August 2, 2014 Saturday In The Park at Lollapalooza (Concert #31)

OK, it's a little lame. But I have always loved this song and it seemed right to use it for today's recap of my Saturday in Grant Park. If you don't like it, then don't play the song while reading this stupid blog.

It looks like a perfect day in the Windy City as we wait for the train in Chinatown.

Here's Patty so excited to be at Lolla...

...then I notice the window washers on the Congress Hotel are just sitting on a board...

....not some fancy scaffold just a board tied to a rope. I don't have time to worry about them. I got here early to see a band at The Grove stage.

Jon Batiste and Stay Human Band were definitely worth getting up early to see...

...they brought The Big Easy to The Windy City...

They ended their way too short set with a little Second Line parade through the crowd.

Check this band out...they were great.

I checked out Benjamin Booker and Vance Joy. Both sounded good and the weather was great.

The non musical entertainment was also great. These two goofballs were bobbing and weaving as they walked around Lolla.

I tried to get pictures of the Gary Busey head on a stick at Eminem's set last night but took about 8 shots and none came out...

...so today I got my pictures on the way to see Parquet Courts.

I've read a lot of hype about this band. I bought their first CD but it never really caught my attention. So after a very long sound check session, I was shocked at how fucking awful they sounded. I thought they were doing it on purpose but during the third song, the sound issue was solved because they suddenly sounded much better.

And when this guy sang a few songs, they sounded great. I really enjoyed his vocals over the guy in the black shirt singing. So maybe the hipster hype on this band isn't overrated.

I liked Desert Noises set. They were rocking the very small BMI stage. But I left to catch Kate Nash on the main Bud Light stage.

I didn't know much about Kate Nash before this week. She has a definite range of styles in her music. I really liked the punk song "Sister". So I was excited when she opened her set with that song.

It turns out that her all female band were avoiding her more pop music songs in favor of rocking out....

...that worked for me because they sounded fantastic.

Another shot of the north end of Grant Park.

Then it was The Last Internationale playing their very young version of rebellion music. They sounded OK while playing but need to improve on their political banter. The singer was rockin' a cool Joan Jett look so I added points for that. 

We walked across the park to see Fitz & The Tantrums. The south end of the park was packed. As usual, they were really good. Fitz & the Tantrums put on  great show. The songs are catchy and the band always seems to be having as much fun as the audience. I stayed for their whole set so I missed two bands I really like Wallpaper and Grouplove. Oh well that's what happens at a festival this big.

On the way to see Spoon we stopped to watch Smallpools. They were very entertaining. Sounded like a mix of Vampire Weekend and Weezer. 

I enjoyed their set.

I listened to Nas while getting up close for Spoon. I have been a fan for years and have never seen Spoon.

 They were really good and the sound was perfect.

The creepy hand over the stage added a special visual quality to the show.

Next up was someone I read about but was unfamiliar with her music. Jenny Lewis.

I liked how her guitar went well with her outfit. 

I also enjoyed her music. Good songwriting and a good performer.

 A couple of Lollapalooza's decorations in the park.

So we ended the night with an amazing performance by Outkast. I have no idea what Big Boi was wearing...some kind of robot or space outfit...Andre had white hair styled flat on his head with a jumpsuit that questioned why people of color are powerless around the world...sure these two are different cats but that just added to the fun dance party of a show which included great songs, an incredible band and a wild stage show. It is times like this that I wish I could dance because this was a show that required the listeners to shake their booty. I can barely do the white man overbite. Hey Ya and good night.

August 1, 2014 Day One at Lollapalooza (Concert #30)

It's finally here. Lollapalooza. 3 days of nothing but music, food and everybody's choice of mind altering drugs. A big thank you to my little brother for getting me a three day pass this year...Thanks George but I vaguely remember him saying that it was Marcy who actually got it. So a big thanks to my sister-in-law.

 We, my friend Patty & I, started out at the Grove Stage for Roadkill Ghost Choir. Great name but not my kind of music. They had three guitarists on stage but used so many effects and computer loops that I bailed quickly. I am not saying they were bad, just not for me. I guess I am old school...just give me the vocals, guitars and drums...you can keep all the spacey effects. Or maybe I need the effects to actually add something to the music...one of my favorite bands The Cure uses the effects to set a mood on stage and I love how they do it.

Poor Abe Lincoln. He had so much bird shit on his head he appeared to be a bottle blonde...maybe he was just preparing to see Eminem later tonight.

I always claim to not be a music snob and I definitely am not a beer snob, but there is no way I can drink Budweiser. So here is my beer stand for the next three days. 

For some strange reason the screens on the the main stages showed RAIN DELAY but it was partly sunny and not raining at that time. Eventually NYC's The So So Glos rocked the Lakeshore Stage with their power pop/punk songs. I really liked this band.  

They put on a good show, joked with the crowd and had a bunch of good songs, lyrically and musically.

We checked out Of Verona on our way to see Lucius. Again not my cup of tea musically speaking. We stopped to grab a sandwich and on the video screen we caught two or three songs of Kodaline's set. I enjoyed their songs. A bit mellow singer/songwriter type of music but the band was really good...

...on the other hand I have read that Lucius is amazing live. I didn't see that. They were OK. Sometimes hipster bands just get overhyped. That might be the case here. If I had never read or heard of Lucius, I might have thought they were good. What's that? Public Enemy says "Don't Believe The Hype!"

J. Roddy Walston & The Business rocked the Bud Light Stage with their brand of southern boogie. Good head rocking foot stomping music with singalong chorus. Simple but damn good when done right. I did leave in the middle of their set to check out Johnnyswim on the small BMI Stage. I saw them on Live at Daryl's House recently and thought they were great. They are a married couple and she is Donna Summer's daughter. They write really good songs together and their voices provide a perfect mix for the songs.

After loving Johnnyswim's set. I was completely blown away by Hozier. Like most people, I have hear his hit, "Take Me To Church" and loved it. This guy can write some powerful songs. He and his band sounded great and all the songs were really good.

Part of my enjoyment of Lolla is the kids who have a different style. This fan of Hozier had cool tattoos with muddy Keens.

The Irish were out in full force to support Hozier who I believe is from Dublin.

 I love it when the music combines the heart with the mind to provide powerful emotions musically. Hozier definitely did that throughout his set. Interpol was up next and I was bored after 3 three songs. No emotion at all, they seemed bored on stage so we left to get some Brazilian Fried Cheese on a Stick. That led us to my favorite band of the day.

Rudimental. I know I posted their video for Free on facebook and said it wasn't my type of music. That is why seeing a band live is so important. I loved this band. Once they hit the stage, it was an all out party at The Grove.

The multiple singers, the MC and the band were a perfect blend of upbeat music, dancing, stage showmanship and great songs with a message.

Bands like this are why I love music festivals. Rudimental. Check them out and go see them live.

We saw a few songs from Lorde, Royal Blood and The Kooks. All were good but nothing great. To be fair to Lorde, we were very far away and she had minimal music playing behind her. I might have liked it better in a small club. That said, I was impressed that she was able to command the attention of the huge crowd that came to see her. I did notice every young girl near me was singing along to every song.

I live here so I know all the things that make Chicago a flawed city...but from here...right now...Chicago looks great.

So I ended my day at Lollapalooza with Eminem. He put on a great show. I loved it from start to finish. When Rhianna came out for "Love The Way You Lie, Monster & Stan" the already pumped up crowd went to another level. We were easily the oldest people anywhere near us but I loved Eminem's set. While he blasted through a long career of incredible songs I had a few thoughts about him. I love music that makes you think, causes you to consider what is being sung or music that just pisses you off. Good songs can create all kinds of emotions...that is why I love music so much. Live music can take a good song and the performance can make it an amazing song. Eminem did that for me tonight. But I realized he has done that his whole career. His fuck you attitude probably drew me to his music originally because music should offend you at times. It should make you think about subjects you would rather ignore. Marshall Mathers has grown from singing about bitches to writing the amazingly powerful and beautiful "Love The Way You Lie". Along the way he has created a fantastic catalog of songs that cover many topics most people chose to ignore...I am damn glad I saw him perform those songs tonight.

July 28, 2014 I Miss My Ocean

I couple of weeks ago my cousin Michelle, who is staying with us this summer, posted a picture of herself standing on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. The caption read "I miss my ocean". I commented that I miss my ocean too. My ocean is the Atlantic Ocean. So when I got home from work today we took the dogs to Dunbar Beach on Lake Michigan. It wasn't quite our oceans but due to the strange weather pattern in the area this year, the lake had some decent sized waves rolling in. I think we both enjoyed the sound of the surf as we walked along the shore.

I thought my favorite Modest Mouse song, "The Ocean Breathes Salty" should be playing while you check out the pictures of our walk on the beach. These pictures were taken by both of us.

The water was pretty warm considering the cool temps all summer. The waves were full of sand as they battered the beach.

For those of you familiar with the beaches along Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, you know the water is usually about thirty to forty feet from the dune grass along Lakefront Drive.

I took Oslo into the surf but he was afraid of the bigger waves.

Roxie enjoying a sip of muddy water.

There is nothing better than a walk on the beach even if it isn't your favorite ocean.