Ah, CityFest Live. Let’s start with what we know. If it’s a Charlotte music festival, Darius Rucker will be there, whether anyone wants to hear him or not. The man’s sold some 20 million albums, dammit, and the lack of a fanbase isn’t going to stop him that easy. What with celebrity golf tournaments and New York City parties to attend, it’s a wonder he has the time.
Another given is Athenaeum, as we’re the only city around who seems to still care. Ditto for Sister Hazel.
Fogey acts are always popular, as these kinds of acts come sorta cheap and give Fox listeners a reason to show up (as if beer and cutoff blue jeans weren’t enough). May I present Jethro Tull and Styx (albeit without Mr. Roboto himself, Dennis DeYoung).
For the teenage girl segment, you have Bush — thanks, no doubt, to No Doubt, as Bush throater/pinup Gavin Rossdale’s currently kickin’ it with ND’s Gwen Stefani. Mind you, No Doubt has totally given up on artistic merit (hey baby, hey baby, hey!), but look for them to draw one of the biggest crowds at the event. Extra points for being the most black-sounding of all the acts slated to appear (including Darius).
Freaks can get their freak on to Static X. Place bets with your pals to see how long it takes for singer Wayne Static’s ecstatic reverse waterfall hairdo to wilt in the heat.
Stone Temple Pilots, mind you, are much better than the Pearl Jam ripoffs everybody labeled them seven or eight years ago. Certainly, they’re 10 times better than Creed, the current Pearl Jam ripoff band of the moment, thanks to one thing they (and Pearl Jam) have that Scott Stiff and Co. forgot: melody.
And no offense, but does anyone really think Billarabi, Dead City Radio and Dead Beat Baby are the three best local bands in town?
Fans of a little jam with getting toasted would do well to check out Jerry Cantrell, Leftover Salmon, Lake Trout, Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe (I thought it was God’s?), the Disco Biscuits and Acoustic Syndicate. Cantrell’s not a jam band artist, per se, but he ought to sate most area guitarheads with his detuned musings — not to mention he wrote many of Alice In Chains’ best songs (and no, that’s not like saying “military intelligence” or “friendly fire”).
What with the baking asphalt, beachy types can pretend they’re on the strip in Myrtle Beach, as The Tams, The Entertainers, The Catalinas, The Magic Band of Gold, The Fabulous Kays, Chairmen of the Board, The Fantastic Shakers and The Embers will be on hand to purvey all things shagadelic.
For everyone else, there’s urban cowboy Kid Rock, soon to be Mr. Pamela Anderson. That fact alone ought to get a couple of thousand over to his stage. Oh, to be a beer vendor on that day. The Kid’s new album, Cocky, ain’t selling all that well, but he’s not going to downgrade from platinum anytime soon. Why? As Kid himself says, perhaps only God knows why.
Granted, the show’s a mixed bag, to say the least. However, CL was lucky enough to catch interviews with a couple of acts you will want to check out: Audiovent, led by the brother of Incubus singer Brandon Boyd, and Caitlin Cary, garnering rave reviews for her full-length debut. In addition, our CityFest package also includes a look at the event’s revamped safety measures. Enjoy. *
This article appears in Apr 24-30, 2002.
