Gaga for Lolla

© Gabrielle Sierra / RumBum.com

Lollapalooza stands apart from other music festivals such as Bonnaroo, Camp Bisco, and Coachella for several reasons. One of the biggest differences is that Lolla attendees stay in hotels, creating a vast contrast in the feel and general atmosphere of the fest. While gaining the pros of showers, day passes, and real beds, lost is the sense of togetherness that comes with spending three days and nights living in an isolated musical universe.

Since the sense of commitment is far less, a more particular crowd is drawn to the scene. Parents with young kids, underage teens, and those who would rather die than camp at a hippie fest now have the chance to experience a choice slice of a perhaps otherwise daunting experience. Drugs are not prevalent, and alcohol takes a much larger role in the scene. These factors all join to form a very different musical experience, which is, of course, equally awesome, but in a very different way.

Gaga Ooh La La

Day One kicked off with some awesome dancy options. Balkan Beatbox was the first band to take on the Parkways Foundation stage, getting the early crowd jumping and dancing with their Middle Eastern rap and house beats. The sun was beating down from a clear blue sky and the heat began to pick up, but dancers were not deterred from sticking around and kicking it to The Walkmen (playing across the way at the adidas MEGA stage) and then Raphael Saadiq, who brought a killer R&B vibe to the mix.

© Gabrielle Sierra / RumBum.comAfter a mid day munch of pork tacos or deep-dish pizza and a refill of the wine thermoses (yes, thermoses), Lolla-goers were back at it, mellowing out to New Pornographers before running over to catch Devo or Matt and Kim, who couldn’t have been more adorable and happy to be performing for the enthusiastic crowd. As the sun set Gaga obsessives began camping out by the front of the Parkways Foundation Stage. 

Those who did so caught the bumping sets of Chromeo and Hot Chip while the non-Gaga fans were able to tear themselves away from the growing crowd to catch the sweet blues of The Black Keys. Sadly, The Strokes were pitted against Gaga on completely different sides of Grant Park, sparking an all day debate between many a music lover.

Those who wound up at Gaga were treated to the inevitable over the top sets and costumes as well as great renditions of her biggest hits; however, these came along with the unexpected and constant stream of Gaga word vomit. The Fame Monster spent most of her two-hour set whining about the “obstacles” of her short career past including high school teasing and a poorly received set at Lollpalooza 2007. For some, these rants were too much to handle, and the crowd thinned significantly.

On the other hand, rumor has it that The Strokes were one of the fest’s highlights, playing their old hits as well as new album numbers.

Green Day n' Night

Day two got off to a bit of a slower start, gradually drawing a crowd that seemed twice as large as the previous day. Saturday also brought out the religious protesters, a group that stood outside Grant Parkwith confusingly misdirected signs such as “Women Are To Be Keepers At Home.” Angry religious zealots aside, the crowd was teeming with excitement, and the bright hot day brought a whole load of pumped up underage drinkers, music lovers, and able bodied dancers. Blues Traveler kicked it all off, bringing the late twenties crowd some old school hits. In the afternoon Gogol Bordello and Metric packed their respective fields, sparking some enthusiastic dancing (and in the case of Gogol, insane mosh pits and crowd surfing).

© Gabrielle Sierra / RumBum.comAs the sky lit up pink and a breeze gave relief to those who had already sweat out all their water, Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeros took to the smaller Sony bloggie stage, drawing a surprisingly large crowd. Fans scaled the trees and perched for a better view of the Wizard of Oz backdrop and large theatrical band. Sweet low-key serenades wrapped the responsive fans in a blanket of love, persuading most to stay to the end of the set before making a mad dash for Cut Copy.

Green Day was the headliner for the night, playing an unbelieveable set that turned out to be universally known as one of the best (if not the best) performance of the whole fest. Billie Joe Armstrong was a personality to reckon with, genuinely involving the crowd in every step. New hits were played but were far outnumbered by the always amazing hits from classic albums like Nimrod and Dookie. At one point, a fan was chosen to come on stage and perform Longview, and after being selected, this fantastic (male) fan proceeded to kiss Armstrong straight on the mouth. After performing, this lucky fan then received the guitar right off of the lead singer’s back. Another highlight was the few mash-up covers the band jammed out to, including a rendition of “Shout” that had everyone on the ground and up in the air. The night was electric, and ended with Empire Of The Sun, whose set ran a bit long, allowing for Green Day goers to catch some on the way out.

Black Hole Sun (Won't You Come?)

It wouldn’t be a music festival without a little rain, and Sunday morning brought a dose of this to Lolla festies. Pelting drops combined with a chilly wind persuaded some to grab brunch rather than head to the fields, but for those who bravely faced the elements, Neon Hitch rewarded with an energetic set.

© Gabrielle Sierra / RumBum.comThe sun began to shine through and bring the heat by 2 p.m., prompting festival veterans The Cribs to declare that it was the first time they had brought the sun to a music festival. Smaller crowds allowed for easy jumps between stages, helping fans to catch stellar DJ sets like the one performed by NERVO at Perry’s stage, while still digging the synth rock jams of Hockey or the indie beats of Minus the Bear. Japan X (a band who is pretty much the Japanese version of The Scorpions), performed their bizzare set by ending early and starting late, bringing fanatic tears from some equally bizzare young avid listeners.

Dinner was served with a side of Wolfmother, who blasted out a set that was clearly a major Lollapalooza highlight. Lead singer Andrew Stockdale flew across the stage in a series of Angus Young style kicks, and his unique voice resonated all the way to the center of the park. Afterwards, floating on a sea of new found fame, Temper Trap closed out their set with their hit “Sweet Disposition,” which, despite it’s over-load on the radio waves, gave the dancing crowd goosebumps with its tender notes and resonating lyrics.

Lollapalooza moved to a close with a bombardment of popular groups, drawing huge un-navigatable crowds to The National, driving some to seek the dancing space at the DJ tent for Flosstradamus and Felix Da Housecat.

Sunday headliner Soundgarden drew an older crowd, with Chris Cornell taking fans back with hits like Black Hole Sun. Those who were too young to appreciate the set (or just don’t care for Soundgarden’s breed of grunge) headed over to the other side of Grant Park for Arcade Fire. Unfortunately Cornell’s voice carried easily across the entire park, causing a sound conflict in the ears of listeners who were stuck furthest from the Arcade Fire stage. But those who wound their way forward got to catch the large band perform hits from their new album, complete with strings and harmonizing vocals. Although both Soundgarden and Arcade Fire’s sets were highly anticipated, one could not help but feel that the headliners had peaked during the night prior with Green Day. 

And so Lollaplooza 2010 came to a successful close, with fest lovers catching 6 a.m. flights back to their hometowns, already anticipating the 2011 lineup.