It’s happening again. One of summer’s biggest weekends in music is upon us. Lollapalooza, a three day outdoor music festival held downtown in Chicago’s Grant Park, begins this Friday, August 6th, and doesn’t stop until late Sunday night, August 8th. Dozens of artists, new and old, will be performing on one of Lolla’s eight stages this weekend. While certain headliners like Lady Gaga are a no-brainer, deciding between artists can be a bit tough. I’ve made it easy for you though, giving you my personal preferences on who to see when and why you should be there for their show. Here we go…
Friday, August 6th
Get to Grant Park early because you don’t want to miss B.o.B. who goes on at 11:30 A.M. (adidas MEGA) Why he plays so early? Not sure, but after seeing his performance, you’ll forget all about driving x number of hours at the crack of dawn. I vouched for B.o.B. earlier this summer, ranking him as one of the top performers of Bonnaroo, and my opinion hasn’t changed. Bringing a fresh rocker vibe to hip-hop, B.o.B. is doing something groundbreaking. Sure, we’re all getting pretty sick of “Airplanes,” but that doesn’t make it any less groundbreaking. Who ever though a rapper would collaborate with anyone from Paramore? His latest single, “Magic,” featuring Rivers Cuomo of Weezer, is just a taste of the unique blends of sound and genre on his album, “The Adventures of Bobby Ray.”
Friday evening, head to Perry’s for some bass in your face action courtesy of Caspa. (5:30-6:30 P.M.) A Dubstep producer from West London, Caspa has become a major name in electronic music. In the past eight years, he’s created three record labels, seen the skyrocketing success of Rusko (one of his artists), performed high-profile gigs like Glastonbury music fest, and has helped make Dubstep a commercial genre, remixing tracks like Ludacris’s “How Low Can You Go.” If you’re not already, I’m guaranteeing you will be addicted to Dubstep after this show.
Friday night headliner—Lady Gaga! (Parkways, 8:00-10:00 P.M.) Have fun little monsters…
Saturday
, August 7th
Catch an afternoon set by The xx he who go on at 3:15 P.M. (PlayStation) Although it was released a year ago in August of 2009, their album, “XX,” achieved a lot of buzz this summer (did you see it on Indy CD & Vinyl’s top ten rack? It was there). With a male/female vocal duo, The xx is the perfect amount of indie against the perfect amount of pop. It’s a combination you don’t get sick of….let me know how they sound live.
Saturday evening you can catch yet another male/female vocal duo with Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros (Sony bloggie, 6:30-7:30 P.M.) You may have already seen them perform earlier this summer at The Vogue, where they took the stage on June 8. With 10 members in all, The Zeros really just seem like one big happy family. Bringing emotion, nostalgia, and lyrics-you-can’t-wait-to-hear-more-than-once to their indie-folk melodies, seeing these guys live is sure to be an unforgettable experience.
Saturday night headliner—skip Green Day and go see Phoenix (Budweiser 8:30-10:00 P.M.)
Sunday, August 8th
Lots to see on Sunday, starting with New-York trio, Yeasayer (Budweiser, 4:00-5:00 P.M) To me, Yeasayer sums up the sound of a music festival. They’re a little bit electro, a little bit dance, a little bit rock, and a lot upbeat. They’re kind of like a version of The Black Keys crossed with Chromeo—at least that’s what I’m hearing. Either way, their singles, “Ambling Alp,” and “O.N.E.” are anthems you don’t want to miss live.
MGMT is your next stop (Budweiser, 6:00-7:15 P.M.) Like Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, MGMT stopped by Indy’s own Vogue earlier this summer too, playing on June 14. While their sophomore album, “Congratulations,” which was released April of this year, flopped a bit more than the band and their fans would have liked, the boys are still going strong, touring the country and still pleasing crowds with their sets by mixing new with old.
Sunday night headliner—Arcade Fire (Budweiser, 8:30-10:00 P.M.)
No matter which bands you choose to see, a weekend full of music is a weekend that can’t be topped. Lollapalooza is bigger than ever this year: Over 130 bands on 115 acres of space, with the expected number of attendees up to 95,000 per day. If you’re one in the crowd, I wish you well. Have fun, and rock on.
More info at www.lollapalooza.com
