According to Pang’s tweets, a press release states that the 10-track compilation will be titled, The Official Bootleg Series Vol 1, and will be released on July 22 and could also be available at Pitchfork Music Festival on July 16 – 18 in Union Park for a nice price of $20. Additionally, Pang tweets that all the proceeds from the album will benefit Rock For Kids.

There’s no information up on the Metro’s website yet, but it should be coming soon. For now, check out tracklist that Pang released over twitter (the dates form which these performances come has not been revealed yet, but I’m sure you can make some educated guesses) after the jump.

The Metro’s Official Bootleg Series Vol 1

1. Flaming Lips – “Race for the Prize”
2. Guided by Voices – “Fair Touching”
3. Sleater-Kinney – “You’re No Rock ‘N Roll Fun”
4. The Decemberists – “We Both Go Down Together”
5. Indigo Girls – “Galileo”
6. Alejandro Escovedo – “I’ll Follow You Down”
7. The Sea and Cake – “Jacking the Ball”
8. Tortoise – “Along the Banks of Rivers”
9. Alkaline Trio – “Radio”
10. Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin + Kurt Elling – “Freedom”

Portland’s The Decemberists brought their brand of whimsical folk rock to the Riviera Theatre on Thursday night. While their two-hour set of towering climaxes and bittersweet reflections was played in high spirits and to near perfection, the show seemed to suffer an odd case of split personality syndrome.

At times, The Decemberists seemed a bit sleepy during the second half of their performance, which is understandable for a band that has been touring constantly since the release of the last effort, Hazards Of Love, last March.

Thursday’s show at the Riviera was the third show the band has played in Chicago in the last three months including a Lollapalooza performance and a festival aftershow. Front man Colin Meloy even admitted his joke about the Chicago’s “Chi-Town” moniker pronunciation was rehashed from previous Chicago stops. Still, the band never wavered when they delivered two sets, one with new material and one with old. But it was this show design – two separate sets – that hindered the show’s flow and rhythm.

The Decemberist’s first set was their new album Hazards Of Love in its entirety. The album itself is a sleek, poppy, and at times, a cheesy rock opera about lost love, which is told in Meloy’s rich lyrical tapestry (Tiga?). Yet it’s the cheesiness factor that makes the album so appealing. While other bands are trying to innovate to find a new sound, the Decemberists chose to evolve by evoking the spirit and fire of The Who’s big guitars and Fleetwood Mac’s mystic story-telling.

As a live piece, the album comes off as energetic and theatric. Songs weave in and out of each other and thematic elements often reoccur. The band even brought Hazards’ guest singers Becky Stark (of Lavender Diamond) and Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond) on the road with them, as they’re both vital reasons why the album works so well.

Hazards’ centerpiece, “The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid,” has quickly become a crowd favorite. The crowd erupted and waved fists in the air when an uplifting section transformed into a Zeppelin-esque, classic rock riff stomper complete with sultry lead vocals provided by Shara Worden. Later, the anthemic “The Rake’s Song” garnered the biggest audience response of the night with its simple and effective refrain, “Alright, Alright, Alright!”

Unfortunately, after the band raced through the nearly hour-long Hazards Of Love, they took a nearly 15 minute break, which really hurt the show’s flow. Once the band came back, they played another 45 minutes of older material.

But this is not to say their older material doesn’t hold up live as well as their newer songs. The 2006 track from The Crane Wife, “O Valencia,” was an audience sing-along from Meloy’s first word. However, much of the second set was heart-heavy, and at times dreary, subdued acoustic material. Gone were the big and heavy hitting moments from the Hazards portion of the show. In the end, the band closed appropriately with a cover of the acoustic-to-rocker gem, Heart’s “Crazy On You.”

While the second set did suffer, I don’t even know if switching the sequence would help the show’s consistency. At some point, The Decemberists will have to start incorporating new and old material into a single set, and that’s a shame because Hazards of Love works so well as a single piece.

Still, The Decemberists were in top form all night long on both sides of the loud/soft coin, and that’s promising for whatever U-Turn the band takes next.

Photo Credit: Richard Giraldi

If Lollapalooza 2009 day one could be summed up in one word, it would be wet.

Rain took over Friday at Grant Park. Not only did the rain make for a smaller early-afternoon crowd, but it also caused a run on plastic rain ponchos. I, like many other festivalgoers, wasn’t sure of the Lollapalooza umbrella policy, so naturally I came unprepared for the torrential downpour that soured the early afternoon.

A 40-minute wait for ponchos at the Lolla general store was common for at least a few hundred fans. Then when the products finally arrive: Youth size? Really?

The weather also played a role in making a somewhat lackluster lineup appear even more lacking. Many smaller acts were victims of fans rather staying dry than listen to the tunes.

The Gaslight Anthem

The Gaslight Anthem is where I started my much-delayed day. Lead singer Brian Fallon has this sort of Springsteen-meets-Billy Joel Armstrong thing going for him. The songs were punk power-chord rockers in their essence, but Fallon’s powerful vocal delivery gave the songs a sense of urgency and importance.

After a short pit stop to refuel with a bite to eat – Black bean burgers on a pita? What the what? – I made my way towards the Budweiser stage to get a spot for Ben Folds, who did not disappoint.

Ben Folds

Folds raced through a fun and focused set of Ben Folds Five and newer solo material. “Rockin The Suburbs” from the 2001 album of the same name excited the crowd in what appeared to be the first full-on audience sing-along of Lolla ‘09. The punchy “Hiroshima” from 2008’s Way To Normal enticed the crowd with it’s big hand clap and foot stomp backbeat, while “Narcolepsy” the 1999 Ben Folds Five album “The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner” featured an extended jazz-piano bridge. This was the first performance of the day to really take hold of the crowd and proclaim that Lollapalooza 2009 has begun.

Ben Folds -- “Narcolepsy” Clip -- Live at Lollapalooza 2009

Next up was Portland’s The Decemberists. Honestly, I’m wasn’t big on them – not that I don’t enjoy their music – but I never payed much attention. However, it must be said any band that attempts to seamlessly play a rock opera in a one-hour festival slot automatically gains my respect.

The Decemberists

And The Decembrists not only gained my respect, but a new fan as well. The band plowed through their newest effort The Hazards of Love with no stops in between. From the gooey acoustic opener “The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won’t Wrestle the Thistles Undone)” to the harpsichord-into-big riff rock jam “The Wanting Comes In Waves / Repaid,” the set featured absolutely no lulls. The band recalls a much younger and more ambitious Fleetwood Mac in their professional-yet-whimsical musical approach.

Of Montreal

After a quick stop at the Vitaminwater stage to check out a rambunctious Of Montreal, my colleague and I staked out a spot for Depeche Mode.

Depeche Mode was one of two headliners for Friday evening. The other was the much younger Kings of Leon. But with a new album to boot, the Mode was the obvious choice. A full review of Depeche Mode at Lollapalooza can be found on loudlooppress.com right now.

The festivities begin on Thursday, August 6, with the Beastie Boys at the Congress Theatre, The Decemberists at The Metro and Thievery Corporation the House of Blues. 

Among the shows slated for Friday, August 7, are  TV On the Radio at the Double Door and Arctic Monkeys at The Metro .

Saturday, August 8 brings Fleet Foxes to The Metro and Dan Auerbach to Schubas along with additional special guests.

Finally, on Sunday, August 9, if still in need of more music, Deerhunter, No Age and Dan Deacon bring their round-robin tour to Logan Square Auditorium and MSTRKRFT will perform at the Bottom Lounge.

The entire lineup of shows can be found here, with tickets set to go on sale Saturday, June 27 at 10am.