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.

The first band we see is one of ChinaShop’s most revered live acts, Fitz & The Tantrums. “This is our first Lollapalooza,” shouts sultry female singer, Noelle Scaggs. “And we’re on the main stage!” The crowd cheers. “It’s because of your support that we are here.”

And, boy-oh-boy, did the Los Angeles band “own” that main stage with all its heart. The hour-long set became one of the most powerful performances of the day next to headliner Eminem who ended day two rapping on the same planks.

The head bobbing pace of songs, delivery of love-torn lyrics belted out by swanky Fitz and his lusty leading lady are more likely to be heard in a jazz club than on a festival stage. Yet with Fitz & The Tantrums it all made energetic sense as the band playfully included the audience throughout their set. With no guitars in the band, multi-instrumentalist James King is its backbone on flute and saxophone. Think swinging couples dressed to kill and old soul sounds from Motown.

The band ripped through songs from their career-defining EP, Songs For a Breakup, Vol. 1 (including “Breaking the Chains of Love,” “MoneyGrabber,” “Don’t Got to Work it Out”). They also sang the featured track from the film, Friends With Benefits, “L.O.V.,” and a signature cover of The Raconteurs, “Steady as She Goes.”

Fitz & The Tantrums defined each song and moment with verve.

Up next was Vice Records artist and Mark Ronson produced, Black Lips, playing all the way on the other side of the grounds (it can take up to 20 minutes to walk). This raucous Atlanta outfit gets “Avid Fans Unite” festival award. They were truly punk rock in a loose delivery, badass attitude, disjointed set with long pauses and the breaking open of a guitar in the last minutes of the show. Imagine a male band version of Amy Winehouse (rest in peace).

Looking not unlike Peter Doherty (Libertines/Baby Shambles), lead singer-guitarist Cole Alexander, stage-dived then jumped back into the crowd and gave a hug or high-five to every person in the front row. Then he bolted back onstage to take a pirate’s bow to the crowd as they left. Now that’s a happy ending.

For a true Brit blast from the past, Big Audio Dynamite, delivered a solid set in the early evening on one of the main stages. Former Sex Pistols lead, Mick Jones, never changes except to look a few years older. Their set was strong yet laidback as they played their hits and then some.

Festival founder, Perry Farrell and his wife, Etty, went up against Chris Cox on a deck competition in the dance tent to deliver a performance loved by all. PerryEtty vs. Chris Cox featured the luminary DJ/producer/remixer trading off with PerryEtty. Marked by hard driving house beats, Perry’s signature voice and Etty’s dance moves and creative fashion sense, the performance had the audience going mad the entire time.

Another buzzy Los Angeles band from Silver Lake, Local Natives, delivered a pleasingly mellow set on the Sony Stage. It mirrored their hypnotic (self-funded) debut album, Gorilla Manor, as they played to the biggest audience ever in the band’s short career. The hauntingly airy hit song, “Wide Eyes,” possesses a wash of harmonies and dreamy melody that sticks in your head.

The last two acts of the night were Pretty Lights and Eminem on at the same time. It was a tough choice between an up and coming club superstar vs. an existing rap legend like Eminem. We decided to start with a newcomer… However, college dropout Derek Smith’s set was so mesmerizing, hard driving and more beautiful than words can convey (plus he had almost as many people cheering him on and spilling out of the tent as Skrillex did the previous day), that the choice was made to see the set through. Trusted sources informed us Eminem was brilliant as well.

Stay tuned for Day 3…

Words by Kim Taylor. Photos by Graham John Bell.

Feel the love of this shiny, happy festival.

Walking over the 11th Street Bridge towards Grant Park, the immaculate city center grounds of Lollapalooza, a pulse emerges in the hot, moist air. Chicago’s grand architectural beauties loom all around with the anticipation and calm that something significant is about to happen.

Day one on the site of the 2011 music festival begins with a carton of water and breeze in the shaded Red Bull VIP Lounge. The dance sounds of Narcisse waft through the pregnant air from Perry Farrell’s welcoming dance tent nearby. The Brooklyn dance duo won their place at the festival in the Red Bull Lollapalooza Remix competition, kicking off the three-day event on Friday, August 4.

