Recap
This was the first Lollapalooza I’ve attended since it found it’s new home in Chicago two year ago, and the entire thing was a great three-days of music. It was way too hot on Friday and Sunday, but we made it through and had a blast. The last big festivals I’ve been to were in Dallas - Ft. Worth, and I must say the crowds here in Chicago are far more polite than anything I ever experienced down there. Maybe it was just where it was, maybe it was the lack of macho-aggression that seemed to accompany some festivals down there, maybe people are just different here. Either way, everyone had a great time and there was a ridiculous amount of music to enjoy.
Day One - Friday:
The Polyphonic Spree: They’re a band made for a festival like this. The Flaming Lips/Wayne Coyne comparisons are totally correct. They were lots of fun and it was my first time to see them. I remember when they started as a complete one-off joke down in Dallas. Really enjoyable and they go nuts out of pure happiness.
The Rapture: Very fun, energetic, great mix of rock and dance.
Blonde Redhead: One of the first scheduling conflicts of the day. Would have loved to have heard more of them, but the last two songs convinced me I’m missing out on something, considering I don’t own any of their albums.
Satellite Party: Sure, people enjoy old Jane’s Addiction songs, but the between song banter by Perry Farrell just brought the whole thing down. Come to think of it, I wasn’t paying much attention anyways.
LCD Soundsystem: First time to see them and while they’re probably better suited for indoor clubs, they were as tight as it gets. Great, so totally on it. I like that James Murphy looks like the last person you’d expect to be in a band like that. We saw him at SmartBar once and I had the same impression. But holy damn do they make some great music. He seemed a bit bored and first and then I think it was North American Scum or All My Friends where he just started nailing it. Love how he sings and has such a great voice when he gets to having fun.
Daft Punk: Wow. Just wow. They were one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. We were very close to the front and had a great view the whole time. Love how their light show never repeated anything, and the always kept evolving and getting cooler. I think they just have one button up in that pyramid that says “More Awesome” and that’s pretty much all they do for the whole set: take turns pressing that button. I don’t even care if they’re just standing there, the preparation and planning for a show like that with the video must take months. Sure, it’s not “live” in the sense of seeing a band, but you’re seeing just as much work if not more in some ways. Such a great atmosphere. As reclusive as they are, it’s likely we’ll never get a chance to see them in Chicago again, so couldn’t have asked for anything better.
Day Two - Saturday:
Tokyo Police Club: They’ve been one of my favorite bands since their first EP came out and they didn’t disappoint. They just had a blast up there and won me over even more with their show.
Silverchair: Horrible. Horrible. Horrible. I’ve heard their album is good, but live, they are forgettable. Even if they were tolerable, their singer/guitarist made a complete fool of himself anytime he opened his mouth, reminded everyone that “we’re not gay, we promise!” and demanding that the crowd clap along for at least four songs. And then there was the bit about “having a dream that he was vomiting dolphins.” Not much else to say but they guy played his guitar with his teeth, and it wasn’t that relevant until Sunday night when Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready played a blistering solo with his guitar completely behind his head, completely blowing away any attempt Daniel Jons had at being a flashy rock star via his teeth.
Cold War Kids: Pretty enjoyable. His voice is great live, and after initially not liking them much, I got into them more the second time I gave them a listen earlier this year.
Rhymefest: Only caught the very last song but it sounded awesome. I bet the whole show was great. He seems like a guy that’s very genuine and appreciative of what he’s able to do. I could just tell by how he was interacting with the younger kids he had pose with them for a group photo - he seemed like a cool big brother that’s just a good person and likes to have fun. Many others that I’ve talked to had the same impression. Hope to catch him again at some point.
The Roots: Loved the first song with just super fast rapping and the drums. Cool as hell. First full song, Here I Come, was one of my favorites off the album Game Theory. (Sidenote: Where I was standing, there were two girls just all sprawled out on the grass nearly passed out. Medics came over, gave them smelling salts and whatnot and took them away. I should have saved them the trouble with the salts and just put my shoe in her face, she would have sobered right up.)
Roky Erikson: Growing up in Texas, he’s like folklore down there. I’d heard his music before, but just generally remember all the publicity about him being crazy and such. Their sound was a nice break from some of the other stuff. Spotted Jeff Tweedy watching most of the show. I thought it was funny how, after every song, all you got out of Roky were two very enthusiastic “Thank you!”s.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: This was my second time to see them and they never disappoint. Perry Ferrel was totally correct for what he said about them - that they are truly the real deal. They were all having a blast up there, and, yah, I was surprised so many in the crowd were that into them. I mean, there was some guy near me that looked like he worked at Abercrombie in Rockford, but he knew every word to ever song. It was cool. Karen O is every ounce of rock star she can be: pure sexual energy, outrageous theatrics, and the ability to laugh at how over the top she is to so many people.
Muse: We made it within five or six rows of people to the front on the left and waited it out for the hour before they came out. When they did, let me just say: this was my first time to see them live, and I almost prefer it that way. Holy hell they were awesome. Loved being that close, and was able to get tons of great photos. The sound was incredible. Glad it didn’t rain any harder. Lots of crowd surfers - I didn’t realize that was still cool? We made it to about the fourth row of the crowd near the end of their set. But Muse just blew me away. Not much more to say. I’d considering Muse my high point for the weekend - Daft Punk were great, but I’ve been dying to see Muse for so long. My ears are still ringing, and it was well worth it.
Day Three - Sunday:
Lupe Fiasco: Got there towards the end, it sounded pretty good and wish we’d made it there earlier.
The Annuals: They were okay, but we met up with friends at the same time and they kind of became background music.
Kings of Leon: Never given them much thought but I liked the songs I heard.
Peter Bjorn and John: They win “irony of the weekend.” The first three songs needed the guitars to be way up. Sure, they’re a quiet band, but it was almost too quiet. Then all of a sudden, the power goes out on their stage, certainly not due to their massive sound assault… It came back on eventually and they were good sports about it from what I heard.
!!!: Never really liked them before but they put on a great show and were totally feeling it. Awesome stuff.
My Morning Jacket: Probably my favorite band of the day. I only have one of their albums, but I loved that I recognized most of the songs. The Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra sounded excellent with them. Great show on stage and they were having a blast.
TV On The Radio: Really enjoyed them. Have not really liked their albums, but they were excellent on stage. Need to give them a second chance soon for sure.
Pearl Jam: We stayed around for Pearl Jam at a distance and left at about 9:30. I’ve not really been into them in years, but they were the first band I ever saw live back in 1993 in Texas, so it was cool to see them at this point in their careers. Loved the rip on BP Amaco.
Finally…
The one strangest thing I saw all weekend: A girl in Wellington Boots… like they all wear at Glastonbury… on FRIDAY… when it was a million degrees and not raining at all. Idiotic. I really wish I knew if she was from the UK or just pretending.