No clever story to open up day two. We got to Grant Park, and our first stop was…
Grouplove:
Currently, this L.A. based band only has a self-titled 6-track LP. As the band took the stage I was immediately impressed with their look. The lead singer and guitarist both looked like punk rock surfer bums with their long messy hair, tan skin, and ripped up jeans. The drummer looked like he was preparing for a high school track meet with his short running shorts and light tank top. The female vocalist was wearing a long sleeved sun dress, looking like something straight out of “Little House On The Prairie”. Finally, the bassist wore black shoes, black dress pants, a short sleeved black dress shirt and a black hat, complete with a great big black beard. On to the music.
They opened with “Don’t Say Oh Well”, off of the LP. On the first listen, it is very easy to sing along with. Their first full length album, Never Trust A Happy Song, comes out September 13th, and a good number of songs they played are off that album, so I can’t exactly go back and listen to the songs I loved during the show. These songs include “Lovely Cup”, “Itching On A Photograph”, “Spun”, and “Tongue Tied”. “Spun” was interesting in the fact that it features a ukulele, (or some similar instrument) and despite the happy Hawaiian ukulele sound, the lead guitar has an aggressive distortion while driving the chorus. This band was super enjoyable. Songs from their LP include “Gold Coast”, “Naked Kids”, and the finale: “Colors”. This was a fun band, and I can’t wait for their album to come out. Another unknown band opened the day with a high standard, just like the first day. We had a little bit of time before the next band we wanted to see, but after refilling our water and getting an early jump on lunch, we made our way to one of the main stages for…
Fitz & The Tantrums:
I’ve been following this band since they broke onto the scene last year, and saw them last winter in Cleveland, at the Grog Shop. This was the band I was most excited to see on this second day. They came out and opened with “Breakin’ The Chains Of Love”, just as their album Pickin’ Up The Pieces does. They then went in to one of my personal favorite album cuts, “Winds Of Change”. I noticed the band didn’t seem to generate much energy in the crowd. Maybe the set list was a reason for that. They were two songs in to the set, and already turning it down mellow. I love the song, but I just don’t think it had the needed energy for Lollapalooza. “Don’t Gotta Work It Out” was next, and follows the trend of being slower paced. “Wake Up” was slightly more upbeat, but still the crowd didn’t respond much. This continued through “Pickin’ Up The Pieces” and “Rich Girls”. Then they busted out a cover, originally by The Raconteurs: “Steady As She Goes”. This seemed to breathe life into the crowd. That seemed to be all it took to get the ball rolling. Lead singer Michael Fitzpatrick and co-singer Ms. Noelle Scaggs now had everyone’s attention, and got full fan participation in “Dear Mr. President”. “L.O.V.” and “News For You” were played with maximum energy, as well as their second cover of the show, “Sweet Dreams”. It was time for the final song, and everyone who knew had even just heard them on the radio knew what was coming. It seemed everyone there was singing along to “Moneygrabber”. After the show, the crowd erupted in applause. I was a little worried when the show started, but they definitely finished strong. My friend was torn between two different bands at this time slot, but I convinced him to see Fitz. He was more than happy with the result. Now we were on to a band of his choosing…
Death From Above 1979:
I may never let my friend live this one down. We listened to three songs, and left. They all sounded similar. It sounded like the singer was trying to be loud, but instead of singing loudly, he was just screaming. The guitarist, however, was using way too much distortion to make out any sort of distinct or crisp and purposeful notes. Afterwards, my friend made me sit down and listen to a song by them, to prove that he did have a reason for wanting to see them. I will admit that the studio material is much better than their live performance. Unfortunately, Lollapalooza is a live venue, and studio work alone will not get the job done. Next, we saw a band I did not plan on seeing, but the schedule made it possible…
Big Audio Dynamite:
I could write forever about how The Clash changed my life. I could write about how when I was 12 years old, my dad played London Calling and it changed everything I thought I knew about music. We all have that one band that made us rediscover music and reevaluate everything we knew in a brand new light. For me, that was The Clash. Joe Strummer is dead, and The Clash have been dead even longer. But The Clash’s guitarist and Big Audio Dynamite front man, Mick Jones is still alive, and surely, seeing the man who played so many riffs for the band I loved would count for something, right? Unfortunately, no. I tried to love Big Audio Dynamite. I really did TRY to enjoy their music while preparing for Lollapalooza, but I just couldn’t do it. They played “Sightsee M.C!”, “BAD”, and closed the set with “Rush”, but I couldn’t get in to it, not even live. I kept hoping for a song by The Clash. I knew they wouldn’t play one… but I hoped anyways. My 12 year old self was dying to hear that riff from “Should I Stay Or Should I Go”. I walked away before the set was over, and listened to the end with my eyes closed lying on a hill, trying to hide from the sun. It was great to see Mick Jones play, and I totally understand his love for Big Audio Dynamite, but it’s just not the same Mick Jones that is cemented in my imagination. Moving on…