Narcisse uses bold bass lines perfectly tempered around a mash-up of recognizable songs from Radiohead to The Isley Brothers to craft their smooth club sound. Later, Perry’s stage will be home to Italy’s The Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77 – definitely a new force to be reckoned with in the scene – stalwart Skrillex (second only to the superstardom of his label head Deadmau5) and always dependable Afrojack.

Thousands of festival goers will spill out of the tent up a full city block – proving that next year, massive dance acts might be better suited on the main stage based on popularity alone.

As the grassy festival grounds fill up and puffy clouds float overhead, The Vaccines take to one of two opposing main stages. Like many a music movement, the Americans introduce it, and the Brits make it better (ah, rock ‘n’ roll… dance music). In the instance of this rock-solid foursome, a rock-a-billy guitar twang (a la Social Distortion) is a secret weapon wrapped around a maudlin sound (think The Smiths).

Gut-wrenching lyrics of love and loss are threaded through stoic expressions. All of the band’s emotion emits through brilliant instrumentation and hooky songs throughout an engaging set. It ends too soon with the catchy hit single, “If You Wanna…” leaving the crowd definitely wanting more.

New Zealand’s The Naked and Famous attracted the first sea of people in the middle of the day on the smaller Sony stage. The band displayed a perfect balance of male and female synergy in a pensive, sultry indie sound. As gracious (and maybe a little shy) female lead singer, Alisa Xayalith, charmed the audience and ended the set with the dreamy hit song, “Punching in a Dream,” as an elated crowd clapped along.

Foster The People were hot, and not in a young Hollywood kind of way. The band seemed a little beaten down by the drenching humidity as they sported long-sleeved shirts and delivered an almost mellow set of their youthful, upbeat, geek love sounds and jerky movements. A surprise cover of Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” emerged before the summer 2011 anthem, “Pumped Up Kids.” Outside of Coldplay, Muse and Skrillex, they certainly attracted the biggest audience, especially apparent when they sang, “Helana Beat,” as fans sang, danced, clapped (yup) and whistled along.

Up next, The Kills kicked off their set blazing from the first note on one of the main stages. Alison Mosshart (also of The Dead Weather fame with Jack White) and Jamie Hince (Mr. Kate Moss) prove to be truly artistically connected in a dark signature pop sound. As former lovers, the duo’s connection is still felt in their performance – almost like a modern art version of Carter and Cash.

Across the grounds on the other main stage features yet another British act. Ladies and gentlemen, White Lies! Nice looking, clean cut pretty boys with a Baritone lead singer serve up gorgeous harmonies washed in melancholy.

Using elegant showmanship and concise instrumentation they are pure perfection. When lead singer, Harry McVeigh, coolly yet passionately croons “Let’s go home together,” anything seems possible. (Note to self: put White Lies in Pandora). More clapping along as the bands sing…

Hands down, there was no more deafening sound than the cheers for Skrillex as he mainlined his sick, bombastic beatz perfectly exemplified in the massive hit, “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites.” In between bold instrumental mash-ups, the playful performer chatted with a fanatical audience who roared at his every playful move.

He shouted “Good people, good times. F*** it up!” and “I love you, too!” as the Chicago cops lined up on the side of the stage in case the massive crowd went bad. But they were never going to with all the admiration emitting both ways in the dance tent. As an artist, Skrillex alongside Deadmau5, define their generation’s frenetic sound, emotions and motives. Simply seminal.

Unfortunately at a festival this big and magnificent, you’re going to miss some super good acts and talent. Sure, you want to be four places at once… not possible. Sadly, on day one it was Afrojack, Crystal Castles, Smith Westerns, Two Door Cinema Club, Wye Oak and Bright Eyes who were missed (however, there are some pictures).

At 8pm the most popular text flying around the festival grounds, for those who still had cell phone service, was “Muse or Coldplay?” as both massive British bands were set to play on opposing main stages at the same time. Easy choice: Muse. And, holy sh** did they ever deliver! A mind-blowing light show ensued as fireworks were seen in the distance.

The riotous metal influenced rock trio delivered hit after massive hit from “Uprising” to “Starlight” to an intensely engaged audience. Lead singer, Matt Bellamy, showed no signs of not getting any sleep as a new daddy. Soon-to-be Mr. Kate Hudson clearly and intently delivered every lyric. “They will not force us. They will not degrade us. We will be victorious.” And Muse certainly saw victory as a worthy headliner. Take that, Mr. Gwyneth Paltrow!

Tune in tomorrow for Day 2. This story brought to you courtesy of iPhone 4.

Words by Kim Taylor. Photos by Graham John Bell.

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Summer is known for short shorts, windows down, overpriced ice cream stands and of course, Summer Music Festivals. Whether you are a fan of Dirrrty South Hip Hop, East Coast Ragers, West Coast Dubstep or any of the other awesome styles in the middle let’s face it, summer’s the perfect time to sample all the different flavors. To help you and your friends in your quest for the perfect summer festival we’ve broken down a few of our favorite summer festival’s with line ups and locations that are sure to please the music lover’s soul.

Bonnaroo Music Festival- Yup, the one and only Bonnaroo. We know you’ve been hearing about this all star line up for some time now but, let’s face it Bonnaro has taken their game to the next level this year. The musical festival, reminiscent of Woodstock, in rural Tennessee is celebrating its 10th year anniversary with what could be argued as their best line up ever. With musical heavyweights like Eminem, Lil Wayne, Widespread Panic, Mumford and Sons, Buffalo Springfield and others, Bonnaroo has one of the most awarded all star line ups in years. Although, the main stage shows are sure to woo and wow it is with the artists that may not be on your radio stations rotation that lies this show’s main strengths. From act likes Bassnectar to The Black Keys to Sleigh Bells to Amos Lee, Bonnaroo has pretty much everything that makes its’ rounds on your iPod. Even though general admission tix are sold out VIP are still available and could be worth checking into or patrolling Facebook looking for friends selling their ex’s extras.

Location: Manchester, TN (60miles Southeast of Nashville and Northwest of Chattanooga)
Ticket Prices: GA sold out, VIP are $674.75 so it’s definitely worth patrolling some ticket websites and friend’s Facebooks to try and find some.

When: June 9th-12th

Electric Forest Festival- One of the summer’s more original festivals (the main heart of the festival is called “Sherwood Forest” after all) Michigan’s own Electric Forest Festival hosts quite the experience or festival goers. The festival has a wide range of creative activities to offer its attendees during the day like a lake, a hammock range, a water park and a golf course. But, it is at night that the magical forest truly comes alive. This festival, heavy in electronic, indie and dubstep, has a wide range of talented artists that is certain to please even the most hardened music critic. Main acts such as Tiesto, the String Cheese Incident, Bassnectar and Stephen Marley spearhead a talented main line up while acts like Kaskade, 12th Planet and Two Fresh keep the 4 day music fest organic and honest with some serious up and coming talent. So if you’re into a concert with some relief from the summer heat give Lake Michigan’s Electric Music Festival a look.

Location: Rothbury, Michigan.
Ticket Prices: 4 days pass $199-$239.50
When: June 30th-July 3rd

Outside Lands- A music, food and wine festival set in San Fran’s historic Golden Gate Park, Outside Lands has an eclectic line up of artists to reflect the Northern California city’s diverse personality. Outside Lands boasts such heavy hitters as Deadmau5, Muse, Phish, The Shins and MGMT. Along with a variety of incredible bands comes a diverse set up of food and wine. Being in California the festival plays host to such food experiences as “Let’s Be Frank” 100% grass fed hotdogs, ‘American Grilled Cheese” cheese sandwiches and “Ti Couz” crepes to tantalize the diverse tastes of festival participants. With a diverse assortment of wine tasting to accompany Outside Lands is truly a cultural experience that pleases the festival connoisseur on all levels.

