at Lollapalooza yesterday, that's all I know.

lastdecember said:

I went to the rescheduled Fiona Apple show at the Beacon Theater. Tickets from the previous show were accepted in exchange. She apologized profusely about her tirade at Roseland throughout the entire performance.

i love her recent cd. i do hope she gets it together. when she's on she's fantastic and the Dap Kings(her band) a right on.

sextonseven said:

Then Fiona is not unreasonable after all.

PapaSmurf said:

Just because she didn't get attention with her first record doesn't mean that becoming an alcoholic is the appropriate solution. Couldn't it have been a case of a lousy contract with a record label that failed to promote her album?

Anxiety said:

Could Pop Music Critic be an Amy hater?

VonMarie said:

That's terrible.

gyro34 said:

i'm sure it's fashionable in certain circles to be an "amy hater".

Her studio albums are awesome!


but she's god awfull live!!! She just always drunk. and mumbles threw the songs! It's a bit pathetic.

P2daP said:

on sunday, she sounded just like she does on the album and she looked very well put together. i do think her shows can be hot or cold, depending on how tore up she is on a given night.

Anxiety said:

When I saw Amy a few months ago she sounded great. She didn't appear drunk or stoned. I hope she can clean up her act before she really wrecks herself and her career. She has a unique voice and interesting sound. I would hate to see her fail from drugs and alcohol.

Somebody needs to save her, I love her so much. Waaaaah.

Honestly she seriously sucked at Lollapalooza. I'm kinda glad she sucked at Virgin Fest too. I don't feel so shafted now.

Sweeny79 said:

you were at lollapalooza last weekend?!? and ya didn't let us know?!?!

and she did not suck!

Anxiety said:

Yes I was there, and it was my boyfriend's deal and he asked that I don't force him to meet up with people. He sucks.

And yes she did. She was boring. She didn't even move like ever, that other band was drowning her out.

While I was getting water one day Rich said he saw a lil white guy in a prince shirt and I've been wondering if that was an orger though. I looked but I couldn't find him.


.
[Edited 8/8/07 14:37pm]

Sweeny79 said:

Who did I meet with you? Was I the straw that broke the camel's back?

Sweeny79 said:

Well, okay...we kinda decided to make it a hush-hush, just-us-two kinda outing as well, so I'll forgive ya THIS time.

We were way up front for Amy, so I didn't hear any bleedthrough from the other bands...and I really appreciated her subdued stage presence, if for no other reason it made her really easy to photograph.