NJ music festival All Points West keeps getting better

There was a New York City skyline to the north, and the Statue of Liberty to the south. Right in between these two landmarks was the All Points West festival. The festival, started last year, is held in Liberty State Park in New Jersey and featured big names such as Radio Head, Kings of Leon and Baltimore favorites, Animal Collective.

This year's lineup was just as impressive, if not more so, featuring big time names such as Coldplay, Tool and Jay-Z. Beastie Boys were originally scheduled to perform, but the band had to pull because of medical related issues to Adam "MCA" Yauch, with Jay-Z filling the gap as a headliner on the opening night.

Hova came out at around 9:30 p.m. and immediately performed a cover of the Beastie Boys' hit, No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn. The crowd was energized from the get go, giving Jay-Z a lot to work with, and he was quick to give back, thanking fans for about a six minute period.

The day really got going when Fleet Foxes stepped on stage. The wind started to blow and rain started to fall, creating a slop out in the crowd, and making the folk group look like "a guild of wizards." Technical difficulties in the beginning cut the set short, so Robin Pecknold didn't get to belt out Oliver James or the haunting Tiger Mountain peasant song. They did, however, please the crowd with tremendous renditions of White Winter Hymnal and Mykonos.

Following them was arguably the greatest performance of the weekend given by The National. Their enthusiasm was contagious as the band busted out Fake Empire and Mr. November. During the latter, front-man Matt Berninger climbed into the crowd, dancing around in the mud with the spectators.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs were next to perform, and like always, won over the crowd. After seeing them live at All Points West, I think it's safe to say that Karen O is one of, if not the, most charismatic and unique singers in the past decade. Whether it's because of her attire or dancing on stage, Karen O always delivers a show, and this was no exception. Heads Will Roll was easily the best song of the set, and this was one of the best performances of the weekend.

Saturday saw the White Rabbits kick things off with a powerful performance to a crowd of about 500, all covered in the mud that still lay about from the storm the day before. After hearing their drum heavy Percussion Gun, it's easy to see why they are such a critically acclaimed group. After the White Rabbits come two forgettable performances by Cage the Elephant, and Cool Kids, but was saved by the Arctic Monkeys, who treated the crowd to new songs off of their new album Humbug. Cornerstone was particularly impressive, as was Fluorescent Adolescent, but the boys from England didn't produce classics such as When The Sun Goes Down, Mardy Bum or A Certain Romance.

After the Arctic Monkeys, Saturday closed with a trio of interesting performances. Gogol Bordello, a group of self proclaimed gypsies, took it up a notch after the Arctic Monkeys, and My Bloody Valentine kept it rocking up until Tool. Although Tool only played a nine song set, they blew away the crowd with visual aides and a powerful performance.

Sunday started off on the wrong foot, with All Points West keeping it's gates closed due to weather, causing some performances to be canceled, including Gaslight Anthem. Things started to pick up when Silversun Pickups took the stage, and continued on through Echo and the Bunnymen, the great British 80's band responsible for the song Killing Moon.

If there was one thing wrong with the weekend, it was the fact that Coldplay and MGMT were scheduled to play at the same time. Coldplay, of course, took the main stage, but MGMT was off to the side, leaving me wondering why All Points West didn't just put MGMT ahead of Coldplay on the main stage. Anyway, I was in a conundrum over who to see, but being a Coldplay veteran I decided that MGMT was probably the best route to go.

In arguably the second best performance of the weekend, MGMT managed to play all the hits off of Oracular Spectacular and some new songs off of their upcoming sophomore album, Congratulations. Of Moons, Birds, and Monsters was fantastic live, especially during the hippie-inspired, guitar driven solo at the end. Of course, no MGMT set would be complete without Time to Pretend, Electric Feel and Kids, far and away the biggest hit of the summer. After the final note of Kids, the crowd rushed over to the end of Coldplay in time to hear three songs, including Death and All His Friends and The Scientist.

While rain tormented the crowd for two days, spirits were high and the energy was contagious. If you ever get the chance to go to All Points West, I suggest you take it. It won't disappoint.