Inflatable Gate: This is the entrance to Lollapalooza 2006, east of Michigan Avenue, at the end of Congress Drive. A bit of Buckingham Fountain is visible in the background.    photo source: Chicago Tribune

At the recommendation of my friend Laura who lives in Chicago, I bought my ticket for a three-day pass on April 25th. I had attended Lollapalooza once before it St. Louis, but the year was 1995 and at that time it was a touring show. Now it too lives in Chicago.

The rock concert festival, originated in 1991, was identified with the explosion "grunge" and "alternative" music at that time, and coasted on its popularity for a few years. Lollapalooza fizzled after 1997, having lost its focus. I remember in '96 all of the hipsters were pissed because Metallica was headlining. Read all about Lolla's history on the Wikipedia.

Today there are lots of other rock festivals -- such as the Ozzfest tour, or Pitchfork and Intonation in Chicago -- which specialize in their own particular subgenres. Lollapalooza could be considered a cultural relic, and indeed it remained dead except for a feeble rebirth in 2003, and then an outfit known as Capital Sports & Entertainment "resurrected the brand last summer," as reported in Billboard on August 14th.

This year's reincarnation of the original 'palooza broke all kinds of records, not only for the festival itself, but for any event hosted at Chicago's Grant Park. Reports of the total attendance exceeded 166,000. Last year's festival drew only 60,000.

My own experience of Lollapalooza in Chicago, (recounted at some length herein) did not disappoint, surpassing the 1995 version in terms of how much fun it was to attend. Eleven years ago, I remember the highlights as getting to see The Jesus Lizard and Sonic Youth on the main stage, and to catch an acoustic set by Beck on the back of a trailer parked on the side. Cypress Hill and Pavement were also good that year. The low-light of 1995's festival was watching an inebriated Courtney Love flash her panties repeatedly while performing with her band, which went by the name "Hole."

This year's lineup included artists I was glad to have heard for the very first time, as well as some of my favorite musicians in the world, and others about whom I've been curious. A significant number of Lollapalooza alumni were represented, including Built to Spill, The Flaming Lips, The Eels, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and from 1995, Sonic Youth.

I took days off from work for the Friday of the festival and the Monday following, so I'd have plenty of time to get there and come back. By the way, the drive to Chicago was my first out-of-state trip in my new car, a black 2003 Hyunadi Elantra hatchback, which looks just like this one here:

Entrance from Overhead: This aerial view shows the intersection of Congress Drive and Michigan Avenue, Buckingham Fountain, and Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan at the top. A plane flying at this altitude surely would have gotten a contact high from the volume of pot smoke rising from the festival.    photo source: Lollapalooza

How big was it? Whoa, now we're really high. This satellite image of Grant Park gives an idea of the scale. Walking from the AT&T Stage to the Bud Light Stage was one hell of a hike. Thanks, Google Maps!

My Morning Jacket: A band possessed.
   photo source: Flickr

Friday

Another key difference between Lollapalooza then and now is of course today's ubiquity of mobile phones and text messengers. The kids of today will wonder how we ever attended big rock festivals without these essentials, which enable you to find your friends within minutes amid a crowd of fifty thousand.

I arrived at Grant Park on Friday somewhat later than I had planned, and regrettably too late to catch the eels, but thanks to the miracle of technology was nonetheless able to locate Laura not long afterward, taking in some of the set by local hippie jamsters Umphrey's McGee near the sound board at the AT&T Stage.

From there, we proceeded to one of the side stages where our friend Brad and another of their pals (one of Laura's co-workers whose name escapes me at the moment) were taking in an impressively energetic performance by husband & wife drum / electric organ duo Mates of State.

Laura and I then wandered to the other end of the park for Iron & Wine, which furnished a mellow folksy groove for the hottest stretch of the afternoon. When they finished, My Morning Jacket took the stage just across the way, tearing into their first two songs "At Dawn" and "Off The Record" with surprising aggression.

