My Summer in Music Festivals, Part 3: Lollapalooza

After missing 2007’s Chicago-based Lollapalooza due to being in Europe (and I think I was in Budapest that weekend, so I really can’t complain), it was nice to be able to make it back this year. While the lineup wasn’t quite as interesting to me as that of 2006, the rest of the attendees seemed pretty impressed; for the first time as a 3-day festival, the event sold out all 3 days! And it certainly felt more crowded than 2006 – it took me the better part of an hour to exchange my ticket for a wristband and make it inside on Day 1, causing me to miss the majority of Rogue Wave’s set. However, I still had a great time and was able to get good stage position for the artists I was most interested in.

Of the acts I saw, here’s how I felt their live shows stacked up:

Underwhelming: MGMT, Duffy, Cat Power (I enjoy studio albums from all of these artists, but they lacked something live)
Decent: Cool Kids, Black Kids, Rage Against the Machine
Good: Rogue Wave, Gogol Bordello, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Radiohead, Lupe Fiasco, Flogging Molly, Kanye West
The Best: The Go! Team, Explosions In The Sky, Okkervil River, The Raconteurs, Mark Ronson


The Go! Team rocking the Bud Light stage


The Raconteurs were again great. Sure, I’d just seen them in Montreux but they’re such a good live act that I couldn’t resist seeing them again. Of course, this time I was a bit further from the stage…




The madding crowd gather for Radiohead who performed unopposed the first evening. I am honestly not that big a fan of the band, but they put on a solid show. Especially amazing were the unrelated fireworks visible to the left of the stage during the middle of their set. They worked perfectly with “Everything In It’s Right Place” and then climaxed in time to the apex of “Fake Plastic Trees” which was incredibly serendipitous. A beautiful ending to Day 1.


The beautiful Buckingham Fountain in front of the Chicago Skyline by night


Lupe Fiasco owns the stage on Day 2.


Flogging Molly, who I’d seen about six years ago on the Warped Tour, delivered an energizing set of their Irish-punk anthems.


Another Lollapalooza, another Gnarls Barkley performance. Their cover of Radiohead’s “Reckoner” was a highlight.


My favorite performance of the weekend was British producer Mark Ronson (who delivered my favorite album of 2007 in Version. He brought out a number of special guests he’s worked with including rapper Rhymefest (Ronson plays guitar in the background).


Kenna also joined the festivities…


…as did Aussie crooner Daniel Merriweather who kicked out a great version of the White Stripes’ “You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told).”


Ronson jams on an instrumental of Coldplay’s “God Put A Smile Upon Your Face.”


Alex Greenwald of Phantom Planet pops up for Ronson’s cover of Radiohead’s “Just” and proceeds to scale the stage scaffolding.


Then, all of Phantom Planet joins him on stage for a raucous version of “California.” Awesome! What a way to end a great weekend of music.


Also, Kanye West was there. In all seriousness, he put on a good festival-closing show for his hometown.