Music Times reporter Ryan Book works best in his home territory of the Midwest, or at least that's what he told us. Join him every day this weekend for a chronological look at what went down at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago. 

10:45: The Chicago Museum of Art is a great place to catch some shade until the gates open at 11:00. Fans of René Magritte look warily at fans of Marshall Mathers

11:00: The grand opening of the Lollapalooza gates is, as usual, celebrated with the playing of John Williams' Star Wars theme. Lucas Arts hasn't sued yet, so heck. Why not? 

12:00: We, a Manhattan-based publication, play the homer card and decided to check out Brooklyn's The So So Glos for our first set. At around a quart after, an impatient group of fans begin to chant "so so late." The band is off the hook however, as organizers have an official rain delay in place, although nothing has fallen up to this point. Fans who attended the Foo Fighters' epic 2011 Lolla set know that rain isn't normally something to hold the festival back. The music eventually kicks off at 12:28. 

1:06: Every dude wearing a baseball hat has to be wondering if Francisca Valenzuela is related to Los Angeles Dodger and Cy Young winner Fernando Valenzuela (she isn't). More seriously however, the portion of Latino fans at the Chilean vocalist's set is higher than average, a good reminder to concert organizers and music fans in general that we need to invest more or our time into so-called "world music." X Japan's 2010 Lolla set, and first American show, was excellent. As for Valenzuela, her band rocks pseudo-jazz but she really turns on the slow burn for "Los Que Siempre Arracan." 

1:54: The sun is out after an early rain threat, and it's out for revenge as well. Stay hydrated Lolla! Meanwhile, Kodaline has the perfect soundtrack for a summer afternoons thanks to happy moods and mandolins. 

2:11: Early numbers indicate Eminem fans will crush Arctic Monkeys fans for total number of noobs wearing T-shirts for the act they're attending Lollapalooza to see. 

2:55: Bits of rain spit from the sky, but Bombay Bicycle Club carry on in the face of a daunting cloud hanging overhead. The first true rain begins to fall later in the set, but the BBC is undeterred. After all, as vocalist Jack Steadman points out, the band is up one slot higher than it was for its 2012 appearance at the festival. Got to keep working toward that headlining gig. 

3:04: Some early nominees for the "Best T-Shirt Award": A picture of a great white shark that reads "Don't Trip" and a shirt for the Orlando band Dryspell featuring just a mean mug from Muppet Sam The Eagle. The great white-wearer was smoking a full cigar as well, which may score him some points in the long haul. 

3:40: Rain proves overrated as it fades away early during Warpaint's set. Which is fortunate as our umbrella has also proven overrated in terms of service quality. 

3:52: The "School of Rock" plays a cover of Rush's "Limelight," which is A) awesome and B) ironic, considering that it's happening on the Kidzapalooza stage to an audience of maybe 15. 


4:01: Perry/Etty (Lollapalooza honcho and Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell and wife Etta Lau) must be surprised to see so many concertgoers turning up for their annual showdown with DJ Joachim Garraud. We think Iggy Azalea's set, which will follow theirs on the same stage after ten minutes, may be the cause. But don't tell the electronic musicians...they're having so much fun. 

4:39: Parents with small children realize that Azalea's set isn't a great idea for their kids, even if "Fancy" has been the biggest song of the summer. The Australian emcee opens with the relationship advice "f--k love, give me diamonds." 

4:50: Playing one of the smallest stages, Blood Orange brought one of the biggest sounds of the day. Saxophonist Jason Arce was a special favorite, but frontman Dev Hynes stepped from smooth R&B vocals to finger-tapping shreds without missing a beat, inviting Prince comparisons. 

5:25: Interpol's Paul Banks has gotten a haircut since we last saw him at Governors Ball during June. The group closes its set with a rousing rendition of "Slow Hands." 

6:15: The Palladia Stage is in front of a concrete "field," which is inconvenient considering the moshing that accompanied AFI's 2010 Lolla set. The crowd, conveniently, is feeling less violent. Hynes wanders over from The Grove and rocks out, reciting all the lyrics to the band's classic "Days of The Phoenix." 

7:25: Lorde still seems so  pleasantly surprised at how much people enjoy her music, every time we see her live or on television. It must be hard to stay humble in the face of 10,000-plus screaming fans at the Bud Light Stage. The way she keeps her composure at the age of 17 is also impressive. We're not trying to suggest anything, but don't be surprised if a scandal emerges in the next year, revealing her to actually be 29 or so. 

7:50: Sandor Kleinenberg was dealt an unfortunate scheduling hand. As Lorde's performance ends across the field, thousands of fans head south as to get closer to Eminem's showcase. At the same time, a good deal of her other fans simply kept their seats to be closer to the Arctic Monkeys at closing time, leaving a scant few to dance with the in-between act. Be kind and consider listening to Sander Kleinenberg tonight. 

8:20: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois has its tower lights carefully lit to spells out "# Rock Enroll," probably a reference to health insurance. It's a clever ploy for attention in Barack Obama's hometown, currently ran by his former chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. Reegardless of your thoughts on Obamacare, make sure you don't get hospitalized tonight. 

8:32: The Arctic Monkeys get their set rolling with a selection of hits from its most recent album, AM. The entire set is appropriately backed by a huge electric device shaped like the album's radio wave design, and it flashes both solid and helper skelter. Frontman Alex Turner has mastered the rock 'n' roll game face, maintaining a stern visage that makes women want him and men fear him. The accent doesn't hurt the former cause, either. 

9:04: Royce Da 5'9" joins Eminem for "Fast Lane." That's cool but...

9:09: ...Rihanna comes onstage for full versions of "Love The Way You Lie" and "Monster," plus singing Dido's part from "Stan." Although Music Times predicted this would happen during its preview of the festival, it was still a thrilling moment when it came to fruition. Easily the highlight of the festival's first day. 

9:45: People are heading out early in droves. Would you leave a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert before "Free Bird"? No. You don't leave an Eminem show before "Lose Yourself" either. 

10:10: We made it out of the park. See you tomorrow Lollapalooza. 

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