Dave Matthews Band Caravan, Saturday: Kid Cudi + Ben Folds + Liz

Kid Cudi at Dave Matthews Band Caravan: Slide show

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07/09/2011

"This shit is epic!"

Kid CuDi's assessment of the sea of people gathered before him Saturday night on wood chips, dirt, beer cans and water bottles on the south side, was heartfelt and accurate.Big music festivals are nothing new to Chicago, but something felt different here at the Dave Matthews Band Caravan. Maybe it was the epic journey to get here. No matter how you came—by CTA, Metra or car—the journey to the south side lakefront caravan site was epic. And so was the crowd for Kid CuDi, Saturday night's prelude to the second of Dave Matthews Band's "epic" nightly three-hour headlining show.

The crowd clearly came here for Dave, but leaving the Kid CuDi stage to secure a spot across the field for the headliner was not a priority for many in the house. Rockin his trademark red mic and red mic stand, CuDi jammed through big hits like "All of the Lights" and an abbreviated "Day n Nite," but also paid tribute to his mix-tape start with a sick freestyle a capella mix of the music that put him on the map. Whether he was singing about smoking weed (to a crowd that clearly embraced the idea) or chanting "Fuck that!" in his "Pursuit of Happiness" anthem, CuDi genuinely seemed to embrace the epic moment of this inaugural event, and the crowd was right there with him.

Ben Folds at DMB Caravan, 7.9.11

Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at Dave Matthews Band Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Ben Folds plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.

Nicholas Foli

07/10/2011

His show followed quiet sets from Ben Folds and Chicago-native Liz Phair, who drew comments from the crowd like, "When was the last time she had a hit?" Phair, who looked stunning in a black dress, failed to motivate the early-afternoon crowd, and struggled to connect vocally in the enormous outdoor venue.

Liz Phair at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.

Liz Phair plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Liz Phair plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Liz Phair plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Liz Phair plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Liz Phair plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Liz Phair plays at Dave Matthews Band Caravan. July 9, 2011.
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Liz Phair plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Liz Phair plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Liz Phair plays at Dave Matthews Band Caravan. July 9, 2011.
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Liz Phair plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Liz Phair plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Liz Phair plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Liz Phair plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Liz Phair plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.
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Liz Phair plays at DMB Caravan. 7.9.11.

Nicholas Foli

07/10/2011

Getting the crowd jumpin' was less of a problem for G. Love & Special Sauce, who officially got the party started with a 5:30 pm set on the Lakeside Stage. G. Love started the party with a high-energy cover of "50 ways to Leave your Lover," before launching into a sweet harmonica solo on "Booty Call" and turning it over to Special Sauce for a base solo that really got the crowd jumpin'. In a set that went everywhere from a cover of Johnny Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues," to a freestyle rap, G Love turned in one of the best performances of the "epic" day two.

G. Love and Special Sauce