Virgin Fest Recap: This Is Why I'm Hot

5049.

That's how many photos I took this weekend. That's way too many. When I go to ACL next month, I'm going to try and shoot 1/3 of that number. Over three days.

Anyways, the weather was just as bad as I thought it would be. At least on the first day. Sunday was a bit better but I'm still sunburnt, have blisters all over my feet from walking back and forth between the stages (I'm bringing a pedometer next year) and have a very sore shoulder from carrying all my gear (again, brought too much), but overall I had a lot of fun at this year's Virgin Festival. Saturday had a bunch of ho-hum performances but Sunday really made up for it. Oh, I should probably mention that I stood not 2 feet from Johnny Marr during Modest Mouse's set. I was directly in front of his monitor and got to listen to his guitar parts for two songs. Yes, I had a huge grin the whole time.

It will obviously be a while before I can post any photos. There will be some up on DCist and AOL very soon. I'll update this post when they are online. I'll have a full recap later, but here are my quick impressions:

Omnipresent quasi-celebrity of the weekend: Stat Boy!

Best acts: (in order)

Velvet Revolver - Woah. I was unprepared for them to be so good. And by so good, I mean SO FUCKING AWESOME. Blew every other act away. As fucked up as he might be, Scott Weiland is a fucking Rock Star.
Wu Tang - Obvs. Just wait 'til you see these photos. Best.
M.I.A. - She blew my shit right out of the water. Just incredible. people were going CRAZY during her set.
Peter, Bjorn and John - Another total surprise. Really good.
Dan Deacon/Girl Talk - Absolutely tore shit up in the dance tent before 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Honorable Mention: Regina Spektor - Greatest smile ever.

Worst Acts: (in order)
Smashing Pumpkins - Snooooooooooooze. So boring.
The Fratellis - The lead singer has curly hair, that's all I can remember about them. Totally non-descript rock. Boring.
Paolo Nutini - Someone called him "This year's James Blunt," which just about says it all.
Amy Winehouse - She is fucking gross and you cannot convince me otherwise.
Explosions in the Sky - Soft verse/loud chorus without the words. Boring.
Honorable Mention: The Police - Not really, but every song seemed to last for 10 minutes.