Lollapalooza 2007: A Review by Janina R. Williams
Review
of Lollapalooza Day 1
Always entertaining, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists played some of my favorite
songs including “Me & Mia,” the “C.I.A. song,”
and “Sons of Cain.” I’ve seen Ted Leo multiple times
and I must say that this was one of my favorite shows. The hype crowd
definitely made the difference.
After
their set, I headed over to see MIA. She played plenty of songs off of
her new album, Kala including “Boys” and “XR2”
as well as some old favorites like “Sunshowers” and “Bucky
Done Gun.” She was very enthusiastic as she danced around and climbed
to the top of the audio tower in her silver sequenced shorts and loud
rainbow colored shirt. It was a great show.
After
the MIA show, I ran to see the Silver Sun Pickups and caught their two
last songs, “Lazy Eye” and “Common Reactor.” The
way they connected to the audience was rather incredible. Everybody was
clapping and singing alone. I can only describe this moment as fun.
Then,
I caught Satellite Party. Perry Ferrell was wearing a tight blue shirt
and white leather pants with a silver sequenced scarf. David Bowie much?
Satellite Party covered, “We’ll Make Great Pets,” “Jane
Says,” and “Been Caught Stealing.” Then I heard a few
new songs, but by that point, I wasn't into it anymore as I just wanted
to see LCD Sound System.
Unfortunately,
I didn't catch LCD Sound System's entire set because I had to stand in
line for Daft Punk, which was totally worth it because OMG they were amazing.
Picture a huge pyramid with two dudes dj'ing in space suits. There was
a light show going on in the background and through the pyramid. It felt
like a huge rave with everybody arm to arm. Daft Punk played “Around
the World,” “Technologic,” and “One More Time.”
You really had to be there to experience this incredible show. Until tomorrow.
Lollapalooza
Recap Day 2
Tokyo
Police club played an awesome show. The crowd was pumped, and the band
was dancing and they had excellent stage presence. If you get the chance,
check them out.
I
made it over to see Aqueduct, who started their set off with my favorite
song, The Suggestion Box. They were super entertaining. They played a
bunch of new songs from their new album, Or Give Me Death, including
“Just the Way I are.” It was absolutely phenomenal.
After
Aqueduct, I caught a few songs from the Cold War Kids, but their set was
so slow, that I opted to see Motion City Soundtrack instead. The lead
singer, Justin Pierre was insanely hyper, but that's like a bare minimum
requirement at Lollapalooza.
Afterwards,
I went to see Clap your Hands and say Yeah. I wasn't feeling their set.
Don't get me wrong; CYHASY is an excellent band, just not at Lolla. I've
seen them at the Vic and they were really incredible, but this time they
missed the mark. The best venues for them are small and dark and obviously
Lollapalooza is not that.
As expected, CSS was
cancelled because of their United flight fiasco, so I headed over to see
the Hold Steady. Good show.
Then, I went to see
the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs. Karen O. (the lead singer) is like a young, female
Freddy Mercury. There were costume changes, love songs, and smeared lipstick.
What more could you ask for? Karen O. is an absolutely amazing artist
and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs are an incredible band. This was the show of
a lifetime.
After
I watched a tiny bit of spoon, I headed over to secure a spot in front
of Muse. Not being a huge fan of their music, I didn’t expect much,
but they were seriously entertaining. Matthew Bellamy, the lead singer,
actually played piano during a lot of the songs and he was extremely engaging.
Muse definitely knows how to put on a great show.
Lolla Recap Day 3
Although
I desperately wanted to see Juliette and the Licks, I couldn't force myself
to get out of bed. Two days of Lolla is more than enough. Three days is
like pushing your body beyond the legal limit.
We got to Lolla right after Lupe took the stage. He played “Kick
Push,” along with a few new songs and constantly asked the crowd,
“Can you dig it?” And like a robotic chorus, the crowd chanted,
“Yes, I can.”
After Lupe's set, I went to check out Paolo Nutini. I was glad to finally
sit down to watch his set, which turned out to be very mellow. Luckily,
Iggy and the Stooges were set to perform at the next stage over. I was
having issues trying to decide between the Kings of Leon and Iggy Pop,
but how could I not see Iggy? It would have been a serious travesty. So
I watched Iggy and Stooges play an energetic and live show. Iggy Pop even
took the time to crowd surf.
I had to leave early to see Peter Bjorn and John and I was glad that I
did because their stage was packed beyond belief. So Peter Bjorn starts
to play right and then all of a sudden after two songs, the audio goes
out. So I sit and wait, and wait. After thirty minutes, the band begins
to play. By then, tons of people had left, but his true fans stayed to
finish out his set. He played the obvious “Young Folks,” along
with “Let’s Call it Off,” and “Up Against the
Wall.” It was a good time had by all.
Because I saw My Morning Jacket last year, I opted to see Modest Mouse
this year. But on the way, I needed to stop by the Mindfield because I
was playing the Mindfield game (developed by Perry F.). I was in search
of a robot because I was to dance in front of him in order to get my last
clue. I needed it in order to be entered into a contest to win VIP 2008
Lolla tickets, but he was missing. Honestly, I can't really blame the
robot because Flosstradamus was on. I figured the robot was in the front
row dancing up a storm and I couldn't help myself either. The best part
of the show was watching a homemade video they paired with their set.
In it, they referenced "Top That" from Teen Witch,
old school Transformers commercials and cartoons, Hulk Hogan, and the Total Recall movie. By the time I left, I was pouring sweat.
I
made it in just enough time to see Modest Mouse and they sounded pretty
good. The crowd around their stage was huge. I finished out their set
and waited for Café Tacuba.
I had never heard of Cafe Tacuba, but on day two, I ran into some friends
that told us that Café Tacuba has a ridiculous following in Mexico.
When I asked what type of music they played, they said it was too hard
to describe since they played everything. Of course, I was hooked. I had
to see what they were all about. I planted the blanket on the wet ground
and waited for the band to start. The lead singer came out with a white
top hat that nearly covered his head and had two round holes strategically
cut out so that he could see. It was absolutely hysterical. After watching
them play a couple of songs, I had the urge to leave as I was dying to
see TV on the Radio, so I walked over to their stage. TVOTR was incredible.
Many bands don't sound anything like their CD's, but TV on the Radio played
a beautiful set putting their own CD to shame.
Hordes
of people started to make their way to the main stage to see Pearl Jam
who was now playing on both television screens. Because I had seen Pearl
Jam in the past, and because I was really exhausted, I opted to go home.
Lollapalooza
is a great way to see a number of your favorite bands. I definitely recommend
signing up on the Lollapalooza web site as you will be in the know as
to when the cheapest tickets will go on sale. They will be available for
purchase before the bands are announced. These coveted tickets usually
cost one-thrid of the full ticket price, so you need to be online early.
Good luck.
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