The granddaddies are alright. Rock icons The Who took to the stage delivering great live classics, as they always do. Mic-throwing Roger Daltrey credited the rain to the crackle in his voice. Pete Townshend's quotable quote: "In India, they say rain is a blessing from God. I hope I don't offend anyone by saying that God in northern Europe has a strange sense of humor."
I didn't know that "Behind Blue Eyes" was originally theirs. My favorite song was "Who Are You" set against a video backdrop of train tracks.
I had never heard of 120 Days before, but man, this Norwegian band has some great hybrid stuff going on. Electronic rock that has to be seen to be believed. Angry and danceable: a potent, crazy combination.
All-male Romanian group Fanfare Ciocarlia looked out of place at Astoria, but the crowd wanted to dance and they got it. Gypsy music with wind instruments and drums, at times Jewish and Latin to my ears. Great build-up, with a lot of suspense.
At 1am, it was time for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Vocalist Anthony Kiedis looked drugged out, so his bandmates took the chance to shine by showing off their mastery of their instruments. I got sleepy, though, but there was no way to slip through the crowd. We stood in front of an area without people because the mud was deep and sticky. I thought things were going to get better, but a few minutes of rain made the mud more like quicksand.
I had two pairs of socks, leggings under my jeans, a zip-up cardigan over my tee and a shawl on. But it was a cold summer night and I have to thank Mike for lending me his fleece sweater and Irene for her scarf or else I would have risked hypothermia.
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