The last few days at Lollapalooza and hanging out in the city has been amazing. Festival goers have had perfect weather, no known cancellations and great sound. I think Chicago liked me too, but maybe a little to much. If this post seems broken up, it is due to the fact that I have been contentiously being moved to different terminals. So far I have spent 8 hours in the airport so far. The last day of Lollapalooza had a lineup of acts that made you want to stay at the festival. The first act I saw on Sunday would be The Whigs. The young trio seem very excited about playing the festival, which always adds to a show. The indie band occasionally would bust out some moves that made me believe that they were all once in a metal band.
The Whigs
My last encounter with Chromeo was backstage at Bonnaroo, then a great late night set. It is hard to measure up to that performance, but I still enjoyed the Lollapalooza set. One thing that changed about Chromeo was with their increasing popularity, Chromeo likes to say their name a lot now.
After Chromeo, I made my was to the Citi Stage where I would see my last show of the day. Saul Williams music leads you to believe that he is an interesting guy. If you want to know what an “interesting guy” means, check out the photos.
Lollapalooza really is a great festival, Chicago is a lively fascinating city, but the O’Hare airport is a hell hole. I would gladly get into the Rage Against the Machine mosh pit for another 2 hours than have to wait on another plane to turn me down. I am about ready to yell bomb in the airport. Please do not fly American Airlines.
It is easy to compare Lollapalooza to other festivals I have partaken in. An average festival would start with me waking up at 8am due to the sun blazing into my tent and creating a cocoon of humidity. Lollapalooza entail me waking up at 10am to three very attractive women walking around in towels and ordering room service. I could get used to this.
The 2008 Lollapalooza music festival started off with a pretty strong line up of non-stop shows. While looking at the map, I originally called Lollapalooza a midget festival compare to the huge size of Bonnaroo. After running back and forth to the North and South side of the festivals, the walk started to wear down on me. The first show I made it to was Holy F*ck who remind me of an Atari that drank to much coffee. For an early show, it probably had the largest amount of people dancing on Friday.
After Holy F*ck blew me away, I walked over to see Rogue Wave after missing them at Bonnaroo. The mellow tones of Rogue Wave were over taken by the amount of people in the crowd talking over the band. I moved my way up closer into the crowd and took this video of Rogue Wave performing Chicago x 12.
After wonder around to explore the festival, I made my way back to the AT&T Stage to see the Yeasayer. If my grand children ever ask me why I am deaf, I will tell them it was because went to Lollapalooza and saw Yeasayer. I probably will not hear them ask the question though.
The Black Keys were the next band on my list to see at Lollapalooza. So I ventured to the other side of the park to the Budweiser Stage. I was initial confused on a woman standing on the left side of the stage on a speaker, but then I noticed that she was signing the crowd. The Budweiser Stage is the only one at Lollapalooza that has an interpretor and she was getting down.
Mates of State – Get Better
Grizzly Bear
After a long day at Lollapalooza, I stationed myself for a spot for Radiohead. The downfall was that so did 20,000 people before me. Radiohead started there set while the sun was setting over the Chicago skyline. It was a perfect setting for for a Radiohead concert, but I do not believe that the other people understood this in the crowd. Some how the crowd was talking over Radiohead! The sound should of been louder, but the people should of been quieter. After heading a girl ask “who is this band again?”, I pushed my way closer to the front. The closer I moved up, the talking turned to singing along. It ended up being a great show, it is a shame that most of drunk Chicago missed it.
Radiohead – The National Anthem
Radiohead – There, There
At the end of the show, every drunk festival goer took to the streets. I would think after so many years of putting on the festival, they would have a down. Check out the Lollapalooza chaos in this video.
Well I have to run, I am starting to miss some bands. Check back tomorrow for more coverage.
Lt. Dan’s advice for the 2008 Bonnaroo fans. Important advice that people don’t normally get until their pictures are developed.
Cat Power
Broken Social Scene plays Cause Equals Time on the solar power stage.
Every wanted to become a DJ? Well maybe Bonnaroo is not the best place to learn how to scratch. If you want to try your luck though, head over to the scratch tent.
The individuals that could cut it as a DJ, might have a better chance at being rock stars. Backstage, they actually had the video game Rock Star, set up out of someones car.
Brian Posehn makes fun of Kayne West in his set. I believe that after the Bonnaroo, no one likes Kayne West.
Lightning 100’s Keith Coes had this piece of advice for Roo fans on Saturday.
The Avett Brothers
Nashville’s own De Nova Dahl plays Bonnaroo.
