A special bonus edition of on this day with a dedicated blog of Lollapalooza. Ostensibly, another excuse to see Rage again, myself with son and heir travel across the pond to Chicago. Our first experience of a multi-day festival and in a city centre too and so Chicago seemed to be good option. I had got a good deal on a room at the Hard Rock Hotel which was a short walk to Grant Park and near the banks of the Chicago River and so another benefit no camping. To say excitement levels were high is an understatement.
We decant to Giordano’s, the famous pizza chain and whilst we had been to America a few times nothing prepared us for what was delivered. Their pizzas are more like a short crust open top pie with the fillings inside. It arrived and we waited for other people to join us as we assumed that we were sharing it with another party as the pizza could have fed a family of six no problem. We gave it a good shot though but were inevitably beaten and so did the typical American thing and doggie bagged it back to the hotel to be later had for breakfast the next day.
So wristbands in hand we enter Grant Park which is a beautiful park on the banks of Lake Michigan. We are immediately greeted with freebie givers so picked up our complimentary programme, laminated lanyard with set times and stages fully detailed so we could properly plan our day. (Take note Glasto).
So after a little light exploring with took in our first band Yeasayer on one of the main stages. Set was taken mainly from their fine debut album and a good way to ease into the festival. Next up was Duffy, she was massive at the time on the back of her debut album and delivered a crowd pleasing mid-afternoon sunny festival set. It was here that the festival kicked up a few gears with the Black Keys doing what the Black Keys do best. Hard stomping blues. Their sound still hadn’t morphed into the slightly more polished blues they tout now and they still had that raw edge.
We may have at this stage taken in a bit of Cat Power but probably decanted to the bier garden for an IPA and frankfurter.
Staying at the Bud Light stage next up the Raconteurs, the Jack White led supergroup featuring Brendan Benson and others. Their second album had just come out and the set was an even split between that and their fine debut. This was a full on rock show and White who is an enigmatic front man is also an underrated guitarist and the band delivered a faultless rock show. Benson an accomplished artist in his own right more than holds the thing together as he notionally fronts the outfit.
Onto the headline act for the night Radiohead. Typically Lolla has two headline acts one on each of the main stages which are at the far ends of Grant Park probably a mile away from each other. Tonight though, there is no competition and so the whole festival is here to see them. Predominantly they are over here touring the ‘In Rainbows’ album which I personally think is up there with some of the best stuff they have recorded and a large slice of the set showcases it. Unlike the recent Glasto set this one was perfectly paced with the ‘hits’ sprinkled throughout and the show never loses its momentum. The stage is beautifully lit another plus over the Glastonbury show and spontaneously fireworks start to go off at Soldier Field behind the stage towards the end of the main set to create further atmosphere.
And that’s a rap for day one. Exhausted with a combination of bit of jet lag, heat and standing up for hours we are running on adrenalin and euphoria after an epic day. We make our way back with the masses bringing the streets to a standstill as the cars can’t compete with the thousands of music fans who have suddenly decanted from the park. It’s been a blistering hot day and so the shower and the cool sheets of our queen sized beds really hits the spot. Definitely a massive plus over even our more favourable camping experiences at Glasto.
After a breakfast of cold pizza and then my go to Americana breakfast of corned beef hash, fully sated we start the day. It’s another busy and the heat is still with us and will give cause to careful planning and pacing. Today is all about the main course of Rage against the Machine but there are plenty of titbits on offer before then.
We might have caught the end of the Tings Tings but first up proper is the excellent Dr.Dog who I love and ensure that I caught them at Glasto a few years back too. It’s simple guitar based pop alt rock whatever that is but they do it so well. It’s a short skip to the other main stage (AT&T) for the Gutter Twins. Mark Lanegan does what he does, he doesn’t change as he’s just motionless stuck to the microphone for the entire set. No frills, no banter just the songs. It’s not uplifting and you don’t expect it to be but he’s good nonetheless.
As a complete contrast next up are MGMT who are riding high after the success of their excellent first album with their cheery psychedelic pop. Brilliant stuff and everyone leaves with a smile on the face.
We trek across to the other end of the park for a beer and a burger and a fine set from Okkervil River. They can be a bit hit and miss live but tonight they were good and perfect for sunny afternoon just sitting in taking in the atmosphere. We utilise the onsite schools buses equipped with air con to cool off for a few minutes before I think we may have taken in Lupe Fiasco or the Toadies. I can’t remember as what happened next made everything else just before seem irrelevant.
