Curious about the other acts, I did what any other y-gen would do and turned to day-by-day reviews by Chicagoist, photo galleries by Time Out Chicago and interviews with artists by Gapers Block to fill me in on what I missed.

Between the live stream and the following resources, it was absolutely possible for those of you who weren’t able to make it to feel like you were still in the action… with air conditioning.

Day 1:
Sharon Von Etten, The Tallest Man on Earth, El-P, Liars, Hannibal Buress, Robyn, Wyatt Cenak, Michael Showalter, Broken Social Scene, Eugene Mirman, Modest Mouse
Review | Photo Gallery

Day 2:
Free Energy, Netherfriends, Real Estate, Sonny & the Sunsets, Delorean, Kurt Vile, Titus Andronicus, Dam-Funk, Raekwon, The Smith Westerns, The Jon Spencer Blues Experience, WHY?, Wolf Parade, Bear In Heaven, Panda Bear, Freddie Gibbs, LCD Soundsystem
Review | Photo Gallery

Day 3:
Alla, CAVE, Cass McCombs, Best Coast, Girls, Washed Out, Beach House, Local Natives, Lightning Bolt, Surfer Blood, St. Vincent, Here We Go Magic, Major Lazer, Neon Indian, Big Boi, Sleigh Bells, Pavement
Review | Photo Gallery

Credit: Will Rice via Time Out Chicago

Finally, here are my Pitchfork 2010 Superlatives (out of the bands I witnessed):

• Best Energy: LCD Soundsystem (disco balls will do it every time.)

• Most Intense Drumming: Lightning Bolt (take a breather dude, everyone is dying just watching you!)

• Best Hypemen: Major Lazer (dragons and ballerinas?!)

• Most Likely to be Bumped to A Stage Next Year: Neon Indian (I was starting to wonder if anyone had tripped and gotten lost forever under our feet)

My fave? LCD Soundsystem, Broken Social Scene and St. Vincent. What were your favorite acts?

See you there next year!

The Magic Wands
A hand-clapping, symbol-shaking mystery
(no official video, but if you’re into weird screen shots, youtube this)

V V Brown
The talent of Beyonce, but indie

Casxio
Dancy, new-age disco

The band flawlessly opened with Cute Without the E, as if they had been together all along. John Nolan and Adam Lazarra complimented each other just as well as they ever have, and the very loyal Eddie Reyes bopped along to the demanding beats of Mark O’Connell as Shaun Cooper ran around in suspenders. Twenty-somethings sang along to lyrics they can no longer relate to as TBS’s younger and newer fanbase threw themselves around aimlessly, casting bows while getting lost in their own teen angst.

I must admit, I love Taking Back Sunday. Anyone who grew up to this music feels a sense of loyalty to the band, even if isn’t exactly their genre of choice anymore. This is probably why when Lazarra climbed a speaker stand and hung upside-down by his knees, everyone lost their mind. This is probably why the entire mini-tour was sold out.

Credit: Katie Hovland

Taking Back Sunday covered all of the classics from their earlier albums, as well as a healthy span of their newest, two new songs and even Existentialism on Prom Night by Straylight Run (Shaun Cooper’s band in between TBS runs). They surprised the audience with their encore choice – the very mellow Your Own Disaster, but kicked it up for a second There’s No I in Team.

I went to this show believing it would be the last tour Taking Back Sunday ever did. As it turns out, they are creating a new album. So, for the time being, meet the new – ahem, old -  lineup of Taking Back Sunday: Adam Lazzara (vocals), John Nolan (guitar, backup vocals), Shaun Cooper (bass), Eddie Reyes (guitar) and Mark O’Connell (drums).

Credit: Heineken

But back to the show. I’m officially putting this band on my list of top three live bands. Their energy was awesome, they were completely fluid with the song mixes and both of them had the biggest smiles on their face of any artist I have ever seen.

Kim bashed the drums like her life depended on it, Matt stood atop his keyboard for fist pumping (no, not Jersey Shore style) and they both demanded room-wide cheers among the 21 and overs for the company who put on the event. The duo produced an energy that got even those who had never heard of them dancing around the room.

Next up was Cold War Kids – since I only stuck around for one song, I won’t report on it, but my point is: go see Matt and Kim immediately. They’ll be at Lollapallooza for the Friday date!

An up and coming artist, this Windish-rostered Euro-sound has tours lined up with Robyn, Dragonette and will even be gracing his presence at Lollapalooza 2010. My personal favorite is Pump My Pumps, but be sure to check out his newest video with Kid Cudi -

Until then, visit www.Do312.com, Chicago’s new concert & entertainment guide. It’s like Do512 for non-southern huge bug co-existing people.

If you don’t feel like typing in all of the bands you like for your profile, check out the Tastemakers, then follow The Windish Agency. If you like electro music, you’ll like almost everything they list.

Now would be a good time to mention I have recently begun interning at The Windish Agency. Now would also be the time to announce nothing I say or type represents the company, but is solely my opinion. My opinion is that most of their artists are wonderful – check them out too.

I recently finished a course at Michigan State University called New Media Drivers License. After fifteen weeks of going over the basics of social media for those out of the know (and those trying to fulfill graduation credits), our instructor, an Online Sales & Operations manager at Google, left us with something to consider.

