I'm going to lump all three days of the festival into one post, and do my best to keep it concise. I'm also going to go ahead and try to keep it about the music here, as opposed to getting distracted with all the amazing insanities that seem to come package-deal with festivals of this scale. Here we goo...
Friday
Bon Iver: I was curious how this would come across live. Vernon was accompanied by a four piece band, but the music was largely spare as was to be expected. While the music was excellent, but by its very nature not the ticket to excite a festival crowd. "Skinny Love" found fists pumping, but the cool and constant drizzle didn't help more intimate and less gripping songs like "Re: Stacks" or the Dark Was The Night track "Brackett, WI". Non LP track "Blood Bank" also made an appearrance, but, alas, there were no "Woods" to be found in Chicago that night. "For Emma" without the horns didn't quite soar, but "Creature Fear" ended things at a dynamic high point by eventually devolving into an avant-noise jam.
Fleet Foxes: The rain kept on falling, but the second set of folksters of the night played yet another note perfect set. The mix here was amazing, and the harmonies crystal, as expected. Despite being a folk band, Pecknold and crew construct mini-epics which at their apex soar with just as much fist pumping triumph as any power ballad. If you've ever heard "Ragged Wood" amongst thousands of soggy fans, heads back roaring along the lyrics "Tell me anything you want, any old lie will do..", than you know what exactly I'm talking about.
Andrew Bird: As good as so many acts I saw this weekend were, no one can touch the musicianship of Andrew Bird. As a classicly trained violinist I have no doubts he could play in any ensemble, as a singer his small frame evokes a voice that effortlessly rings out to fill the voluminous empty spaces above, and as a whistler, as silly as it sounds, there is not a bird on earth who is not jealous. As a performer he turned over loop after loop of this gold faster than my mind could keep up with what exactly he was doing, and consistently constructed soundscapes populated richly by violin stabs, falling vocal cadences, and precisely harmonized tweets. Then, on a note, it all scaled back to that initial loop and those equally dense lyrics. I was blown away, and a set list including opener "Fiery Crash" and "Scythian Empires" didn't hurt. Other highlights included "Effigy", "Anonanimal", and sweeping closer "Tables And Chairs".
Kings Of Leon: If nothing else, this set was a reminder of how many truly great songs Kings Of Leon have written, and man are there a lot of them across only four albums. Their rise to festival headliner status was propelled by their most recent "Only By The Night", which in many circles has earned the group sell out status. Frontman Caleb Followill handled such concerns modestly on a couple of occasions. "Thanks for making us feel like a much bigger band than we really are" he told the crowd after mentioning "millions" of other bands who probably deserved it as much as them. "A lot of people have lost faith in Kings Of Leon", he later admitted, "but, f*ck it, were having the time of our lives- right?" That they must have been, as the crowd was the largest I personally saw all weekend, extending beyond the opposite Playstation stage. Only the bassist looked like he had spent more than an hour picking his outfit for the set, but regardless the 12 or more screens in addition to the jumbotrons solidified the groups new arena rock position. Concerning the music, everything was played exactly as off the record, no jamming or added flair to be found. A few tracks were even slowed down quite a few beats per minute. This said, the music soared and so did the crowds voices singing along, particularly on "Sex On Fire". My personal favorites of the night included "Charmer", "On Call" and "The Bucket". Caleb Followill sports one of the most affecting visceral growls in rock history, and truly does deserve to be a star. Noticeably absent from the set was old favorite "California Waiting", and "Soft". Come on, you know you wanted to hear Caleb sing "I'm passed out in your garden, I'm in I can't get off" in front of the biggest crowd of his life..
In summary, Friday was mainly a chill day of beautifully performed folk music. We also saw fragments of The Decemberists (who opted to play 'Hazards of Love' straight through..) and Ben Folds.
Saturday
Los Campesinos!: I was not expecting this large of a crowd for this band, this early in the day, much less everyone being this into. The band actually didn't sound great, but oh the energy! How could you not get up for it? The 7 piece absolutely raced through these songs, with noise and yelping and stage diving antics tumbling in tow. "You! Me! Dancing!" an undeniably goofy song to say the least, to see this group play it live, became utterly anthemic. For some reason I wasn't surprised by the end when half the band was crowd surfing and the other half was still joyously banging away.
Band of Horses (Kidzapalooza): An overheard conversation led me to catch Band Of Horses playing a secret 15 minute set at the Kidzapalooza stage. Secret must have gotten out, as the crowd there swamped the tiny area. Of note was the new song played, "Nature". A very catchy tune, but I kind of hope that those were kid-version lyrics. Either way, this got me psyched to see them Sunday night.
Arctic Monkeys: A huge crowd turned out as Arctic Monkeys were definitely one of the more mainstream draws. It was obvious that these guys were used to headlining festivals in Europe too; they were all swagger. A very professional set, with a great mix. Somehow I would have liked to feel as if they were trying a little harder though..
