BY MARTIN JOHNSON
Martin Johnson is a freelance writer.

October 5, 2005

By mid-afternoon on the second day of the Staten Island portion of Across the Narrows, it had become clear that the organizers nailed some of the medium-sized things but botched the most important element of this festival.

The locale was spectacular, it was comfortable, easy to access and it offered wonderful sight lines. The sponsor, PlayStation 2, even plugged its product in a mostly unobtrusive way. The music was a completely different matter. Most of the headliners had played gigs in the area recently - in fact, Interpol and The Killers, two of Saturday's top groups, played nearby over the weekend - which split their constituency and diminished overall attendance. Also, the sound system reduced the music heard by the small but enthusiastic crowd to a sludgy drone. Jimi Goodwin of Doves even apologized to the audience for the sound quality after his band's set. Ultimately, it was like being at a restaurant where no corner was cut on decor and service but the food failed to match its surroundings.

The early lineup, Jesse Malin, Kasabian and The Redwalls, were promising if, a bit heavy on the British influence. It was during The Lemonheads' set that another annoying problem emerged in the sound: volume. As if having a mediocre system wasn't enough, someone decided to crank it. The resulting assault changed The Lemonheads indie-rock ditties from charming to confrontational.

Doves solved the volume issue but not the clarity. Songs from their new recording, "Some Cities" (Capitol), such as "Almost Forgot Myself," were effective. But others from "Last Broadcast," such as "Caught By the River" and "Pounding," had their emotional intensity and depth stifled by the poor sound. Organizers kept every band on a tight schedule of hour-long appearances (this enabled them to wrap both nights before 10), but it also left several bands looking rushed toward the end of their sets, as Doves struggled to bring theirs to a comfortable close.

Jet had no sound issues. They played proudly loud and the sonic assault chased many concertgoers into the restrooms for refuge. The Aussie band, a group of '70s metal revivalists, roared through retro-flavored tunes such as "Rollover D.J." and "Are You Gonna Be My Girl."

The band slowed the tempo for a new song, "Eleanor," a power ballad, and then finished with a flurry.

In contrast to Doves' struggles and Jet's gleeful romp, Oasis turned in a casual, workmanlike set. The Gallagher brothers managed to get good clarity from the sound system. But after Liam Gallagher's first attempts at sarcasm fell flat, the band hunkered down to play its set doing little to milk anthems such as "Wonderwall" and "Morning Glory." The singer dedicated "Live Forever" to New Orleans, and "Rock 'n' Roll Star" to Jet, but Oasis' set muddled through without highlights until their rave-up finish, a cover of The Who's "My Generation." However, rather than build on this momentum, their hour was up, so Oasis took a bow and most of the crowd returned across the Narrows.
Copyright 2005 Newsday Inc.