IVANA IN CHICAGO, PART TWO: JUDGMENT DAY
Part Two: The All-Access Advantage
It took me an hour to get to The World in Tinley Park, IL. Last time I was there was with Pam Edwards from Portrait to see L.A. Guns, Great White, Ratt and Poison. Nothing looks familiar, because MapQuest has sent me on the “scenic” route. The backstage parking area is being used for the Side Stage, but Kathy, [Q101 PD] Dave Richards' assistant, finds me and gives me an all-access pass. I miss the chance to see Turd run through the crowd wearing a toga, carrying a tiki torch with which to light the Weber Grill, signifying the beginning of the Olympic-themed Jamboree. Fran and Dougie from Travis are the first musicians I see backstage. I make a beeline for Fran and he doesn't immediately recoil, so I'm thrilled. We talk about MTV adding the video into Buzzworthy.com and KROQadding “Why Does It Always Rain On Me?” He wants to meet Moby, which I promise to take care of after he and Dougie do their on-air interview with Robert Chase and Freak.
I spot Doug Ingold from V2, who flew in from L.A. that morning and plans on flying home right after Moby's set. Very rock-star of him. He's promised his wife he'd babysit their twins on Sunday but didn't want to miss this show. Eight hours on a plane for a 40-minute set. THAT'S dedication.
The show runs like clockwork. During Bloodhound Gang's “The Bad Touch,” Mancow and his morning cohorts run onstage in monkey suits. After they were escorted off stage, the band put on fred durst',390,400);">fred durst',390,400);">Fred Durst-esque outfits and did their best “boy band” routine. The crowd LOVED it. Between set changes, I caught Eve 6 on the Side Stage. They'd also flown in early in the morning for this show, girlfriends in tow. Singer Max has obviously been pumping iron--he's as big as a tree. Kids are moshing to their new single, and I try to take a photo of Mary Shuminas and Amy Kaplan with the band in the background, but Mary is camera-shy. Kids hurry back to their seats after Eve 6 to see Moby play. I spot the Q101 GM in his fifth-row seat, obviously a Moby fan. Every other artist on the bill leaves the hospitality area to watch Moby. Among the many watching from the wings are assorted band members of Third Eye Blind, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 311, Goldfinger and Everclear. Although Travis are scheduled to start their set as soon as Moby and his band have finished theirs, they're all mesmerized by Moby. Kids are SCREAMING the lyrics to “Porcelain.” Dicky from the Bosstones wanted to hear Moby do his version of “That's When I Reach For My Revolver,” and told me about seeing Moby perform that song WITH Mission Of Burma at a WBCN River Rave a few years before, which I missed because I was getting dressed in my Spite Girls outfit--but that's another story for another time…
Seeing Travis play for 25 minutes made the trip absolutely worthwhile. Although Dave was hoping they'd play their version of Britney Spears' “Baby One More Time,” I would've been happy if they'd just done a 25-minute version of “Mull Of Kintyre,” which I don't believe is part of their repertoire. Watching them play to a crowd of a few hundred as though it was their upcoming headlining gig at Glastonbury, I felt an overwhelming sense of privilege at having the opportunity to see Travis on their way to equal popularity in the States. If I can play the even the teeniest part in this “process,” I'll feel like I've done my part to stave off the impending Apocalypse.
Back in the hospitality area, Moby was signing autographs and bands were milling around. I decided to see if I could catch the 8:40 p.m. flight back to LA, and since Moby was flying back to NYC, I offered him a ride to O'Hare. I said my “good-byes” to the Q101 staff and James Van Osdol said, “I'll see you next week, right?” What can I say? I like Chicago…
Epilogue
Moby and I spent the hour-long drive to O'Hare lamenting the misogyny of the music that passes as “Modern Rock.” By combining the worst of '80s “hair band” objectification with the anger inherent in much Rap, without ANY of the intended “irony,” today's crop of Modern Rock bands offer little to foster healthy, equality-based relationships between the sexes. Ever since Moby played Woodstock, he's been hyper-attuned to this pervasive attitude, which sickens us both. I urged him to continue to articulate his disgust, as he's been known to do from the stage and during interviews. We parted at our respective gates, and Big John was on my flight home, too. But I had already wrangled the upgrade to first class. Eve 6 and their girlfriends were also on my return flight, all of them in first class too. Not a bad day's work, eh?
Got home in time to see Kid Rock on “Saturday Night Live.” I can't help myself, I'm a fan. I could do without the “dancers,” but his drummer kicks ass. Maybe I'm hallucinating from jet lag, but isn't that Trey from Phish playing guitar with Kid Rock? I better get some sleep. Next week I'm off to Boston and DC for two more festivals, but in the meantime, go Knicks.
