armakendon2008's Blog

I have been to over 150 concerts in my life, but nothing came close to the experience that was Lollapalooza 2008 in Chicago's Grant Park from August 1-3.

Some of the world's most innovative, cutting-edge, groundbreaking acts in music today converged in the Windy City for a three day festival that brought in 225,000 fans including myself. The weather was perfect, the atmosphere charged and the music divine.

Across the span of Grant Park near Lake Michigan were several stages featuring up and comers as well as veterans, not to mention booths, food vendors and souvenir stands. It was a spectacle of sight and sound for the wall to wall attendees.

I was in hog heaven. Milwaukee's own Summerfest doesn't even come close to this alt-rock extravaganza; whilst the Big Gig caters to acts way past their prime, Lollapalooza aims for Generations X-Z.

Although pushing forty I felt in my element, enjoying some of the hottest new sounds being made on the planet.

Day One began for me with a 20-plus member band called Bang Camaro. They do a tongue in cheek dediacation to the hair bands of the 80s, and it was hilarious.

The Go!Team are party starters extraordinaires; their music is apt for a pep rally. Their set was high on energy and fun.

I then checked out a new act called innerpartysystem: a Nine Inch Nails -style electronic act that bored me silly.

I enthusiastically checked out 2008 It girl Duffy: donning a red, white and blue outfit and a voice as golden as the summer sun, she performed noteperfect versions of tunes off her hit CD Rockferry.

Instrumental band Explosions In The Sky were intriguing, as was the goofy crazy "gypsy punks" Gogol Bordello.

But Day One's highlight was headliner Radiohead. This iconic British band wowed the massive crowd with old material ~ "Everything In Its Right Place," "The Bends," "Fake Plastic Trees," and others, as well as some of the standout tunes off 2007 In Rainbows. Alas, no signs of their signature tune "Creep," but Thom Yorke and band were every bit a force to be reckoned with.

Radiohead's light and F/X show was nothing short of brilliant. Add upon it fireworks exploding in the sky above the Art Institute, a helicopter shining its searchlight upon the cheering crowd, and even geese flying over at the right moment during one tune, and you had yourself a picture perfect, surreal experience.

Day Two started for me with one of my fave new bands: Britian's The Ting Tings. Lead singer and guitarist Katie White brought the party with such ultra catchy singalongs as "Shut Up and Let Me Go," "That's Not My Name," and "Keep your Head," while drummer and backup vocalist Jules de brought the beats.

Newcomers MGMT make perfect summertime psychedelia, and it was evident in their set of groovy tunes like "Time To Pretend" and "Electric Feel."

I checked out salicious Brit Uffie; her hip-hop electronic numbers are raunchy to be sure, but nothing new compared to some of what is heard booming from car stereos nowadays.

Multi-member Broken Social Scene gave a admirable performance, but I was most enthused to see retro-soul and jazz group Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings.

Jones is a true performer: she is witty, works a stage and owns it, and her voice is as good as soul greats Arethra and Tina. She brought it that night, with a sassy, enjoyable set, backed by a brass section, and some awesome rythmn players.

I ended the day with Rage Against The Machine. Needless to say I was not alone.

It looked and felt as though all 225,000 Lollagoers congreated on the south end of the park for Rage's show, and three times lead singer Zack de la Rocha had to stop the set to ask fans to back up because the people at the front of the stage were being crushed.

Lucky for me i was at the back; nonetheless I was almost trampled by the throngs of people pushing, shoving, and moshing.

One girl fainted in front of me and her boyfriend and I carried her to safety. It was scary to say the least.

Still, RATM delivered the goods, much like they did at Alpine Valley a year ago. Their music is politically charged anthems of anger and disdain aimed at our government; songs like "Bullet In The Head," "Testify," and "Bulls On Parade" still sound as raw and killer as they did in the 90s. Guitarist Tom Morello lays down riffs powerful enough to level a tank. And de la Rocha still has a lot to say about the state of the world we live in.

Day Three brought a new hip-hop singer named Kid Sister; she was a likeable presence ~ M.I.A. Lite, if you will.

Brazilian Girls soothed the crowd with their brand of sexy chillout electronica, most noticably the infamous hit "P*ssy."

Black Kids are a party band much like Go!Team, but with an infectious New Wave sound. Their lead singer sounds like The Cure's Robert Smith, and on the single "I'm Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You," they even come close to copying The Cure's playful singles.

Saul Williams brought a razor-sharp industrial sound to the festival: pummeling the sweaty crowd with aggro-rock tunes with a funk edge. He closed with a surprisingly brazebn cover of the U2 classic "Sunday Bloody Sunday."

Then it was time for Greg Gillis aka Girl Talk.

Oh.My.God. If ever an artist provoked a party vibe it would be Gillis. Armed simply with a laptop and dozens of "mashupped" dance hits, the shoulder to shoulder crowd worked themselves into a frenzy.

As the music pumped full volume, a couple dressed as cops let go confetti and rolls of toliet paper via leaf blowers, fans danced onstage, ballons, beachballs and inflatable sharks flew thru the air, and Gillis finished the orgasmic performance by leaping onto a inflatable rubber raft that was carried across the crowd. Un-f**king-believable.

I ended my Lolla experience with my favorite band ever, Nine Inch Nails.

A buff Trent Reznor and his cronies in chaos laid waste to this final day of the festival, with jackhammer precision.

The hits were present: "Discipline," "March Of The Pigs," "Terrible Lie," "Wish," "Echoplex," "Survivalism," "The Hand That Feeds," and their signature tune "Head Like A Hole." The infamous "Closer" received the most cheers, as did a hauntingly hushed version of the classic "Hurt."

Midset the band slowed it all down a bit with some moody ambient pieces off the instrumental CDs Ghosts 1-IV.

NIN's light and F/X show rivaled that of Radiohead's; the imagery was jawdropping, most noticably during the song "Only" when Reznor and band disappeared and reappeared behind a screen of static.

Reznor apologized for a raspy voice, and mentioned how proud he was to return to Lollapalooza 17 years after it began.

If Lollapalooza 2008 was any indication of where this festival can go, I hope he'll be back 17 more years from now.

And so will I...