a k.kalla production

Lollapalooza - Day One

The set up: Josh, Erin, one-armed Emily, and I will drive up to Chicago - meeting up with Matt and Jeremy for Lollapalooza. The six of us will sleep in Jeremy's studio apartment, located on the outskirts of Boystown, and ride the El each day to the festival. And there will be music, merrymaking, and dancing. And mud and sunburns and the stifling sweaty heat from 100,000 bodies pressed against yours. And hard decisions: Do I miss Clap Your Hands Say Yeah to get a good spot at the Hold Steady? If I drink this entire Camelbak full of water in order to avoid dying, will I have to pee in the middle of Daft Punk?

So we start the first day with six people sharing one shower, followed by bagels and a ride on the most terrifying form of public transportation in the world (barring perhaps India's Red Line busses): the El. After cheating death, I caught my first glimpse of Lollapalooza:



The first band I saw was Illinois. This was followed by Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Ted fell midset and cut his hand open, but kept on playing. Here's Josh, awestruck:


After Ted Leo, we headed over to see the Polyphonic Spree. This is where I learned my first lesson of Lollapalooza: there is often a direct correlation between the number of people on stage and how awesome the show is. Jeremy and I managed to snake our way through the crowd for a good spot.


My expectations for this show were not that high. But the Spree brought it. They came out in paramilitary garb - black uniforms with red heart-shaped patches - an odd mix of symbolism.


The experience was euphoric. It felt as though there was something bigger than the music, this feeling of possibility. The concert really exploded when they covered Nirvana's Lithium. Here's Jeremy singing along:


Next on the list was MIA - and the earth shaking bass felt good.


Matt and I then checked out the Black Keys. Matt had been told in the past that he bears a striking resemblance to the lead singer. You be the judge:


The day was capped off with a performance by Daft Punk. I was unable to meet up with Josh, who had staked out a good spot several hours in advance. I could literally see him 20 feet away, but I had run into an unbending human wall. As the sun set on Chicago, the curtains opened to reveal a massive pyramid. Atop it stood two robots - sporting metallic helmets and designer leather suits. The crowd was ravenous, and there were times when I worried I might be crushed. The show was surreal - two robots sitting atop a pyramid playing French house.


Contentment mingled with exhaustion after ten hours of being outdoors, and we trekked it back to Jeremy's apartment to rest up for day two.