Lollapalooza - Day 3

We woke up Sunday to heavy rainstorms, but by late morning the skies had cleared and it was hot! and humid! We started our day at Lolla with Rodrigo y Gabriela. You know - flamenco meets Led Zeppelin. They were a hit.

Grant Park offers some nice shady places to get relief from the sun. It was needed today.



That is Amy Winehouse way up there. OK, so you're going to have to trust me on that. . . I was unfamiliar with her music, but really enjoyed her sultry voice and soulful songs.


Paolo Nutini

The Stooges together again after 30 years. I saw Iggy Pop a couple times in the late '70s / early '80s - including a memorable performance at Headliners. . . Yes, I did sing along with "I Wanna Be Your Dog."



Yo La Tengo was another highlight set for me - but it seems like I say that after every one of their performances. What can I say, I love 'em. Ira Kaplan was unhinged from the get go. They started with Sugarcube, played Pass the Hatchet and ended with a 15 minute Story of Yo La Tengo.


I had my best spot of the festival for YLT, and so took lots of great pictures. YLT fans can check them out here. (I think you will enjoy them!)

Kudos to new friends Laurie and Daniel who came out for a last hurrah before the new baby arrives. (You can't tell from this picture, but she is very pregnant!) Keep on rockin' kids!

TV on the Radio was great. This was their last show of a 14 month tour.


Some say Grant Park offers the best urban festival venue in the nation. I'm now in that camp. Lollapalooza is well run, a nice diversity of bands brings in a great crowd, and the energy was high for most every set I attended. . . I will return.


The crowd begins to amass for Pearl Jam. (Can you see the stage in the distance?). But we head the other way so that we can get home before Monday arrives. . .

Lollapalooza - Day 2

The crowds were much larger on Saturday, making it harder to get decent pictures with the pocket cam. (We were too late in applying to get photo credentials for this festival.) But here are a few images to give you a flavor anyway.

I started the day with Brian, checking out one of his favorite bands - Silverchair. There were quite a few people very charged up to see these guys . . .

Daniel Johns - before he shed his jacket. . .

Don't try too hard to figure out why there is a foot there.
It was part of the backdrop.

(FYI - Others in our crew saw Stephen Marley during this same time slot and raved about how funky and fun their set was. )

Cold War Kids were up next. I caught a few songs before heading out. . .

. . . to catch the last half of Sound Tribe Sector 9. STS9 had the place grooving nicely.
The Roots were definately my surprise set of the day. This was the first time I'd seen them, and they were fantastic. The bass player (Hub?) performed the most amazing solo improv. . . Their live show is highly recommended. (They will be opening for Dave Matthews Band at Alpine later this month.) Can you tell from this photo how the crowd was bumpin'?
When was the last time you saw a hip-hop group include a sousaphone? (Not to be confused with a tuba!)

Spoon was one of my highlight shows. . . As some of you know, this is one of my favorite bands and this was the first time I saw them perform live. I was not disappointed. A great set - raining throughout - but not dampening the energy at all!

I guess I did my share of "dancing" 'cuz this morning my calves were stiff and sore. . . One more day - we're having a blast.

Images from Lollapalooza - Day 1

Polyphonic Spree - 21 people on stage makes a big sound!

G. Love and Special Sauce - my pleasant surprise of the day. Watched the whole set - Great!

With Eric Krasno of Soulive

Sparklehorse



LCD Soundsystem - Off the Hook!

Daft Punk - strange, but cool. Stage and light show was like a fireworks display. Over the top.

Eddie Vedder joined Ben Harper to cover Dylan's "Masters of War" - Intense. . .

For more photos, click here

Just 4 Days to Lollapalooza!

On August 3rd thru 5th, Lollapalooza takes over Grant Park in Chicago and transforms it into one of the nation’s best urban music festivals. Friends who went last year had the time of their lives, so I’m looking forward to checking it out for myself.

I’m especially looking forward to seeing Daft Punk on their first tour in a decade, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Iggy Pop (and never before with the Stooges!) I also want to see TV on the Radio again. They were my favorite act from the 2006 Austin City Limits Festival, and I’ve literally ordered people to go see them since then!
Some of the bands I hope to see for the first time include . . .

• Modest Mouse
• Spoon
• Tapes ‘n Tapes
• Polyphonic Spree
• Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• MIA
• Blonde Redhead
• Soulive

Not to mention old favorites Yo La Tengo, Sparklehorse, and LCD Soundsystem.

I encourage you to take this opportunity to visit Chicago’s lakefront and experience this incredible concentration of good music!