From left: Dresdin Dolls, The Go! Team, and Corin Tucker from Sleater-Kinney. Photos by Stacy Jacobs
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By Stacy Jacobs and Jen Neely
Having been to lots of festivals in both the United States and the United Kingdom, we have to say that this year's Lollapalooza ( Aug. 3-5 in Chicago's Grant Park ) was one of the best, thanks to an atmosphere of positivity that pervaded the event.
The artists all expressed their joy at being part of the fest, thanked the fans for showing up and heartily talked up fellow artists they were excited to see. This good vibe extended to the fans, too. With tolerable heat indexes, few lines and plenty of bathrooms, people were less inclined to be grumpy. The only complaints to be found were about the travel time between stages—a lot of feet were hurting—but only one hooligan was escorted out by the police.
Highlights:
The Dresden Dolls
Amanda Palmer and Brian Viglione could be the Mates of State's slutty, abused cousin—and this is not a bad thing. Foregoing vocal harmony in favor of Palmer's red velvet voice and Viglione's thunderous drumming, the Dolls are not poppy, not cute and not there to make you feel better. On Coin-Operated Boy, the song that helped them earn their 'cabaret-punk' label, Palmer was able to skip her voice in the middle of the song as faithfully as any 1988 Discman going over speed bumps. And on the seriously gritty cover of Black Sabbath's War Pigs, she did Ozzie better than Ozzie himself. With make-up running and hair plastered to her face, she screamed 'Satan laughing spreads his wings' with a conviction that chilled and titillated at the same time. ( JN )
The Go! Team
It's a cheerleading squad—no, wait—it's a rap group—no, wait—it's a party up on stage! The Go! Team from Brighton, England, followed up from its performance at last year's Intonation Festival with an energetic set of pop-filled goodness. The multi-talented group, in which band members seem to switch instruments every song, brought the early afternoon crowd to amazing highs and kept heads bopping throughout the performance. ( SJ )
Husky Rescue
Helsinki band Husky Rescue ( headed up by Marko Nyberg and his band of musically talented friends ) plays beautiful sounds that makes one want to lounge with a martini in hand. The soft voice of 20-year-old Reeta-Leena Korhola transported the audience to a French movie in the span of a short half hour. ( SJ )
Kidzapalooza
As most of the original attendees of the early Lollapalooza concerts are now parents, having a kid-friendly area makes sense. Kidzapalooza featured everyone from well-known kids' artists like Ella Jenkins to the extremely entertaining 'Heeb-Hop/Hip-Hop' of Chutzpah to rock royalty Patti Smith. Besides the mini-concerts, there were workshops that taught things like break-dancing and playing guitar. Kids could also mimic their parents by being treated to their very own punk rock hairdo ( pink and blue colors included ) . ( SJ )
Manu Chao
In contrast to the mindless movement of the masses at the opposite stage watching Kanye West, Manu Chao's inventive blend of rock, reggae, ska and Brazilian beats inspired spontaneous, non-self-conscious dance. Audience members couldn't help themselves, and neither could the band—jumping up and down with whatever beat came next. It was the dance party of Lollapalooza, with a nearly diverse crowd grooving to the Spanish lyrics. But it was more than just a party—Chao's politics were evident when, to thunderous applause, he explained in English the lyrics to a protest song: 'Violence only gonna bring more violence.' Amen, brother. ( JN )
Panic! at the Disco
These MTV darlings brought in a nice-sized crowd for early in the day. The band pulls a lot of influence from the Bowie era with some modern retelling of songs, including their hit, I Write Sins Not Tragedies. They also started out the round of amazing covers heard throughout the festival with Radiohead's Karma Police and Smashing Pumpkins' Tonight, Tonight. The band also had some help from members of the L.A.-based LucEnT dOsSieR Vaudeville Cirque to enhance the show with its vaudeville antics. ( SJ )
The Raconteurs
I believe Jack White and Brendan Benson had the same dream one night, except in Jack's version of the dream everything was in hot shades of red, orange and yellow, and in Brendan's it was cool and blue and green. When each vision was laid atop the other, the result was dense, dirty, brown rock 'n roll. The Raconteurs came onstage without any fanfare—just this rockin' vision of theirs—and traded guitar licks and vocals, proving that they are more than just Jack White and Friends. The musicianship is unmistakable and they seemed to be channeling at times Cream, at times Led Zeppelin and at times their very own hot and cool spirits. Covers of Gnarls Barkley's Crazy and Nancy Sinatra's Bang Bang ( My Baby Shot Me Down ) sealed their greatness. ( JN )
Sleater-Kinney
You had a sense going into what would be Sleater-Kinney's third-to-last performance ever that it was going to rock—and rock it did. Their set felt like what happens after you've grit your teeth too many times—after you bit your tongue for too long. Carrie Brownstein strutted around the stage like she had the biggest clit in the room, and absolutely shredded her guitar. Janet Weiss's drumming was impeccable—her fills were spot-on, as was her amazing stint playing both the harmonica and drums on Modern Girl. Finally, Corin Tucker's voice ( initially the band's most distinctive trait and always the most recognizable ) sounded incredible—her wail seems to both come from, and go straight to, one's uterus. It's sad that after seven albums this trio won't be making its sulfur-boiling brand of punk anymore. ( JN )
