Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2011: Performance reviews

6:46 PM EDT, September 10, 2011

Review: TV on the Radio at Virgin Mobile FreeFest

With a seemingly endless arsenal of musical tricks at its disposal, TV on the Radio crafted one of FreeFest's tightest sets Saturday. The band's talent felt overwhelming live, with the vocal dynamics between lead singer Tunde Adebimpe and singer/guitarist Kyp Malone sounding raw and in sync. The group heavily featured a trombonist in almost every song, adding a sharp contrast to the crunchy guitars and lusher moments. Early in the night, a song broke down into a stadium-ready New Orleans jazz party.

8:39 AM EDT, September 11, 2011

Review: deadmau5 at Virgin Mobile FreeFest

The hype had been building all day — colorful T-shirts and jerseys adorned on festival-goers, large mouseheads proudly on display — and at 9:20 p.m., the West Stage was filled with fans and their glowsticks. They had come for deadmau5 (pronounced "Dead Mouse"), the Canadian DJ who stands at the top of an elaborate stage set-up and plays thumping, bass-driven electronic music. He DJed the MTV Video Music Awards last year, and his sort-of cute, very creepy mouse-head has made him an international superstar of dance music. (He has the industry connections and Playboy model girlfriend to prove it.)

6:51 PM EDT, September 10, 2011

Review: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals at Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2011

I went to see Stevie Nicks the other week, and she was predictably great, enveloping the audience in her magic, as usual, if without the agitated brio of her heyday.

5:40 PM EDT, September 10, 2011

Review: Cut Copy at Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2011

Australian dance-music specialists Cut Copy played to one of the largest FreeFest crowds of the day, making the previous set by Big Sean look like an intimate coffeeshop gig. But the only thing that came to my mind throughout the hour-long set was, "What's the fuss about?"

3:08 PM EDT, September 10, 2011

Review: Big Sean at Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2011

Big Sean is a work in progress.

3:10 PM EDT, September 10, 2011

Review: Porter Robinson at Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2011

The mouse ears. The neon-colored T-shirts with the mouse silhouettes. The girls in hyper-small costumes sucking lollipops. Dancers banging their heads with their arms in the air making out like it was a rave.

12:50 PM EDT, September 10, 2011

Review: Two Door Cinema Club at Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2011

Two Door Cinema Club lead singer Alex Trimble walked onto the FreeFest West stage at 1:45 p.m., swigging a Heineken. No water for him, and after a handful of songs from his band's debut LP Tourist History, it seemed appropriate -- he and his band were here to start a party.