Obituary: Siren Music Festival

Saturday's Siren music festival went the way these shows have for the better part of a decade. Bands play, people sweat, some complain, some burn, some dance, some sway semi-rythmicly, many induldge in over priced hot dogs and (assuming such a thing exists)over sized beers. Some bands were great(Twilight Sad, M.I.A., Black Lips), some boring(Dr. Dog), several were better than expected (Elvis Perkins, We Are Scientists). But all in all it was a summer high light. A day that you know a cross section of the most and least attractive people in the city will cross your eye. A day where the pain of a sunburn is offset by an afternoon buzz. Exhausting, and entirely worth the trek the Siren Festival has been one of the finest free events our city has had to offer for 7 years.

I wish I had taken more pictures and yet I know that it would have limited my ability to have fun. As is the only serviceable pictures of any bands I got were of the excellent Twilight Sad. They opened the day running late and somehow cut through the mid day sun with their bruting Scottish Post-Mope Rock. After catching smidges of Elvis Perkins and Dr. Dog I indulged in some gastric challenging Nathan's.

The rest of the day was a triple shot of excellence. Black Lips ripped through their rowdy garage rock set with flair, though less I'm told than their usual more intimate sets. We Are Scientists had energy and clearly had a hold over the (likely blogger heavy) crowd. Then there was M.I.A. who overcame mic trouble with energy but also with help from an exuberent audience. Cynicly I skipped the New York Dolls and took that time with friends lounging on the boardwalk.

All in all it ranks as over all my most positive Siren experience, too bad it will be my last.

Top 5 Siren Performances That I Have witnessed (I have been to 4 of these, all are represented):
1. Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - 2003
2. M.I.A. - 2007
3. Art Brut - 2006
4. ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - 2004
5. Mission of Burma - 2004