Yeasayer Use Percussion to Keep Lollapalooza Crowd Mellow

For a band whose sound is so manic, Yeasayer played it cool during their Friday afternoon set. The Brooklyn quartet's African beats, tropical samples and Middle Eastern drones brought a taste of the world to Grant Park, while its loose grooves kept the mood laid back and the audience cool. Percussion reigned supreme. Nothing that could be hit with a mallet, drumstick or hand was safe. And despite the serious look on his face, vocalist-keyboardist Chris Keating spread positive messages and entertained with robotic dance moves. Songs such as "Wait for the Summer" and "2080" rattled with psychedelic intent, while "No Need to Worry" summed up why the group's music went down so easily.

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Song Stories

“Is It True”

Brenda Lee | 1964

As the British Invasion reached its peak in 1964, Brenda Lee went from Nashville to London to record one of her hardest-rocking hits, her perky vocal backed by a stuttering, squalling guitar. That guitar was played by session musician Jimmy Page, yet to skyrocket to fame with first the Yardbirds and then Led Zeppelin. "She said to me, 'I've come here to make a record with the British sound,'" remembered producer Mickie Most. "She felt she wouldn't get the same sound in Nashville because they're only just catching up on the British beat group sound of about six months ago."

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