If the lineup at Just Like Heaven this year at Brookside at the Rose Bowl was the hottest thing on record, and it most definitely was, then a close second was the unforgivable heat wave that roasted all of Southern California. But, even this brutal heat could not stop 30,000 fans from swarming the city of Pasadena Saturday.
Fans showed up early for a set by Sweden’s Peter Bjorn and John and the trio opened with “Poor Cow” and “Roll the Credits.”
Lead singer and guitarist Peter Morén announced they were celebrating 20 years of “Writer’s Block,” however they were playing the album in reverse. For “Amsterdam,” John Eriksson switched to drumsticks in one hand and a pair of maracas in the other.
Morén ditched his guitar and climbed down to the barricade to start the whistling for “Young Folks,” truly one of the biggest anthems of 2000s indie music.
For the set’s conclusion, they played the title track which saw Morén dancing across the stage.
As The Sounds took the stage, bassist Johan Richter announced that lead singer Maja Ivarsson was unable to enter the US due to visa issues. With such little notice they were fortunate to have the incredible Carah Charnow from Shiny Toy Guns to fill in on lead vocals. While understandably heartbroken, fans were treated to a once in a lifetime performance that provided Charnow unique twist on a regular Sounds set.
The band seemed unhindered as they blazed through “Painted by Numbers” and “No One Sleeps When I’m Awake.” Charnow dedicated the next song, “to our queen, Maja!” which ended up being the aptly titled (we’re not) “Living in America.” “Shake Shake Shake” featured an impressive drum outro by Fredrik Blond before the band ended with a fiery rendition of “Hope You’re Happy Now.”
Any time Grouplove plays it’s an instant dance party, even in this unforgiving heat. They played the futuristic “Borderlines and Aliens,” as well as the fun “Raspberry.”
Co-lead vocalist, Hannah Hooper got the crowd clapping along to begin the intro to “Itchin’ on a Photograph” as husband and co-lead singer, guitarist Christian Zucconi belted out indie-folk at a falsetto pitch. They played the fan favorite “Tongue-Tied,” and closed a really strong set with “Colours,” which saw a ripping guitar solo from Andrew Wessen.
TV on the Radio took the stage with a slow jam that led into “Young Liars.” The Brooklyn band played a spacey performance of “Dreams” and then amped up to play the fan favorite “Wolf Like Me.” Guitarist Kyp Malone took lead vocals for the soulful “Province,” which saw lead vocalist Tunde Adebimpe providing falsetto vocals during the chorus in a perfect two-party harmony.
They played “Trouble” as Adebimpe assured listeners, “everything’s gonna be okay.” The band finished with the aptly titled, “Staring at the Sun” as the sun beamed down from above.
London’s Bloc Party became breakout indie darlings following the success of their debut album, “Silent Alarm.” They began “Song for Clay (Disappear Here)” quietly with Russell Lissack and Kele Okereke on guitar, as Okereke sang falsetto right up until the end of the song’s intro, at which point the band and crowd both came alive to a loud, fiery finish.
The band effortlessly transitioned from this song’s end right into the popular “Banquet,” which received the biggest ovation of the day thus far.
Okereke’s energy is infectious and he bounced around, remaining playful with the crowd during banter in between songs, all the while with a huge smile on his face. Okereke announced, “We haven’t played in America in quite some time,” and they launched into the fast-paced “Helicopter,” achieving the unthinkable – a mosh pit at Just Like Heaven.
Empire of the Sun is a band all about theatrics. Guitarist-lead singer Luke Steele was dressed like a villain from “Big Trouble in Little China” and accompanied by two backup dancers dressed as red ninjas donning futuristic helmets.
They opened with “Changes” and by “The Feeling You Get,” the dancers had somehow changed costumes into futuristic geishas.
More than any other band Saturday, Empire of the Sun really put a lot of effort into their video backdrop which showed psychedelic imagery, 3D animations, and otherwise mind-bending video.
A brief intermission saw Steele change into a blue gown with matching head piece, while the dancers dressed in bodysuits made of disco ball mirrors before going into “Cherry Blossom.” Steele welcomed Super Chai on stage, which can only be described as a mop/muppet mascot. The crowd went electric as the band broke into “Walking on a Dream” as fans danced along. They finished a 60-minute trippy dance set with “Alive.”
I feel like Rilo Kiley’s performance is one that’s going to be talked about for some time. This was just their third performance in 17 years, coming off two shows earlier that week. Lead singer Jenny Lewis came out to a huge ovation, wearing a polka dot dress and tiara under a full moon. They opened with the title track of their breakthrough album, “The Execution of All Things.” With every note and every lyric it was obvious the crowd grew up with Rilo Kiley as the soundtrack to their adolescence.
For “Spectacular Views,” Lewis shed her bass and played standup keys. Lead guitarist Blake Sennett took lead vocals with support from keyboardist, Harrison Whitford. With the opening lyrics, “I’m only a woman,” a gasp of excitement went up from the crowd as Lewis led them into the soulful, “I Never.” Lewis was really enjoying the moment and performing in front of fans again as she commented, “Never, never, never saw so many people in all my life.”
My favorite moment of the entire day was witnessing them play “With Arms Outstretched,” with Lewis letting the crowd finish the song’s final chorus. The band finished an incredibly powerful set with “Portions for Foxes.”
Vampire Weekend came out to a modest background – a large banner with the band’s name in white letters. They breezed through “Mansard Roof” and “Holiday,” but after the first verse of “Ice Cream Piano,” the banner dropped, revealing a large video background as the band came to life.
Vampire Weekend played a set that represented their entire career, playing nearly equal parts from all five of their albums – including radio anthems like “Unbelievers” and “Diane Young.” By the time they hit “A-Punk,” the crowd was grooving and singing along.
During previous sets, they have been taking fan requests to cover other artists. Saturday, they decided to switch it up and lead singer Ezra Koenig announced, “We’re going to do a salute to indie.” The band then played their renditions of “Lisztomania” by Phoenix, “The Less I Know the Better” by Tame Impala, “Space Song” by Beach House, “Two Weeks” by Grizzly Bear, and finally a song that was played earlier that day – TV on the Radio’s “Wolf Like Me.”
After a sunny and energetic day of music, the band brought this “weekend” to a close with “Walcott.”
Despite the heat, it was another “heavenly” weekend at Just Like Heaven.
