Lollapalooza!

Okay, so I realize this has nothing to do with Switzerland, but I spent this past weekend in Chicago at Lollapalooza and I figured I’d share my experience. This was my first big festival experience and I enjoyed every minute, seeing several great bands for the first time. I stayed with Jameson and Meghan in Arlington Heights and took the Metra train into the city each day, trekking a few blocks to Grant Park.
Each end of the park contained two main stages, and the two ends of the park were about 3/4 mile apart (about a 15 minute walk), necessitating careful planning to get around.



Day One:

I arrived early on Friday to kick things off with the Subways, a young British band (the members are all in the 19 to 21 age range). I didn’t take any pictures of their set, but they were quite entertaining. Frontman Billy Lunn ran into the crowd and scaled some of the stage supports while singer/bassist Charlotte Cooper literally bounced around the stage for about an hour.

Next I went to the other side of the park and caught a little of Aqualung’s set before claiming a spot for eels.

This picture gives you an idea how far back I was, but even so, the performance was great. “Mr. E” arrived on stage in a full flight suit equipped with aviator goggles. Other members wore cuban military uniform, yellow jumpsuit with orange hat, and a plain black t-shirt emblazoned with the word “Security.” The set included a variety of material including plenty of stuff from the most recent album, Blinking Lights and Other Revelations. Hooray for irreverance.

I left a bit early to go see one of my favorite bands, Mute Math.

Their Lollapalooza debut was typically amazing. The musicianship of these guys ranks up there with the best and I will never be able to figure out how drummer Darren King can keep up their crazy time signatures without missing a beat. The set was great and I definitely think they won over some new fans. The crowd was so into the performance that an encore was demanded and the band re-took the stage to perform “Peculiar People.” This was the only encore I witnessed during the entire weekend. Please check out their myspace site and listen to some of their tunes if you’re uninitiated.

After a brief dinner break, I caught a few songs by the charming husband-wife duo Mates of State. Then I staked out a spot for the Raconteurs, the “supergroup” consisting of Jack White (from the White Stripes), Brendon Benson, and Cincinnati’s very own Greenhornes.

This was without a doubt the highlight of the weekend for me. I found myself uncontrollably smiling throughout the set as their guitar prowess was unleashed and they plowed through material from their own record as well as covers including Sonny and Cher’s “Bang Bang” and Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy.” If you have a chance to see these guys live, take it. You will not regret it.

I wrapped up the day with headliners Death Cab For Cutie. I was too far back to get any non-shaky pics of them, but they did have a decent set heavy on the new material. I thought they were proficient, but they lacked the punch of a big day-ender. I like Ben Gibbard but he just can’t match Jack White in the charisma department. I’m sure seeing them in a club environment would feel much more natural.



Day Two:

Saturday was another great day. I got to Grant Park just in time to see The Go! Team take the stage with their unique brand of upbeat dance rock. A very rousing set that was impossible not to love…

I checked out some of Built to Spill’s performance across the park and I enjoyed what I heard. However, my mind was on Gnarls Barkley that afternoon, so I high-tailed it back to get a prime spot as soon as Coheed and Cambria finished playing. My planning worked (although it meant I had to forgoe seeing Wolfmother—but I could hear them—and wait in a mass of people for an extra hour. But the time soon passed and the moment arrived.

Festival Founder (and Jane’s Addiction/Porno For Pyros singer) Perry Ferrell took the stage to introduce the group and “We Are the Champions” began to blare from the speakers. A crowd of had 40,000 gathered to see the Cee-lo/DJ Danger Mouse collaboration and this was my view. Dressed as tennis pros, the band was introduced as Love-40 and launched into a rousing set. They changed up several arrangements, beginning hit “Crazy” with the string section and slowing down “Transformer” and almost completely reworking “Feng Shui.” Good stuff.


Then, because I had already seen Common at UC last quarter (and designed the promo materials…, I went to check out the Flaming Lips. It was my first time experiencing the band and the spectacle did not disappoint. Singer Wayne Coyne began by getting in his space bubble and walking around on the crowd. Soon, a pack of Santa Clauses and Alien chicks took the stage along with inflatable spacemen, a number of giant balls and balloons, and streamers galore. The music was fun, but not quite as precise as on the records. But when you’re having this much fun, who cares?

I missed the closing “Do You Realize???” to sprint over to the Q101 stage to see the New Pornographers. This was another highlight for me. The Canadian group was pitch-perfect, sounding every bit as good as on record, even if Neko Case wasn’t there. If you’ve never heard of them before, don’t let the name disuade you from checking them out. Twin Cinema is one of my favorite albums of last year (sorry it took me so long, Leigh).

I skipped out on Kanye (for which this crowd is gathering) to get dinner with Jameson and Meghan. I know I would have been entertained, but I had a good enough day without him.



Day Three:

So after two days of awesomeness, I was bound to be a bit let down by Sunday’s lineup. I only had a couple groups I was really excited to see and the Chili Peppers weren’t a huge draw for me. But it was still okay.
Due to a train schedule misread and subsequent lateness of the train I actually took, I only made it in time to see the final 3 songs by the Redwalls, a Chicago band that thinks they’re from England but are good enough to open for Oasis (which they have in fact done). This is my third time seeing them and I enjoyed it, although I wished I could have seen more.

Unimpressed with the mid-afternoon lineup (I’ve seen Ben Kweller before and I could care less about Jared Leto and 30 Seconds to Mars), I explored some of downtown Chicago.

When I finally returned to the festival it was time for one of my most anticipated performers: the Shins (popularized by Natalie Portman in Garden State. How can you not love a band who mentions text design in one of its songs? I got a prime spot by the stage, but the band was plagued by sound issues. I enjoyed the songs, but they just didn’t seem to be “on.” I doubt they won over any new fans and I think they underwhelmed most of the existing ones. It wasn’t until they finished up with “So Says I” that things seemed to click. By then it was a bit too late.

I then gathered up a stack of discarded beer cups which I was able to trade in at the recycling center for a free t-shirt. Taking care of the environment is a good thing, and in this case, extra rewarding.

Having seen Wilco open for R.E.M. several years ago, I opted for Queens of the Stone Age (who were performing at the same time). They were good and not quite as hard/loud as I’d expected (which, to me, is a good thing). Josh Homme wore a prominent crucifix around his neck which was an interesting choice (he doesn’t seem too spiritual to me), but regardless of attire, the music was solid.

Broken Social Scene were next and with them it’s always a party. (Seriously. There are always a gazillion people on stage living it up.) They brought the entire band including a horn section and guests including Feist and the violinist from Nickel Creek. It was a fun show and would have served as a fine end to the evening.

But that couldn’t be. The Red Hot Chili Peppers headlined and were adequate. I should say I’m not the world’s biggest RHCP fan, but I was prepared to be won over. I saw them once in high school and I honestly think that show trumped this one. I kept expecting for some big surprise (like Dave Navarro coming onstage to join the group for “Aeroplane” or something) but nothing came. The new material didn’t do too much for me, but they played enough from By The Way (my pick for their best work) to keep me from being too bitter. And while this ending may have been a bit anti-climatic, I had a great time at the festival and I love Chicago, so this was certainly a fitting end to my summer and farewell to the U.S.

Maybe I’ll get to attend one of the big European festivals that Lollapalooza is modeled after while I’m over there.