Location: San Francisco, California.
Ticket Prices: 3 day ticket $199.50
When: August 12th-14th

Lollapalooza- Arguably one of the States most well known, most diverse and most successful music fests, Lollapalooza is back again at Grant Park this year with another great line up for eager fans. The Chicago festival boasts some big name newcomers this year such as Coldplay and Eminem along with some festival favorites like the Foo Fighters and Deadmau5. The festival one again brings a diverse lineup to its stages with everything from pop icon Cee Lo Green to youtube sensations OK GO to the folkish sounds of Flogging Molly to the college hip hop sounds of Sam Adams. Lolla is definitely a relatively affordable destination to check out as the summer winds down.

Locations: Chicago, IL
Ticket Prices: $215.00
When: August 5th-7th

Words by CJ Britton

She’s known for rocking her signature pink and black locks and bringing her rock meets electro vibe to the DJ booth. Her career keeps expanding and she isn’t planning on stopping anytime soon. ChinaShop was able to nail down this electronic superstar for a quick Q & A and a photo shoot that may or may not have resulted in her falling into a swimming pool fully clothed in designer threads.

Being a DJ, running a record label, writing for top publications, which one is your favorite hat to wear?
That’s so hard to answer. I love all of them for separate reasons! DJing brings me joy because I’m sharing what I love with the audience, because I get to travel, because I get to meet new people and have friends around the world. The record label, though on a brief hiatus at the moment, is a way to share music that I believe in with the world. Writing, especially interviews, I find so much fun just because I like picking people’s brains. I love getting those small tidbits of information that share the artist’s personality with the reader instead of just talking shop.

You’re often referred to as ‘the hardest working female in the industry.’ What’s your secret to success?
No secret – I just work really hard. This is what I do for a living. It’s what I work on during the day and at night. I remember when I first started touring in high school/college, people asked me the same question. Back then, it was making literally hundreds of demo CDs and physically mailing them everywhere from Mexico to Hong Kong just to get a few bites. Now it’s a little more complicated — managing my social networks, producing, putting out mixes, maintaining my blog, etc…but the same concept. What I get out of my career is a reflection of what I put into it.

What do you consider to be your greatest professional accomplishment so far?
There are a couple of milestones I’m proud of – playing Lollapalooza twice, launching the record label, my first big single “Poppin’ Bottles” and speaking at Macworld for a panel on women in technology.

Tell me about your style. Do you have certain things you always wear when you perform?
Not necessarily certain things, but I do gravitate towards a certain style. I noticed the other week my closet is pretty much all black, purple, magenta, grey and army green. I love leggings, lots of hardware (zippers, rivets, pyramid studs, etc.), jewelry with symbols like bullets, snakes, antlers and handcuffs, leather and big, high heels.

You just had a pretty eventful trip to the West Coast. DJing at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Vegas…how was that?
It was amazing – I was playing in one lounge while Holy Ghost! was in the other for the week. The hotel is breathtaking, the Chandelier lounge where I played is visually stunning, and I really got to exercise my music chops and go in slightly different directions than I normally would. I can’t wait to go back in March!

And you recently spoke at MacWorld. How was that experience?
Whew that was a crazy day. It was during the week I was in Vegas, so I had played until 3 in the morning, then had to take a plane to San Francisco the next day, was ushered to the convention center where I spoke, and then was taken back to the airport to fly back to Vegas and work! The panel at Macworld was on women in technology and I had the opportunity to share the stage with some women I really respect, including Cali Lewis of GeekBeat.tv and news anchor Natalie Morris. I heard whispers that we might do it again next year with a longer time for the panel!

Has being trapped in the cold Chicago weather this winter sparked your creativity at all?
I wish I could say yes but truth be told I feel more creative when I’m somewhere bright and warm!

What was the most bizarre gig you ever DJ’d?
I had to play a show for Zac Posen once. I arrived at the event and found out that they didn’t really have anything for me to wear (which is unusual – normally when I play for a brand or designer they provide clothing) so I wound up having to wear a Zac Posen dress that belonged to someone running the event. To add to the weirdness, they couldn’t find any shoes for me so I was under strict instruction to be barefoot and was told to not leave the DJ booth for the entire event. Then, before the show, Zac came over with his iPod and told me to just plug it in and let it play from a pre-programmed list. I stood there the whole time, not DJing, with no shoes in a borrowed dress. What?

