Lolla-land
August 4th, 2008 at 11:08 PMI got back from Chicago Monday night after spending three grueling but very good, full days at the Lollapalooza music festival. I stayed with friends at an older brother’s apartment in Downer’s Grove and took the train express train to Union Station. The long weekend consisted of runs back to the train station through the streets of Chicago, sundry muffins, constant giggling, hot, sweaty sun, festival food and a rather overwhelming of music. It was certainly an experience, one to be had, I think, but probably not repeated. By the end I was a bit too exhausted and misanthropic for my tastes.
What follows is a brief dispatch on what I saw, a rundown of the festival’s musical selections:
FRIDAY
- Yeasayer - First concert of the day. Pretty damn good. Their catalog is not very deep, which came across, but when they’re good, they’re very good. See: Sunshine.
- The Kills - So uninteresting all I remember is their darkly-colored stage costumes. Left after a song or two.
- The Black Keys - Technically impressive but lacking in soul. The pair of virtuosos shredded some mean guitar and nailed some drums, but I just found myself somehow bored, despite the sweaty, powerful display.
- Grizzly Bear - Great performance. This was my second time ’round seeing Grizzly Bear, and while they weren’t quite as good as last time (probably owing to the heat), they were still damn good. Their psychadelic art-rock sounds better than studio with the added noise, spontaneity and depth of live performance.
- Bloc Party - Bland, like their studio recordings. They’ve got a good drummer, though.
- Radiohead - Astounding. Apparently not their best live performance, and the crowd was weirdly complacent, but damned if it wasn’t the best show I’d ever seen. Incredible music and an astounding light show. The incidental fireworks right in the middle were a great touch. Highlights: Fake Plastic Trees, Reckoner, Everything In Its Right Place, The Bends.
SATURDAY
- Foals - Unexpectedly good. The discovery of the festival, I’d say–I’d never listened prior. Angular, almost mathematical indie-punk. Surprisingly danceable.
- MGMT- Unexpectedly bad. The disappointment of the festival. Unfinished, uninspired, and too SOFT! Booka Shade at the next stage over drowned them out.
- Explosions in the Sky - Caught a few songs. Bombastic post-rock. Self-serious and over-the-top. Made me question my liking of Sigur Ros.
- Okkervil River - A thrilling, powerfully spirited show. Will Sheff goes wild in live performance — and still comes off seemingly like a really nice guy. Rough around the edges but makes up for it in passion.
- Broken Social Scene - Solid but uninspired. Technically very good but felt phoned-in. Somehow the strange, layered wonder of their records didn’t quite come across at this big outdoor festival.
- Wilco - Gorgeous, technically spectacular and entertaining. Appropriately Midwestern. Wilco is a good time, even if they venture into dad-rock territory at times. “Spiders” was incredible.
SUNDAY
- John Butler Trio - Another surprise — I enjoyed these guys, even though many of my friends sneered at them. Beautiful guitar playing.
- Black Kids - Shitty. Sounded disinterested. Annoying vocals. Sloppy instrumentation.
- Iron & Wine - Middling performance. Sam Beam’s whispering gets surrounded by country-rock in the most recent iteration of their live show. A very good performance but definitely not what I was expecting and not really representative of what I like about the band: the quiet intimacy, closely-observed moments, and Gothic mystery that permeate his music.
- Gnarls Barkley - Solid performance, but a bit thin. Sound was off. Cover of Radiohead’s Reckoner was amusing.
- Kanye West - A none-too-subtle celebration of Kanye’s heroic ego. Entertaining lightshow, and impressive energy. But I am not a huge fan of Kanye West. Also: the douche bag quotient in the crowd was a bit too much for me.