I am familiar with two of this band's albums, but the songs were charged with far more manic energy in concert, with bandleader Jim James' falsetto vocals in the style of old Neil Young sounding more like howls and screams from a young Robert Plant or even James Brown.

Here is Scott Smith's take in the Tribune:

Atmospheric and moody on record, My Morning Jacket act like a band possessed onstage. Even mellower songs like "Wordless Chorus" were energized by long-haired lead singer Jim James's plaintive wail. James explained the Kentucky band's enthusiasm by telling the audience of his dreams of playing Lollapalooza when he attended an earlier incarnation in 1994. Perhaps the September release of their live album Okonokos will finally deliver on the group's live sound.

Yeah, I'll be getting that album.

Jim James Jumps.
   photo source: Lollapalooza

Seeing this band live, even for only a few minutes, gave me a whole new appreciation for their songs. It was kind of an "aha" moment, as I commented to Laura that now I get it... these are rock songs, written with the intention of being played in front of a shoulder-to-shoulder mass of sweaty fans. The studio-recorded versions are only what's played on the radio -- and in the case of My Morning Jacket, mostly on public radio.

Laura and I stayed for a few songs by My Morning Jacket, then her next stop was all the way back at the AT&T Stage for what was reportedly an amazingly fun set by Jack White's new band The Raconteurs, going on at the same time.

Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling up for it. The long drive and the heat caught up with me, and after a small amount of chucking up, I elected to spend the next hour sleeping on a patch of green grass under a shady tree.

Laura retrieved me from my slumber, and we decided to join Brad and that other dude at Ween for the last show of the night, while Death Cab for Cutie played at the opposite end of the park. On the way to Ween, we passed the Violent Femmes playing all of their hit songs, including "Gone Daddy Gone" which I would hear covered by two other Lollapalooza bands.

Gene Ween: A phenomenal entertainer, a.k.a. Aaron Freeman.    photo source: Lollapalooza

Dean Ween: The Italian-American guitarist, a.k.a. Mickey Melchiondo, plays solos with his axe slung close to the ground.    photo source: Lollapalooza

Though fans of Death Cab for Cutie may allege that I made the wrong choice, I was not at all disappointed by seeing Ween instead. Ween's set was thoroughly entertaining, and frontman Aaron Freeman, who goes by the name Gene Ween, is a fantastic performer who knows how to communicate through his songs. Whether telling a story or letting loose pure playfulness, he filled his Lollapalooza appearance with energy and intention.

The duo of Gene and guitarist Dean brought a killer backing band with them, too, a crew of seasoned pros, including a remarkably tattooed fella back on the drum kit, and a keyboard player who busted out a theremin for the song "Buckingham Green." Masterful job, guys.

Gene Ween: "Thank you,
 Wah-wah-pa-wooza!"
photo source: Lollapalooza

Saturday

Lolla's second day was when I heard performances by both Mike Patton and Perry Farrell, which would make a lot of my friends jealous.

I was particularly excited about the chance to see Patton again. This is the guy who achieved mainstream fame as the singer for Faith No More in the '90s, but to those of us with the sophistication to appreciate truly groundbreaking music, Patton's greater significance comes from being the creative force behind his various other solo and side projects such as Mr. Bungle, Fantômas, Tomahawk, and his Ipecac Recordings record label. A colossal vocal talent, Patton is the most versatile rock singer of his generation. I had seen him once before when Mr. Bungle, on tour for the band's last album California, stopped into Gabe's Oasis in Iowa City for an evening of unmatched sweatiness.

Though I'm a Patton fan, I was unaware of his latest project Peeping Tom, or that against all odds, this rebellious clique had been invited at the last minute to perform on one of Lolla's side stages. Luckily, Brad had foreknowledge of this and cultivates his own interest in Patton, so he would not let us miss out. Thanks for being on top of things, Brad!

Once again availing ourselves of supernaturally advanced mobile communication devices (just like Dick Tracy or on Star Trek) Laura, Brad and I made our way onto the same CTA "L" car. Maybe at Lollapalooza 2016 we'll just beam down.

