Lolla Set Review

Lou Reed Runs Late

by J.J. Colagrande on August 16, 2009 at 02:54AM

Lou Reed treats the crowd to long renditions of his famous songs.

Every festival this summer has had a rock pioneer. ROTHBURY wheeled out Bob Dylan; Bonnaroo booked the boss Bruce Springsteen; well, Lollapalooza countered with Lou Reed. The former member of the Velvet Underground performed a sixty minute 8-song set around dusk on Sunday, filled with his customary distorted guitar riffs. The sun cooled us off as the old rockster heated up.

Reed, who seldom plays live, played some of his biggest songs. He opened with "Sweet Jane," played a terrific rendition of "Waiting for My Man" and and closed with "Walk on the Wild Side." But by the time Reed walked off the stage, he was ten minutes late, which drew the ire of Band of Horses fans. Then Band of Horses came on 20 minutes late, and stayed on 20 minutes late, which drew the ire of Jane's Addiction fans. It was a 3-car pileup of sound. And Reed is still being blamed for it. Guilty or not, the man is still a legend and deserves to be treated as such.

A Chill Crowd for a Cool Guy

The atmosphere at Reed's show was definitely relaxed. There wasn't a ton of hip-shaking. No one's hands were in the air, like at the Snoop Dogg show most of the kids were watching at the same time. Instead, everyone was just hanging out, enjoying the tunes and the presence of the legendary rocker. His unique, raspy voice and slightly dark lyrics make one want to buy a motorcycle and trek down to the Keys, not get up and dance around.

You Don't Miss a Legend

Lou Reed, like Bob Dylan, and even Bruce Springsteen, haven't had a radio song in years. But that's okay. Being aware of Lou Reed is like having inside information on a stock. Bands like Lou Reed's Velvet Underground in many ways launched the art-rock of which indie bands today carry the torch. Reed's music at Lollapalooza may have been distorted and dark, but missing the set would've been as misappropriate as skipping your uncle's funeral. That's not to say Lou Reed's dead - although maybe he should be considering the drugs that have been through his body - it's just a simple fact if given the chance you don't miss a legend perform. The thousands who stayed to the end of Reed's show would've told you the same thing.

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