I started day two of Lollapalooza off with Matt Costa. (It was also started nicely with a txt message from the Mindfield game saying I could show my txt message to the Sweet Leaf Tea people and get a free Sweet Tea... I got Mint and Honey flavor. I also forwarded the message to my friends who went and got some tea too. Good marketing tool too...I've bought their brand from the store since then.) Anyhow...it was great to see Matt playing Lolla...so proud of him. He's one of those few people who I feel like I have been there from the beginning with. Cold December and Astair were both amazing, as were all of the songs really.

I left Matt a couple of songs early to get a close spot for Nada Surf, who I was uber pumped about. Sadly, I guess Elvis Perkins joined Matt on stage for the last song... in hindsight I would have liked to have seen that. Oh well. Nada Surf put on a killer show. I was actually kind of surprised by their setlist. The played a lot of their slower stuff (Paper Boats, Blonde on Blonde, Inside of Love, Always Love) and not as much of the upbeat stuff that I figured would be great for an outdoor festival (Do It Again, Imaginary Friends). They played Popular pretty early on in the set but didn't play Your Legs Grow (which was on an OC soundtrack). Regardless, it was a great set...and it was Matt's birthday and Ira got the crowd to all sing for him. Awww. All in all a kick ass show that lived up to my expectations.

Feist was next and I have to be honest, I wasn't expecting much. When I saw her at The Park West I was just so so about her - I liked her opener and fellow Broken Social Scene member (exmember?) Jason Collett more. I figured that the outdoor venue wouldn't suit her. In fact I really enjoyed her a lot, probably more, here. I just stood back and really had a great time with her set. Secret Heart was great (one of my fave songs that she sings... a cover of a Ron Sexsmith tune that I loved from him as well) and Mushaboom was decent, but it was a lot of her unknown songs that I really dug. Dunno why, just hit me and I was feeling it . Great job Feist.

Built To Spill on the other hand I didn't feel. I wasn't very familar with their stuff to begin with (although what I have heard from CD I have enjoyed) and it didn't do much for me. I'm sure fans probably loved it but I just wasn't feeling it. Plus I was a little disappointed in their attittude... they were playing the Bud Light stage and were kind of badmouthing Bud Light and Adidas...saying that they didn't really care about the music and the music would still be around without them. But actually, it takes tons of money to organize such a massive musical event as Lolla, get the equipment for it, promote it so that it is successful, pay the bands (I'm sure that Built To Spill wasn't playing for free) who in turn get exposure to a diverse crowd who might not have heard their music previously. That's why sponsorship is necessary and I think it is cool that companies do that. Now, I'm not saying that sometimes that can't go overboard, but I never felt at Lolla that the music wasn't the most important thing (I got pissed off at last year's intonation when the crowds booed the MC thanking XBox for being a sponsor, too). Now, I can understand if the band had a problem with a company for a specific reason, but it just seemed like they were complaining just to complain. No thank you. If you want to try and have an outdoor festival without corporate sponsors give it a try (I know that Dispatch's last concert was a free show, and very successful...but that was only one band and they still had Nantucket Nectars sponsoring them!) but if it is a big enough deal to you that you are going to complain about it during your show then just don't play (or if you are a crowd member who is upset about sponsorship don't go) because you just seem like a big hypocrite. Ok, end rant.

Calexico, like Feist, I have seen before, and when I have seen them I've been just so so. Like with Feist I have seen them with Jason Collett and enjoyed him more, and like with Feist their Lolla show impressed me more than I guessed it would. The music was upbeat and energetic...it added some great flavor and fun and a departure to the music of the day. I was hoping that I would get a guest appearance from Iron and Wine since they did "In the Reins" together recently but no luck. I did get a surprise cameo from Swedish singer Nicolai Dunger who sang along on a song dedicated to the memory of Arthur Lee.

After Calexico I made my way across the grounds (picking up a bite) and saw a couple of decent songs from Gnarls Barkley before heading back for a couple of decent songs from Sonic Youth.

The Dresden Dolls were next and put on quite a bit of theatrics in their face paint. I didn't realize they were a two person act on drums and keyboard. My first thought was "they are the evil twins of Mates of State." The show was pretty good (one of my dad's faves). Amanda had a quick wardrobe change at one point (made on stage!) The highlight was a perfect performance of Coin-Operated Boy. I left a bit eary so I could get a good spot for the Flaming Lips.

Talk about theatrics...the Flaming Lips has got it. I have heard that the first Lips show you go to is the best, because it is all new to you. There was the lead singer rolling around the crowd in a big ball, and tons of HUGE baloons thrown out (looking behind me was an awesome experience...baloons as far as the eye could see silhoutted against the Chicago skyline. The stage was filled with dancing santas and aliens. A machine was used to shoot streamers into the air. It really goes on and on, but it was pretty amazing. While some bands I was skeptical about their ability to thrive in an outdoor setting, the Lips were truly in their element. They kept attempting to get us to sing along so loudly that we stopped traffic on Lake Shore Drive...loudly enough to get Israel to stop bombing Lebanon, to bring about peace in the middle east. They wanted us to sing so that if singing could bring about positive change in the world just through than that was the song to do it. It was pretty great and transformed their new single, which I had previously been annoyed with, into something special. (Its inclusion in Little Miss Sunshine commercials has helped make me love it too!) They told some great stories about Lolla tours past and how great they were and talked about the times before Starbucks and energy drinks, where they drank homemade strong coffee and homemade energy drinks. This prompted some stupid girl behind me to start bitching about Starbucks and about how Clear Channel was producing Lolla and how awful it was. I didn't see anything that lead me to believe that Clear Channel was involved with Lolla at all. But that didn't stop her from drunkenly going on and on about it. The only thing that stopped her for a bit was when they mentioned playing "She Don't Use Jelly" on 90210 at which time I heard her squeal "at the Peach Pit!!!!!" Uggh. Regardless, it was a great set and a great performance, and once again provided the perfect "setting sun" song with "Do You Realize." Or I guess I should say the perfect illusion cause by the Earth spinning around song. Regardless, it was a great music moment. And all thanks to clear channel apparently.

On my way over to see the New Pornographers I got to hear a little bit of the Theivery Corporation, including "Lebanese Blonde" from the Garden State soundtrack, which I was very glad to hear. I arrived at the New Pornographers just in time to hear "The Bleeding Heart Show" which is my favorite track from them. Like with Feist and Calexico, the New Pornographers were a group that I have seen before and never gone wild over, and like those other bands this is probably my favorite performance from them. Maybe I was just in the mood, but they sounded really great.

That would have been the end of a great day of music...but the night was young and there was a Metro show that I was more excited about then the whole Lolla festival on the horizon.