Others in mass transit bore the mark of the 'palooza, the ubiquitous wristbands and uniforms of the new hippie youth, torn-up jeans and so forth. The excitement builds.

Prior to Peeping Tom, we visited another side stage for raps by hip-hop white girl Lanz. This is from her bio in the Lolla program:

From the moment she burst onto New York's underground rap scene, Lanz stood out. After all, it's not every day you see a 14-year-old white girl holding her own in MC battles... Now a wizened 16, Lanz is poised to take the hip-hop world by storm, signed to powerhouse booking agent William Morris and Interscope Records... Consider her Lollapalooza '06 performance a sneak peek at rap music's next great white hope.

Although the hyperbolic tone of this advertising copy overstates the case, actually the kid wasn't half bad. She's got a lot of creative talent and an earnest, unassuming stage presence which makes it easy to hear the words, and the stories she tells. Also, she distinguishes herself with her skill at choosing subtle details for the character sketches in her songs.

All the same, she's got a lot of growing to do. The themes in her material are not new to the genre, going over the same self-referential hip-hop tropes we've heard before -- how the prototypical rap hero comes from a broken home, writes rhymes to cope, defies her naysayers to become a respected star of the MC underground, and then boasts of her victory. If teenager Lanz can truly claim the hip-hop MC hero story as her own, then I'll allow it's legitimate for her to draw inspiration from personal experience. Otherwise, she needs to change her tune to keep from being labeled a poser. In any case, to sustain the credibility she has earned, evolution will be required. Her Lollapalooza set made an impression on me, though, as well as on at least one sailor on shore leave, flirting with her at the foot of the stage while still wearing that silly white outfit.

Meanwhile, a crowd was gathering at the PlayStation stage. It was a small in numbers at first, but the loyal Patton fans emanated telepathic transmissions to passersby who subconsciously became curious, even before the band and its star ever appeared. What was about to happen?

Unfortunately, technical difficulties happened. The start of Peeping Tom's set was delayed because they couldn't get the mix right on the stage monitors. It couldn't have helped that their gear was more complicated than other bands playing on Lolla's side stages, with no fewer than four laptop computers arrayed around the record-scratcher and the keyboard player.

At any other rock show the technical issues would have been worked out before the band started, but all of Lolla's stages ran strictly on the clock, and rarely did a band's set begin or end late. So Peeping Tom was forced to start before they were ready, with the unfortunate outcome that for the first song "Mojo" the vocalists were out of sync with the rhythm section.

Mojo's Not Working: Peeping Tom's opening song is hindered by problems with sound.    photo source: Flickr

Patton did not take kindly to the situation, and dealt with it by turning his back on the technician operating the mixing board for the stage until he was cued to continue. He shared his frustration with the audience, saying into the microphone: "One word... Lollapaloo-oo-oo-oo-oo-zzzzhe!" (Imagine, if you will, an incredible electronic manipulation applied to the sound of his voice.)

All of the issues were resolved within a few minutes, and the rest of Peeping Tom's set did not disappoint. The band's appeal started with an impressive visual package -- Patton in a white suit and hair net, a foxy female vocalist, and the rhythm section consisting of three scrawny young guys wearing black and playing guitar, bass & drums.

Peeping Tom's Lollapalooza lineup also included Rahzel, a hip-hop MC whose skill at beatboxing is nearly supernatural. Brad recognized him immediately when Rahzel came on stage, and it became clear to me that on top of the unexpected bonus of seeing Patton at Lollapalooza, getting to see Rahzel was quite the coup for having bought a ticket back in April.

Midway through Peeping Tom's set, Patton introduced Rahzel as "the man who drives the band" and then all of the other musicians cleared the stage to let Rahzel do his thing. His talent proved stunning within a few seconds, and he pumped up the crowd, getting us to sing along with the riff from "Seven Nation Army" by the White Stripes. When the band joined him again, I paid attention to the what the bass player was doing, compared to the bass track I was hearing, to discover that he was adding fairly sparse accents. All along, Rahzel had been responsible for the complexity of the rhythm tracks. Wow.

