'Twas a rainy weekend. Rain poncho high-5.

Neither of the girls to the left here are M. Ward. No, instead this picture is here in a post about M. Ward at Monolith to justify some crabbiness. Saturday was rainy. All day. It sucked. But, whereas The Walkmen played so well that it was easy to overcome the discomfort, M. Ward was disappointing.

In fact, The Walkmen and M. Ward were the two acts I was most looking forward to for the whole weekend. But after a lovely rendition of “Chinese Translation,” Mr. Ward proceeded to blast through some of his classic songs at breakneck speed. Maybe after one tune the band decided the weather was grim enough to warrant double-timing all their material to get back to their warm, cushy, plush green room. Disappointing. It could also be that M. Ward is one of those acts better suited for an indoor theater…I recall having the same thought at Cat Power last year at Lollapalooza. Whenever you’re in Denver next, Mr. M. Ward, the Bluebird has your name on it.

Meanwhile, M. Ward performing “Chinese Translation” at Monolith Festival Saturday: