Lollapalooza

Friday: Rain. Mud. Music. Dear Chicago, you are really something else. (Cory)

After watching one of the biggest storms of the year roll through Chicago I grabbed a poncho, a sport bottle of wine (yes, this was something they sold…and no, I did not drink it alone, a few good friends helped) and headed for Bon Iver. The lo-fi yet epic sounds of Bon Iver’s music became even more ambitious live. “Blood Bank” off the latest EP sped to a frenzied pace and the “Wolves (Act I and II)” crowd sing along seemed to come off perfectly in the rain. Act II’s “what might have been lost” moment has never felt more hopeful. Ben Folds gave a rowdy and humorous performance mixing both old and new (I prefer the “Five” but the newer material sounded great live). Hearing his low-key rendition of “Bitches Ain’t Shit” was all right with me. I think the crowd felt the same way.

The frantic electro Gameboy shuffle of Crystal Castles was a nice departure and front woman Alice Glass’s chaotic movements made for an entertaining time. The rain let up as the Decemberists worked through a good portion of their new record “Hazards of Love.” I’ve definitely dropped the ball on not giving these guys enough credit. The songs were beautiful, expansive, and rocking all at the same time. The female leads stole the show (forgive me for not knowing the names of the songs here). I’ll be giving this record a closer listen for certain. The Chicago skyline lit up as the clouds gave way and muddy concertgoers bottlenecked to get to the Kings of Leon headline show. I followed suit and joined around 30,000 or so people at the north main stage. The Kings continue to bend their Southern garage rock tones to meet the demands of mainstream ears. Its safe to say they do it well and old favorites like “California Waiting” and “Four Kicks” wove seamlessly into the more radio-friendly fare of “Use Somebody.” I wish they still had mustaches though. I left tired, wet, muddy and fulfilled.

Friday's links: Bon Iver, Ben Folds, Crystal Castles, The Decemberists, Kings of Leon

Saturday: Hot Hot Sun. Hot Hot Tunes. (Ryan)

Unfortunately I was unable to attend all three days of Lollapolooza, but I met up with Cory for day two. We caught various amounts of 15 acts, chilled, danced, napped, and tried to stay hydrated.

Despite all of the advice I've received from a couple of friends over the years, I never got into Langhorne Slim. As Cory put it, "Big mistake." His set was as sincere as it was entertaining. Los Campesinos! sounded tighter as a band than I've ever heard them. We caught a quick Band Of Horses set at the kids' stage before we bathed in the reverb of Chairlift. Yeah Yeah Yeahs were incredible headliners. It seemed strangely natural to see them on the big stage.

Our Saturday (links):

Band Of Skulls, Monneypenny, Delta Spirit, Langhorne Slim, Los Campesinos!, Joe Pug, Band Of Horses, Chairlift, Perry Farrell, Hercules & Love Affair (DJ set), Santigold, TV On The Radio, Lykke Li, Animal Collective, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Sunday: Heat. Sweat. More heat. Music. Warm whiskey. Dear Chicago, can I see you soon? (Cory)

The heat settled in early on day three and I found myself constantly searching for any type of makeshift shade and/or hydration. Friendly Fires kicked out an energetic performance despite the crippling temperature. The Kaiser Chiefs took to the stage next and surprised me with both their performance and song craft. I’ve dismissed these guys on occasion but they earned a new place in my heart after this. “Ruby” stood out as a great sing along. I couldn’t help but think…why do we get Nickelback for radio-ready rock and the UK gets these guys? Not fair. In the end, some good straightforward rock went well with the (now) warm whiskey I had snuck in to the festival.

Gang Gang Dance and Dan Deacon put on eclectic shows. Deacon orchestrated a crowd-wide dance off at one point and on the third day of an exhausting festival those in attendance happily obliged without complaint. Amazing. The man was making people groove. Vampire Weekend burst through a good part of their first record and according to Pop Candy’s Whitney Matheson even gave a shout out the unfortunate loss of director John Hughes. Uplifting, fun music is what they do best. Passion Pit was a sweaty dance party. The songs translated well to the live outdoor environment and I couldn’t help but have a smile on my face as they ran through “The Reeling,” and “Let Your Love Grow Tall.” They were simply one of the most enjoyable performances of the weekend. The sounds of Snoop Dogg filled my ears as I exited the festival for the weekend. Gin and juice never sounded as good or as necessary a beverage choice. I left the weekend smiling, sun-kissed, and weary.

Sunday's links: Friendly Fires, Kaiser Chiefs, Gang Gang Dance, Dan Deacon, Passion Pit, Snoop Dogg

Legacy, what legacy? (Cory)

Lollapalooza has always been a marker for what music is in a particular moment. In the mid-90’s it represented the alternative movement as bands like Pearl Jam and Jane’s Addiction gained mainstream ground. The eclectic line-up this year doesn’t seem to echo one solid movement as much as it does a transitional period for popular music. In this transitional period “cross-pollination” between genres and artists continues to increase. Never before has electronic and organic music been situated so close to one another. Bands like Friendly Fires and Passion Pit dip into both musical textures and do so without disrupting either. Indie rock, singer-songwriters, and DJ’s are all borrowing from the theatrics of the arena. This is not your typical AAA radio but it could be…it has the potential to create more a meaningful mainstream. Or is it mainstream already?