Friday morning comes early after a night out in Chicago. But the summer weather wakes us up, as we get ready to start our legendary weekend at Lollapalooza in Grant Park. We arrive at the festival entrance in a cab alongside thousands of others, following the distant sounds of amplifiers, electronic bass and singing crowds. Walking down the closed off main road, we gain a sense of how large this festival area is.
Hilarious drunken dancing, girls falling in the mud, the spectacular Chicago skyline and expensive cheeseburgers all capture my attention as we make our way to each concert.
Lollapalooza is a 3-day music festival, hosting 8 stages and a variety of alternative, rock, hip-hop and EDM artists. I saw dozens of indie rock bands, some bigger acts, and a few DJ's as well.
The festival is a marathon. Concerts start at noon and go on until about 10:30 that night. 3 days of live music, with a lot of speed walking, crowd dodging, and standing for hours on end is definitely exhausting… but it made for one of the best weekends I’ve had in my entire life.
The bass from the DJ stage pounds in my chest from a half-mile away. Friday night, The Arctic monkeys’ lead singer, Alex Turner’s, vocals lures one of the largest crowds of the festival. John Butler, of John Butler Trio’s, guitar work is uncanny. Head and the Heart’s performance leads into the action packed Saturday night -- hosting Outkast and Calvin Harris -- perfectly, with an undemanding indie folk set. The pouring rain during The Avett Brothers, Cage the Elephant and Sebastian Ingrosso, brings a spontaneous energy to each of these artists’ performances respectively. Sunday night, Kings of Leon ends the weekend on a thoughtful note, encouraging the immense crowd to turn on their cellphone lights – demonstrating the grandiosity that encompasses the entire weekend.
When heading to a festival as ambitious as Lollapalooza, there are some things you need to keep in mind if you want to get the most out of your experience. And with that, here are some tips that I really think will be useful to those of you who want to take on big music festivals in the near future.
1. Turn your phone off. You’re at a music festival. Be in the moment. If you want your phone on for videos or pictures (which I highly recommend taking plenty of) put it on airplane mode. This way, you don’t waste battery for when you actually need your phone when you lose your friend, Smitty . (Because you will lose Smitty at one point or another).
2. Choose wisely whom you decide to go with. Try to go with people who have similar intentions and expectations as you. There’s a lot of decision making that goes into music festivals. There’s nothing wrong with splitting up for a few concerts, but try to go to with people who generally want to see the same kind of music or have a similar motivation as you. EXAMPLE -- if you’re super into rap, don’t go with Johnny Hipster who just wants to see the random indie bands. And if you’re just super into music in general, don’t go with that dude who’s just there for the house music and the event of being at a festival. That guy isn’t going to care about getting good spots for bands and it’ll get awkward when you can’t agree on anything schedule wise.
3. Don’t be the dude who aggressively muscles his way to the front. It’s cool to try to get a good spot early on, or even right before a concert… that is if there’s actually a little space to get through. But don’t be the dude who’s just pushing through everyone. You’re not going to make that much of a difference, and you won’t make any friends in the crowd.
4. Leave artists you don’t care that much about to get good spots for artists you care a lot about. Waiting 30 minutes for front row spots for your favorite band is definitely worth it.
5. Plan a lot beforehand. These festivals host so many different kinds of musicians. A lot of these artists play at the same time as well, so you’ll find yourself making tough decisions. Spend a few days/weeks/months listening to the artists you don’t know and be open to music you may not usually listen to. You’ll find yourself loving a few of the small acts, and chances are, it won’t be difficult getting good spots for their concerts.
6. Be realistic with locations. Some venues at these types of festivals are 10-15 minute walks apart and some venues can be super close. Take that into account when planning out whom you want to see.
7. Take short lines over quality food. You didn’t spend 300 some bucs to eat gourmet French dining. Buy a mediocre burrito and head over to that next concert. Let the sheep wait in line.
8. Speaking of sheep, most people are sheep. So, use them to your advantage. If you’re not that into one of the hugely popular acts, head the opposite direction to avoid the herds.
9. Same goes for porta potties. Sheep will wait in line for the bathroom when there are multiple open porta potties. Don’t be a sheep.
10. Don’t think you’re too cool to enjoy live music. You can sing-along to songs you like, and dance like a weirdo. You’re at a music festival. No one is paying attention to you. So you can act like an idiot… but don’t be a tool about it.
11. Urinate and consume liquid wisely. It’s cool to stay hydrated on long summer days out in the sun, and drink some beer or whatever you want to do. But be smart about it. The last thing you want is to be waiting in line for one of your favorite bands and have to leave to pee.
12. Pee, eat and drink with your friends. Stay on the same schedule with them. It’s not fun trying to find people when your phones are all dead. But if you want to separate for whatever reason, just set up a meeting spot and you won't have any problem finding each other.
13. Don’t be the guy who has to poop. It’ll suck for you and for everyone else who’s waiting for you. Poop in the morning. If you have to poop, do it while your friends are eating or figure out a way to not have to poop anymore.
