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FRIDAY
Ex Janes Addiction front man and founder of Lolla, Perry Farrell is an interesting guy. His unique and out-there personality echoes throughout the festival from the artwork to the Kidzapalooza area meant exclusively for the children of awesome parental figures who take their kids to concerts. Throughout the weekend, acts would take the Kidz stage and we were lucky enough to catch Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy in action. He played some acoustic covers of my personal favorite tracks like "What Light" and "Heavy Metal Drummer".
I had never heard of them before, but my buddy stressed the importance of hitting up their set so we dropped by. When the lead singer came out in a full suit on probably the hottest day of the summer it was pretty evident that they were here to rock. And rock they did. From their indie-riffic sound to their down and filthy lyrics.
Having seen Gogol Bordello before, we headed over to check out the Black Keys on the Bud Light stage. A great show from a great band. Real gritty guitar 'n drums from a two-man team out of Akron, OH. I thought that a sold-out show the night before at Chicago's legendary Metro Theater might damper the band's performance, but they showed up and filled up the North lawn. Out of all the acts we saw, I see these guys making a big wave in the coming year.
Lederhosen's Biergarten A new addition to the festival this year was the German infused beer garden behind the Playstation stage. With huge screens playing live feeds from that day's performers and waitresses filling our pints, it was a nice way to relax in the hot hot heat. Of course the beer selection was limited to Budweiser products and the Windy City's microbrew, Goose Island.
We skipped right to the big stage to guarantee a stellar spot for the night's closing act. I had never been a huge fan of the British rockers and was a little upset because we were going to miss Jack White's new explosion with The Raconteurs. But what I used to hate I'm now addicted. The band came out and destroyed to a quickly filling crowd, highlight tracks being "Banquet" and "Helicopters". And "Mercury" live was pretty sweet. I went home and bought one of their albums on Itunes. I spent more money – that's how awesome they were.
It wouldn't be a festival without a big show, and Thom York and Company certainly delivered that. With their eco-friendly bulbs, fireworks exploding behind them during "Fake Plastic Trees", and a helicopter circling the crowd with flood lights pouring down. It was an event and while I left joking that half of the crowd was probably sticking around for a cutter party, it was just one of those things you have to see before you die.
Saturday
It was interesting to watch Brooklyn newcomer Krista on stage. She goes from melodramatic singer to gangster rapper with the switch of a beat. She was wonderful to look at, but I don't know if that will push her f*bombs into the green or not.
We went over to check out Mason's set and were pleasantly surprised. The Hawaiian-born, Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter sounded like Bob Dylan with a surfboard in tow. Jennings recently signed to Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records which included fellow Lolla-artists G Love and Rogue Wave. The set was great and the crowd was really into it, swaying back and forth trying to get underneath the shade of the Playstation 3 Stage. For more information on Mason – check out our exclusive interview with him and the cover of our Fall Issue.
Perry Farrell & Special Guest I had heard a rumor rolling around the Lolla grounds that the special guest would be "someone I would know from Guitar Hero", so I thought maybe Tom Morello was making an early appearance. Little did I know that the special guest was none other than Slash. They played "Jane Says". Awesome. End of story.
Rooftop Deck It was hot, we got bored, and all of a sudden this guy invited us to go chill on his rooftop across the street for a while. Now I had heard of these ritzy downtown high rise rooftops before, seen them in movies, but never actually found myself ontop of one. It offered views of the festival and the city, a grill of food, and a stocked fridge. It was a heavenly rest from the unclean crowds of Lolla.
If we hadn't gotten enough emo-tastic vibes at Radiohead the night before, Brand New certainly finished the job. A great band that I've been into for a while, but the performance was a little weak and their last two albums which were a little less energetic encompassed the entirety of their set list. Good band on record, maybe not live, and certainly not at an outdoor festival.
I was looking forward to this performance ever since "The Cool" came out and I was far from disappointed. He busted out onto the stage dressed in a white shirt and dress vest after a cool little intro detailing his rise to fame. Every track was on point and the man rocked the crowd with the huge enthusiasm he was sort of lacking the year before. If you haven't been watching him already, turn your attention on the Fiasco.
The 90s rockers kicked it off with their old hits and played some new ones. Good stuff, couldn't really hear it though as we were prepping for Tom Morello and crew. I did almost get in a fight with a douchebag from Notre Dame who insulted my friend. But he forgot about it quickly because he was drunk and got back to basically molesting his girlfriend. Rape Against the Machine?
