CityFest - 4th of July - Eat Up

Cityfest...sometimes conjures a discordance of relaxation with frustrated anxiety, celebration with uneasiness.

As I myself, more than before, am still grappling with soapbox idealism of 'all-this-country-does-is-shop-and-eat,' it gets easier for me to be riled by this huge funnel-cake/lemondade/ice cream crowd traipsing through the streets - but then, the bright side - local businesses are getting attention and the money spent on tickets goes back to the city (hopefully,) and on top of that, we get some great live performances from local bands (including touring bands like spaced-out-acid-funk master George Clinton, the sometimes overlooked-but highly vital British Invasion-born band, The Zombies)

The weather completely devestated the opening evening - no De La Soul. The Silent Years, resourcefully, decided to transplant the party to the Garden Bowl. But, because it was so improvisational, none of the bands or the Garden Bowl itself was really in a quick-set-up-break-down-in-a-cramped-space-sort of mode...so set transitions were a bit casual...leading to the party going late into the wee hours. Cheers to the bands (Hentchmen, Magic Shop, Dead Bodies, Silent Years) for going that extra mile (mile and a half down the block, to Woodward and Mack) to perform some very inspired sets - rain or shine.

Today is the 4th of July.

At Cityfest, today:

DJ Frankie Bank$ plays the Pure Detroit Stage at 4pm.
Afro-beat of SEUN KUTI and Egypt 80 plays The Motor City Casino stage at 5:30 pm

Detroit's Four Hour Friends play the Park Stage at 8:00 pm

and Canada's semi-math-rockin/semi-indie-rockin' collective, Broken Social Scene, plays Motor City Casino Stage at 8:30 pm

Here's some photos (mike milo) from Sterling's Park Stage from last night

Duende

Scarlet Oaks

Readies