“Everything you’ve learned in social media, you’ll have to relearn in the next six to 12 months.”
- Michal Lorenc

Obvious considering the speed in which it has evolved so far, but it made me wonder: What have I learned so far in social media?

There is no golden strategy.
I cannot tell you how many blogs and articles I have read in which “social media experts” try to come up with a 10-step surefire equation to success. Well, there is no strategy. Success comes from creativity and unique ideas, so do some brainstorming of your own. Break the rules. What is your objective? What is the character of your strategy? What creative execution will you use?

Imitation is a launch pad at best.
Just because someone is famous on the ‘net does not mean you should do what they do. There may be a few key points to take away from their strategy (interaction, consistency, format), but what they are doing has been done – no one wants to follow the same person twice.
Example: Tina Chen (famous, but not a good idea to mimic)

Consistency is not negotiable.
When you create a vanity name, stick with it. Search engine optimization is very important if you want people to find you across different avenues. That means youtube.com/yourvanityname, twitter.com/yourvanityname, facebook.com/yourvanityname. Make sure your efforts can be found as easily as possible!

No personality? No risk? No one cares.
Seriously. It’s better to make a couple people angry expressing your sincere opinion than being one of the millions of “always happy, always working, no poor opinion of anything” droids crawling all over the web. You are human, your followers are human. Humans enjoy being entertained with colorful thoughts. Just try to stay within legal and job-safety guidelines.

You can’t make everyone happy.
So post things that make you happy. Unless you are a social media strategist (for a living), these are things you will be doing in your spare time, so make it fun. Seek out other bloggers that share your same passion. To make sure your content is entertaining, consider the sites you like to read when doing your own writing.

Maintain two-way conversations.
When writing for yourself, don’t forget to read and comment on others’ sources! It’s easy to get caught up in your own world, but connecting with other people will encourage traffic to your sites and make social media more enjoyable.

Don’t forget about your off-line life.
Being interesting in real life in turn makes your online persona attractive. If all you do is regurgitate articles you find online, you aren’t really contributing, are you? Go to an event, interview someone, take some photos. Remember the saying “If you’re bored, it’s because you’re boring”? It’s true – so make sure you’re taking steps to stir things up.

In the end, the determiner to SM victory depends on your social media goal. Very few people will ever be Ashton-Kutcher-successful, but that doesn’t mean that your own media niche isn’t awaiting your next brainstorm sesh.

You’re on the internet, you have experiences, what have you learned about social media?

What are the rules? Myspace lists them on its blog -

Over the next few days, create a playlist on your profile featuring your favorite artists who are playing in New Jersey this weekend—like, say, Paramore.

Then once you have made your playlist, either:

• Direct message your URL to @MySpaceMusic on Twitter

• Or @message us your URL to @MySpaceMusic on Twitter

Did I make a playlist? OF COURSE I made a playlist. -

Matt & Kim Daylight
Weezer Perfect Situation
Saves the Day In Reverie
fun. Walking the Dog
Kevin Devine People Are So Fickle
Motion City Soundtrack My Favorite Accident
Paramore Fences
OK Go Get Over It
MGMT Kids
I See Stars What This Means to Me
Girl Talk Play Your Part (Pt. 1)

Do I have a Myspace account? No. But that doesn’t mean I don’t use it ten times a day for music streaming and sampling. Whether or not you have a Myspace or are even going to Bamboozle, the lineup is awesome and eclectic – if you’re going, know that I’m jealous.

What would be on your Bamboozle playlist?

I need to confess that I got to the show about a half hour late, missing out on almost all of Down With Webster’s set. In fact, I spent the rest of the show and part of today trying to figure out who the hell the opener was. If my roommate didn’t work at the venue, I still wouldn’t know. Horrible promotion for the band, good set (what I saw of it). They had an impossible energy, and the crowd DUG IT, big time. If you want to check out one of their tunes, listen to Whoa Is Me.

Next up was Cobra Starship. I had really mixed feelings about their set and their newest album, so I’m going to step through it using pros and cons.

PRO Electro dance beats
CON Lack of creativity/pretty generic tunes

PRO Energy, entertainment and interaction with crowd
CON Endless talking between songs

PRO Integrating MSU chant into techno song
CON Played only one track from first album

PRO Victoria Asher’s vocals
CON Victoria Asher slinking around a 5-foot area like she was bored all night

PRO Everything about vocalist Gabe Saporta
CON Still not Midtown

In the end, tickets were only $9 a pop and it was a good time. Cobra Starship is carrying on their Too Fast For Love tour with 3OH!3, Travie McCoy (frontman of Gym Class Heroes) and I Fight Dragons. I guarantee if you go, you’ll have plenty to dance to.

PS – I Fight Dragons is a Chicago-based band that plays using Nintendo controllers! Support Chicago talent and rage with 90s gaming artists, winwin!

Here’s a low-quality vid I managed to get of Cobra Starship performing Snakes On a Plane. Heads up: at 1:45, they grab some girls from the crowd to rap.

That being said, the team at Assault had good timing when putting together an ultimate list of 50 Awesome Bands/Musicians Giving Away Free Music. We’re not talking crap giveaways either, there are some gems. Think La Dispute, Thrice and Alkaline Trio. In fact, Assault did such a good job that it’s throwing punches all the way up the Digg charts.

Check it out. If you like it, Digg it.