Friday, August 7, 2009

Lollapalooza 2009 - My first time in Chicago


Day one, Friday, August 7th, we woke up early, got coffee and jumped in a cab and away we went to Chicago's famous Hot Doug's. My dog of choice? the one with the foie gras, mmmm. Then off we went, back to the city center to start our gig-ing with Cutie Hotie McVeigh. My oh my, only hotter and better he gets. By the end of the set i was more than a little damp from the steady drizzle of the day. A & Sophie were smart enough to purchase some ponchos ahead of time, L had a light rainy coat but was getting a touch miserable as well. Walgreens to the rescue, only this time, all ponchos were sold out, so i paid a dollar to this dude who bought a box of kitchen bags and converted myself into this spongebob square shoulders. It did the trick however, and happily i returned to the park.


Sliding right on time for Fleet Foxes, we stood in more drizzle to enjoy them when a young boy collapsed next to me. I suspect he may have smoked a little too much or such, because his friends weren't concerned. He got back up, and got knocked down again... truly, say no to drugs peeps. L returned shortly with the medic removed the fainting dude. By then, White Winter Hymnal was over, so we dispersed to the Budweiser stage to wait for the Decemberist.


By nightfall, Depeche Mode came on and wowed us all with their visual stimulation. Miraculously, L found us in the fracas. Dave Gahan sounded on point despite all his health issues. Although i missed his angel wings, Martin Gore sounded pretty good too.


Wouldn't be a fest without it's aftershows. Me, Sophie and A cabbed it over to the metro for an Artic Monkeys gig. I'm always stoked to check out local venues, this one looked like a smaller version of the Fillmore. Way small. I seem to be attracting fainters though. Another man next to me started leaning against the wall and eventually toppled. I ran to tell the bartender and fortunately, this time, the Metro staff was well versed in handling situations like this. I'm totally digging Alex Turner's new look and the new album too.


My highlight was watching Natasha aka Bat for Lashes perform. Despite rumours her performances were Enya-esque. I think she rocked it. You know i have a thing for quirky cute pretty girls...


Huge massive crowds at Silversun Pickups and i was glad for them. Everyone was really into the music. Looked kinda like a college crowd though. Frat boy youngish. After Brian ended the set, off i went to see Brandon Flowers. I stayed for a bit but got tired so started my trek back towards the hotel.

I really enjoyed my time at Lolla and already have thoughts of coming back next year.

x

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