Backstage at Lollapalooza, producer extraordinaire Mark Ronson recalled his first-ever Rage Against the Machine Show (300 sweaty people crammed into New York’s tiny Wetlands, where Zack de la Rocha handed a front-row Ronson the mike to scream on “Killing in the Name”). Ronson, who’s finishing up albums by Daniel Merriweather, Wale and the Kaiser Chiefs, also talked about why he loved Rolling Stone’s Barack Obama interview: “Holy crap, the guy who might be the next president of the United States feels the same about Stevie Wonder’s five-album run as I do!” Click above for the full interview.

For more from Lollapalooza, check out the Rock ‘N’ Roll Diary.

[Video: Pete Maiden]

Gogol Bordello have become staples of the summer festival scene, and their sets are typically weekend-stealers. Their Friday afternoon performance at Lollapalooza was no exception, as Eugene Hutz brought his group’s brand of madcap gypsy punk to a rabid crowd at Chicago’s Grant Park. Click above to find out how Hutz manages to whip himself into a frenzy for shows and how the group constructs its multi-cultural pastiche songs.

• Complete Lollapalooza Coverage

• Gallery: Lollapalooza 2008: Rage Against the Machine, Nine Inch Nails, Kanye West and More

• Gallery: Backstage at Lollapalooza With Perry Farrell, Slash, Gnarls Barkley and the Raconteurs

• More Lollapalooza Coverage: Rock ‘N’ Roll Diary

[Video: Pete Maiden]

With the festival he helped organize now in its 12th year, Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell talked to Rolling Stone about his favorite Lolla moments backstage at the fest. “There’s a zillion of them. Watching Eddie Vedder jump from a stack a story high into the crowd back in 1994,” the onetime Jane’s Addiction leader said, even though he meant 1992. “I’ve seen people having sex backstage. That was pretty exciting. I’ve participated myself.” With this year’s Lollapalooza maybe sporting its most power-packed, headliner-heavy lineup yet, what was Farrell looking forward to the most? “I don’t think there will be anything but mayhem when Rage Against the Machine takes the stage,” Farrell said. Turns out he was right. For more of Farrell from Lollapalooza, plus video interviews with the Black Keys, Gogol Bordello and Mason Jennings, check out our Rock ‘N’ Roll Diary from the Chicago fest.

For more behind the scenes photos from backstage at Grant Park, click here.

For our full gallery of live shots from the fest, click here. (more…)

Rumors of Barack Obama being onhand to introduce Kanye West proved false. No matter. Aiming to permanently put the Bonnaroo debacle in the past, the local rapper came out not to just conquer the festival stage but to reclaim his hometown as his own. West’s flashy light show lived up to promise. Yet despite all the popping strobes, panning spotlights and pastel illumination, the emcee remained the focus of attention. His energy and intensity backed up his cocky attitude and prodigious boasts. Examinations of conscious, conversations with god and motivational talks punctuated a non-stop beat-heavy blitz. West tackled “Heard ‘Em Say,” “Diamonds From the Sierra Leone” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” with the kind of elevated drama and drive that fuels champion athletes. He inhabited the narrative of “Put On,” pushing the song until it became an autobiographical statement and personal pledge. “This performance is for the lady that drove me to Chicago at the age of three,” he stated during the track, before getting everyone to scream for his mother. Such candor and motivation are not only what make West a visionary; they are what make him human.

[Photo: Kisby/Getty]
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It’s hard to dislike Trent Reznor: the guy regularly gives away excellent music, goes out of his way to design a visually stunning stage show and even fought through voice problems tonight. While his set got off to a fast start with a hard-hitting combination of “1,000,000″ and “Discipline” (both from The Slip) and delivered “Closer” early, Reznor soon settled into some of the complex instrumentals from the Ghosts I-IV album. While the combination of live instrumentation was impressive (when was the last time you saw a rock show with a marimba solo?), the crowd’s interest waned, even with the dynamic lighting display matching the music note for note. It wasn’t until Reznor hit the back half of his set — lead by insane shout-alongs on “Wish,” “Terrible Lie” and “Only” — that the fans really got on board with his particular blend of stadium-sized pathos. During his encore, Reznor mentioned that Nine Inch Nails played the first Lollapalooza 17 years ago, which was a tribute not only to Reznor’s tenacity but also the staying power of the fest.