Local Natives:
While talented, these guys were ultimately unimpressive. Their song “Wide Eyes” was good, but everything else seemed to merely fill the background. I kept wandering off in thought, looking up at the airplanes overhead. (Ironically, they have a song titled “Airplanes”.) At one point I got “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster The People from the day before going through my head. Local Natives are very folky and chill. I did enjoy watching their two drummers. One sat behind a traditional set, while the other had a myriad of percussion instruments at his disposal. However, they just did not keep me entertained. This might be good music to do homework to, or even to get you relaxed before sleep. I just could not pay attention. So far, Saturday just did not compare to Friday. Little did I know, that was all about to change as we went to see…
Beats Antique:
As we walked to the stage, we had to double check our schedules because there were very few people getting ready to see them. Our schedules confirmed the start time. We figured this was because Cee Lo Green was playing all the way across the park. (On the train ride home, we heard he put on a very uninspiring show.) The music started, and the eastern rhythms filled the area. These two guys from California were experts at crafting this music without vocals. They had some help from some musicians, with clarinets and various instruments. The keyboard player also played drums on select songs, a sitar, violin, and managed the synthesizer as well. The drummer got out from behind the set occasionally to play keys. But let’s not kid ourselves; the music is not what sold this show…
Part way in to the first song, a belly dancer emerged from side stage. She was covered in tattoos. As the first song ended, she strapped on a bass drum, as worn by a member of a marching band. She proceeded to dance around the stage, playing along with the band. At this time, four more dancers came on to the stage, all wearing skin tight skeleton costumes while they slinked and crawled into position in the front of the stage, while the first belly dancer / bass drummer left. As the skeletons danced on stage for a while, another dancer entered from behind the band. She was dressed as a goddess, and had other dancers behind her, manipulating her wings, making it look as though she was flying. When the goddess entered, it scared the skeletons away.
No, I am not making any of this up.
The goddess left the stage, and two new skeletons began creeping their way to the stage. These skeletons stripped to reveal women wearing harlequin type outfits underneath. They danced about the stage for a while, only to shoot off guns containing confetti upon the ending of their song. Next, three new dancers entered, all wearing white nurse outfits, but also wearing gas masks. They each had a chair to sit on and dance on through the song. After a few minute they removed the gas masks and continued dancing. They exited the stage, and although we had been shocked at everything we had seen so far, it all still seemed fairly reasonable. The dancers and songs had “themes” and it all seemed to go together.
The finale was all out random madness. Dancers (male and female) came on to the stage wearing various animal heads. The band members also put on animal masks. The female dancers from throughout the show all came back on stage, this time they were wearing luchador masks. They all danced, wrestled, and shot off more confetti guns. Next to the time I saw Alice Cooper, this was the most incredible, over-the-top stage show I have ever seen. This is going to make it very difficult for us to enjoy…
My Morning Jacket:
We honestly were not very excited for either of the main headliners Saturday night: My Morning Jacket and Eminem. My Morning Jacket was just closer to the stage we saw Beats Antique on. We saw My Morning Jacket play “Circuitual”, but it was just not exciting. We decided to make our way over to Eminem since he would be playing with more energy, and that’s what we needed. But we never made it to Eminem. We stopped at the tent where DJs were mixing music. The night before, we were passing by and it looked like a good time. And it’s there I attended my first rave. We saw…
Pretty Lights:
With a name like Pretty Lights, you better put on a good light show. He did put on a good light show. He had a big screen behind him projecting vivid images and vibrant graphics. It was an hour and a half filled with fat beats, glow lights, and jumping up and down. Also, it just wouldn’t have been a proper rave if we weren’t offered drugs. No worries, that got checked off the list. The only thing that really stood out was at 10:00 pm sharp the power was pulled and he was cut off.
The show ended abruptly, and we made our way to the train.
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