I heard that your ChinaShop photo shoot included an unplanned fully clothed dip in the pool. Wanna explain that one in your own words?
Ha! We were shooting in the alley behind the ChinaShop office, just walking around looking for interesting locations and props. The photographer spotted a private pool in an apartment complex across the street so we ran over and saw there were inflatable rafts stashed to the side. Immediately he wanted me to get on one and float around on it, but I was worried that water would start running into the thing once I put all my weight on it. I still decided to run with it – after all, the worst that could happen would be that I got wet and if we got a good picture then bonus. Lo and behold, as soon as I sat on the damn thing water rushed in and within a matter of seconds my whole backside was chlorinated. I got a good laugh out of it.

Did you at least get some fun pictures and a good story out of it?
No pics unfortunately since the whole thing happened so fast, but definitely some chuckles. It was amusing when we came back to meet the ChinaShop staff and my friends and had to explain why, in the five minutes I was gone, I got soaked.

I read on your Facebook that you have a few residencies booked right now. Where/when are those?
Yes I have one residency that begins on 2/10! It’s my only residency in Chicago – I’m very very particular about making sure something like that fits what I’m about. It’s at Crescendo and I play two Thursdays a month. I’ve played for Crescendo several times in the past and have a great rapport with the staff and love that they give me the trust and freedom to play exactly what I want. They really support their DJs and rally around them.

Who would you most love to share the stage with?
So many people! L.A. Riots, Vandalism, Green Velvet, Geht’s Noch, Swedish House Mafia, Crookers, the list goes on and on. I mean, I geek out on music 24/7 so there’s a ton of people I’d love to play alongside. I’ve also been fortunate enough to already play with people who I love and respect like Hot Pink Delorean, Tittsworth, JFK from MSTRKRFT, Wolfgang Gartner, Kaskade and others.

Your job requires you to maintain some late hours and often go on little sleep. What keeps you running? Adrenaline? Excessive caffeine? Love of the trade?
All of the above?? Actually, I do keep late hours, but try to get enough sleep as much as possible. I’m awful when I don’t get enough sleep – I can’t function. Staying up late is easy though, especially once I set foot into a venue. I can be exhausted, but as soon as I get to a gig the adrenaline spikes and I can be up all night. I do have to give some credit to Red Bull though… everyone who follows me on Facebook or Twitter knows I’m a little obsessed with Sugar Free Red Bull. Yeah, I have an official fridge in my office stocked at all times.

How was your experience at Porn & Chicken?
Let’s put it this way – Porn & Chicken (Mondays at Evil Olive in Chicago) is a shit show. — plain and simple. It’s one of the craziest, most debauchery-ridden nights going on right now, and it’s a blast. It’s one of my favorite nights to play because there’s such a sense of freedom there. You can pretty much do whatever you want and the response will be, “oh whatever, it’s Porn & Chicken”.

Words by Nicole Pajer. Photos by Dustin Downing.

Bands who bring their own light setup to a show in a modest-sized venue clearly have an appreciation for their audience. In a sense, it’s a statement that the live show experience is about more than the music—one that young Australian rock quartet The Temper Trap regularly makes on stage.

After being intrigued by the band’s highly visual set at their Hard Rock Lollapalooza after show, I made sure to catch their next Chicago appearance at Metro. This sold out performance featured lead vocalist/guitarist Dougy Mandagi and bandmates recreating their debut and only album, Conditions (along with a couple new, unreleased tracks), with each song enhanced by an all-out light spectacle—one that gave this photographer a welcome challenge to keep up with.

A single green burst of focused light, rainstorms of multi-colored spotlights, or just a moody blue illumination from the surface all made this night the perfect balance of sight and sounds. As greatly as the light show enhanced the night, The Temper Trap’s percussion-minded sonics alone translated well on stage, whether it was the upbeat, sing-a-long melodies of “Fader” or the darker instrumental output of “Drum Song.” As their discography grows, it will no doubt be interesting to see how their live show in turn transforms as well.

