Lollapalooza

It’s a fine summer day, especially when you’ve got air-conditioned buses and lots of water for fans for want to take a load off in between wicked sets.  Ones like British heartbreaker Bats for Lashes and Aussie troubadours The Greencards put on earlier for eager fans.

The Greencards host a hoedown (in Chicago!)

Bat For Lashes played many instruments during her set, including a tambourine

Literally, the coolest festival goers in Grant Park at one of the many CTA chill stations

Photos by Jack Edinger and Dave Mead from the Lollapalooza 2009 Flickr

Whether its hula hoops or hair,  Lolla’s littlest guests are having a blast along with their older festival counterparts down in Grant Park.  Kidzapalooza’s been a hot spot for special events this year, hosting a duet with LeAnn Rimes and Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell as well as a special appearance by Blues behemoth Buddy Guy at guitar prodigy Quinn Sullivan’s set.

A young Lolla fan demonstrating why punk’s not dead

You can never have too many hula hoops

Photos by Jack Edinger from the Lollapalooza 2009 Flickr

Last night, in a pleasing one-two punch for Lolla attendees, Ben Harper and Relentless 7 took their audience by storm right before the Yeah Yeah Yeahs proceeded to blow everyone away again. Here’s some eye candy!

Eveningwear by the always eccentric Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Ben Harper and Relentless 7 get into it

Photos by Dave Mead and Jack Edinger from the Lollapalooza 2009 Flickr

Another day, another extraordinary lineup at Lolla.

This afternoon presents some fantastic choices for the throngs of modern musical connoisseurs down in Grant Park.  Car Stereo (Wars) will be mashing things up at Perry’s Stage at 1:30, so head on over ASAP.  It’s never too early to start dancing.  If you’re looking for some mellow Americana (made by Australian Austonians), The Greencards will be over on the BMI Stage.  British multi-instrumentalist Natasha Khan, better known as Bat For Lashes, is staking her claim in American soil at VitaminWater.  This is all to say, regardless of your tastes, you’ve no reason not to be rocking.

A little later, we’ve got LA’s The Airborne Toxic Event sprawling out in the sun at 2:30, The Raveonettes hawking go go noise-pop at 3:30, and Canada’s most important export, alternative-country songstress Neko Case at 4:30 on the Budweiser stage.  There’s a killer schedule to be made here, but we know you’ve probably already got that covered.

At this point in the afternoon, it’s time to tighten your shoelaces and start hopping lily pads to catch this incredible series: Vampire Weekend, Passion Pit, Cold War Kids, Deerhunter, and Band of Horses.  They’re playing in quick succession, so you’ll be getting some exercise.  If you’re indie-rocked out, you could always catch this one rapper.  We think his name is…um…Snoop Dogg?  Yeah, he’s out here at Lollapizzle.

After you get sweaty with MSTRKRFT over at Perry’s Stage, it’s time to make your final choice of the fest.  As the sun sets, Las Vegas arena rockers The Killers will be setting up shop at the Chicago 2016 stage while Lollapalooza’s founding father Perry Farrell readies a reunited Jane’s Addiction over at Budweiser.  Whoever you decide to catch, you can’t go wrong.

We can’t believe it’s already Sunday.  It’s like they say: time flies when you’re having fun.  If you’re like us and don’t want to let go just yet, take a walk down memory lane with this video we put together of Friday’s high points.

No shortage of great coverage this morning from Lollapalooza’s Saturday showing.  Delta Spirit impressed a lot of people with their early set.  They were so at ease that halfway through their songs, lead singer Mike Vasquez rang his brother up so the crowd could congratulate him on his wedding day.  Nice guys.   The late Beatle George Harrison’s son Dhani also played early with his new group Thenewno2, showing that talent runs in the family.  Having played smaller stages at past Lollas, Los Campesinos! quickly acclimated to a bigger one, giving their many members room to stretch out and kick their energetic indie into high gear, in another much talked-about Saturday set. Over at the Citi stage, Chairlift took control of their catchy, upbeat repertoire to crowds ready to dance.  Speaking of dancing, Atmosphere rocked so hard, they made journalists in the MTV tent green with envy that they weren’t at the show!  Maybe next year, guys.

