We haven't been to one of these since the initial offering in 2001, when we caught great sets by Quasi, Superchunk and Guided by Voices--and, according to many disgruntled concertgoers, were spared from a lousy performance by Man or Astro Man? when we went for a stroll on the Coney Island boardwalk right before their set--because, well, the lineups haven't really enticed us, and being of the "October" persuasion, we have absolutely no desire to place ourselves voluntarily out in the blistering summer heat and humidity. This year we were going to make an exception to catch Stephen Malkmus, Broken Social Scene, and The Helio Sequence. But the current heatwave that grips our beloved New York City nipped that one in the bud.
So, how was it? The New York Times' Jon Pareles was there and called it "a sunny day at the beach full of ringing rock guitars and forecasts of doom: for romances, for lives, for nations, for mankind and, closer to home, for Siren in its current form." (Oh yeah, the festival might have to leave its current location.) Here's more.
