Like a torrid storm, the fractured experience that was the 2006 Best Music Poll rages back into mind. It all began with an idea, a good idea actually, of going to the Best Music Poll and taking in all it had to offer. Just one little innocent idea, like communism or the Macarena, but like both of those things, the promise proved far easier to handle than the execution.

The beginning, part 2

It all began at 5 PM on Lansdowne Street in Boston, shortly after snagging a sweet parking spot and even sweeter press passes (I’m IMPORTANT, LOOK AT ME!!!!) . As I strolled about, abusing Snapple employees and fondling the zipcar, I knew it was going to be a fantastic experience, with the sun shining and the vibes reading positive. Shortly after opening, the street began to fill with concertgoers of every type and age, from older rockers in suits to young punkers in full gear. Unsurprisingly, everyone got along swimmingly, as we were all there for but one reason: Music rules.

He’s got mad interstellar cred

The first to take to the street stage was MC Lars. To be honest, I had low expectations for this, figuring Lars to be another one-hit-wonder chump who somehow figured out a mixer. Boy, was I wrong. Despite being faced with the earliest crowd possible, Lars threw down the freshness with his super modified aggregate geek rap (my term, not his). Sampling from pretty much everyone and throwing out some great energy, Lars did his best to get the crowd pumped up for the shows to come. His infectious optimism and vision of future music kept those there entertained while he spun out his rhymes. This guy’s gonna go far; just wait a year or two. He’s also a nice guy, so go buy his t-shirts and download his music.

70’s rock from the future?

After the first set, I popped by one of the outdoor bars for a beer, feeling happy and ready for more. Next up was OK Go, who put out a kickass album in 2002, only to disappear for nearly 4 years. Bastards. As OK Go took the stage, alarm bells rung in my head, and a warning went out: Someone warn the headmaster, the faculty have gone crazy on rock music and are armed with guitars! Despite the dapper appearances, the sounds of wailing guitars was to be the soundtrack for the next 40 minutes, as they ripped from one track to the next, singing their sweet siren song with amplification. Then, after lamenting the death of the M in MTV, OK Go performed a hilariously choreographed lip-synch of their own new song, “A million ways to be cruel”. Boy bands have nothing on these guys. So in summary: buy their stuff, listen to their music, see them live, rock out.

Free Snapple, all night!

So after these two great sets, I figured “can’t get any better” and went home. Okay, that was lies, all of it. Next up was Buffalo Tom, who I unfortunately didn’t get to catch much of, as I was busy further abusing the Snapple tent and playing Sherpa to the resident photog. From what I heard, however, they played a solid set.

Brits and Brats

Next up was the Charlatans UK, who I’ve never really listened to in any length. Their set was enjoyable brit-rock, but I found it pretty much interchangeable with plenty of other brit-rock acts, so nothing fancy to see here. Good live act, but they didn’t shine as brightly as some others in the bill. By this time the sun was setting and everyone turned to thoughts of dinner and chaos, as instead of one stage to track, we now had 3. After obtaining some sausage and peppers from a guy in the band Chatter (local band apparently, go see them, he was cool), it was into the maelstrom for the next few hours. I was already feeling the effects of 3 hours of sleep and a 6 AM wakeup, so as the night wore on, things started to blend together.

Aberdeen Leader

As the clock struck 10, or more likely, 10:04 or so, Aberdeen City took the stage at Axis to raucous applause. After a short set of thank-you’s from the lead singer, they launched into their unique blend of what I can best describe as controlled hard rock. They sounded quieter than they looked, which seemed strange, but worked. From what I saw, it was an enjoyable set with plenty of guitar love and broken drumsticks. Halfway through their set, I ran over to Avalon to catch Dear Leader. All I can say about these guys is wow. The pure sonic fortitude of their sound seemed to envelop and energize, as they were loud, in charge, and polished as hell. A great guitar sound with a solid foundation, this is a band to watch. This, of course, made it even stranger when I ran back to Axis for more of Aberdeen City. After doing wind sprints in the tunnel between to two clubs for a little while, it was time for the next band to take the stage at Avalon.

Yes, they’re alive

Next up at Avalon was a band I’ve wanted to see for a long time. A really long time. As in decade-long. Nada Surf took the stage to raucous applause and immediately launched into their modern classic “Popular.” It was truly a great moment for us in our mid-20’s to hear this song reprised the way it should be: Live. After thundering through a few more excellent songs (note to self: check out more Nada Surf), it was time to run back to Axis for the Elefant set. Things start getting fuzzy at this point, as I started being less of a man and more of a crowd zombie. No brains were eaten though. Elefant worked the crowd with their hipster sound, playing a solid set for a band that’s supposedly more interested in the girls than the music. Good for them that they do pretty well in both arenas. Also, I may have hallucinated that the guitarist had an eyepatch, but that’s neither here nor there. Perhaps he’s a pirate. I also got to sneak in to see Rock Kills Kid for a few songs, which was a treat while it lasted. I’d like to see a full set of theirs, as they seemed rather intriguing.

Am I alive?

Hour 6.5: We canna go much more cap’n, he’s breakin’ up! As I stumbled into the Avalon for the start of The Academy Is set, I couldn’t help but think: sitting down would be really nice right now. I’m probably just getting old, but the entirety of the 8 or so hours I saw just wrecked me. Anyhow, enough whining. The Academy Is was a somewhat enjoyable set, though their sound seemed a bit… confused, as the lyrics and rhythm were muddied by the various guitars, which all seemed to be a little bit off-synch for the first few songs. Once they tightened it up, it was a little better, but I think I’m just not a fan of the style they were playing, as it seemed… uninspired. If nothing else, I got to sit down for a few minutes, and that was nice. Also, the lead singer needs to eat some sandwiches ASAP, as in my fragile, sleep-deprived state, I kept confusing him with his mic stand. Hot tip for those with the same problem: the mic stand doesn’t have a bandanna on.

Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows

About midnight+fifteen, everything stopped making sense. As I leaned in wait for Damone in Bills Bar, my head was reeling from the massive amount of sound I had ingested in the past 8 hours. I couldn’t feel my legs, and my eyes were twitching in a way that made people look at me funny. Whatever, they were all out to get me anyway. After getting a random beer spilled on me and a few bumps from the annoying girls next to me, it was time to heave-ho for the set. I longed to lie down on the padded areas with a need to pass out rarely known while sober (not living in Boston is pain sometimes). However, it was not time to pass out, not time at all. It was time to get rowdy for Damone. After a declaration of how fucking psyched they were to be back in the area, they immediately launched into an energized set of rock fury. I was transfixed by the power of aural destruction that seemed to emanate from the building itself. At this point in the night, I’d rate it about 1000 AwesomeRads©. Don’t ask me how those are measured, because I frankly have no idea. To close out my night, I decided to run over to the Blackalicious set, as it was on the way and they put on a killer live show. After a minute or two of waiting, where I attempted to have a conversation with someone (I think I may have scared her), it was time to roll with the funk. Gift of Gab threw it down like he always does as the crowd erupted to the Alphabet Song. If you like hip-hop go see these guys, it’s money well spent.

Gasoline makes the car go-go

Then, just like that, it was over for me. As we loped towards the car, broken and glowing, we regaled each other with the tales from the clubs, our various jumps and the people we saw. The sheer mass of music was incredible, as was the access to bands, as if you knew who you were looking at, you could have found any member of any band hanging out in the crowd for the other sets. Best Music Poll is an experience to be had, though hopefully with a local place to sleep next time.

Make sure to check out all the photos!