Later, Foo Fighters performed a torrential two-hour finale of old and new songs on another main stage in the rain – sounding and looking stellar as always (even drenched). Lead singer/guitarist, Dave Grohl, yet again steers the Foo Fighters into becoming the most seminal American rock band of this musical era with hit after hit song and consistently brilliant headlining live performances like this one. Hence, it was fitting Foo Fighters should close this historical 20th year of Lollapalooza. As they say, it will go down in history.

While on the other main stage, Deadmau5 planned to introduce the new staging for his next mega tour but the rain shorted out a lot of the production. Here’s what Joel Zimmerman (Deadmua5) tweeted prior to the set, “Well, because of the rain totally fu**ing up most of our system… we can’t do the full new production… so.”

Instead he delighted fans by performing an unprecedented act – he took off his mouse head off onstage! An excitable crowd, with their very own glow stick mouse headbands, went wild. As usual, his set was brilliant and always groundbreaking in production.

(It’s funny that these two acts should oppose each other on the Lollapalooza 2011 main stages considering the Deadmau5 remix of Foo Fighters “Rope.” Check it out on iTunes.)

In other parts of the festival, Perry’s stage, featuring The Red Bull Music Academy Showcase, ignited a sea of electronic-heads. Granted, it was the only tented stage to hear music and seek shelter from the storms – but that’s not why music fans came in droves.

Red Bull Music Academy delivered a diverse lineup of musical visionaries from electronic to hip hop, collaboration and solo. They did so by kicking off the day with Chicago-spun party duo Midnight Conspiracy, who delivered an electro set that shook their captivated hometown. Then ending with a charged performance from superstar KiD CuDi. Despite the mud bath, fans of the Kanye protegé got down and dirty while he sampled hits new and old in a dramatic showing.

A pulsing stream of emerging talent from electronic virtuoso Daedelus to Dubstep sensation 12th Planet (ah-mazing) made it the place to come and, well, dance. Midwestern-bred hip hop favorite, The Cool Kids, even scaled the stage scaffolding to drop infectious beats from above.

Global DJ force Switch and sensational French-born, electro-house mogul, Busy P, delivered two of the best straight-up slamming dance sets. All in all, the showcase united diverse musical sounds while opening up the minds of those in attendance.

In other Lollapalooza news, the comeback band of the festival had to be The Cars, who played earlier in the day in broad daylight (and even some sunshine) to a very gracious audience. The 80’s iconic pop rock act sounded exactly like they did in their early days – yet they manage to sound relevant by today’s electronic standards. Always stoic lead Ric Ocasec didn’t look too bad either, as the band ripped through a set of mostly old hits ending in “Let The Good Times Roll,” yet omitting the ominous “Candy-O.”

At the end of the successful yet sometimes challenged by nature three-day event, after 20 years, Lollapalooza still has it as the longest-standing, most musically rich festival in America.

Words by Kim Taylor. Photos by Graham John Bell.

Big Release week…something for everybody, really — biggest of all (arguably) are Arctic Monkeys, who have a new album Suck it and See; punks might dig the first self-titled solo work of Nick 13 from Tiger Army…or at the spectrum’s other end, the self-described ‘flower punk’ of Black Lips…or Bauhaus frontman Peter Murphy is back with Ninth, his first new album in nearly a decade…okay so nothing super-big, but summer’s still ahead…

Nick 13 - Nick 13

Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See

The Ladybug Transistor - Clutching Stems

Black Lips - Arabia Mountain

All Time Low - Dirty Work

The Air I Breathe - Great Faith In Fools

The Rosebuds - Loud Planes Fly Low

Simon Curtis  - RA

Peter Murphy -  Ninth

Ronnie Dunn - Ronnie Dunn

The Postelles - The Postelles

Tech N9ne - All 6′s And 7′s

Frank Turner - England Keeps My Bones

Jessica 6 - See The Light

Dunkan Sheik - Covers 80′s

Above & Beyond - Group Therapy

Mike Bloom - King Of Circles

Cults - Cults

Fucked Up - David Comes To Life

Robert Pollard – Lord Of The Birdcage

Tom Vek - Leisure Seizure

Experiencing the music of young UK indie rock stars Arctic Monkeys in both a modest-sized venue and an oversized festival stage tells me a lot of about this group’s immense capabilities.

My first live exposure to this band  led by vocalist Alex Turner was at their pre-Lollapalooza show at the Metro on Chicago’s North Side. It’s no surprise that this concert was sold out well ahead of time. While one of the fastest selling bands ever in their home of England, the Arctic Monkeys get a lot of love stateside too.

The rapid-fire guitar riffs that often drive this group’s explosive sound erupted in the Metro. The louder, heavier numbers unfortunately even seemed to become distorted and drowned out in this venue. What worked about this set was the connection with the fans. Less rowdy pop numbers like “Florescent Adolescent” sounded great here and got the best response from the audience. Sure this wasn’t the liveliest crowd all together yet Turner and company seemed really comfortable playing for them. Towards the end of the set Turner even declared, “I feel like we could go on all night in Chicago.”

Thankfully, the Arctic Monkeys had another shot to impress Chicago the next day on Lollapalooza’s Budweiser stage. Because they don’t move around a whole lot on stage, I feel like this platform wasn’t entirely utilized. That said though, their guitar-heavy sonics sounded better here and the audience was twice as active. Even the mellower material sparked a firestorm of a reaction. There’s little doubt that the Arctic Monkey’s appear to be more at home playing in a smaller setting. But after seeming them rock out in front of thousands, I can see why they have earned such an incredible following—whether playing harder, punk-styled stuff or pure indie pop, they have a vitality you just don’t find everyday.

Words and photos by Max Herman

A trio of sexy Spanish girls was waiting in rapt anticipation to see their fave rock band, the Arctic Monkeys hit the stage. It wasn’t so much that they were ready to dance their cute behinds off, they were interested in seeing one thing: lead singer Alex Turner’s face. When the Sheffield, UK rockers emerged from backstage, the girls erupted in pure glee and simultaneously lit up cigarettes to calm their sexy nerves. The one who seemed the giddiest looked ready to fall out when Turner said in his thick English accent, “We are the Arctic Monkeys – How is everyone doing today?” Thankfully, she held it all together and screamed and shrieked like a wild banshee instead.

The Arctic Monkeys secret is their knack for bending rumbling bass lines over thumping drum lines to create supremely danceable rock tunes, and this winning formula was on full display. They played a slick set which included many of their biggest hits to date – “View from the afternoon,” “Flourescent Adolescent,” and “Potion Approaching.” This was certainly a show for the chicks because every time Alex Turner unleashed his accent in between songs or flicked his overgrown, rockstar hair, the “shrieks and aahs” from the ladies would start again. A male hater in the crowd, obviously disgusted with all the Turner adulation, yelled out, “Get a haircut, Alex!” – but that moment of negativity couldn’t stop the fun.

The Monkeys closed the show out in style with their biggest hit, “I bet you look good on the dancefloor” and their new, melancholy single, “Crying Lightning.” In the end, it was a successful set – tight and precise – and those hot Spanish girls loved every minute of it.

Words by Geo Hagan, Photographs by Kwaku Kufour