THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Lollapalooza had more than 130 acts with headliners such as Tool, Ben Harper, Depeche Mode, Kings of Leon and The Killers. There was even a Kidzapalooza where kids took dance lessons, played instruments, got punk-rock haircuts while listening to LeAnn Rimes perform covers of songs like The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun."

One of the more bizarre events of the weekend was the helicopter that began swarming overhead with its searchlights on the crowd during the Janes Addiction set. At first sight you thought something really troublesome was going down but then realized this was an atmospheric scene-enhancer plotted by the organizers. Lou Reed's set ended like an English soccer match, carrying on 15 minutes overtime as anger churned amongst a younger crowd of "Band of Horses" fans waiting on the opposite end of the field. In an effort to boot "Uncle Lou" off the stage, they broke out into overwrought episodes of applause.

As programmers for the Decibelle/Estrojam festival for the past seven years, we of course really appreciated some of the stellar female-fronted acts. Smart, sassy Santigold delivered an incredible high energy, socially conscious set of new-wave rock and reggae including a Cure cover of 'Killing an Arab' to a massive crowd. Lykke Li's dazzling, electro-funk infused pop was a breath of fresh air and definitely stirred up the fatigued crowd. Pakistani singer, "Bat For Lashes" transitioned us into a more mellow, yet fierce set of compelling ambient, tribal, electro beats. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who replaced the Beastie Boys at the last minute, delivered an epic show with Karen O dressed in a neon Indian headdress, delivering a stunning, acoustic version of maps that she dedicated to artists, "TV on the Radio" and "Deerhunter" as well as the band's family who were present at the festival.

Her first time in Chicago, the remorselessly intoxicating Norwegian pop diva, Ida Maria was wickedly hot. Like a burlesque Janis Joplin, she upped the ante on her light-hearted, male-objectifying hit, 'I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked,' strip-teasing the crowd with her fiery pink bra and matching knickers. Ida said in our interview yesterday, "There are still so many things in the world in the image of women that makes us not free." She has felt the pressure to focus on image "before you can challenge yourself to do greater things—to get your voice heard." She "loves guys" but also points out that they don't get the same amount of scrutiny about their looks. "Am I pretty enough? takes away from the time we could have spent on being great ... without stilettos … without make-up."

It's no surprise that she admires the debaucherous poet Charles Bukowski, who she referred to as "a loud, dirty genius." At past shows she's split her head open and broken a couple ribs—but carried on singing—unaware of the blood and sealing the chaos with an innocent, girlish laugh. Ida's raw, effortless beauty and ferocious confidence are no act, making her show as dangerously sexy as her music. Spin Magazine stamped her debut album, Fortress Around My Heart, as one of the 20 Best Albums of 2009 so far.

For the scorching heat throughout the remainder of the weekend ( which hit 107 on Sunday, Aug. 9 ) , festival organizers provided mobile ventilator units as the Chicago Fire Department began misting crowds. Despite herds of cooling buses, medic tents and paramedic staffers, a man actually died on the festival grounds for the first time in Lollapalooza history due to cardiac arrest. Unfortunate events aside, things seemed to go pretty smoothly for the organizers and festivalgoers were generally elated by the weekend's "activities". The only complaints we heard, were of course, no BYOB.