Other day 2 highlights included Wolfgang Gartner and Bassnectar. I was most surprised and impressed by Gartner. As a guitarist myself‚ I just don't typically expect to be fully entranced by a "button-pusher" (save for a few)‚ and I was just blown away by the selections and transitions from Wolfgang. He definitely won more than a few fans with his performance. While Bassnectar (Lorin Ashton) is not entirely my cup of tea‚ his sets at Camp undeniably bring incredible energy and help to sell a ton of tickets. His DNA is all over Camp Bisco as a perennial favorite.
Friday's late-night music scene and lineup was by far the most stacked and it delivered. Newcomers Baauer and Destroid were some of the most talked-about acts all weekend. Destroid absolutely won the award for inspired theatrical performance. It was what I always envisioned an alien invasion might be like‚ if it happened while I was at an EDC somewhere… Late‚ late night was set off by a pair of sensational yet diverse acts in Aeroplane (another of the DJs who has won me over) and Lotus‚ whose Bisco sets are legendary.
SATURDAY 7/13
The third and final day of Camp Bisco 12 started in quite an interesting manner when the crowds rose to find that the Main Stages were essentially sinking due to the overly-saturated grounds that had been pounded with rain just prior to the onset of the festival. The rather major "technical difficulty" caused the cancellation of several performances on the main stage including The Indobox‚ Free Energy‚ and Zoogma and altered the overall proceeding schedule considerably‚ but the show would go on. Huge props to the crews that rescued the stage and saved the day of music -- it did not look like an easy task!
The Biscuits took the main stage first‚ albeit somewhat late‚ for their only real day set‚ Set IV of VI. The standout set is being regarded by some already as the best of the festival with the return of a sensational "Magellan" that had Barber scuttling around like he was on the proverbial moon and coining what Brownie has since termed the "Magellan Crouch." "Magellan" and "Strobelights" are the must-hears here‚ with rarity "Spy" as a very interesting choice for set-closer. "Magellan" also included a very melodic "Stir It Up" (Bob Marley) segment with Mags providing the melody on the keys.
"Frog Legs‚" "Svenghali‚" "Magellan" -> "Strobelights and Martinis" -> "Magellan‚" "Spy"
With the longest set block of the entire festival‚ Break Science featuring special guests (Slick Rick‚ Gramatik‚ and Brownie) was moved from the main stage to Label Tent based on the issues with the stage‚ but they lit up a heavy crowd in the tent for a last-day throwdown. Adam Deitch is always a thrill to watch drum. Zeds Dead was not a personal favorite of mine‚ but man did they draw a massive crowd over at the main stage. Also due to the schedule re-arranging‚ Passion Pit‚ another of the most hotly anticipated acts of the festival was moved up to play their set ahead of both of the Biscuits final sets. In just over an hour‚ PP managed to incite the crowd with all of the hits and then some and prove that they have everything that Cut Copy does not in terms of a captivating performance.
The final two Biscuits sets were packed and stacked as expected. Set V was highlighted a staggering "Rock Candy" -> "Tricycle" -> "Orch Theme" run that moved furiously into the night and built with lights and energy into the drop of "Orch."
"M.E.M.P.H.I.S" -> "Floes" -> "Story of the World" -> "Rock Candy" -> "Tricycle" -> "Orch Theme" -> "Story of the World"
Set VI‚ the final from the hosts at Camp Bisco 12‚ let it all hang out and is THE set to put in your playlist. The playing was exceptional and the depth for each song and cohesion in the transitions‚ well‚ simply stated this is why I love this band. A 20-minuted "Run Like Hell" (Pink Floyd)‚ 16-minute "Shimmy‚" 11-minute "Munchkin‚" 13-minute "Crickets" back into 10 more minutes of "Run Like Hell" all in the same set? Shit. Unbelievable way to close out their part this year.
The final Biscuits set gave way to the final late-night sets and festival staple Boombox closed down the festival until the wee hours in the Label Tent to put the finishing touches on yet another Camp Bisco. With The Disco Biscuits themselves playing at a feverish high‚ they truly set the tone for another great festival‚ one of the only really successful of its kind at melding live‚ improvisational music with DJ-based EDM. The bar for Camp Bisco has been set quite high based on an epic array of artists over the past few years‚ but this is truly one act that just seems to keep getting better and better‚ changing and adapting always. Here's to next year!
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