LOLLAPALOOZA 2014
Plastic Visions’ front man Brad Shultz crowd surfing on Sunday 8.3.14
This past weekend Chicago’s Grant Park became amassed by musicians and over one hundred thousand concertgoers that could hardly wait the anticipation of attending the 3 days of non-stop music. 2014 also marks the tenth anniversary of the musical festival.
The festival has come a long way from its original humble roots. Lolla was born in 1991 by Jane’s Addiction Perry Farrell as a final farewell show of the band. Between 1997 and 2002 the festival was unable to proceed and it was also canceled in 2004 due to low ticket sales. In 2005 Perry became partners with C3 Presents, an artist management and event production company. The new partnership rewired the whole system and the festival has emerged as we see it today, one of the greatest and largest music festivals in the country.
Some of this year’s biggest acts were performed by Lorde, Kings of Leon, Cage the Elephant, Outkast, Arctic Monkeys, Skrillex, Calvin Harris, Foster the People, and Eminem featuring a surprise performance by Rihanna.
Having never attended the festival before, I give my friend Jeff and I an A+ for Lolla preparation. As I continued to read articles and news about the concert in the days leading to the show, I came across great advice about what to bring in your backpack. The bare necessities were a Camelbak water bottle that was definitely used a lot, hand sanitizer (you think those hand washing stations have an unlimited amount of soap??….nope), a poncho or something else to change into when the rain comes…and yes the rain will come as it does every year.
Last but not least, my best decision was wearing my Nike Workhorse trail running shoes. Let me first say, this is the best pair of running shoes I’ve ever worn in my life. I could go on all day about these shoes but I must resist. If you’re going to Lolla, don’t risk trying to look cool all day by wearing your baller Jordans that are “sick”, or your flat sole Chucks that are “the shit”. You may end up being on your feet for about 11 hours or so depending on how your day goes, I don’t understand why you would wear some weak little flip flops or sandals that might break. THE RAIN WILL COME. THE MUD WILL FOLLOW. YOU MIGHT FALL. IT MIGHT HURT….wear some good shoes, take an extra pair if you want, your feet are important.
Having made our schedules and rendezvous points, my first 3 shows were conveniently all at the same stage. Another tip, definitely make your rendezvous times and locations with your friends ahead of time if you plan on splitting up.
The first band I saw at noon was Cage the Elephant’s vocalist Brad Shultz’s side project Plastic Visions. They are a bit grungier, louder, and in your face than Cage. They have a bit of a surf/skate/hardcore punk sound, but it seems like they continue to push the envelope and enjoy dipping their toes into different genres.
It’s a ton of fun to see Shultz perform as he jumps around on stage and crowd surfs into spectators. You can tell he loves Chicago and his fans as he praises them throughout the show. The band played at the BMI stage which was a great start to the festival as you walk into a coved area of giant trees that cover the fans and leads you straight to the stage.
The second show of the day might have been my favorite performance. Also at the BMI stage, Space Capone turned out to be an excellent show that can put a smile on your face and make you want to move your feet. If you like Michael Jackson or funk, you’d probably really enjoy Space Capone. They’re an American funk band from Nashville, TN that has been playing for the last few years. They’re also affiliated with a charity that helps less fortunate kids learn about music. How can you not like these guys? Songs like I Just Wanna Dance and R.U.D.T.F (Down to Funk) demonstrate the wide talent of all the band members and singer Aaron Winters' ability to give you a bit of Michael Jackson in a beautiful funky delivery. This was the perfect music to be listening to as the first light rain of the day occurred, but we were all safely covered under the trees.
My third consecutive show at the BMI stage featured a second group from Nashville called Fly Golden Eagle. Singer Ben Trimble was born to belt out some passionate lyrics and shred on the guitar. They’re another very fun group who make you want to dance, very thrilling, psychedelic, funky, and good old fashion rock n roll. There is a bit of a vintage rock sound and look to them that really makes it seem like they could have fit right in at some small stage at Woodstock. This is a great summer outdoor festival band that’s perfect for dancing, rocking out, and maybe spending some time with your special someone…( I was by myself..)Trimble would go “down down down to depths of Hades” to perform a show for us if he had to.
