I love performers like this. Sounds like the same type of things that Jonathan Richman does. Makes for a great show.

i think people can have fun while also critiquing live music.

I didn't say they couldn't, but it's a little pompous to assume that the only way to have fun while listening to music is to flail and dance and jump around. Maybe fun for me is watching the performers intently and listening to the music rather than offering up uncontrollable, oftentimes humiliating dance moves that would emanate from my body were I to actually try.

I also tend to stand back near the bar or off to the side, so I can freely get another drink when I please.
While I don't like seeing a random pocket of bored out of their mind, non-dancing hipsters at a crowded show hogging up floor space, they are the least of my worries at a show and typically do not adversely effect my enjoyment of the show.
The one thing I've seen lately that I don't get is young hipster girls and hula hoops at shows? Most people give them a pass because they look cute or think this trend is cool, I personally don't care to have some girl tossing her glow in the dark hoop near my head when I'm actually trying to dance.

i'm certainly not implying that every show should be like that. early on in this thread we were discussing major lazer and, let's be serious, a crowd who doesn't dance for them should be checked for pulses.

this is silly dude. Z, nor anyone else said that moving to music had to be humiliating dance moves.

i guess i just can't understand standing like a statue and studying the artist/band. i mean, i love watching them play, but have never sat there and picked it apart. seems like focusing on that would take the enjoyment out of it, and you would not just be enjoying the music. to each their own though.

I love to dance, I love to pick apart, I love to hang and drink...

you can do whatever you want, but watching bands put on great shows while people just stand there pisses me off. at least a WOOOOOO

I am saying when I try to dance it IS humiliating. Trust me.

shake dat ass, watch yerself

How could anyone dance to panda bear?

i don't even know how anyone could listen to them. their set on saturday was so awful. i was waiting for LCD with a panda bear fan and even he was like, "i'm sorry, i can't defend this."

on record, on headphones, it works, but this is what I keep hearing about his set.

Not surprising considering AC doesn't have a great live rep either

I went yesterday after a bachelor party weekend in Chicago. Man, it was hot and I was exhausted but it was worth it for Major Lazer and Pavement. Thankfully the bottled water was only $1 and the security was passing tons of bottles of water through the crowd at the front of the main stage. I sweated so much yesterday.

In terms of dancing, I saw none until I was at the front of the pit for Major Lazer. People were definitely dancing and moshing (annoying) and crowd surfing (super annoying). For Pavement, there was some moshing and some crowd surfing but mostly people the mass of people trying to get as close to the front as possible. Both were very good though.

Yeah, I always loved a little slam dancing when I was young but moshing to bands like Pavement where it just doesn't make any sense confuses me.

Was there and Titus Andronicus and Lightning Bolt both fucking ruled, and people moved, no doubt. Panda Bear was the one of the fucking worst things I'd heard in almost 35 years of concert attending, self indulgent horse shit. LCD, Major Lazer, Pavement and Free Energy were all pretty awesome but Malkmus and Co could have at least done one encore, that was a bit weak.

I read afterwards that Chicago has very strict noise laws, so the festival had to end at 10pm promptly every night.

yes. 10pm is the sound curfew for outdoor music festivals. however, both lcd and pavement had about five minutes free. i think the city was cracking down on it this year since last year pitchfork pushed it a little bit by interpreting the curfew in a way where as long as a song began before 10pm it was ok.

Yeah, I agree with that too.