Photo by Marc Brubaker

The Geto Boys' Willie D (left) and Scarface at Free Press Summer Fest earlier this month

After the much-anticipated Geto Boys reunion at this month's Free Press Summer Fest went off at only two-thirds strengh, resulting in thousands of disappointed fans, FPSF has announced a free makeup show scheduled for July 4 at House of Blues.

The Boys' set in the high afternoon heat was delayed about 20 minutes before Scarface and then Willie D emerged to perform many of the groundbreaking Houston rap trio's most popular songs, including "Mind Playin' Tricks on Me" and "Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangsta." But Bushwick Bill, the third Geto Boy, never materialized. Willie D, whose advice column Ask Willie D appears on Rocks Off Thursday mornings, told us Bill was traveling to Houston from Atlanta and simply didn't make it in time.

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Photo by Marco Torres

Didn't the guy on the left used to play football around here?

"I like the red douchebag tanks."

"I know this song!" -- at the beginning of Paul Wall's "Smile For Me Daddy"

"Fuck your fuckin' water!" -- a testy exchange in the Fancy Pants tent

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Photo by Jim Bricker

A little lost, Kim?

Know Your City
During Matt & Kim, Kim had the crowd in her pocket... until she accidentally called them "Dallas." She immediately recognized her terrible faux pas and recovered by telling a story about how once she was having sex with Matt and called him by the wrong name. She said that afterwards "things got weird," so she encouraged the crowd to get as "weird" as they could so we could all relive it together. Crisis averted. SELENA DIERINGER

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Photo by Marc Brubaker

Wille D and Scarface, minus Bushwick Bill

UPDATED (Monday, 2:05 p.m.). Regarding the bottled-water situation and prices, with comments from FPSF director Omar Afra. See "Water Rights" on Page 2.

Geto Boys Get an "Incomplete"
The absolute and definitive one goddamn thing I was truly looking forward to seeing at this year's festival was a reunited Geto Boys unleash their fury in the shadow of the downtown skyline. Regardless of the circumstances of Bushwick Bill's absence, and despite a still-tremendous effort by Willie D and Scarface, my biggest "must-see" quickly turned into my biggest disappointment and heartbreak of the year. Here's hoping it doesn't take another ten years before we see all three rappers perform together in Houston once again. MARCO TORRES

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Photo by Groovehouse

Cat Power

Cat Power/Social Distortion
Cat Power has such a spotty live reputation that she's hard to pass up, epecially at a music festival. We all want to see the implosion when it happens. However, she once pleased me greatly (and made me somewhat of a fan) at one ACL Fest around the time her R&B-heavy The Greatest album came out (2006), but after that I sort of lost touch. But instead of a meltdown, Sunday she followed Mavis Staples -- no easy feat there -- with a challenging, haunting set of piano-heavy orchestral pop that started out a little unfocused but sharpened considerably and rocked harder the longer it went on.

It reminded me of Sinead O'Connor a little, which is a big plus in my book. I can only assume most of the songs were from last year's Sun album, which I have not heard, but her set certainly made me want to go listen to it, perhaps even buy it. For her (or anyone), I'd say that's a success.

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Photos by Marco Torres

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Free Press Summer Fest, Eleanor Tinsley Park
June 2, 2013

Perhaps the schedulers behind this year's Free Press Summer Festival know something the rest of us don't.

The rapper/DJ duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are at the peak of their careers so far, garnering more attention by the day. And the FPSF attendees were anxious to see and hear them perform late Saturday afternoon, as made clear by an enormous crowd that engulfed the entire hill and every possible vantage point in the area.

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Photo by Marco Torres

Action Bronson (left) and Devin the Dude

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Photo by Jim Bricker

Alabama Shakes
I went into this expecting to enjoy the set by Alabama Shakes, but I didn't realize how it was going to set the tone for the rest of my day. I arrived under the overbearing sun, and struggled to catch glimpses of Japandroids. Festival frustrations threatened to make a bad scene.

But then patches of grass opened, seats were taken and the Shakes took the stage. Lead singer Brittany Howard has just a unique command over her audience; you will not be let down. It was quite possibly the mellowest vibe to be found in all of Eleanor Tinsley Park. It ranked up there with Iggy-induced Beatlemania and Jenny Lewis's boobs. APRIL BREM PATRICK

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Photos by Marc Brubaker

Iggy & the Stooges
Free Press Summer Fest, Eleanor Tinsley Park
June 2, 2013

The official closing band on Saturday at FPSF was the Postal Service, but for those of us who know how much even mellow indie-rock like the fare played by Ben Gibbard et al. owes to Detroit madman Iggy Pop, he and his Stooges were the climax of the day's events.

A crowd gathered around the Neptune Stage to pay tribute to the grandfather of punk and as soon as he stepped onto the stage, we went through a time machine. Though he looked his generation, his voice told a different story, screeching out just as powerfully and dangerously as it had 40 years earlier.

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Photos by Groovehouse

The Postal Service
Free Press Summer Fest
June 1, 2013

Back in 2003, a magical group of musicians came together to create a standalone project. Their little experiment became Give Up, one of the most beloved indie records ever. They never toured this record, but its fanbase continued to grow.

Ever since, the public has been waiting for Ben Gibbard, Jimmy Tamborello, and Jenny Lewis to perform their little "side project," and finally, ten years later, The Postal Service has brought Give Up to the live stage. As the audience at Saturday night's FPSF can attest, the show was well worth the wait.

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