It’s so uncool not to be nice in the world of rock criticism these days it’s refreshing to see a good pan. Jim Fusilli at the Wall Street Journal surveys the bands at the Pitchfork Fest assaying the hep new move of playing one of your famous albums in its entirety. He’s not impressed:

These self-tribute concerts from acts that may have nothing new to say are a staple of All Tomorrow’s Parties, the promoter behind the opening night at Pitchfork here …

Here’s what he had to say about Mission of Burma:

[G]uitarist Roger Miller showed he still has a flair for dissonance and melody, and offstage sound engineer Bob Weston added unexpected heft and textures to the mix. The band seemed delighted to be together again — they’ve played sparingly since their post-punk classic “Vs.” was released in 1982, due in part to Mr. Miller’s tinnitus. When they forgot which song to play next, a few fans provided the answer.

Emphasis added.  Isn’t this… lame? You’re there to play your famous album, and you don’t bother to rehearse, or, uh, use a setlist?

But fortunately P.E. was there to set things right:

When Flavor Flav, who failed to turn up for the opener, “Bring the Noise,” appeared on stage, Chuck D chided him and then pronounced “It Takes a Nation [of Millions to Hold Us Back]” “the best rap album of all time.”

Flav can’t even make it on stage on time? Maybe Chuck D. should institute a buddy system for his band so everyone gets on stage for the first time. Fusilli didn’t mention it, but I bet the sound sucked for Public Enemy; I saw them a half-dozen times back in the day, and never saw Chuck D. bother to get the sound right, or even passable.

Fortunately, fans could revel in the festival atmosphere, right?

Overnight thunderstorms and a Saturday morning downpour turned parts of Union Park into a quagmire…

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Previously in Hitsville: