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The National Let Their Stirring Sound Ring Out
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 […]
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Love and Rockets Dial Up the Low End at Lollapalooza
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 […]
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Black Kids Prove They're Better Than the Buzz at Lollapalooza
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 […]
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Rage Against the Machine Return to Riot Atmosphere
"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 […]
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Lupe Fiasco Celebrates "Lupepalooza"
If you weren't aware that this was Lupe Fiasco's third Lollapalooza, he's happy to remind you, as an intro announced his history with the festival and welcomed the crowd to "Lupepalooza" before Lupe did push-ups and backflips to the theme from Rocky. It was the entrance of a superstar, and Fiasco played the role perfectly […]
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Dr. Dog, Gutter Twins Engage the Power of the Riff
Looking (and spasming) like the Blues Brothers' distant cousin, Dr. Dog frontman Scott McMicken lead his band through a set of meat and potatoes riffage that made believers out of the afternoon crowd. Though the group stuck mostly to familiar poses, the most exciting moments came when things threatened to spiral out of control, like […]
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Radiohead Hit the Lights on Night One of Lollapalooza
The first day of Lollapalooza 2008 went out in bright, epic style as Radiohead brought their full slate of visual tricks as well as a healthy collection of songs from throughout their career. The set relied heavily on material from In Rainbows, which sounded heavier and punchier in a live setting (especially "All I Need"). […]
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Bloc Party Trade Their Dance Rhythms For Stadium Anthems
Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke looked like he was ready for a very political game of basketball. Dressed in brightly colored shorts, vintage Nikes and a Barack Obama T-shirt with the word "Progress" written on it, Okereke and his band managed to overcome some technical glitches and the absence of bassist Gordon Moakes (he's at […]
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The Black Keys Get Spacey and Shakin' at Lollapalooza
"I only came for the Black Keys," shouted a heavily bearded man to nobody in particular. He was not alone in his enthusiasm, as a large crowd gathered to see the pair of Ohioans shake and sweat with their special brand of garage blues. Singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach plucked out fuzzy jams in between heavy tracks […]
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Duffy Burns Through the Blues During Lollapalooza Afternoon
The heat was definitely getting to Duffy. Midway through the Welsh songstress' Friday afternoon set at Lollapalooza, she had to dab her melting makeup with a towel. "I'm not used to this heat, Chicago," she said. But she didn't let what she called "Welsh melodrama" get in the way of a groovy performance that seemed […]
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