What’s with all these French techno artists being hardcore and awesome? Gesaffelstein was my fourth show at Perry’s stage. If the French techno duo Justice had a younger, bad, little cousin, it might be Gesaffelstein. His music kind of scares you, kind of makes you feel cool, kind of makes you want to wear black, and kind of makes you want to walk around the city at night and listen to his music with some headphones on.
There is of course a dark/solemn/eroded/dominant force to his sound. I imagine he would be the DJ playing at an underground vampire nightclub in a Blade Movie as Wesley Snipes kicks some serious vampire ass. Some the music sounds futuristic and if you close your eyes you can imagine yourself running from something scary in some dark, foggy ally, or in some empty, narrow, European, cobblestone street. The show was incredible and he always looks super classy in his black suit, white collar shirt, and black scarf. And yes, of course he’ll light up a cigarette for a dramatic performance. The one man show is a definite must see.
Although the rain was heavily down pouring on all of Lolla during the performance of Rebelution, you might have forgotten that you were getting wet as you listened to the rock/reggae band from California. The group makes you feel warm and happy as they perform songs about positivity and being stress free. They make you want to be nice to everyone, maybe play some hacky sack, wear some tie dye, and enjoy every single day of summer. That was probably the best kind of music to be listening to during one of the hardest down pours of the day. They continue to play all over the world and the young band says that their music is meant to move people physically and mentally. What more could any band ask for? Rebelution hits you in the heart, mind, and soul.
Is there anything that Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino doesn’t do? Actor, writer, comedian, rapper, producer…This guy’s got some rap sheet. Supposedly he got his name for a Wu-Tang-Clan name generator. The show drew a huge crowd at the Bud Light Stage and his performance demonstrated his great rap skills, speed, and showmanship. It’s like that guy's always on the move whether career-wise or in the studio. He brings comedy into some of his songs as he drops a lot of clever punch lines and word play throughout the show. Very entertaining and witty.
I didn’t see these two acts but I wish I did, Flume & Darkside. If you want to blow your mind by some awesome psychedelic rock, then you have to listen to Darkside, a duo from New York that’s formed by electronic musician Nicolas Jaar and multi instrumentalist Dave Harrington. Unfortunately it doesn’t look like they’ll play in Chicago any time soon but I will definitely be in attendance whenever that day comes. There is an airy darkness, techno, and rock’n roll sound that makes you feel like you’re about to be in outer space. I don't know if the duo chose their name because of Pink Floyd, but I'm pretty sure those guys are huge Floyd fans.
Harley Streten aka Flume, is an Australian electronic musician, DJ, and producer who has been topping the charts in Australia for the last few years. His collaboration with vocalists have allowed him to experiment with different genres such as rap, electronica, and dance. His show drew a good crowd and everyone definitely seemed to be dancing to the music. I feel like him and Calvin Harris would complement each other very well if they played a show together.
I highly recommend Lolla if you’re up for a pretty crazy day, ready to spend 10-ish hours on your feet, have no problem with mud, not too worried about getting soaked by the rain, don’t mind walking through tens of thousands of people, and don’t have a problem being around some drunk people.
Oh right, you for sure want to go if you plan on seeing some tantalizing performances by new and familiar acts that give it their all, whether it’s night or day, rain or shine. These artists know what it means to you, and they'll play their hearts out for you. Experience it at least once. Try out the Lolla after-shows if you want to avoid the rain and huge crowds. There was about fifty after-shows this year and they play all over the city. I had the pleasure of attending Interpol’s aftershow at the House of Blues. Interpol is one of my favorite bands of all time and seeing them at the HOB was an incredible experience.
Until next year.