Every testosterone child of the 90s was pushed up against the AT&T stage waiting for a solid hour before the lights dimmed and Rage took the stage. The stage setup was simple, a giant red glowing star. I was caught up in the pit as they exploded with "Tesify". I had to ditch my sandals and hold them above my head for fear of walking back to the train barefoot. "Bulls on Parade" was insanity. It was hands down one of the craziest concert experiences I've ever found myself in the thick of. Ridiculous.
Sunday
The new Chicago hip-hop star may not be a big name yet, but give it a couple weeks. Her song "Pro Nails" features none other than hometown heavy-hitter K-West, for no reason other than he really dug her style. Sad to say, it was the only song that really hit it out of the park. I think that track is going to go huge and her record will sell big with the big names on it, but live by herself was less than enthusiastic.
The Aussie three-some reminded me why they are one of my favorite bands. An incredible live performance, this played all the hits off of their last album Grand National and a few older ones. They also had a great song with more rock influence calling out MTV for dropping music videos to play a ten hour marathon of My Super Sweet Sixteen. Not to mention John played Oceans, probably the most incredible guitaring you've ever seen.
I wanted to catch more of this guy's show but had issues finding the stage he was at. We finally got there towards the end of one of his last songs and he was trying to get the audience to act like Vikings. I really didn't know the context, but it sounded good. He ended with an amazing acoustic cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody". Not just part of it, the entire thing. This guy's track "Dream Catch Me" is a hit on Soccer Mom Radio across the country, but look out for him – I'm guessing big things. G. Love & Special Sauce I feel like I should start off by saying I love G Love. His music always puts me in a good mood, I always enjoy kicking back and throwing one of his albums on. It might have been the muggy air and the rising temperatures, but something about his performance at Lollapalooza just felt exhausted. It might have been me, might have been him – I think it was a little of both.
You've all heard him even if the name isn't recognizable. His song "Reparations (List of Demands)" has been playing on television sets nationwide for months as part of Nike's latest campaign. It's fast paced, gritty, and addictive. But after catching a few of his songs at Lolla I'm pretty sure he's crazy. And so are his fans. They were wearing feathers, I don't know – I went and got pizza.
After seeing the harmonica blowing John Popper & Gang, I think it's safe to say they're back. Maybe not in the mainstream like they were circa '95, but the newer songs showed some promise and when they did "Mountains Win Again" people in the crowd wept. Look for a new release from these guys in the next couple months and maybe some radio airplay.
I cannot express this performance in words. It was truly the most mind-blowing dance party I have ever been a part of. I knew his work, I had even spoken with him before. But the Girl Talk live experience is truly unparalleled. While DJ Gregg Gillis took the stage alone with his laptop, it didn't take long after he started for the stage to fill up with dancers up there with him throwing confetti and toilet paper into what was probably the largest side stage crowd of the weekend. There was so much energy on the stage that he had to actually get the dancers off because the stage was bending. People had climbed into trees, one of them was dressed in an Ape costume. A guy in a full body Spiderman costume crowd-surfed. And then, to finish it off, Gillis rode an inflatable raft over the crowd to the mixing board to finish his set. Check out our exclusive with the legend here.
We had been looking forward to it all day. The performance was a lot like the man himself, boisterous, flashy, big, and obsessed with Chicago. Now I grew up around the Windy City too, but Kanye seriously name-dropped the town every other song. "Flashing Lights" was awesome live and "Gold Digger" had the stage lit up in bright yellows and greens. He compared himself to Hendrix, he dedicated it to his mom, and ended with his on-stage band playing Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" as he sat down nodding along, playing right into "Stronger". Being a fan, it was cool to see him live, but damn if he isn't the cockiest man alive.
Disappointments
Crowded Due to the stellar lineup, it was at capacity every day of the festival. While that's cool that so many people came out for it this year, it was a little sad to know that you wouldn't get a good spot for one band unless you skipped someone else.
Obama There was a huge rumor all weekend that the presidential hopeful was going to be on stage Sunday night to invigorate the masses and introduce Mr. West.
Guest Spots Aside from the Slash/Farrell show, guest spots were lacking. Even obvious ones like Lupe Fiasco on Kanye's "Touch the Sky" was absent. Last year, Eddie Vedder came out and played a song with Ben Harper; Perry, Harper, and Lance Armstrong were out there for Pearl Jam. There was no artist love this year and that's really why you go to a festival. Very disappointing seeing as these artists work together. Thom York, Kanye, and Lupe – watch this and prepare for mind explosion and hate they didn't come out and play it together.
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The dust on Grant Park has settled and the city has gotten back into the swing of things after three days of incredible tuneage beneath the Chicago skyline. Boosh was there all three days, sweating and rocking to some of the best music on the festival scene this summer. Of course we couldn't catch it all, but here are the highlights.
Radiohead
Toadies
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