I must really love music because I am once again in Grant Park after very little sleep and by myself because for the second time in two years....Patty is on the PUP list...Physically Unable to Party.
The first band I see is Circa Waves. A four piece rock band from Liverpool...Hmmmm, now that seems familiar for some reason. These guys are a great way to start my day. They sound like the British Beach Boys if the Beach Boys formed in 2010.
The great thing about festivals is...if you don't like the music there is always the scenery...I have a thing for women with tattoos.
Gotta admit I usually don't like bands that sound like this...that guitar and spacey synth sound...but I enjoyed Night Terrors of 1927. I think they leaned more towards pop than electronica. So that might be why I enjoyed their set.
Plus they have a great name for a band.
I always meet interesting people at music festivals. It was a hot day for full body animal costumes...much respect.
I really wanted to love Shakey Graves. But something was missing for me during his set. There was plenty of amazing guitar but I think I wanted more of the actual songs. That said I bet I would love seeing him in a small dark club instead of a sunny park.
I caught a few songs by DMA's. I liked them. Interesting songs and they sounded really good. I was still listening as I walked over to the Farmer's Market area for some Brazilian Fried Cheese on a stick.
It was about then that I began to hear people talking about a storm and evacuating the park.
I guess this is becoming a yearly tradition at Lolla. The only problem was...
...the storm never actually materialized...
...it looked bad for a few minutes...
....and it rained but nothing too heavy...
...I took the rare opportunity of standing in the middle of a closed Michigan Avenue to take a picture...
...and I donated to some local musicians playing on the street. By the time I walked back to my car, I heard on the radio they were already opening Lolla back up. This was a bit of a joke. I understand being safe but how did they decide to evacuate 100,000 people for a 20 minute summer rain that barely wet the streets. At least they did the right thing and everybody walked back in without getting searched so it went smoothly and quickly.
I was on my way to see Twenty One Pilots when I saw several members of Gogol Bordello walking in front of me with their instruments. They were scheduled to play inside the Toyota Tent. I checked out Verite at the BMI stage.
This isn't my favorite type of music so I will let you decide if you enjoy her music. Gogol Bordello is exactly my kind of music so I went to the Toyota Tent.
I caught the end of the Wombats acoustic set while waiting for Gogol Bordello. I was glad to see them since I missed them earlier today.
Gogol played a short three song acoustic set. This was unexpected and I loved it.
I passed by them again on my way to grab dinner.
I had to eat then grab a spot up front for their rescheduled set at 6:30pm.
But I decided to check out The Lonely Biscuits after hearing them as I walked by. I was impressed by their songs. They created a cool vibe that spread from the stage through the crowd. I was very glad that I stopped to see these guys.
Here I am seeing Gogol Bordello for the third time in just over 18 hours...and like the kids all around me, I am excited to be here.
This is one of the best bands to see live...there show is a party every time...
...this crowd surfing monkey passed over me several times...
...there is much more I can say about this band of brothers from all parts of the world...it's folk music, it's punk, it's world music, it's protest music, it's dance music, it's rock and roll, it's high energy, it's a party...it's a fucking great time.
Like the band, I gave all I had during their set. The kids near me danced more, jumped higher and moshed harder than me...but I had just as much fun.
As the last note faded, so did I. The music kept me going but once it was over, I was done.
I was happy to see the Irish flag in the crowd.
I left Lolla with this same smile on my face.
I did catch a song or two from Wild Belle on the way out. They sounded good. As a music geek, I love these festivals. There is so much good music out there. Please get off your couch and support these musicians by seeing them perform their songs. You might become a fan, but you should definitely get out and have a good time.
Here's a few shots on my way out.
Lolla didn't have a strong headliner list this year...at least not for me. But if I had anything left in the tank, I would have stayed to see Albert Hammond Jr., Of Monsters And Men and TV On The Radio. But I would have left before the headliners Bassnectar or Florence + The Machine played. Another storm, this time a real storm, did cause Lolla to end earlier than rescheduled and the headliner sets were cut short. I feel bad for the kids that waited all day to see their favorite bands. But hopefully after today they have a few new favorite bands.
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