The first day of Lollapalooza began Saturday morning under overcast skies in Chicago’s Grant Park. For bleary-eyed concert-goers, who were already looking ragged by 2PM,
the stifling heat was relentless. That said, there was plenty of excitement on Saturday to make a trip to
Chicago
all worthwhile.
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The festival site is wedged between The Field Museum and
MillenniumPark
, with the city’s impressive skyline as its backdrop. Four stages in each corner of the park created a convenient walk from act to act; the downside of this was noise interference, which was an issue for each of the bands performing at the Parkways and Budweiser Select stages. But with the exception of Ambulance LTD and The Bravery (both acts performed at these smaller stages) the quality music was mostly concentrated on the larger stages at the south side of the site.
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At Cake took the stage to the largest crowd gathered thus far on Saturday. If they didn’t prove they were the best musicians and songwriters in the lineup, then they surely proved they were the brightest. Cake’s lyrics and stage banter were priceless, particularly “Rock and Roll Lifestyle,” a fitting anthem for Lollapalooza’s pricey tickets, food and beverages.
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Following Cake was not-quite-retired Billy Idol. Idol and band didn’t disappoint a crowd hungry for their favorites; “Dancin’ With Myself,” “Rebel Yell,” and “White Wedding” all made the cut. At one point Idol even plastered his setlist to his sweaty chest and let a female fan peel it off. Now that’s rock and roll!
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The Pixies and Weezer closed out the day in dramatic fashion—both bands were clearly the most deserving of the headlining spots for their huge sound and devoted following. But just as the Pixies were about to close their set (they had approximately 15 minutes left and were still playing) the strangest thing occurred. Perry Ferrell, who had been MC’ing the event, appeared on the other main stage, right next to where the Pixies were playing, and invited three scantily clad women he called “Lolla girls” to dance to “All That Jazz.” It would have been a moving tribute to the city, had Ferrell waited until the Pixies set was finished. Unfortunately all the audience got was a blurred Pixie jam with “All That Jazz” mixed in. It was never apparent why Farrell took that moment as the opportunity to bring out his burlesque show, but the crowd did not like it at all—many of them shouting at Farrell and groaning about the interruption.
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Weezer saved the day, quite literally, with an inspired and rocking set. In front of the glow of their lit, winged logo, Rivers Cuomo and company played all the crowd’s favorites, including “Undone, Sweater Song,” “Say It Ain’t So,” and “Buddy Holly,” though the real highlight was a tune from Pinkerton entitled, “Why Bother.”
Although the specifics remain unannounced, the Elvis-maned outline of Vegoose is starting to fill in. The event, which is being produced by Bonnaroo promoters A.C Entertainment and Superfly Presents, will take place in Las Vegas on October 28-31 (information previously gleaned in a general sense by anyone who spent a bit of time pulling the wheel at the Vegoose web site). Although no artists have been confirmed, it is expected that Vegoose will incorporate a range of Vegas venues, culminating with any luck in a large-scale event on Halloween night.
Steve Kimock will perform a rare acoustic set on Sunday, July 17 at the All Good Music Festival. Now in its ninth year, All Good is returning to Marvin's Mountaintop in Masontown, WV July 15-17 with Carbon Leaf and Ivan Neville's Dumpstaphunk the latest additions to the lineup. The festival has also announced its stage times (with the exception of an intriguing block on the main stage from 7:30-9:00PM on Friday). Other confirmed performers include The String Cheese Incident, The Flaming Lips, Les Claypool, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Keller Williams, Umphrey's McGee, Victor Wooten, Yonder Mountain String Band, Benevento/Russo Duo and Particle.
