Monolith, 2009
by Nick Chaivarlis, Photography by Jon Bielecki, Angora Holly Polo, and Jake Cisneros

“She’s a bitch in September,” I heard a bystander mutter to whoever was listening. I was listening. “Who’s a bitch?” The dedicated music fan looked up at the clouds and without even thinking, answered me with, “Colorado.” It didn’t take long to figure out that he was talking about the weather.

Autovaughn put on a decent show for being one of the first bands playing for the smaller crowds outdoors. Festivals are created for the mere fact of supporting musicians, so why be there if you weren’t planning on checking out bands you have never heard of? The indoor stages were cramped regardless of the artist’s mainstream popularity. These United States were playing inside at the WOXY.com stage and the room was packed. Between both days, the Fire Marshal had to step in and regulate the crowds (safety is so lame) between acts.

Girl Talk, of Montreal, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs all put on stellar performances regardless of the rain sessions during their jam sessions. By the end of the night, no one cared how drenched they were, as long as the headliners were able to keep the party going. Girl Talk entertained the audience by allowing a handful of fans on stage to dance their asses off, while of Montreal put on what seemed to be a one-act play (creepy costumes and lights included).

The Knew kicked off day two with one of the first shows of the day (and it was one hell of a show). Everything seemed to be rolling according to plan (sun, cool crowd, reasonable security) until an announcer informed the entire amphitheater of the cancellation of MSTRKRFT‘s show (the word on the street is that they were a no-show due to illness), which sent an uproar through the amphitheater (but not for too long, as everyone then dispersed to go see another act or two).

Due to MSTRKRFT‘s last-minute cancellation, the lineup changed a bit and some patrons missed a show or were late to one due to not being informed of the schedule change (or due to drugs and alcohol, but who is really keeping tabs?), but for the most part, I think things went smoothly. Passion Pit, Phoenix, and Savoy were all equally tossed around the lineup, but everything worked out in the long run (and it worked out better for Phoenix, as they were moved to the main Esurance stage [which proved to be ideal since everyone in Colorado showed up for their set]).

We all learned that Passion Pit means “to dance,” because that’s exactly what everyone did as soon as the band hit the stage. Right before ending their session, Michael Angelakos took the time to inform everyone to go see their “friends” (Phoenix) down at the Esurance stage (as both bands were originally supposed to play back-to-back on the Southern Comfort stage). The crowd followed suit down the many flights of stairs of the amphitheater and filled in the main stage to hear Phoenix and The Mars Volta end a perfect night.

Phoenix had a late start but were totally worth it, seeing as how they filled up the entire arena and had the crowd up and moving regardless of how chilly the night had become. In terms of energy, it seems as if the final acts of the night delivered more than enough. Phoenix‘s Thomas Mars decided to redefine crowdsurfing by taking his ride into the fans (but at an incline) and making his way up the amphitheater rather than through it.

Regardless of the shifty weather, the Monolith Festival was a complete success. It offered a variety of artists to be appreciated by a variety of different music fans. When you’re surrounded by good music, people, food, and alcohol, you can’t really go wrong. Festivals are for music and Monolith proved just that.