Words and photos by Max Herman

Today’s blogging best…

- Plastikman exclusive Coachella mix by JPLS. URB

- Oliver Stone working on Russell Brand documentary. The Playlist

- Gang of Four giving away Sony Walkmen and their own blood. NME

- Thom York performs brand new song live in NYC. At Ease

- Dr. Dre / Jay-Z collab “Under Pressure” comes out on Friday. No pressure. Nah Right

- Jay Electrohannukah. X Is The Weapon

- Lollapalooza quits f**king around and announces line-up. Chicago Tribune

- Mayer Hawthorne covers “I Left My Heart In San Francisco. Format Mag

Today’s bloggin best…

- Feeling 2005? New music by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Cribs and Bloc Party. NME

- Nas & Damian Marley album trailer. 2DopeBoyz

- Bjork collaborated with E-40, sorta. Fader

- Sarah Palin and Fox News declare war against LL Cool J. Village Voice

- Dark Side of the Moon as played on a classic Nintendo. Retrothing

- Buy a vowel. Lollapalooza announcing line-up Wheel of Fortune style. Lollapalooza

- Terry Richards shoots a clothed (thank goodness!) Ben Stiller. Format Mag

Jeff Tweedy once publicly wondered why anyone would ever attend a festival. On Sunday afternoon, even the most dedicated festival-goers had such flashes of doubtful thought sweep through their minds — the breeze from Lake Michigan was simply not enough to stop the heat from taking center stage. The musicians performing on Sunday faced a challenge — to convince each and every ticket holder they had made the right choice. Cold War Kids, the California-based band born in the shadow of the blogosphere, overcame the challenges of the day’s agenda by focusing on some very basic, very intimate human elements — passion, emotionalism and heavy drinking.

With beers in hand and booze secretly tucked in their bags, the sun-bathed audience nearly drank in rhythm to the sweetly indulgent lyrics of Cold War Kids. From claim-to-fame fan favorite “Hang Me Up To Dry” and the obsessive “Something Is Not Right With Me” to the sad alcoholic heroics “We Used To Vacation,” never has a band been able to twist such self-destructive narratives into darkly spun dance numbers built around thick bass lines, barroom piano lines and funk-fiddled six-string distortion. Each track was delivered with oozing soul and conviction, the band (at least pretending) to treat their 2009 performance at Lollapalooza as the ultimate proving ground. By the time R&B-tinged “Every Man I Fall For” took command, the bottoms of their beers had been reached and the crowd was convinced — the mixture of emotions and heavy drinking are conquered territory of Cold War Kids and yes, the bar is right over there.

Words by Ryan Patrick Hooper, photos by Dustin Downing

Somewhere along the way at my first trip to Lollapalooza, I thought to myself, “why did I never make it out to this festival before?” In its fifth year of being held in my home of Chicago, this three-day festival continues to provide arguably the biggest and most wide-ranging showcase of music in North America. That old marketing cliché of, “there’s something for everyone” actually holds weight at Lolla. And of the hundred-plus acts that played the multiple stages, I only wish I could have seen more.

Being completely sold out the entire weekend, it wasn’t always a breeze walking from stage-to-stage amongst tens of thousands people. But considering how incredibly gigantic Grant Park is, there was often some quiet corner where you could escape the madness on the Lolla grounds, whether it was the “Hammock Haven” or just some random tent. Sometimes it felt like people weren’t even there to see any one in particular but to just lay on the grass and enjoy the day.

Being on specific assignments, I didn’t have much time to lounge, but more importantly I got to see artists that I’ve been meaning to catch (Santigold), even if it was just part of their sets (Snoop). Moreover seeing legendary pop/rock acts (Depeche Mode, Jane’s Addiction) for the first time was something I probably would not have done otherwise yet proved to be unforgettable. And I’d be willing to bet that a lot of Lolla-goers enjoyed more than just what they may have come to see.

If you look past the wet, gloomy Friday, Lollapalooza 2009 left little to complain about. Standing steps away from both Lake Michigan and downtown Chicago, surrounded by some of the best music in the world, you’d be hard pressed not to enjoy yourself during this busy August weekend.

Words by Max Herman, photos by Dustin Downing