And then there was the performance of Patton himself, who shamelessly projected contempt for his audience, especially those brutish drunken frat-boy types who appear at his concerts yelling things like, "Mike Patton you're a god!" Early in the Lollapalooza set, for instance, he singled out one moron: "How many beers have you had today, my friend?"

Throughout "Don't Even Trip" he flipped the bird to the crowd, and during "Neighborhood Spaceman" repeatedly made an angry gesture like a scolding parent, which he even bestowed on the three guys in the rhythm section. Before the female vocalist took center stage for the song "Sucker" Patton again made shit of Lollapalooza, asking the band if they could believe they were playing it, and leading them in forced mocking laughter.

At His Best: Mike Patton expresses his contempt for those who scream to him that he's a god, at the end of "Don't Even Trip."    photo source: Flickr

Peeping Tom is Patton: One of my favorite contemporary musicians shows up on a side stage.    photo source: Flickr

Patton is uniquely able to get away with this without the risk of alienating his fans because of his powerfully magnetic persona as the mad egomaniacal genius. He is a kind of Faust, a mischief-maker of the most sinister and demonic species.

As such, Patton is provocative of speculation and controversy. Considering his brilliance and musical gifts, one has to wonder how much of this superior attitude is put on. The whole Peeping Tom project is a collaborative effort, with guest artists appearing on every track of the album, so clearly he respects musical talent in others, but was it an act of generosity to grant Rahzel a few solo minutes in the middle of the short Lollapalooza set? It surprises me to think that humility could be within Patton's emotional capacity, and that he was sincerely appreciative when he introduced the members of his touring band at the end of the set. Did I see the mask slip?

I was just glad I got to see him, and continue to look forward to his future work.

The Man Who Drives The Band: Human beatbox champion Rahzel (right) lays down impossibly complicated beats and bass tracks all at once.    photo source: Flickr

Laura and I made our next stop at the Bud Light stage for Lollapalooza '95 alumni Built to Spill whose set was more boring than I expected, even considering that I was still keyed up over just having seen Patton perform.

BTS's bandleader was making a big deal of lecturing the audience on how "Budweiser does not care about us, Adidas does not care about us," and so forth, as though it weren't obvious to the younger generation, which is predisposed to understand how the media are manipulated to sell youth's own culture back to it, but to choose not to give a shit.

Oh well, towards the end the band seemed to hit its stride in those soaring hippie guitar jams for which it's known.

We stuck around for the start of southwest-styled Calexico, then trucked clear to the other side for the end of the rockin' set by Australian hitmakers Wolfmother, and met up with Brad to get into a good position for Gnarls Barkley.

Lollapalooza Classic: Kim Gordon of "noise rock" pioneers Sonic Youth.
   photo source: Flickr

Wolfmother: The dudes in this psychadelic retro-rockin' Australian band must have listened to lots of Black Sabbath growing up. Dig the keyboard player who truly rocks his keyboard. Wolfmother's debut on Interscope was produced by Dave Sardy, who some of us will remember as the leader of the band Barkmarket in the '90s.    photo source: Lollapalooza

So there we were waiting for the start of Gnarls Barkley's set, when to our surprise, Perry Farrell walked out on stage to introduce the band as "the best-dressed band, and my favorite basketball player in the world."

In June, the had band made a big splash at the MTV Movie Awards show, performing its hit song "Crazy" dressed as characters from characters from Star Wars, and the Lolla program pictured the band's leaders as costumed as droogs from A Clockwork Orange. On this day, the band's handful of musicians came bounding onto the stage wearing tennis outfits, and the short skirt was mighty fetching on the blonde cellist.

Laura and I split early from there, back to the Bud Light stage, where we caught the encore by another band of alumni from Lollapalooza '95, Sonic Youth. Our objective was to get close to the front for The Flaming Lips, but lots of other fans had the same idea, too.

