[ATP NY '09] Day 1: Panda Bear, Iron & Wine, Suicide, and The Dirty Three

The first day of ATP was very much like the first day of school - everyone wandering around the premises to find out where they're going, checking in with administrators, and making acquaintances who you may or may not see again. It was the eagerness of a festival's first day mixed with the time-frozen eeriness of Kutsher's Resort. Despite the musty smell of the hotel and long check-in lines, there was an entire afternoon's worth of great live music timely driving the masses around as if part of their circadian rhythm. The first day didn't feel like a festival but a never-ending concert, yet when Panda Bear, Iron & Wine, The Dirty Three, and Suicide are on the agenda.. it's very hard to complain.

Click below for full Day 1 recap and photos!

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Apart from being my first ATP experience, there were many acts performing I had never seen before and in some cases never even heard of. The Dirty Three were one of the bands I had never seen live but had heard a few songs, even though making it through an entire album proved to be an elusive task. That would change once violinist Warren Ellis took the stage to perform the entirety of Ocean Songs.



Taking the place of Kentucky-native and Squirrel Bait founder David Grubbs on piano was none other than Nick Cave! While it was an exciting addition, Ellis commanded a greater stage presence and was definitely the main-stage entertainment.



Aside from looking the part of a deranged homeless man, Ellis played with passion that often resulted in leg kicks, enthusiastic unmic'd shouting, and even playing violin whilst laying down onstage (see first picture). He had a (sometimes incoherent) story behind every song and remarked to the audience, "ATP.. I am concerned with things I've read on the internets!" He lashed out at Pitchfork saying, "we're not responsible for 'emo' .. some other cunts are!"

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Suicide were a band who made their historical mark on music a good decade or so before I came catapulting out of the womb. My degree from N.I.B. - the Nathaniel Institute of Bloggenstein - taught me Suicide were one hell of a genre manipulating duo, often times referred to as the first synth outfit.



Continuing the "first" theme, Suicide played their entire first album for ATP! I was more than excited because it was the only Suicide album in my possession and it makes for one hell of a spin. Along with festival forager Lindsay, we nestled ourselves toward the front of the crowd and my ears started bleeding.



Not because it was bad (the exact opposite) but because it was the loudest set I have ever heard! The duo tore through their first album, including great renditions of "Cheree" and "Frankie Teardrop", but did so a few decibels louder than pleasantly possible. It was a great, loud set that even made Animal Collective noisemaker Avey Tare move back. Someday my ears will regret the decision to not follow Tare's example.

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Iron & Wine took to the stage next with no support, only Sam Beam and his guitar. I've seen him a few times prior to ATP but he always had the vocal support of his sister, Sarah, or a backing band. It was more than refreshing to see him perform solo, nothing more than a spotlight and acoustic guitar as his accessories.



Of the few times I'd seen Iron & Wine, this was by far the best setlist he's performed. Beam opened with his sensational Postal Service cover of "Such Great Heights" and said the audience was too drunk to sing along. He looks like a humble woodsmen with his plain dress and bushy beard, although his banter would make you think otherwise.



He joked around with the crowd, took requests, and answered questions like "Where's Sarah?" Beam replied, "She's at home. She doesn't return my phone calls.. and, I have to pay her to come sing. So fuck it!" He breezed through a setlist including "Sunset Soon Forgotten", "Naked As We Came", and a faster paced version of "The Trapeze Swinger" that left my jaw on the floor and hands in the air. Such a fantastic performer and perhaps the most down-to-earth musician of ATP, seen walking around and interacting nearly the entire weekend.

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Moving Panda Bear from Saturday to Friday was one of the better moves ATP could've made, mainly because all those attending received two nights of animal brotherhood. I can't help that Noah Lennox is the driving force behind my adoration of Animal Collective, the explorative pop music he's created sticks out to me perhaps in the same way Lennon's push-the-envelope tunes did to journalists (and the general public) a half-century ago.



The concert atmosphere of Panda Bear doesn't revolve around intricate stage production or elaborate light shows. Instead, there is only the glow of one fixed blue light and a projected visualizer slightly better than what's on your computer. Once Panda Bear took the stage and kicked on his machines, the concert continued without pause until he turned everything off at the end. He mixed in some spacey Animal Collective tunes including "Chores" and a super slow, incredible rendition of "Guys Eyes" (originally a PB tune that was re-fashioned for MPP).

[MP3] Panda Bear - Guys Eyes (Live @ ATP 9/11/2009)

Hopefully you've heard the new tracks he debuted at ATP, even though every song he played seemed brand new. Even tracks from Person Pitch were reconstructed and flushed out, only retaining a familiar chorus or verse. Then again, that's what makes watching Panda Bear so enjoyable. You witness an artist using the shell of familiarity to build a song from the ground up and all you can do is simply sway along.



Checkout the "Boneless (Notwist Remix)" he put together, including a fun shoutout to "upstate New York" at the 1:42 mark!

[MP3] Panda Bear - Boneless (Notwist Remix) (Live @ ATP 9/11/2009)

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The recap of ATP Day 2 will be up shortly - including photos and reviews of Sufjan Stevens, Animal Collective, Deerhunter, Atlas Sound, and Akron/Family!

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