Suffice it to say, the afternoon was packed with extraordinary performances: Glasvegas touted their peppy shoegaze, Rise Against took no prisoners, and Ida Maria threw modesty out the window, revving the crowd with her hilariously racy song intros.  The show-must-go-on award of the day, surely goes to No Age guitarist Randy Randall, who didn’t let a dislocated shoulder prevent him from giving fans what they came to see.  From all acounts, Santigold and Lykke Li stole the show (and, likely, a few hearts), giving admiring crowds exactly what they came to see from the two talented modern-day divas.  Animal Collective kept things experimental while, at the other end of the park, Ben Harper and Relentless 7 cherry-picked the singer’s deep catalog for an ear-pleasing set in the cool of the evening.

Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs stepped up to the task of bringing it all home, sauntering onto stage in a psychedelic Native American headdress, keeping the zealous audience in a trance through tracks from their albums It’s Blitz and Show Your Bones.  Tool owned, and there’s no other way to put it.  The brooding prog-metal pioneers shredded through all their finest cuts for a fanatical crowd, channeling all the collective energy left at the park into a meticulously controlled explosion that washed over the thousands gathered there.  Going off what we’ve seen so far, Sunday is looking good.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs acoustic version of “Maps”

Lykke Li in the middle of a stunning set

Tool play “Stinkfist”

Lolla attendees had ample time to dry out today as the weather improved and summer reclaimed Chicago.  Friday was notable for showcasing the resilience of fans, as well as the performers who stepped up to the challenge of putting on fantastic shows to reward the dedication of those seeking a good time.  That ended up being pretty much everybody.  Saturday’s musical celebrations were even further off the hook, with absolutely nothing standing between fans and their music.  Lolla’s acts took full advantage of this spirit, delivering another series of exemplary productions.  The Internet was abuzz with chatter anticipating sets from The Delta Spirit and Thenewno2, who kicked off the day, living up to the hype.  Also making good on a boatload of buzz were Britain’s ensemble darlings Los Campesinos! and Swedish dark-poppers Miike Snow, who anchored an afternoon that bode well for the rest of the day.  With evening approaching quickly, big shows came thick and fast from the likes of Animal Collective, Ben Harper, Glasvegas, Santigold, No Age, TV on the Radio and Lykke Li.  Saturday headliners Tool and Yeah Yeah Yeahs left us with a warm feeling–the latter doing a rousing acoustic rendition of “Maps”–holding down those much sought-after end-of-day slots with power and grace. Another fun-filled, worry-free day in the bag, we’re already looking ahead to tomorrow.

Tool rocks into the night

Grant Park as evening descends

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Memorable moments are popping up all over Lolla today, both onstage and off.  From a special appearance by blues legend Buddy Guy at the Kidzapalooza tent to the mind-blowing DJ prowess of Kaskade down at Perry’s Stage.  Here’s some fresh pics!

Kaskade moves the crowd at Perry’s

Perry’s Stage hosted lots of Saturday’s best acts, including Moneypenny

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More grassroots coverage from the jamboree going on in Grant Park!

@tylus: “Los Campesinos! #lollapalooza ‘09″

@ryanlange: “Living things at q101 tent”

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Whether or not you were able to catch yesterday’s shows, you can relive those great memories (or live vicariously) through the great coverage of Lolla in the following recap posts we’ve gathered from across the ‘Net:

• Friday’s fest from the perspective of a very appreciative Lolla newbie. – Time Out Chicago
• A rational, level-headed take on choosing between last night’s headliners. – Wall St. Journal
• Smart, strident opinions from several staff bloggers on their experiences at Lolla ’09’s opening day. – Chicagoist
• Diggin’ on Perry’s Stage, MTV liked festival-goers dancing in the dark. – MTV
• When your city is the home of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, you know a good lineup when you see it. – Cleveland Scene
• Video and commentary from one of the most revered music mags in the country. – Rolling Stone