The Flaming Lips on the Bud Light Stage: Singer Wayne Coyne is shown on the Jumbo-Tron, performing the hamster-ball stunt as the band assembles on stage.

Banners on either side of the Bud Light stage feature Henri Rousseau's 1910 painting "The Dream" modified to include electic guitars. I had guessed that this painting was chosen to represent Chicago, and assumed that its home was in the Art Institute of Chicago, just a few blocks away from this stage.

I was incorrect, however. The painting hangs in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and on the weekend of Lollapalooza was on loan to the National Gallery of Art in Washington.    photo source: Flickr

Pre-Show Blessing: Prior to climbing into a giant inflatable hamster ball, Flaming Lips singer Wayne Coyne introduces an eccentric-looking fella who is apparently a Chicago poet noted for reading quirky things before bands play.    photo source: Lollapalooza

Laura and I ended up in an excellent position just to the left of the sound booth tent, but there was no going any nearer to the stage. We were packed in tight. It was only by superhuman effort that Brad was able to meet up with us before the band started.

The Flaming Lips, incidentally, was the most photogenic band of Lollapalooza 2006, with more visual spectacle than even Gnarls Barkley, so lots of pictures of them follow.

Alien Chicks on Stage Right: It seems that agents for the Flaming Lips recruited some female fans of the band to dress in little shimmery purple dresses and bug-eyed monster masks, then come up on stage to shake their booties. How bizarre is that? Upstage, towering inflatable figures of an alien, two astronauts, and Santa Claus totter in the breeze.    photo source: Lollapalooza

Army of Santa Clauses on Stage Left: Male fans of the Flaming Lips boogie down while sporting an outfit popularized by a jolly old elf from the north pole. Another eccentric-looking fella, Beatle Bob (right) watches from the wings, and dances in his own controversial fashion.    photo source: Lollapalooza

Ready, Aim, Launch: Inside the giant hamster ball, Wayne Coyne prepares to be heaved onto the crowd. Note the reflection of Chicago's skyline on the ball's surface. A stagehand assisting the singer is costumed as Captain America.    photo source: Flickr

In Orbit: Coyne is held aloft by cheering fans.    photo source: Flickr

More Big Inflatables: It was the job of another stagehand, dressed as Batman without the cowl, to fling multitudinous blue balls at the crowd. He did so without ever removing the cigarette from his lips.    photo source: Flickr

My Kind of Town: The Chicago skyline seen from near the Bud Light stage during the Flaming Lips' set.    photo source: Flickr

"Ro-bah-ah-ah-ah-TS!": A master of the hilarious non-sequitir, singer Coyne busts out a hand puppet of a nun and assumes a falsetto voice to sing the song about Yoshimi battling the pink robots.    photo source: Flickr

Confetti Bomb: She's gonna blow!    photo source: Flickr

He Likes to Spray the Crowd with Stuff: Coyne with fog machine and skeletal keyboardist.    photo source: Lollapalooza

Streamer Gun Misfire: Coyne becomes entangled in colorful streamers which bounced off the lighting truss after being launched from one of his many hand-cannon loads.    photo source: Flickr

Famous Gigantic Hands: At the end of the set, Coyne waves goodbye using a massive pair of hands, one of his favorite props. Perhaps these were inspired by the world's largest praying hands sculpture at Oral Roberts University in the band's home state of Oklahoma. Coyne's wife, costumed as Wonder Woman, shoots photos from stage left.    photo source: Flickr

The Flaming Lips were spectacular to be sure, perhaps to the point of absurd excessiveness. However, this band and its singer would have been impressive even without all of the stunts. Clearly as a songwriter Coyne has a head on his shoulders, able to wax philosophical with the kind of straightforward simplicity which operates intellectually and emotionally. I remember being affected the questions posed in "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" as I was hearing it for the first time, in the context of an overblown arena rock show. I hope to see this band again.

