Lifeguard got the evening started out with awesome waves of noise that evoked icons like Sonic Youth, who played the same stage back in 2003. The outdoor venue was new for the teenage trio: “We’re still getting used to playing not-clubs, you know?” says singer-guitarist Kai Slater, 18 . “We’re pretty used to opening,” adds singer-bassist Asher Case, 17 . “I think we’ve gotten good at it. We know how to play a short set and play really fast.
“But it’s nice,” Brown adds. “I used to spend a lot of time thinking, ‘Man, what am I doing with my life.’ Now I’m like, ‘Man, what is happening with my life! This is so crazy!’”Iceage came all the way from Copenhagen to play this one-off show. The most experienced band on the bill by far, the Danish punks played songs from their five albums with a swaggering, theatrical flair. “Hot summer, New York night,” says singer Elias Bender Rønnenfelt, 31 . “It’s fun.
“It’s nerve-wracking for this to be our first show of tour, a little bit,” Reece adds with a laugh. “We want to try out all these songs we’ve never played live before, but on this huge stage, we’re like, ‘Uh, maybe we should stick with the classics.’”Cheng and Lowenstein remember seeing Yo La Tengo play SummerStage when they were starting college in New York. Playing that same stage a couple of years later was fun and a little scary: “Everyone we know is here!” Cheng says.
, Horsegirl built up to a cool, doomy peak as Cheng and Lowenstein chanted the words “dance, dance, dance, dance” and Reece showed off some serious power on drums. “During soundcheck, the stage manager was asking me, ‘Where do you want the drum riser?’” Reece says. “I was like, ‘As close as possible to the front.’ She was like, ‘You’ve got this whole stage!’ We like to be very close to each other.