14. Don’t sweat sleep. Chances are, you’re not going to get a ton of sleep. Adrenaline will be running high; you’ll be hanging out at night and getting up early to start the fun. Your body can handle a weekend without your 8 hours… But if you’re feeling a little sleepy, the therapeutic sound of live music will wake you up and make everything better.
15. Don’t be a wimp. Don’t complain about stuff that doesn’t matter. No one cares how much your feet hurt. Everyone’s in the same boat.
16. Lastly, be positive. Don't be a bummer. You don’t necessarily have to high five the dorky dudes that try to high five everyone outside the porta potty and food/beverage lines. But be happy. That’s why you’re there.
At Lollapalooza, just about every performance brought something unique to the experience. When you’re seeing roughly 8 acts a day though, it can be tough to keep track – in detail – of every artists’ performance. I notice however, it is generally easier to recall the concerts of the artists I already knew I liked beforehand. But, often at festivals like this, you’ll find yourself pleasantly surprised by a few random acts. So, being as objective as possible, here are my top 8 acts of the weekend. (In descending order)
8. Phosphorescent - Lead singer Matthew Houck’s raspy vocals mixed with their quirky folk style made for an awesome low-key concert on Saturday afternoon. Highlights - Ride on/Right on, Song For Zula
7. Bleachers – This brand new band just came out with their first album, Strange Desire. They played nearly every song on the LP. Apparently though, they’ve been playing together for quite a few years, and this came out in their confident stage presence. Highlights: Like a River Runs, I Wanna Get Better, Wild Heart, Dreams by The Cranberries Cover
6. The Kooks - Lead singer, Luke Pritchard, is like a young Mick Jagger. With his hilarious, poko-dot pants, and stellar dance moves, he dominates the stage. The Kooks have a lot of sing-along, fun hits to choose from. And they didn’t really surprise, performing most – if not all – their popular songs. Their new single, sounds MUCH better live too. Highlights: Happy (Junk of the Heart), Always Where I Need to Be, Down.
5. Head and the Heart – This Seattle based indie folk act performed at the perfect time of day – With the sun setting, rivers and roads made for a crowd-pleasing closure. Highlights: Rivers and Roads, Another Story, Lost in My Mind
4. Lucius - This Brooklyn based 5 piece band consists of two charistmatic young ladies, with matching 50s house wife haircuts, retro shades and dresses, who share lead vocals and keyboard. These girls’ vocals make the band, but it is their stage presence and live energy that make them one of the best acts I saw all weekend. Highlights: Go Home, Don’t Just Sit There, Wildewoman
3. Grouplove - These guys created a unique energy in the crowd. A lot of their songs have a -- catch on after first listen – feel to them. Each song was a huge hit, and there wasn’t much of a discintion in energy between their most popular songs and much less known tracks. Highlights: Tongue Tied, Shark Attack, Spun, Love Will Save Your Soul
2. The Arctic Monkeys - Lead singer and guitarist, Alex Turner, destroyed the stage Friday night. As a headlining closing act, this British act demonstrated their authority as one of the most exciting live performances of the entire festival. Turner has a hilarious stage presence – And when he spoke between songs, he sounded extremely intoxicated. But that’s all cool because he’s a rock legend. Highlights Do I Wanna Know?, No. 1 Party Anthem, Dancing Shoes
1. The Avett Brothers – Out of Concord, North Carolina, these guys are a 7-piece indie folk/rock group. With over 100 songs to choose from, it is almost guaranteed you’ll get a unique experience each time you see these guys live. Seth and Scott Avett, brothers, lead singers and acoustic guitar and banjo players respectively, create a whole lot of sound as a duo. And backed up by drums, cello, stand up bass and violin, this group creates a whole lot of sound.
Without any true radio hits, The Avett Brothers pride themselves on their ability to draw in more fans from their standout live performances. And even though they don’t necessarily have any hits, they were undeniably one of the most popular shows of the weekend. Tracks like Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promises, Kick Drum Heart and I and Love and You had the audience screaming at the top of their lungs.
Highlights: I and Love and You, Kick Drum Heart, Morning Song, Down With the Shine, Head Full of Doubt/Heart Full of Promises, Laundry Room
Best song of the festival – Head Full of Doubt/Heart Full of Promises – The crowd went nuts, and this songs sums up pretty much everything I love about The Avett Brothers.
This was definitely not an easy list to make, as I enjoyed almost every concert. And some of my favorite bands didn’t even make it (Kings of Leon and Foster the People to name a few). I also realize I didn’t include any DJ’s or rappers. Outkast, Sebastion Ingrosso, RAC and Calvin Harris were all pretty awesome, but for me, electronic and hip-hop concerts don’t really compare to the energy of a live rock band… Just my opinion.
Anyway, Lollapalooza is really something special. If you have the spare cash to make the trek to Chicago and if next year’s lineup is anything like this past weekend’s, buy a ticket, take my festival advice and I guarantee you’ll have the time of your life.