It was during the next set that the Saturday afternoon sun took up residence on the other side of the Chicago skyline.

As evening fell on Lollapalooza, a sort of hip-hop trance-dance band called Thievery Corporation was jamming on the stage across from where The Flaming Lips had played. I enjoyed their set, but I didn't find the music all that memorable. I have heard better dance bands.

Each song featured a different singer, and there were a couple of double-threat types who could sing and dance well. Perry Farrel, wearing white suspenders over a dark top with a wide-brimmed white fedora, was featured on one song. Oh yeah, there was a guy playing sitar.

Thievery Corporation: Jammin' on the sitar.    photo source: Lollapalooza

Performances by Kanye West and Manu Chao rounded out the evening. By the time we intrepid three had made it to the AT&T stage for Kanye, he was angry at the City of Chicago for conspiring to not mix the sound to his satisfaction, so we decided to split before the "L" cars swarmed with angry Kanye fans. Along Columbus Drive, on the way past Many Chao's show, we heard what sounded like a lot of the music on Spanish-language radio in the USA... Mexicali polka, if you will.

Sunday

The youthful riders of the "L" were showing signs of wear & tear the next morning. The forecast had a hot day in for us, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers were headlining at the end of the night. This would be 2007 festival's biggest day, drawing nearly as many as attended on all three days of Lolla '06.

Brad was off hearing a band called Sparta while Laura and I caught part of a set by local club favorites The Redwalls, who were out of their element in the direct light of the hot sun.

The Hold Steady: Made a fan of me instantly.    photo source: Lollapalooza

The Hold Steady Singer
 & Songwriter: Craig Finn.
   photo source: Flickr

The next band we saw is not one I had heard of prior to Lollapalooza, but which now counts me as a fan.

The set by The Hold Steady was a Sunday morning kick in the head, featuring abundant energy, accomplished musicianship, and evocative songwriting in the vein of early Bruce Springsteen, conjuring memories of high school daze.

The Hold Steady enjoyed a surge of popularity in the months following their appearance at Lollapalooza, be sure to check them out if you get the chance.

Next, on a side stage near where The Hold Steady played, two guys were plugging in an impossibly complicated array of electronic devices -- more even than Peeping Tom -- both analog and digital. A devoted legion of fans was converging as well, and clamoring for "The Duo" to appear.

This was The Benevento Russo Duo, and their music crackled with ferocious intensity. Though they were just two nerdy dudes on a sunny Sunday afternoon, the density of their music sounded like fully-engineered multi-tracked studio production.

Besides that I enjoyed their music and that Lollapalooza had introduced me to another new band, I was glad to get to see this duo because I had never experienced this kind of live performance before. When do acts like theirs come to Iowa to play?

I could easily have stayed for the whole set, but Laura and I wanted to get to the other end of the grounds again to see Nickel Creek. On the way, we also stopped into an unlikely outpost of the Virgin Megastore, conveniently bivouacked in a tent. There I purchased the Peeping Tom CD and two Ween albums, including a Live In Chicago with the same band from their Friday night show.

The Benevento Russo Duo: Known as "The Duo" to its chanting fans in the crowd, this pair of dudes makes music out of machines.
   photo source: Lollapalooza

Chris Thile of Nickel Creek.
   photo source: Flickr

Sara Watkins of Nickel Creek: Rockin' bluegrass fiddler.
   photo source: Flickr

Nickel Creek is purely a bluegrass band, but did not seem at all out of place at this rock festival, managing to successfully achieve that elusive "crossover" status. Other than this hipster music festival, I had heard the band previously (though I shudder to admit it) on the hopelessly square "Prairie Home Companion" show.

Of these traditional bluegrass musicians I will also say that you should not pass up any opportunity to see them play. There's a reason they've risen to the top of many charts, and can hold their own at Lollapalooza. The kids were dancing all the way through their set, and one song got a supercharged reaction, which I later learned was a cover of "Toxic" by none other than Britney Spears.