Fire Dancers at Bonnaroo, seconds before one of the performers accidentally catches his face on fire.
When all the shows are done, there still is always something fun to do late night at Bonnaroo.
Chromeo
Already feeling the Bonnaroo drain, I still decided to make it out to Kayne West late night show. Kayne pushed his show back to 2:45 a.m. to be able to play on the main stage. The fans waited around until 4:30 to start his set which went long into the morning. Walking back to my campsite, the sun started to rise in the distance. Damn you Kayne West.
The second day of the Bonnaroo music festival was kicked off with full line up of great shows. The cloudy sky provided a perfect haven for music fans and artist a like. Even with perfect weather you still need to be careful at Bonnaroo. Check out this advice from Justin Hammel from WRLT.
Minus the Bear
Have you ever wonder what a drum circle is like? This would be the first year to see an official Bonnaroo.
The Raconteurs
Clean Vibes is a none profit organization that have cleaned up Bonnaroo and other festivals for the last 7 years.
MIA last show ever. MIA canceled the rest of her shows and has announced that she will be retiring after her Bonnaroo show. I am happy to say that I danced next to MIA during the MSTRKRFT set, but my batteries die and was unable to take a picture.
Do hippies vote? Hand Count is a none profit organization that is trying to make sure that all fans voices are heard.
The 2008 Bonnaroo music festival kicked off Thursday night with probably the best line up they have every had on the first night. Even with only selling around 55,000 tickets this year for the Bonnaroo event, “This Tent” was packed for these opening indie shows. The night started off with MGMT playing to be one the first sets at Bonnaroo. After an energizing set by MGMT brought people to the stage, more Bonnaroo fans flocked the stage for Battles. Battles were probably my main reason for wanting to do Bonnaroo coverage in 90 degree weather. They definitely proved to be worth the sweat. The last show I was able to make it to that night would be Vampire Weekend. Their happy vibes put me in the perfect mood to pass out my campsite.
Photography by Josh Rhinehart
Wondering how people make it though these four days at Bonnaroo? Here is an example of how people stay cool, not clean at Bonnaroo. The Bonnaroo fountain was closed for most of Thursday, but was later opened for the late night sweaty fans.
If you have every been a part of the Bonnaroo experience, then you are probably seen the rangers on horses wandering around. Here is some advice from the Bonnaroo rangers themselves.
Before having to leave Langerado, there was one more show that I wanted to see. Will Hoge is a Nashville artist that was interviewed by Lt. Dan the Monday before Langerado and is primarily the reason I was able to make it out to Langerado. It was a good wayto start Will Hoge four month tour by kicking off the day at the Swamp Stage. Playing songs off his debut album “Draw the Curtains”, Will preformed for a good size morning crowd. An important note on festivals is that 12:30P.M. is still considered a morning show due to the fact that bands might play until 4:00 A.M. When the song “Washed by the Water” was preformed, it reminded of how much I will enjoy a shower when I return home. Will Hoge upbeat Nashville country rockabilly rock was enough to wake anyone up to a full day of shows. I was disappointed that I would be missing acts such as The Natioinal and Of Montreal, but seeing Will Hoge play was enough inspiration to get me back to Nashville. The combination of school, work, and a 14 hour drive ahead of us, we had to leave a little early.
When I started tearing down my tent, it brought up memories of all the good times we had together at Langerado. The festival events have proven to be a bonding experience for man and his home. We made it though tornado warnings, monsoons, and even a little tent flying while attached by rope to our car. Langerado did more than bring man together with his basic needs for survival, it provided fan with a more diverse lineup than previous years with weather for northerners that felt like the first week of summer. Being a promising festival, I would gladly attend the next Langerado with the promises of improved sound quality, more hip hop artist, and the addition of a second alligator to at least keep the first one company. Thank you Langerado for making my first media coverage an genuinely interesting experience.
The last few days at Lollapalooza and hanging out in the city has been amazing. Festival goers have had perfect weather, no known cancellations and great sound. I think Chicago liked me too, but maybe a little to much. If this post seems broken up, it is due to the fact that I have been contentiously being moved to different terminals. So far I have spent 8 hours in the airport so far. The last day of Lollapalooza had a lineup of acts that made you want to stay at the festival. The first act I saw on Sunday would be The Whigs. The young trio seem very excited about playing the festival, which always adds to a show. The indie band occasionally would bust out some moves that made me believe that they were all once in a metal band.
The Raconteurs…
The guys working hard….
Nashville Sunday Night 