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

Stadium Love

Hi Duckies, Sorry i've been missing for a little. Here are some pics from BFD. Isn't Emily Haines gorgeous? When I grow up, i want to be like her.

Miss Sophie scored us some 4th row tickets for the main stage, so here's us super close to Karen O in true Karen O style. She was mucho gorgeous as well.

And finally, Crystal Castles forever, right after DJ AM which i thoroughly enjoyed. Note: CC doesn't sounds too good live :(

Oh boy, the horror-s!

I don't get it. Either 1) Faris was high, 2) it's a new thing not to wear ear pieces to hear yourself, or 3) they only do well in the recording studio. There was nothing wrong with the band sync-ing with each other, but there was definitely troubles in the vocals sync-ing with the band. Sophie made a comment that the performance was so disappointing that it ruined listening to the album as well (which is fab BTW).

I have only one other question, how tall exactly is Faris?

Odd how people rotate

I was invited to catch a performance by this band called The Red Verse who apparently as i'm researching, is made up of 3 different bands (Beulah, Every Move A Picture, The Reverse), one i've previously seen and as i recalled quite enjoyed! From what i understand, they just lost one member along the way. Their musical aptitude was spot on but their selection of sound for each song was distinctive enough not to flow smoothly from one to the other. Definitely some potential, as soon as they come together to belt out a more cohesive sound.

The main act was Youth Group who's claim to fame was a cover of Alphaville's- Live Forever. Now i love that song, diamond shaped tear in space and all, i can't say much about the pop remake, i didn't hang around long to give it a chance.

A strange thing happened

Harry and the boys just keep getting better- 3rd time seeing White Lies and they've accumulated a lot of polish and interact with the audience much better. They played a short set due to sharing the slot with Friendly Fires which i missed due to a small incident. Perhaps it was the lack of food, but for the first time in my life i fainted! Last thing i remembered i felt nauseated and then i was looking up at the concerned faces of the Staff at Slim's. They were really great, so kudos to them. They took me outside, brought me a chair and a bottle of water, and stayed with me a bit. Sweetie D took care of me the rest of the night and made sure i ate and took me home. I <3 D - x