Up against local boys Wilco on the other stage I am guessing the vast majority of the crowd are at this end of the Park for Rage. We were half prepared for what to expect after last year’s Rock the Bells gig but this one was off the charts. Probably because this was the first Lollapalooza to sell out 200,000 people are here today who have baked in the sun, drunk a load of beer, smoked a lot of ‘erb and are crammed at this end of the field. There was no way we were going to get that close as we were greeted by an ocean of people.
What followed was a magnificent set on stage and pandemonium off of it. The band stopped the show a couple of times to try and encourage people to step back as the scenes from the front looked hairy to say the least and utter carnage at worst. I can’t review RATM objectively because I think they are one of the best live bands in the world in any era. Its dynamic, its visceral, its brutal, its musical, its passionate, its’s required and now so more than ever. It’s easy to discount them as just a wall of noise with a rapper screaming out lyrics but this is one of the best rhythm sections out there, see Audioslave, and Morello whilst probably not the most technically gifted guitarist gets sounds out of his guitar like no one else.
It’s a 20,000 volt moment as we all leave the site wired, frazzled and feeling like someone set the defibrillator to 300 and placed those paddles on our temples. No traffic was moving again that night as the hordes descend on downtown Chicago. AT one point some crappy dance music was blaring out of a stationary car. It’s quickly surrounded and I was a little worried that something was going to kick off. I needn’t have worried as the gang that surround it just started boogieing on down to the tunes. Great fun. Never was the thought of a comfy massive bed more welcome as we made our short walk back to the hotel.
Day 3 and it’s a busy one. First though a trip to the Sear’s Tower to take in the amazing views of the City then onto a funky old school Italian café for a Calzone. Yummy.
First up it’s the John Butler Trio and a great start to the day. I have written recently about Butler and he again delivers a fine set of acoustic blues. Staying on the blues them we make out way to the Kids stage to see brothers, the Homemade Jamz Blues Band. They make their own instruments out of car parts and other household items and produce a great blues sound to entertain the kids and adults who like a bit of blues.
One reason to get to the Kids stage was that Perry Farrell was set to be up next. And sure enough he was. Joined on stage by Slash and with Tommy Lee standing stage left but sadly didn’t make an appearance on it.
What follows is the most surreal thirty minutes of my life. Farrell looking and sounding like a modern day child catcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang he chats with the kids. Its gets a little more weird as he introduces Knockin on Heavens Door and proceeds to explain to the kids what heaven was. A truly interesting half an hour and I would be surprised if several of those kids didn’t have nightmares that evening.
It’s another hot one. Alex goes off to see someone else as I lie back on the grass taking in a mid-afternoon set from Iron and Wine. I am a big fan but today it didn’t click. The large stage, the heat, my tiredness may have contributed but it didn’t live long in the memory.
Next up is rapper Saul Williams. I didn’t know any of his stuff but Alex as a fan. It’s Ok enough for me and Alex was lucky to meet him after the show to the side of the stage.
It’s a hop skip and a jump to the other side of the park to see Gnarls Barkley riding high after their hit ‘Crazy’ was taking the charts by storm. They were Ok and we stayed for the hit and then bid a hasty retreat.
Refreshments were sought to take us through the rest of the day as we took our places ready for hometown boy Kanye West. Luckily for us this was still early on in Kanye’s career before he got a bit …….. With two classic rap albums under his belt and Graduation just released the set couldn’t have been better. It’s a full on show, great production qualities and he is fully engaged and clearly pleased to be playing this show in his home. It’s all topped off with a great cover of Journey’s ‘Dont Stop Believin’ and it’s the perfect end to a fantastic weekend.
We still have one more day in the Windy City and of course no trip to Chicago would be complete without a chance to the see the Cubs at Wrigley Fields. It’s one of the oldest stadiums in the US and its proper old school. Surround by other buildings the owners have all erected stands on their rooves and sell tickets to watch the game from their bird’s eye vantage points.
It’s a seventies themed night with many people in fancy dress. The weather takes a nasty turn after a couple of innings and the rain comes down torrentially. We are evacuated under the stands but it provides little respite from the rain that is cascading though the cracks and we are soon quite wet. But this does provide me with my second surreal experience of the weekend. It was the sight of Elvis running down the aisle hop over the fence and proceed to water slide in the diamond. It’s hilarious.
We call it a day, get soaked on the run to the subway to get back into the city, have a beer and a bite in the Elephant and Castle and still get back to our room to watch the rest of the game that had continued.
I don’t have the words to sum up this whole weekend. After all of Alex’s health woes in the preceding years to share this experience with him meant the world to me. This is still probably the best weekend of my life and so many memories that we can and will talk about for the rest of our days