Acts at Levitation 2019, Ranked

John Cale earns early points for his rarity. I did not have high hopes (the only other time I saw him, he played solo, playing much piano). Still, this headline set was strong. Cale played with a real band. He played guitar loudly during the two extended opening songs and the last one. One band member threw great leads, maybe Cale’s rock-and-roll animal.

The band played great songs with a full treatment beyond album versions. Cale sounded fine and full of energy. Experimental parts appeared but did not take over the set. Someone should put this on a live release.

After the regular set ended, I left to see Torche. Then, I missed what was probably the show's best part: a version of "Sister Ray" with the Black Angels.

This band has been on my late-night rotation for thirty years. I always look forward to seeing them. In the ten times I have seen them, I cannot recall any set better than this one.

I could skip the Lou Barlow vocal songs. I prefer the Lou-in-band live sound over the shows I saw in the mid-'90s. Those shows also lacked Murph (a drummer who is hard to define, non-flashy, just needed in the unit, like Ralph Molina or Bill Ward).

Dinosaur Jr. played a diverse setlist covering all eras. They also had many guest appearances, including Kurt Vile, earning me a No. 2 ranking.

There was no light show, no stage presence, and the band members mostly sat down. Still, musically, BEAK> played as well as any artist that weekend. Geoff Barrow, the Portishead mastermind, led the band. The focus stayed on the music and Barrow's sharp, funny talk between songs.

The midnight Saturday slot, mixed with songs that defy easy labeling, brought the audience into a mix of dancing and near-moshing. This was unlike anything I had seen. No. 3!

Mercury Rev started my Levitation Fest with one continuous, flowing set. This differed from the full Deserter’s Song extended performance at last year’s Desert Daze.

They seem to have played only a few one-offs in 2019. I enjoyed the set the whole time (and wished it lasted longer than 55 minutes).

Highlight: "There You Are" from The Flaming Lips' 1990 album, *In a Priest Driven Ambulance*. This was from the time Jonathan Donahue was in The Lips (who headlined this weekend doing The Soft Bulletin in full, which I skipped, having seen the same set a month before at Daze).

I like Black Mountain's albums, but I had never seen them. I did see Pink Mountaintops once (with many of the same musicians), and they were just okay.

Mistake. Corrected. Great set.

I only saw the last 10 minutes of Deafheaven's set, but that section was the most exciting of any.

Would it last an hour? Or would the lack of being able to catch a single vocal phrase become boring? I do not know.

The Black Angels played only a few shows in 2019.

This band brought a big sound. Some songs sound similar, but overall, their set was strong. I highly recommend them.

Kikagaku Moyo had many moments. Their Friday setlist likely featured more deep tracks than normal; they also played a Thursday Levitation set. I was not as impressed as I was the other two times I saw them.

Still, their sound held up.

I know nothing about this heavy band. The woman who sings and drums shows hell of a talent.

Her great voice and serious, pulsing drumming drove the strong songs home. The drumming is loud, like ISIS or Deafheaven.

Dug watched all twenty-five minutes of Red Fang.

I caught five songs from Torche.

Two songs were great, one was strong, one was pretty good, and one was mediocre.

The set began slow with a plodding instrumental. Then, they kicked into high gear.