If our two articles recapping Buku 2014 were simply too much to sort through, we’re bringing you an abbreviated list of our five favorite moments from the young New Orleans festival.
1) The Flaming Lips on the Power Plan Stage
Seeing the Flaming Lips is tantamount to a spiritual experience and everyone should do so if they haven’t. While the Lips’ past performances have worked as expressions of utter joy and psychedelic love, their new direction that has abandoned all the colorful confetti and embraced sterile, defunct space-station imagery deserves applause as well. It’s encouraging to see a band refuse to stand on one single schtick, to move their art in a new direction, even if that direction is far more challenging and inaccessible. The show is still full of wonder and spectacle and was for me the most enjoyable set of the weekend. Full review.
2) Dan Deacon in the Ballroom
Dan Deacon was set to perform in the Ballroom, however, he never took the stage. Instead, he took the floor. That is, he set up his tables out among the fans and prepared to perform an amazingly interactive set of dance music. Deacon had fans perform various activities in Simon says fashion before having the whole crowd circle up for a dance contest. Those in the center of the circle could tag-out, and Deacon instituted a no opt out policy for those tagged-in. Deacon also had the crowd split into two sides and run straight at each other a la the wall of death practiced at metal festivals. However, as the running concertgoers met each other, they were instructed to do so with high-fives rather than physical altercation. The set was transcendent: an amazing way to take turntables and loops to a whole new level. Deacon, not concealed in smoke or behind a giant DJ station, stood out with his fans in a true display of egalitarianism. I loved everything about it. This is electronic music at its best. Full review.
3) Generationals in the Ballroom
Although Generationals held an early afternoon slot in the festival, they were one of the bands I was most excited to see. The four-piece is from New Orleans, and I felt great about seeing them on their own turf, not to mention that their song “Put A Light On” ended up at #1 on my list of my most listened to tracks from last year. The group performed a brief but outstanding set of breezy indie rock. It was also one of the only sets of the weekend where I saw a considerable number of fans singing along in the crowd. The outstanding music from a hometown band and a supportive community of music fans made the set one of my weekend’s highlights. Full review.
4) Chance the Rapper in the Ballroom
Chance the Rapper’s most recent album Acid Rap moved hip hop in whole new directions and he’s easily the rapper I was most looking forward to seeing at Buku. His set didn’t disappoint. A brass section flanked him onstage, sputtering along with his backing beats as Chance twirled around the stage in playful movements as he spit rhymes. After a few songs, he tore off his New Orleans hoodie, leaving himself shirtless and wearing only overalls and a cap pulled low over his eyes. A high energy show with live sounds from instruments generally foreign to rap made the set the hip-hop highlight of the weekend and showcased the myriad reasons that Chance represents the future of his genre. Full review.
5) Nas on the Power Plant Stage
Nas, entered the stage wearing a sweatshirt commemorating the 20th anniversary of his debut album Illmatic and launched his set with standout track “N.Y. State of Mind.” This was really all I needed for the set to be among my favorite moments of the weekend–a brilliant song by one of hip-hop’s most established lyricists. Now forty years old, Nas sounds as forceful and edgy as ever, missing none of the grit of his younger days of spitting. As he rapped through the opening number, images of his home city of New York flashed on the screen behind him. Full review.
