San Diego received an eclectic mix of music with Snail Mail‘s uplifting indie rock and Parquet Courts‘ retaliative punk rock.
Parquet Courts
19-year-old Lindsey Jordan aka Snail Mail started out rocky but was able to keep her cool self calm. Technical difficulties with her in-ear monitors ensued for the first couple of songs, but she quickly ditched them and got back to her chill groove. She and the band performed many songs from her debut album Lush, which draws heavy influences from 90’s alternative bands like The Cranberries. For the final two songs of the set, Jordan performed solo, giving the audience an intimate performance.
With the New England Patriots on their way to the Super Bowl this year, New York City’s Parquet Courts finish their first song with everyone yelling “And fuck Tom Brady!” The punk band kept the energy and mosh pit going throughout their set by playing fast-paced hits across all their albums. They performed almost the entirety of their most recent and critically acclaimed album Wide Awake! The quartet took some breaks with slow jams like the omnichord-driven “Before the Water Gets Too High” and the dissonant guitar tune of “Dear Ramona.”
During their encore, ThatFuckingPanda caught the attention of the rock group as she crowdsurfed during “Mardi Gras Beads,” with guitarist Austin Brown confused but awed. They finished strong with an extended version of “One Man No City” as they broke into an instrumental session immediately followed with the short but punk-inducing jam “Light Up Gold II.”
