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.
11:05: We forgot our bottle of water today, so we break down and head to the concessions area to buy one. They were selling cans of Deja Blue. Cans of water?!? What will these kids think of next?
12:00: Oyinda told us that we should check out her opening set, so we take her up on it. She, like many in the crowd, begins the day with hands in pockets, but gets everyone wiggling soon enough. The vocalist also insists that the crowd sing "Happy Birthday" to keyboardist Rafferty Swink. "You mad?" she catcalls at him. "Or nah?" responds her fans accordingly.
12:48: Jhené Aiko is "ready for war" (from opening song "To Love and Die") but she shows up for her set wearing pink kitty ears. The vocalist may be an early act, but her touring with Drake and the accompanying hype has brought the crowds early to the Samsung Galaxy stage.
1:15: We find an empty tent and chat with the members of Smallpools about rain at festivals, as an expected storm starts its first downpour of the day. Check out the full conversation at MusicTimes.com on Monday afternoon.
1:30: Bleachers seems to calm the storm, which fades away by the end of the band's first song. It's too late however. A majority of the crowd's early attendees, sans umbrellas, are soaked. Jack Antonoff's group covered Tom Petty's "Don't Come Around Here No More" but this time treats the crowd to a version of The Cranberries' "Dreams."
1:58: Quite a bit of grass had been trampled dead at Perry's and the Bud Light stages thanks to EDM sets, but this rain spells doom for the Grant Park baseball fields. Some fans merely trudge through the mud. Others slip 'n' slide and throw handfuls of gloop at each other.
2:13: Bleachers is done a few minutes early so White Denim starts a few minutes early. A good attitude to have, especially if that means the blues rock band can squeeze in a few extra moments of jamming. Rain comes back early during the set and we spot the greatest Lolla Fashion statement of the weekend: A dude with a white garbage bag over his head, with one hole punched for his mouth plus two tiny holes near the ear regions so he can still rock his sunglasses from underneath his makeshift poncho. We salute you sir.
3:05: Maybe someone with London Grammar slipped Mother Nature a dollar because this rain is perfect for the band's approaching-goth pop vibe as they open with "Hey Now." It's the band's first festival appearance in the States and they make a good job of it despite having a rather short setlist.
3:38: A woman walks by, picking up cans from the field and dropping them in a bag that her child carries behind her. She's just another attendee looking to score swag by assisting in the cleanup but it seems a little shameful to drag your kid into it. While we're thinking about it, why don't parents use their kids as booze mules? Security never pats down children like they do adults. We definitely don't support using your children to smuggle contraband, but we were just ruminating.
4:10: As predicted, Perry's field has been reduced to a wasteland of mud and grime. The Samsung stage isn't doing much better, as both Gesaffelstein and Cage The Elephant play into their respective audiences' desires to get dirty. Mud face paint replaces the glitter popular in previous days.
4:45: Gesaffelstein is smoking while he works his tables. Granted it's not Slash or Keith Richards cool, but it still looks pretty dang cool. (Public Service Announcement: KIDS, DON'T SMOKE).
5:15: Our hope that Gesaffelstein would bring out Chicago native Kanye West for a surprise performance of the pair's "Black Skinhead" doesn't come to fruition. Not all dreams can come true.
5:40: Flosstradamus is absolutely destroying this field.
6:20: The Avett Brothers are making a strong argument for a future headlining gig. It seems that the third track, "Head Full of Doubt / Road Full of Promise" has been built up into an encore-type epic, but the folk rockers continue to amp up their already well-written tunes. "Slight Figure of Speech" gets an extended bridge and "Kick Drum Heart" gets an added solo to close it out. One of the band's singles laments the difficulty of saying the words "I and love and you" but one Avett comments to the crowd "not tonight!"
7:11: Do EDM fans feel shortchanged seeing Sebastian Ingrosso solo? Don't get us wrong, he's a great DJ. But he's only half of Axwell /\ Ingrosso. And that's only two-thirds of Swedish House Mafia. Following that theme, Ethan Kath—half of Crystal Castles—is playing a solo set at the Palladia stage.
7:45: "Give me 'what it's like to see Derek Rose back in action right now,'" orders Young The Giant drummer François Comtois while taking a picture of the Chicago crowd. It's a reference to the Bulls' star point guard, who's just now coming off of an extended stay on the disabled list.
8:05: The combination of little clothing and being soaking wet is starting to catch up with concertgoers. Fans can be seen shivering as the sun begins to set and the cold front following the afternoon's storms rolls in. A lucky few fans warmed up by dancing onstage for Young The Giant's finale "My Body."
8:15: The Kings of Leon aren't led in with an epic wave of bass, as were many of the festival's headlining acts. It would be awfully counterintuitive if they were. Fans want straightforward rock 'n' roll and that's what they get, starting with "Supersoaker" (too soon, Kings). The lower field fills up quickly, leaving islands where the mud pit baseball fields lay. Those willing to stand inches deep in the muck will have plenty of breathing room.
8:35: If there was a way to measure efficiency in the form of fans gathered at set compared to number of actual albums released, Chance The Rapper would be off the charts. He may be competing with the Kings and Skrillex, but plenty have shown up for the hometown Acid Rapper.
9:00: Two young fans in Pacers jerseys dance enthusiastically to Skrillex, meaning at least two people in the crowd aren't doped out of their minds. The DJ refers to Chicago as perhaps "the most turned up city in the world," and after this weekend, we're loathe to disagree. This set has noise complaint written all over it, but the dancers frolicking in the mud have made up their minds to go hard before they go home.
10:05: Unofficial estimates suggest that today's rain and the ensuing mud will result in more than $16,350 for the local Chicago shoe retail industry. And that's why the festival will be back next year. We'll see you then.