Lykke Li: My favorite set of the weekend was hands down Lykke Li at the small Citi stage. As a fan of her subtly atmospheric pop driven record, I was in no way prepared for what was to come. She came on stage alone, draped in a black garment that flowed around her body in the wind, and started a beat on a lone woodblock. As the words to "Dance Dance Dance" started becoming evident, the band (all in black sports coats and wife beaters) filtered on and started filling out the verse. At the change a break in the sound, and then- explosion. Thundering floor toms, blaring keyboard, and a woman possessed writhing across the stage as she transformed a naive pop song into a ferocious sonic assault. The opener was followed by "Everybody But Me" and "I'm Good I'm Gone", possibly her three strongest tunes right off the bat, and the crowd never missed a beat. I was particularly thrilled when she called out Mike Snow to duet on her nervy cover of Kings Of Leon's "Knocked Up". The real thrill of this show however, was how she took familiar songs like "Little Bit" or "Hanging High" and portrayed them as something completely new, if only through sheer volume of the kick drum, while staying true to her minimalist tendencies. "Complaint Department" came in with that thick sample and had everyone moving as I couldn't have imagined; into "Let It Fall", which broke for a minute while the singer yelled in a thick swedish accent "I can't hee-ar yooo". Priceless. Faux-closer "Breaking It Up" brought the show to that next level of passion and energy which you are never convinced actually exists until it happens. "Tonight" ended the set, featuring the whole crowd desperately pleading back to the singer "Don't you let me go, let me go tonight!". It served as an amazing ending, not only due to the songs sweeping epic nature, but because it brought back into focus the Lykke Li of the record. On tape, she writes naive, little girl-esque tales about her shyness and insecurities. And yet on stage she is a force of nature, and similiarly does the music transform. It is a wonderful dynamic that only comes out in the show. I guess she really means it when she sings "Having trouble telling you how I feel, but I can dance, dance, dance."
Animal Collective: This was a big draw for me. I was curious to say the least, and though they've never been a favorite of mine, avant garde music has always been something I've given an ear too. I've never seen a band so eager to displease 95% of everyone at a show however. I only stayed for ten minutes of the structure-less drone; it was obvious that even if we did get to hear "My Girls" it wouldn't be any fun. At least I got to hear my buddy use the most epic pick up line ever dropped: "Do you know that your dancing in 7/8?"
Bassnectar: San Francisco DJ in the dance tent. Its a cop out, but if you really have to ask about this one, you'll probably never know.
In summary, Saturday was hotter, sweatier, dancier, higher energy in general. Could Sunday really top it?
Sunday
Kaiser Chiefs: British pop rock bands like Kaiser Chiefs have never truly struck me as legitamate musicians, and so while keeping in touch with what is going on across the pond I tend not to give it the time of acts from other scenes. Knowing a couple of there songs however, I checked them out expecting about the same as I saw from the Arctic Monkeys. These Brits, however, definitely came on like they had something to prove. Lead singer Ricky Wilson was nuts, and the music was tenacious. Jumping in the crowd, climbing the stage supports, bucking across the stage completely out of control just to barely get back to the mic for the chorus, nothing was off limits. "Everyday I Love You Less And Less" and "Ruby" were both highlights, but "I Predict A Riot", in Wilson's own words, was "f*ckin mental."
Dan Deacon: A show which, while being a bit of a blur, I will always remember. For making such crazy music, and being such a goofy fellow himself (what with the purple T-shirts and dorky glasses and whatnot..) Deacon is a bit touchy when it comes to the mix apparently. After some banter with the sound engineer the show was underway. With three drummers, two mallets, three synths, two guitars, Deacon doing whatever it is he does, and some horns along the back, the sound was absolutely huge. Even though it was hardly needed, the famed crowd participation antics of Deacon all went down, including emotional forays involving hands on strangers sweaty heads, giant human dance tunnels, and swaying circles that eventually built to a pulsating mob inanely heaving garbage in the air. For the end of the set, 14 brass came forward with their toes on the edge of the stage, and the noise that erupted sent 10,000+ people into frenzy. Having danced up to the very front the chaos was unbelievable. After the set, I wandered over to a grassy hill, disoriented, and briefly collapsed. Amazing.
Vampire Weekend: As you would expect, they were very good. I'm not sure how Vampire Weekend could amp up their show to fill the festival atmosphere they found themselves in, but they played all the hits, and the danceable pop tunes left everyone pretty much satisfied. Not to mention, I got a chance to drop an epic pick up line of my own (I'd been saving this one up): "Is your bed made? Is your sweater on?"
Band Of Horses: I liked Band Of Horses before this show, now I love Band Of Horses. Their large reverb laden brand of americana rock proved to be just the ticket to capping off an amazing weekend. While usually getting thrown in the vocal camp with the likes of My Morning Jacket or Fleet Foxes, I was surprised by the immediacy of singer Mat Brooke's voice. The singer was obviously having a ball, always good for a few whoops or "Thank you so much!'s" from underneath his cowboy hat between songs. When the set was slated to end, "Funeral" predictably started playing, and man was it huge. What no one expected was for the band to go on for four more songs- and no one was complaining. When the band closed with personal favorite "The General Specific", the energy had reached heights that no country romp should be able to maintain. What puzzled me however, was this show in juxtaposition to a couple songs I caught from a weak Cold War Kids set earlier in the day. Both are bands about the same age, having made two records each, who play nostalgic rock, and yet one almost shattered the earth with their set while the other sputtered. It just goes to show the talent and scope that Band of Horses posess.
DeadMau5: Again, do you have to ask? Prob not as hypnotic as Bassnectar, but this was the final night of Lollapalooza people.
An amazing city, amazing music, great people, great times, great festival. My overall winners were Andrew Bird, Lykke Li, and Band of Horses, with great surprises from Dan Deacon and Los Campesinos!. Next year Bonnaroo? Hopefully I'll see you there. Shows are where music happens people, and music is always a good thing.
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