Hi there! He has returned to regale you with tales from the Windy City. He and She packed up the car and went 3 hours north to Chicago for the latest installment that is Lollapalooza. Lolla has changed a bit since it's heady days of the 90s spent traversing the country and setting up small carnivals at each stop. Lolla is now a 3-day event held in Grant Park, bordered by Lake Michigan and using the beautiful downtown skyline as a back-drop.
He and She attended last year's festival and were given many pleasant surprises but saw a few opportunities for improving our own experience. So we were both excited to have planned well in advance to ensure another fun weekend. Arriving in the afternoon on Friday our first major band was the Black Keys. A fierce 2-piece pumping out heavy blues rock truly set the stage for the weekend of music to come. With 8 stages and no shortage of food and alcohol vendors and other distractions, Lollapalooza attempts to cover all bases.
Cat Power's sultry cover sound was our next destination, and she did not disappoint. Covers sound like a shortcut in many ways, but when you hear her voice and see her prowling the stage while re-animating some great tunes you know she's worth it. But Cat Power was just an appetizer as the band that would crown the weekend was up next: The Raconteurs. Jack White may be more well known for his 2-piece collaboration with sister Meg in the White Stripes, but his band full of high-school friends seems to be where his heart lies. Raw rock just doesn't get any better than this, and Jack poured every ounce of sweat into this performance - as did the entire band. We were engrossed from the off, and they never let the crowd rest.
Radiohead headlined the opening day and, while I'm not a huge fan, they did not disappoint. Their sound is a bit too mellow-psychedelic for such a large atmosphere, but they created a good vibe and were certainly worthy of their billing. But the fun was just beginning. Saturday saw us enduring some sound issues that apparently popped up late due to city complaints, but the sound guys did their best to balance it all out on the fly. Not an easy task, especially with stages so near to each other. The worst sound issue was on Perry Farrell's small stage where he was to perform with special guest Slash. Unfortunately, their sound issues were too much and nothing could be played. Ever the good sport and entertainer, Perry led the crowd in a sing-along version of "Jane Said" while Slash held his young kid and soaked in the crowd.
DeVotchka's odd brand of Eastern European-inspired rock got the buzz going again and, after some confusion thinking MGMT were Booka Shade and vice versa, we found ourselves bobbing our heads in time with the very electronica-based Booka Shade. While so many other electro acts are switching to laptops, Booka Shade has gone a bit old-school electro with a live drummer (on electric drums) and a producer. This allowed them to reel the crowd into their unique sound. Perhaps better suited for a club, they still carried the torch for the dance crowd missing the presence of anyone approaching last year's headliners Daft Punk.
Spank Rock, Jamie Lidell, Broken Social Scene, Lupe Fiasco and then the Toadies kept our pace (along with numerous reasonably priced Bud Lights!) as we prepared for the main event (at least for me) of the weekend: Rage Against the Machine. Quick aside - I had tix to see RATM and the Beastie Boys on tour back in the late 90s; a bike accident by Mike D put that tour on hiatus, during which RATM decided they just couldn't work together. Nearly 10 years and several side projects later, RATM returned to Lollapalooza as part of their reunion tour, and they can certainly still bring it. Unfortunately, "it" can sometimes be so much energy that everyone gets swept up in their own emotions. After walking out to airhorns, they let fly with "Testify" (my personal fave), which got everyone going. Then came "Bulls on Parade," and that's exactly what it was. Apparently too close to several mosh pits, many in our section panicked and attempted to get out even as the growing crowd was still surging into the show. Fearing for our own safety and others, He and She grabbed tight, supported others being pushed and nearly trampled, and made our way to the edge of the front section. At the time we were completely unaware, but apparently over 2000 people attempted to storm a gate to get into the show illegally; several hundred supposedly made it in and bull-rushed the steps we were attemtping to access. Still in throng, we made our way to a safe distance further back. Rage frontman Zach de la Rocha stopped the show on 3 separate occasions so safety workers could get a few people out and to restore some order. But Zach's brand of order is to tell the crowd to "save that shit for the streets!" Ever the prophet. But, from our safer vantage point, RATM rocked the city, rarely pausing so they could get their full setlist in. They played every one of the favorites. And while I certainly was glad to finally see them, I can't help but feel the energy suffered because of the crowd issues. That said, where are they playing next?
Sunday rolled around and our treat for arriving before noon was to catch The Octopus Project. A collection of multi-talented musicians who routinely swap instruments - midsong! - they were just the tonic to start the final day. What Made Milwaukee Famous - great band name - were another pleasant surprise on our way to The Gutter Twins, fronted by rock vets who knew precisely how to sway the crowd. But it was Brazilian Girls (strangely, not Brazilian, only 1 girl) who really heated things up. Their crafty blend of sex-pop, electro, and rock really engaged the crowd, though perhaps so did the skimpy outfit worn by their Argentine lead singer. Twirling her parasol in the blazing sun, she chatted coyly with the crowd reminding us that "it's all about ASS, not US!"
With little effort, She persuaded He to check out Newton Faulkner, and that was yet another surprise of the weekend. Faulkner's mixture of pop-folk combined with his virtuoso guitar playing, alternating between strumming and playing it like a drum, and sing-along style will surely have his star shining bright in the months to come.
So back to the south end of the park for the final push: G Love & Special Sauce, Blues Traveler, Gnarls Barkley, and then Mark Ronson all paved the way for the double-headline of Kanye West, who apparently arrived by spaceship, and Nine Inch Nails (who, surprisingly, did not). Kanye opened strong but levelled off, so we decided to cap the weekend with NIN. Trent Reznor has mellowed a bit, but not so much that he's forgotten his roots. After a few of his more somber and quiet pieces, he paused to reflect on being on the original Lolla tour with Perry before launching into several of the band's more well-known hits.
So, many ups, only a few downs, a weekend of great music (we counted up that we actually saw 32 bands!), sunshine, and well past a few hundred thousand people all made for a terrific experience. Lollapalooza has been around for 17 years and appears to have no end in sight. He and She will be back next year!
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