Even a terrible set by punctually challenged Axl Rose couldn’t dampen the Reading and Leeds double dose of festivals — the rain showers took care of that. This probably won’t go down as the best Reading Festival, but when you’ve been rocking since the seventies and have a massive lineup performing at two venues, there’s still plenty of musical goodness. Check out some of the reviews below:
via Guardian News
It can sometimes feel as if Leeds Festival favours bands who soundtrack the act of pouring lager over your head, which is perhaps the one thing beyond the capabilities of Arcade Fire. On the back of their number one album, The Suburbs, Friday’s headliners delivered a consummate show with strobes, special effects, Herculean energy and all their darkly euphoric anthems, culminating in an epic Wake Up — everything, in fact, except much of a crowd to see it.
via 411mania
If Lostprophets are in commercial decline then Biffy Clyro (The Main Stage) are approaching their zenith. They certainly appeared confident as Simon Neal swaggered on stage sporting his new bleached blonde hair and beard. They’re set was utterly triumphant if a little disorganized.
via Contactmusic.com
Some people would have you believe that the ‘retro’ inclusion of bands like Cypress Hill and Weezer is merely paying dues to the old masters, a sort of rock retirement home where fans can come to remember how good they once were. This could be true of Guns N Roses, but both the former acts have come to show the crowd they are still going as strong as ever, and in the case of Weezer, at the top of their crowd-pleasing game.
via Telegraph
Rose was bloated, Botox-featured and unable to complete more than a couple of screeched verses without recourse to the oxygen tank he keeps in the wings. For long periods, his anonymous henchmen held the fort without him. Consequently, even Sweet Child o’ Mine drew barely a ripple of applause. It was excruciating, malign, yet compulsive to watch. Midway through Nighttrain, Rose suddenly barked, “I don’t even know why we bothered coming here”, tossed his microphone in the air and stormed off.