For the 10th year, the music festival Lollapalooza took over Grant Park in downtown Chicago with a record number of attendees—more than 300,000 over three days.
Additional photos at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/photospreadthumbs.php .
Day one ( Aug. 1 ) had many notable moments. After a light rain, things kicked into high gear with festival mastermind Perry Farrell and wife Etty Lau dancing on the stage named after him.
Popular rapper Iggy Azalea brought her backup dancers and cheerleader choreography. Many young girls were overwhelmed against the barricades with the massive crowd hoping to catch a glimpse of the "Fancy" lyricist. They were removed by security and medics, with some of them left sobbing.
Things were much calmer with another artist who has a teenage following; Lorde was dramatic as ever and had a bit of a sound problem that was quickly fixed. Like her lyrics say, "white-teeth teens are out," and they were with some parents who were possibly there for protection from the pushy concert ticket-holders.
The Grove Stage once again proved the place to see some of the up-and-coming acts such as Phantogram. It was at this stage where singer-songwriter Dev Hynes and his girlfriend, Samantha Urbani from Blood Orange, claimed they were assaulted by security specifically hired for that stage ( not through Lollapalooza ) and now plan on suing.
As far as this photographer is concerned, the photo pits were handled well, with only a few security officers having power trips. Lollapalooza's pits seemed more relaxed and roomier than Pitchfork's, in fact.
Bands worth watching from this first day were the stunning Chvrches and the very popular Arctic Monkeys.
Hopefully, fans didn't miss Rihanna dropping in on Eminem's set to close the night as they performed three of their Top 40 hits together.
The Hard Rock Hotel then hosted an afterparty with artsy singer Lykke Li, along with DJ sets from teen sensation Joe Jonas and Lady Gaga collaborator White Shadow.
Day two had lots of eye candy, with the sun forcing the minions to shed clothing.
Singer Kate Nah brought young girls up to sit on the Bud Light stage during her set while The Temper Trap's Dougy Mandagi belted an impressive vocal range over the field in front of the Lake Shore stage.
Fitz & the Tantrums boosted energy at the Samsung Galaxy stage that carried over into Foster the People's mood, with both acts seeming to be a bit overwhelmed with the large space. Windy City Times has covered these now-popular acts in small, intimate venues.
Manchester Orchestra was noisy, while Spoon seemed a little plainly dressed for a rock band. The crowd for Nas was so large, it seemed dangerous for the area; later, the tree-covered Grove Stage had a more relaxed vibe with singer Jenny Lewis and electronic group Cut Copy. Oukast continually asked its massive crowd if they were having a good time as fireworks exploded; Chicago EDM trio Krewella showed fans a good time by singing over its pounding beats. Calvin Harris was a high-energy finish to the night for space-cadet dancers.
Day three started off hot and humid, and then had intermittent downpours. Music acts were not stalled much since there was no lightning. Unlike in past years there was no evacuation from storms, so the diehards had to wait out the spurts.
Jack Antonoff—from pop music Fun. and his own band, Bleachers—rocked except for a bad choice of a Cranberries cover; however, like his new tracks says, he wants to "get better." Later in the same space, London Grammar proved the perfect soundtrack to a rainy Sunday. The band The 1975 even mentioned it brought the weather straight from Manchester; then, disco boys Chromeo had everyone dancing to funky tunes.
Patient people stayed picking either rockers Kings of Leon or local poet Chance the Rapper on opposing stages, then danced out the door to Skrillex.
Once again, the event featured unpredictable weather but that didn't stop many from enjoying an eclectic line-up that had something for everyone.
Visit www.lollapalooza.com for next year's schedule and check back often for ticket deals.
Text and photos by Jerry Nunn