Traversing back yet again to the other end of the grounds to catch the beginning of Zionist raggae from Matisyahu, we unfortunately passed the stage where the ghastly 30 Seconds to Mars was making a lot of noise, and singer Jared Leto (yes, the movie star) was blathering some dreadful nonsense. My recommendation is to avoid this band at all costs.

Laura had told me that I had to see The Shins but the outdoor venue was not the best for these pop songsmiths. I left early, and met up with Brad at a side stage where Reverend Horton Heat was introduced by Beatle Bob. Their set was a joyous rockabilly stomp, complete with a handful of requests from the crowd at the end. I have been a fan of the Reverend since 2002, and have narrowly missed seeing them on at least three occasions in that time, so it was great fun to finally catch them, and the jubilence of their performance exceeded my expecations. I had no idea that bass player Jimbo was capable of all of those acrobatics while simultaneously plucking, and his upright bass must be steel-reinforced because he took some flying leaps off of it.

Brad and I then trekked towards the AT&T stage for the Queens of the Stone Age, while Laura stayed on the opposite side for her favorite band Wilco. Evening was falling, and the crowd had swelled to a ridiculous size. Where Brad and I had encamped ourselves, we were fenced in by little clans of jailbait teenagers with fashionably unbuttoned blue-jean cut-offs, and who were smoking copious amounts of weed. Clearly these children had been sent by their rich families into the city for a weekend of fun away from the western burbs, and were playing at the hippie image in the previous generation's mold, mimicing the stories of when their parents were young and carefree.

We were packed in tight, to some it would be alarmingly so, but I didn't mind. I figured that although thousands surrounded us, we were two grown men and no harm could come to us with throngs of short teenagers on all sides.

Laura rejoined us for the closing set by the Chili Peppers, which featured a memorable moment where John Frusciante gave a solo rendition of Simon & Garfunkel's "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her."

Oh, Blessed Eye Candy: The editors of the Tribune found the best-dressed Lollapalooza crowd-surfer. By the way, given this photographic evidence, who can tell me that camouflage capri pants aren't stylish? I mean, don't YOU want to get into this girl's pants?    photo source: Chicago Tribune

On the whole, Lollapalooza's new incarnation was more corporatized than its original form in the '90s. Advertising was everywhere, but I didn't mind too much. Getting to see the great rock bands made up for having logos emblazoned on the stages, and I personally enjoyed the comfort of a well-run festival, where there were no riots or even reported injuries, making it easier to just relax.

My feelings about Lollapalooza '06 were reflected well by critic Jim Derogatis in the Chicago Sun-Times, who refers to Chicago native, trumpet player, and musicians' union leader James C. Petrillo, after whom Grant Park's bandshell is named:

Petrillo probably would have balked that, in addition to charging for the concert, Texas-based promoters Capital Sports & Entertainment sold corporate sponsorships for every stage at the event. Chicagoans may have been calling the landmark venue in Butler Field the Petrillo Bandshell for more than half a century, but this weekend, it bore the name of a designer sneaker.

Derogatis continues:

There's no denying that Lollapalooza made history during its second year as a destination festival: It was the biggest concert Grant Park ever hosted. But it was also one of the most commercial, with a bland and impersonal vibe. It was ambitious, fan-friendly and well-run, despite problems such as the painfully long hikes between stages. But it could have been taking place anywhere -- Austin, Cleveland, or the dark side of the moon, corporate sponsors willing -- and it lacked the sense of community seen at the recent Pitchfork and Intonation fests, much less the Lollapalooza tours of the early '90s.

His points are well-taken, but I would argue that that the commercialization of the festival did not at all detract from the musicians' performances.

Moreover, I would also give the event credit for being uniquely Chicago. The setting next to the great lake with the famous skyline added significantly to the experience, and the program reflected the tastes of the midwestern metropolis and included some local favorites.

Who's up for next year? Me!

A Self-Actualizing Lollapalooza Moment:
Having your face put up on the Jumbo-Tron.    photo source: Flickr