I have to say that Lollapalooza was one of the very best weekends I have had in a long time as far as music goes. Once I saw the lineup in April, I knew I had to buy my ticket. When Michelle bought her ticket a few months later, it was set and we were extremely excited to go!
We left Algona around 9 in the morning on Thursday the 6th. We drove a little over six hours to get to her sister Sarah’s house in Hampshire. I had only been through Illinois twice, but never had stayed there. The GPS we were using took us across the river using 20, which we learned later was the “scenic route.” We listened to the bands we were hoping to see, and we got to Sarah’s in the early evening.
That night we drove to Barrington to catch 500 Days of Summer. That theatre had 30 screens (unbelievable!) and with our student discount, Michelle and I got into the show for $7, that’s as much as an adult ticket in Algona! The movie was very, very good. I would consider it a favorite.
Late morning on Friday we caught a train heading to Union Station with the help of Sarah who wanted to see Kings of Leon as much as we did. I didn’t get to see much of Chicago from the walk to Union Station to Grant Park, which I was a little disappointed about, but I know I’ll get another opportunity later. What I did see, though, I loved!
After getting our wristbands, bags checked, bathroom break, and water bottles filled, we headed over to the Playstation Stage to catch Bon Iver. Their music isn’t much to dance to, but the harmonizing was and is outstanding. I was really excited to hear “Skinny Love” and “For Emma,” both which were very good, but it was actually “Creature Fear” and “The Wolves” that just blew my mind. They seemed like very cool guys, and very thankful to all of us dedicated fans standing the rain, which was constant for all of the afternoon. (Thank you, ponchos!)
Unfortunately, the Virgins’ performance overlapped with Bon Iver, and after hauling it a good ways across the park, we managed to catch their last song. I definitely want to see those guys in full though. We headed back to the Playstation Stage and waited for the Fleet Foxes. I knew some of their songs, but not much. They could be compared to Bon Iver: nothing to dance to really, but very impressive harmonies. These guys were quite fun as well, the drummer looked homeless (as Amber pointed out in my Facebook photos!) and joked about their very beardy beards.
Next we caught the last half of Peter, Bjorn and John who were amazing! They had insane energy which kept the crowd dancing. By then, the rain had ended, which made most of us very happy. The songs were flawless as well… I especially enjoyed “Young Folks” but I was disappointed I couldn’t hear “Teen Love” because they must had played it earlier.
After that we watched Andrew Bird from a distance, who was amazing as well. If you haven’t heard of this guy, I definitely recommend him. He plays about half the instruments himself at different parts of each song, including the violin, guitar, and bells. I didn’t know much of the songs that we heard, but it was good nonetheless.
We purposely stayed back for the next band, one because it was insanely crowded, and two because we were going to ditch early to catch the train back. The final band was Kings of Leon. It felt really strange actually hearing their music live. It was really good, I just couldn’t believe I was hearing it live! I couldn’t really see the stage which didn’t help, so I relied on the big screens on both sides of the stage. I noticed they took their songs a little slower than normal, but they pulled it off completely! “Use Somebody,” “Be Somebody,” “Molly’s Chambers,” “Charmer,” and “Knocked Up” were definitely favorites. Next time I see them, I plan on getting closer, no matter how rough I imagine it being!
After the tiresome train ride back, and an amazing shower, I woke up on Saturday to a hot and sunny day, just like I had planned for. We missed the train we intended to catch, so we had to wait some time for the next one. It was a good thing too, because we were right in time for the Arctic Monkeys on the Budweiser stage. We made our way through a good majority of the crowd, and got fairly close. They were completely amazing, just like I had expected. They played some of my favorites like “Do Me a Favour,” “505″ and my newly favorite and the most recent single, “Crying Lightning.” Then even played a Nick Drake cover and I believe two other songs off of their newest album Humbug. It’s been out for a week now and I’ve been itching to go and buy it because I enjoyed their new songs so much. I definitely hope I can make it to their show in Minneapolis on the 25th!
We wanted to make it to other shows that day, but the heat was exhausting so we took a little break and decided to wait to get as close as we could to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who were replacing the Beastie Boys after they had to cancel because of surgery. We got even closer than the Arctic Monkeys! When the show was starting, Karen O amazed all by sporting a fun and crazy outfit with an amazing headdress. Her energy – costume changes and all – fed the crowd throughout the whole show. I also loved how smiley and happy the 3 of them were, like they were having as good of a time as we were. Then of course, the giant eyeball inflatables came out, only adding to the energy. “Zero,” “Cheated Hearts,” “Golden Lion,” “Runaway,” “Phenomena,” and “Y Control” were favorites as well as “Maps” which Karen O took in much slower. So slow, in fact, that she forgot the lyrics halfway through the song! She was laughing at herself right with us, but we all cheered her on, and she kept going. Overall, it was a big dance party and an amazing show.
Catching the right bus on Sunday, which was even hotter than Saturday, we enjoyed the Kaiser Chiefs first. They had great energy as well, and although we were at a distance from the stage, we enjoyed them so much we decided to go to their autograph tent. They were really nice, but the line was moving so fast neither one of us got to say much, but I did thank them for an awesome show!
Next we quickly made it to catch part of Passion Pit, which I enjoyed a lot! “Sleepyhead” and “I’ve Got Your Number” were definite favorites. I already had Drew’s birthday present in mind, and already had purchased their Chunk of Change EP to get it signed by them. Those guys took their time and were extremely friendly. They were happy to sign it for Drew after I explained to them that he wished he could have come to Lolla, but couldn’t. The last guy, I’m not sure which band member he was, was drawing pictures on everyone’s swag and after he was done with the CD cover insert, he pushed it away, studied it, and said, “Sorry, I fucked that up!” I laughed and told him it was ok. Regardless, I think Drew enjoyed his present when I gave it to him a week ago!
While I was waiting for Passion Pit, I got to hear Lou Reed’s first few songs, the only one I knew was “Sweet Jane,” which was pretty exciting! Before that, we could hear Vampire Weekend from a distance, but we knew the walk there was too long and we’d miss them. But they sounded great!
Next we ran into a cool, small dancing marching band all dressed in black. They got the crowd to join in and dance, and it was a fun little detour on our way across the park.
Finally we made it to the Chicago 2012 stage to see Snoop Dogg finishing up. Although I’m not a huge fan, it was still really fun and I can actually say that I’ve seen Snoop Dogg! We made our way up the best we could for the Killers. We had a decent spot, but of course we were surrounded by tall people. That anticipation made the wait seem so much longer. But when they finally came on, what a show! Favorites included “All These Things That I’ve Done,” “Smile Like You Mean It,” “Spaceman,” “This is Your Life,” “Read My Mind,” and of course, the encore songs, “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” and “When You Were Young.” Brandon Flowers told some good stories in between the songs, one of which he explained their plane ride from Vegas to Chicago, saying they flew over southern Iowa. Michelle and I screamed as loud as we could so show some Iowa love! During the last song, “When You Were Young,” we had already made our way out of most of the crowd so we could make sure we could catch our train in time. But the song was amazing, the light works were crazy and the song couldn’t have been better! It was an amazing ending to all of Lollapalooza.
As we made our way back to the train station, the festival-goers flooded the streets of Chicago, cheering and clapping in approval of a great weekend. It was an amazing spectacle, and it made the ending not so sad!
We took off the next day and headed back for Algona. Overall, the weekend was unforgettable, and I hope to go next year if the lineup is just as good!