[Photograph by Rory O’Connor for Rolling Stone]
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Mark Ronson and company marked the final date of their 16-month tour in funky style. The English guitarist/deejay had a host of international guests in tow — ncluding Liverpool’s Candie Payne, Australia’s Daniel Merriweather and all of Phantom Planet — and treated a small but fervent crowd to “a bunch of covers of indie-rock songs with trumpets on [them], blah blah blah.” A horn section and string section — each dolled up in ballroom attire — manned opposite sides of the stage while Ronson, looking all of 14 years old, inhabited the roles of master of ceremonies and rhythm guitarist. Getting a little help from their friends, they turned the Kaiser Chiefs‘ “Oh My God” and Radiohead’s “Just” inside-out. Ronson’s lone misstep? Putting Rhymefest out to open rather than close the show. The dynamic Chicago emcee smoldered on an “innerversion” of Britney Spears‘ “Toxic” and leapt into the audience on “Brand New,” during which he free-styled verses while surfing atop the crowd.

[Photo: Kisby/Getty]

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If there was ever a band who didn’t fit the festival mold, it’s the National. Their songs are late-night meditations on love, loss and regret — not exactly rousing sing-along material. However, that didn’t stop a passionate crowd from turning downtrodden tunes like “Baby, We’ll Be Fine” (with it’s refrain of “I’m so sorry for everything”) into unabashed anthem. The group’s stirring indie anthems were augmented by a horn section, which gave “Start a War” a little extra gravitas. Frontman Matthew Beringer didn’t seem fazed by the venue in the slightest — perhaps opening an arena tour for R.E.M. lent him some swagger — and he managed to whip the crowd into a frenzy while shredding his vocal cords during the set-closing “Mr. November,” which he dedicated to Barack Obama.

[Photograph by Rory O’Connor for Rolling Stone]

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Two years ago, Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” was the toast of Lollapalooza and covered by multiple performers. This time, Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse returned the favor. Saluting 2008’s most adored act, the twosome pulled off a brilliant rendition of Radiohead’s “Reckoner.” That wasn’t the only surprise, of course. The costume-savvy duo came adorned in dark-mustard-colored suitcoats and coordinated bow ties, while their support band modeled maroon sweater vests and white dress shirts. Visually, it evoked Buddy Holly and made for a clever play on private-school instructors and their geeky charges. If only Juilliard could be so soulful. With Danger Mouse manning the keys and reeling off haunted organ refrains, his partner belted out “Run (I’m a Natural Disaster),” “Blind Mary” and “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” as if possessed by a sinister spirit. Nuggets-era garage rock and gospel dirges framed the singer’s dementia. After urging the crowd to lose its mind, the Round Mound of Sound closed out the set on a happy note, putting giant grins on faces everywhere with — what else? — “Smiley Faces.”

[ Photograph by Rory O’Connor for Rolling Stone]

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When Perry Farrell introduced Love and Rockets on Saturday night, he announced them as one of his favorite bands of all time. It’s easy to see why Farrell is enthusiastic about the group that formed out of the ashes of Bauhaus: they mix jagged, fringe sounds with deep grooves and huge pop hooks — exactly the type of music Farrell has been chasing his entire career. Frontman Daniel Ash — dressed in a Keith Richards pirate motif — cooed and moaned lyrics about obsession over hot slabs of roaring bass riffs (”No Big Deal”) and pulsating goth rock (”Haunted When the Minutes Drag”). They even made some room for some heavy metal theatrics. It was a nice nod to Lollapalooza’s past, as Love and Rockets are the sort of band that its founder wanted to spread to the masses with his festival in the first place.

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“We on stage know that race is a social construct and we can go beyond it. So you can you!” No, those words didn’t come from the mouth of Barack Obama but of Saul Williams, whose side stage performance attracted a path-blocking throng of onlookers. And Williams thrilled with a mix of industrial gristle, glam-rock theatrics, bristling hip-hop and poetic free-styling that was as hybrid-fused as his philosophies. Here was revolutionary music absent nostalgic shackles. Genre-bending songs such as “Niggy Tardust,” “WTF!” and “Black Stacey” were simultaneously angry and provocative, while Williams and his mates’ homemade costumes ensured that humor played just as much of a part in the festivities as fury.

[Photograph by Rory O’Connor for RollingStone.com]

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Iron & Wine’s calm folk-rock demanded peace and quiet, and for the most part, got it from a very polite crowd. Backed by a band that, akin to its leader’s razor-repellent facial hair, seems to grow with each passing month, frontman Sam Beam looked freshly aroused from a long nap. The group never detoured from the sleepy pace, relying on wood-block percussion and pedal-steel guitars to patiently trek through the sonic equivalent of the Amazon forest. At first glance, Iron & Wine’s lullabies seemed a tailor-made match for playing to parents and children over on the nearby Kidz Stage. But seedy matter lurked underneath the otherwise tranquil exteriors of “House by the Sea” and “The Devil Never Sleeps.” And their soothing moods and hammock-sway slowness encouraged a few adult pursuits — joint smoking, beer sipping, tripping — still off limits to the stroller set. Yet the muted aura occasionally dragged, a risk taken by any band traveling in the direction of a more strung-out version of the Grateful Dead.

[Photograph by Rory O’Connor for Rolling Stone]

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The natives were restless on Sunday afternoon at Lollapalooza, and who could blame them? They had already spent two days on the sun dancing, drinking and rocking out — clearly, their reserves were tapped. Salvation came in a stellar set from indie heartthrobs Black Kids, who took their U2-goes-to-the-disco tunes and let them bounce adroitly across Grant Park. The shimmering chords of “Hit the Heartbrakes” and “I’ve Underestimated My Charm (Again)” let the voices of frontman Reggie Youngblood and keyboardists Dawn Watley and Ali Youngblood dart to the surface with ’60s girl group harmonies and call-and-response dance chants. Sometimes buzz kills a band dead, but the Black Kids have the chops to groove well past the usual expiration date.

[Photo: Kisby/Getty]

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Perennial gossip item Lindsay Lohan turned up at the Hard Rock Hotel’s “Rock the Vote Lounge” to cheer on her squeeze, DJ Samantha Ronson, Saturday night after Lollapalooza. Lohan kept a low profile but had the room abuzz with her presence, as Ronson and her brother Mark, producer of Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black and a Lollapalooza performer on Sunday night, took turns spinning ’70s hip-hop and ’80s synth pop for the wall-to-wall crowd at the Hard Rock Hotel. In addition to Lohan, the afterparty attracted a bevy of name DJs, including Girl Talk and DJ Momjeans (Danny Masterson), who took in Spank Rock’s quick’n'raunchy set (a microcosm of the neo-electro MC’s earlier performance at Lolla’s Citi stage — complete with sultry sidekick MC Amanda Blank). Partygoers also had the option of indulging in the free salon makeup and hairstyling sessions, as well as free tattoos, offered by Chicago’s venerable Jade Dragon Tattoo Parlor.

[Photo: Kisby/Getty]

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“Save that shit for the streets!” declared Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack De La Rocha. He was reprimanding an overly aggressive crowd that forced the band to stop multiple times to restore order amidst the fans (as many as 2,000 gate crashers among them). The delays seemed to throw off the band’s rhythm a bit, though they were still able to play their explosive rap-rock with surgical precision. In fact, they sometimes seemed too focused on execution and not enough on expression. When they did let themselves explore a bit musically — as with the atmospheric interlude during “Bullet in the Head” and the funk grooves dropped into the outro of “Sleep Now in the Fire” — Rage Against the Machine reminded everybody just how good they can be. De La Rocha’s politics haven’t eroded a bit, either: as the set ended, he threatened that if Barack Obama won the White House but didn’t withdraw troops from Iraq, then he’d have a nation of angry, militant youths at his front door. Strong words from a strong band that inspired strong reactions, and as Saturday night’s show proved, sometimes that leads to anarchy.

UPDATE: According to reports, medical personnel treated many people for bruises and dehydration as a result of the Rage Against the Machine show, but there were no serious injuries. Security reports that only two people were forcibly ejected from the festival because of violent behavior during the Rage show.

[Photo: Grabowski/Retna]

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“We’ve been doing a lot of sewing these past few months preparing for this show,” cracked Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy in reference to the Chicago band’s snazzy rhinestone suits, which would’ve fit right in at the Grand Ole Opry. Tweedy and company also came equipped with a phenomenal, still-untitled new song whose fragile beginning gradually morphed into an ambitious atmospheric flight, and a career-spanning set that encompassed accessible experimentalism (”I Am Trying to Break Your Heart”), cohesive folk-rock (”Misunderstood”), horn-stoked Beale Street blues (”Hate It Here”) and blissful pieces of American beauty (”Jesus, Etc.”). As a hometown gift, bassist John Stirratt even delivered the high-and-lonesome ballad “It’s Just That Simple.” Saturday’s guitar hero? Nels Cline, the lanky virtuoso whose modest poise, knob-twirling effects and ability to paint songs with rich tonal colors served as a reminder why Wilco has never been better.

[Photo: Grabowski/Retna]

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