Kids Rock Lolla's Kidzapalooza

© Dave Vann / RumBum.com

A little painter at Kidzapalooa

Lollapalooza is quite possibly the only summer music festival with something for the kiddies - the Kidzapalooza area and stage. Kidzapalooza provided a G-Rated place for kids to rock, relax and create set apart from the larger, definitely not G-Rated, festival. And sometimes, it was the place to be.

In its fifth year, Kidzapalooza has become a staple of this Chicago festival. Starting at eleven in the morning, this festival-within-the festival had a full range of activities for all three days until 5 p.m., including some of the biggest acts in the kids' musical circuit.

Some of the major kids acts that played this year included Ralph's World, fronted by local Chicago rockster Ralph Covert. Covert has recorded nine children's albums to date, and played two sets during the weekend. In addition, kid-hop rapper Secret Agent 23 Skiddo, from Asheville, North Carolina, played two sets of kid-friendly hip hop. Even Perry Farrell, lead singer of Jane's Addiction and curator of Lollapalooza, a father himself, entertained the kids this weekend, proving he is truly a multi-tasker.

Kidapalooza hosted more than just grown-up acts. Care Bears on Fire, one of the coolest named bands at the festival, consisted of a group of three tween punk rock girls, jamming original songs for two sets. Also, guitar prodigies Quinn Sullivan and Yuto Miyazawa, both under ten years old, proved why they are the rock stars of the future.

Aside from the music, a plethora of activities and sponsors helped introduce the spirit of rock-n-roll to the festies of the future. The School of Rock gave free seminars and lessons; the Siren Salon offered up mohawks at Hairdooz; the Wilderness Resort provided temporary tattoos; and skateboarding workshops, arts and crafts activities, deejay demonstrations, comedy workshops, and plenty of food and drink, provided a myriad super-fun of activities for the kiddies.

One day, maybe, the kids who rocked it at the Kidzapalooza stage will take their own kids to the Kidzapalooza of the future - in their flying cars, while Care Bears on Fire play the main stage. Maybe...